Welcome to Daily Discipleship: (Please Leave "Related" comments below)
Todays Bible Readings:
Esther 2
Amos 7
Titus 1
Daily Discipler (By Neil Anderson) PP 320 "Marriage a Covenant Relationship"
Memory Verse:
2 Tim 3:16-17
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thouroughly equipped for every good work. NKJV
My Reflections on today's readings :
DD: Marriage, A covenant Relationship: (Malachi 2:13-16)
Todays Daily Discipler reading begins with God again declaring that the sacrifices and worship offerings at the Altar meant nothing to Him, when the home life was not in order. He did not want to accept the offering as valid, because the giver had dealt treacherously with the Wife of His Youth. In essence, this passage was about divorce or the breaking of the marriage covenant. However, for those of us who are not divorced, there is still a strong warning. We are in a covenant relationship with our wifes. A covenant relationship is different to every other kind of contract, because it is "Unconditional". We do not break the marriage just because the other party doesn't hold up to their end of the bargain (so to speak). We are making a commitment for better "OR WORSE" in "SICKNESS" and in health, for richer or "POORER". As I remember back to the day I was married, at the time, these words seemed more of a ritual or a rite of passage into marriage, than a "Real Commitment" however, they have certainly formed the glue that binds us together every single day since.
If we want to understand the kind of covenant God wants us to have with our spouse, we can look at the covenant God made with Abraham. It was also "Unconditional". In fact, so that Abraham had nothing to say about it (like most of us would, putting conditions on it and so on) God put Abraham to Sleep...
Each of us as a Godly Spouse (Partner) is making a "ONE SIDED" commitment to our husband or wife. We are committed to them anyway. Neil Anderson says that it is like gluing two pieces of paper together. Any attempt to separate them leaves both sheets damaged.
"Thought for the Day" In what way are a husband and a wife one ?
(Leave your comments)
Esther 2:
Its interesting to me that as I read this recount of a real event, I just accept it as being normal every day life for Israel in Exile. Did you catch the irony of this story of one of Gods Chosen People ?
Esther is chosen because she is beautiful, to be in the kings Harem. The story continues. These girls that have chosen will be the Kings for one evening only... (He is trying before buying, until he finds a Queen) Once you realise this, doesn't it go against every moral fibre in our being ? and yet.... here is the clincher. It was (apparently) Part of Gods Plan. I want to be careful here, not to attribute to God, the decadence of man. It is quite clear that Artixerxes and his court were responsible for these immoral decisions. However, it reinforces to me again Romans 8:28. God is in the background of this, working it out for Good. I have often had discussions with a friend on the Value of "Principles" that we find in scripture. Timeless truths that show us what God is like and that we can put into practise in our own lives. But we need to keep our principles in mind. They are not a new law to keep (or fail to keep) they are what they are. An understanding of the "Good we ought to do". But when we don't manage to keep them, even then, even when we fail. God is working all things together for good. When we or others around us, or even our world at large, is "So Wrong" just as it was in the case of Artixerxes and Esther, where Wrong is called Right", God is still working all these things together for the Good of those who are called according to his purposes.
Amos 7:
As I read Amos 7 this morning, the thought occurred to me that God, just like us, uses his imagination to work through an issue that we face. God gave Amos a vision of locusts destroying Israel. When Amos asked what was to happen to Jacob, (the nation) God let him in on a secret.... (it wasn't going to happen at all...) Does this mean that God was playing a Joke on Amos ? Was God giving a message that wasn't going to happen to a prophet, because if he was, there was great peril for the prophet. God was using this imagery (imagination) to motivate Amos in his witness, and Israel in their repentance. And it worked. When Amos faced the adversary, he stood up and proclaimed the message anyway. God takes us through all kinds of circumstances, and gives us all kinds of messages to shape us and change us ready for eternity. C.S.Lewis puts it like this... Christ is standing next to us, constantly talking to us in every circumstance, that we may become "Little Christs".
Titus 2:
What impacts me most from the Titus passage today is the reality of my own personal sin. As I consider the list that Titus was instructed to administer when he chose leaders over the church in every town in Crete, I am reminded of my own shortcomings in this regard. The most significant being my "Anger", or "Frustration Outbursts"
I can think of an occasion even this week, where I simply responded in Anger because I felt I was made to look silly in front of people I would rather impress. How this exposes my inner need to be valued by others, and defense mechanism when it doesn't happen. And yet, it also reminds me of the truth I often express to others "We shouldn't find our value in what others think of us, but rather what God thinks of us" I trust that next time someone shows me up in public, I will remember "It is what God thinks of me that counts" (not what others think). I am accepted and Valued by God because he created me.
No comments:
Post a Comment