Divorce – God’s view

Divorce – God’s view

It has been a while since I penned down on the lesions learnt during my favourite Sunday services. Now, don’t judge, it is not because I have not attended church, but simply because I had not found anything inspiring to write about.

Today’s message was centered on parenting. Although am not a parent myself, I believe that there was a take away for each person who attended the church today.

The message started with Malachi 2:15, 15 which brought us to a notice that God makes a husband and a wife one body and spirit to have children who are truly God’s people. I guess this one statement is good enough to convey how responsible parents are ought to be when it comes to parenting the children. The message progressed around giving some very beautiful insights on bringing up children in the way that God wanted.

However, verse 16 caught my attention, although it was a different context. So, I just noted down and now as I read it clearly, I’m thrilled because my God doesn’t leave room for any confusion, even with the most contemporary topic. Yes, am talking about one of the most troubling problem that the world is facing now, even the Christian families – DIVORCE.

I’m reading in ‘Today’s English version’ and verse says “I hate divorce, says the Lord God of Israel”. It goes on an ever more emphatic way “I hate it when one of you does such a cruel thing to his wife. Make sure that you do not break your promise to be faithful to your wife”.

Friends, we certainly want to make sure we please God in everything we do. God clearly says that he hates break up in marriages. Sometimes, may be it seems that we cannot take one more day of the spouse. The rift in relationships is too wide and too hard to be covered. But, the word of God clearly instructs us to be faithful to wife.

I wanted to read more on the biblical view on marriage and divorce. So, I looked up in 1 Corinthians 7: 1-16.

Paul mentions in verse 10 that the Lord commands that a wife must not leave her husband. If she leaves, she either has to be single or reconcile with her husband. But the husbands do not have any choice. The bible clearly says in the end of verse 11 “a husband must not divorce his wife”.

It is interesting to note that Paul in all his wisdom writes that even if a person has a spouse who is an unbeliever, still he or she has to stay faithful in marriage if the other person chooses to. Attention: This is still not God speaking, but Paul writes from his experience. Friends, this is not a license to go around and marry unbelievers. Message is clear, it is applicable for people who have come to Christ after marriage and the spouse is not a believer yet. In that case also, if the unbeliever spouse to stay with the believer, in all faithfulness, we are bound to respect the marriage.

I’m planning to read more on this area and document my thoughts one this plague that is shattering many families. But for now, am glad that my God has a clear and uncompromising answer to life’s toughest questions.

One voice...

A brand new year...days just passed off. Didn't even realize how 2009 ended so soon.

Today it was a time of looking ahead for the year, being a first Sunday of 2010. As a church, we wanted to have an agreement on what our goals for 2010 should be.

One voice in church:
In Amos - 3: 3, the prophet writes "Do two men start traveling together without arranging to meet?"
The thought to be applied to today's churches is, we can not do anything unless there is an agreement. There should be one voice in anything that the church does.

In 1 Corinthians - 1:10, Paul writes to the church of Corinth "..may I appeal to all of you, my brothers, to agree in what you say, so that there will be no divisions among you. Be completely united, with only one thought and one purpose."
Paul is writing to church in Corinth at a time when Corinth was a great cosmopolitan Greek city. It was known for the commerce, proud culture, widespread immortality and variety of religions. Doesn't it sound it like many of the cities like we have today? Yes, it is pretty much like all the main cities in the world. So, this message by Paul to church in Corinth very well applies to us as well.
Why is it important to be in agreement and without any divisions in church?

Churches in rural areas have the advantage of having one kind of culture and one ideology. On the contrary, in cosmopolitan cities there are variety of cultures, people from different backgrounds and varied thought processes. Instead of a positive thing as it should be, many a time, it becomes a cause for the slower growth and less productive churches.

We can never reach destiny when traveling in a group and each person pulling in different directions. It is as simple as that. If the entire church doesn't agree on the common goals, it is really difficult to have the same needed burden and it is even more difficult to raise the passionate prayers. If, despite all these differences in people, if church can have one voice, it becomes an awesome blessing.