Romans 8:28 Marriage

Excerpts from Shari at "But who do you say I am?"    I encourage you to view her whole post:

My husband and I [Shari] just celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary. To remain married that long is indeed an accomplishment to be celebrated these days as sadly, so many marriages end in divorce. We truly must have had a marriage made in heaven…right?

I wish I could say that. At least it certainly did not begin that way, nearly ending in divorce after only ten years. 

Pull up a chair and allow me to share with you why I call our marriage a “Romans 8:28 marriage”.

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)... 

....For years, I prayed for God to change my husband, but nothing seemed to be happening. I was growing frustrated and disheartened by his lack of attention and affection toward me, let alone spiritual leadership. I used control and manipulation to "get even", attempting to b-e-n-d him into the man I needed him to be. Then the Spirit of God urged me to change my prayer to, “Lord, change me”, revealing to me that my critical spirit worked only to drive my husband further away from me and from God.  

God honored that prayer, as I surrendered not only my life, but also my marriage to God, I began to witness small miracles taking place in my marriage. Hard hearts began to soften, defenses were dissolving, and respect was being restored. What the enemy intended for evil, God used for good. And a strange thing was happening; I was falling deeply in love with my husband. 

For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2 Cor. 4:6)

The Bible promises me that "my God shall supply all my needs", not my husband. It never was his job!  

From a marriage once darkened by sin and selfishness, now shines a Light that comes from the knowledge that through Christ, God truly works all things together for our good and His glory when our affections and desires are toward Him, rather than toward ourselves or the world... 

All glory and power and honor belong to our God!....

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Praising God! Thankful to the LORD for His life changing power! 

In all things cry out to God!

Our Obedience

1 Peter 1:3-9, 13-16

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who according to His great mercy has caused us
to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead,

to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable
and undefiled and will not fade away,
reserved in heaven for you,  who are protected by the
power of God through faith for a salvation ready
to be revealed in the last time. 

In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little
while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various
trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious
than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire,
may be found to result in praise and glory and honor
at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 

and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and
though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him,
you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full
of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith
the salvation of your souls.
-
Therefore, prepare your minds for action,
keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely
on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation
of Jesus Christ. 

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the
former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 
but like the Holy One who called you,
be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 
because it is written,
“You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Take Time to Be Holy

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.
 
Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
Each thought and each motive beneath His control.
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

By William D. Longstaff

 

His Precious Treasure

Broken Cups

"But this precious treasure - this light and power that now  shine within us - is held in a perishable container, that is,  in our weak bodies. Everyone can see that the glorious power  within must be from God and is not our own."    2 Corinthians 4:7 I was Spring-cleaning with a friend the other day. While reaching  into the recesses of the cupboard, she accidentally dropped a cup.  It didn't shatter, but the fall to the counter was enough to cause  a crack. I wondered whether to save it, but in the end decided  to trash it. God, on the other hand, saves broken cups. In fact, broken  vessels are often His most useful tools. The verse for today reads  like His fix-it manual. It tells us God pours His treasure into  fragile vessels that are prone to shatter. That way everyone will  know God is doing the "living" in us. A broken neck has taught me this. But so has a broken heart.  At times, whether in my paralysis pain or emotional pain, I have  gone to God and sighed, "I give up. I can't do anything right.  I have no idea how to pull myself out of this mess." The world  would say, "Yep, you're useless." The devil would say,  "Told you so." But God says, "I've been waiting for you to come  to Me in your brokenness. Here, let Me heal you. You need My  help; for without Me, you can do nothing." What's more, Psalm 51:17 tells us God will only use a life that  is broken:  "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite  heart, O God, you will not despise." ___________________ Don't be ashamed of being shattered. God is looking for broken  vessels like you through whom He can showcase His splendor.  Remember, when it comes to God's grace, even broken cups  can be filled to overflowing. Thank you, God, for not throwing away my broken life but  treasuring it and redeeming it. Use my brokenness to help  others.

Blessings,   Joni and Friends Taken from More Precious Than Silver. Copyright © 1998 by Joni Eareckson Tada.

What's in your heart?

This finds us in the middle of Jesus teaching
while He is speaking the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:21-30

“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.

　
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’;

but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.

 

You are more than your choices

There's a girl in the corner

With tear stains on her eyes

From the places she's wandered

And the shame she can't hide

She says, "How did I get here?

I'm not who I once was.

And I'm crippled by the fear

That I've fallen too far to love"

But don't you know who you are,

What's been done for you?

...don't you know who you are?

You are more than the choices that you've made,

You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,

You are more than the problems you create,

You've been remade.

Well she tries to believe it

That she's been given new life

But she can't shake the feeling

That it's not true tonight

She knows all the answers

And she's rehearsed all the lines

And so she'll try to do better

But then she's too weak to try

But don't you know who you are?

You are more than the choices that you've made,

You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,

You are more than the problems you create,

You've been remade.

'Cause this is not about what you've done,

But what's been done for you.

This is not about where you've been,

But where your brokenness brings you to

This is not about what you feel,

But what He felt to forgive you,

And what He felt to make you loved.

You are more than the choices that you've made,

You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,

You are more than the problems you create,

You've been remade.

Tenth Avenue North

 

Titus 3:3-7
For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient,
deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures,
spending our life in malice and envy, hateful,
hating one another.
 
But when the kindness of God our Savior
and His love for mankind appeared,
 
He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have
done in righteousness, but according to His mercy,
by the washing of regeneration and renewing
by the Holy Spirit,
 
whom He poured out upon us richly through
Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified
by His grace we would be made heirs according to
the hope of eternal life.

We are more than the choices that we make.  Praising God with you!

 

Breaking a Promise

What is adultery?  

Often adultery is thought of as only physical sexual behavior.  

Adultery actually begins in the mind when we think intimate things concerning someone who is not our spouse.  

Either act, physical or mental/emotional, is breaking our promise to our spouse. 

Matthew 5:21-30


“You have heard that the ancients were told, ...

...“You have heard that it was said, 
‘You shall not commit adultery’; 
but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 

If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.

Follow a different Drummer

Henry David Thoreau in Walden has said, "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away."

How empty this sounds to me.

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we do have a different Drummer to follow, but He is the One and the only One to follow.  

He has the real truth.  

As humans, we could follow our hearts as Thoreau suggests, but as believers we know that our hearts could be desperately wicked; so please, ladies, let's not follow our hearts.

“The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can understand it?
Jeremiah 17:9

Instead, let's follow the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth, the creator, the sustainer of all things, the One who has our salvation in His hand, and has a time appointed to when the new heavens and new earth shall be created.  Our future is in Him!

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.

Isaiah 65:17

As believers we have the Holy Spirit in us, but we still have the choice to follow Him.  

Ladies, make sure you are following Him and not after your own desires.  

A simple test is, "are you being obedient to the LORD in your choices?"

The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. 
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, 
but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 
Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. 
So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.
Galatians 6:6-10

As believers, we are the LORD's handmaidens in all we do.  If you aren't sure what this means, just read the difference between the desires of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit.  Because of the Holy Spirit in us we can over come our fleshly desires and glorify His name with these beautiful attributes. 

For you were called to freedom, 

brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, 

but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, 

and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is 

love, 

joy, 

peace, 

patience, 

kindness, 

goodness, 

faithfulness, 

gentleness,

self-control; 

against such things there is no law. 

Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

Galatians 5:13-26