Good Morning Friends,
“To the married I give this command (not I, but
the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must
remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. A husband must not
divorce his wife. To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has
a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not
divorce her. If a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing
to live with her, she must not divorce him. The unbelieving husband has been
sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through
her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is,
they are holy. If the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or
woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. How
do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? How do you know,
husband, whether you will save your wife?” (1 Corinthians 7:10-16)
We live in a time when commitment and loyalty are
rare. Denominational loyalty is almost non-existent in this generation. Brand
loyalty is very difficult to develop and maintain, people are willing to switch
products easily. Company loyalty is decreasing, with people willing to switch
jobs and even careers to seek the best deal for themselves.
Some of those trends are good things, not bad. It
is possible to be loyal to something out of tradition or inertia, rather than
through a serious decision-making process.
That trend has some negative effects, too. It
has affected marriage relationships and led to a rising rate of divorce. Husbands
and wives seem less committed to their spouses and more willing to be on the
lookout for a “better deal” or more attractive partner. At times, they justify their
decision with “spiritual” reasons – “I want a spouse who will be the spiritual
leader, not one who will drag me down.” That sounds good, but goes against the
teaching of the Lord about commitment and loyalty.
God is pleased when people make a commitment
and keep it.
His, by Grace, Steve
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