“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. And 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. And if a woman has a husband who is
not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce
him. For 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. But 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? Or, how do you know,
husband, whether you will save your wife?” (1 Corinthians 7:10-16)
We live in a time in which commitment and
loyalty seem to be rare. Denominational
loyalty is almost non-existent in this generation. Marketers are finding brand loyalty 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.
However, that same trend has some negative
effects, too. That trend 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. And, at times, even
justifying their decision with “spiritual” reasons – “I want a spouse who will
be the spiritual leader of the home, 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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