I recently read this quote on marriage by John Piper. I think he brings the point home that we cannot loose sight that marriage is not just a legal contract, but also a solemn life long covenant between a man and a woman instituted by God, never to be broken.
“When God stands as witness to the covenant promises of a marriage it becomes more than a merely human agreement. God is not a passive bystander at a wedding ceremony. In effect he says, ‘I have seen this; I confirm it and I record it in heaven. And I bestow upon this covenant by My presence and My purpose the dignity of being an image of My own covenant with My wife, the church’”. John Piper
This truth establishes the foundation why Jesus said that God hates divorce. God wants us to be happy, but even more He wants us to be HOLY. Sadly, today divorce and remarriage are widespread realities even in the body of Christ. Somehow we have lost sight of the sanctity and holiness of marriage. Whatever marriage means to us, it means more to God. Our ideas and concepts about this sacred institution must be formed not by our happiness alone, but even more by His Holiness. We can never change that eternal fact.
“When God stands as witness to the covenant promises of a marriage it becomes more than a merely human agreement. God is not a passive bystander at a wedding ceremony. In effect he says, ‘I have seen this; I confirm it and I record it in heaven. And I bestow upon this covenant by My presence and My purpose the dignity of being an image of My own covenant with My wife, the church’”. John Piper
This truth establishes the foundation why Jesus said that God hates divorce. God wants us to be happy, but even more He wants us to be HOLY. Sadly, today divorce and remarriage are widespread realities even in the body of Christ. Somehow we have lost sight of the sanctity and holiness of marriage. Whatever marriage means to us, it means more to God. Our ideas and concepts about this sacred institution must be formed not by our happiness alone, but even more by His Holiness. We can never change that eternal fact.
I believe we can divorce-proof our marriages if both partners will live according to God’s original purpose. As we put Jesus first, and as we both move together closer to Him, we will be pulled closer together. And God will give us a wonderful marriage that is founded upon the rock that cannot be moved.
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Lord I pray for all of those women that have been touched by divorce. Heal the wounds that were caused, either from their parents or in their own marriages. Restore to them the years that were lost. Thank you Father for loving us unconditionally~
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9 comments:
Amen! Beautiful post. Bless you for sharing.
AMEN, Susan! I've once heard of the marriage covenant represented with a triangle. The top of the triangle being GOD and the bottom of either side being man & wife. As we move closer to the top (to GOD) then we ULTIMATELY move closer to each other. If the wife is studying without her husband she may move towards the top and leave him behind. The same goes for the husband. That's why the Bible instructs our husbands to "teach us at home" so that we're GROWING TOGETHER! As we learn together and become more "Christ-like" then we're ultimately going to be more LOVABLE! The KEY is to keep our eyes on our LORD and let HIM be CENTER of our home!
We CANNOT stand by as Christian Americans "blend in" with the rest of the world. JESUS called us to be DIFFERENT. If we're living as the world and doing as the world does.. then how ARE we different? You said it beautifully! Well done, my Friend!
Love that quote. Thanks for the great post.
Blessings,
Angela
This was a good post although I do think there are certain instances when divorce might be necessary. But...putting Jesus first...a sure way to keep that covenant sacred!
i agree with tonya! We can't blend in! Great post! :)
Excellent thoughts! John Piper's quote is meaningful to me because he mentions a key point: that human marriage is supposed to model the relationship between Christ and his Bride, the church. I know that when I witness solid Christian marriages my eyes are turned heavenward. I'm sure unbelievers have a similar reaction.
Thanks for joining us for Marriage Monday today, Susan. Hugs, e-Mom
Great post. God does hate divorce. There will always be trials in our marriages but when we place God first He will help us to overcome the difficulties we may face. My hubby and I will celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary this summer!
Blessings!
I utter a hearty "AMEN" to your prayer, Susan. It's hard to find someone who has not been impacted by the sting of divorce. We all need healing.
I am persuaded that we must warn our couples that as they plan to get married it is a serious, serious thing to make a vow. It is all so much of a fairy tale (which is so wonderful) but we need to warn them strongly of the years of sure to come drudgery where hopes and dreams will most likely be broken. To be serious about knowing the type of person that they are agreeing to sign a contract to help for the rest of their lives! Then maybe we won't have to deal with this trouble so much anymore!
God hates anything that hurts our hearts, it seems that when the sin is one that tears up hearts then it is even an abomination to God, He hates it.
Thanks for your post.
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