Good Morning Friends,
Today’s lectionary selections are resolutions of sorts. You see, the choices and commitments we make in life are more important than we realize. We learn from our personal history and that of our family, friends, country and faith. There is a rational to it all especially in marriage and family. The ultimate resolution is a choice regarding God. And a line in the sand must be drawn. Will You Choose To Serve The Lord Today?
Scripture: Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Long ago your ancestors—Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor—lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac; and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in its midst; and afterwards I brought you out. When I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued your ancestors with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. When they cried out to the Lord, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did to Egypt. Afterwards you lived in the wilderness a long time. Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan; they fought with you, and I handed them over to you, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. Then King Balak son of Zippor of Moab, set out to fight against Israel. He sent and invited Balaam son of Beor to curse you, but I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he blessed you; so I rescued you out of his hand. When you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, the citizens of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I handed them over to you. I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove out before you the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow. I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and towns that you had not built, and you live in them; you eat the fruit of vineyards and olive yards that you did not plant. “Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua 24:1-15 (NRSV)
Some Pharisees came to him, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?” He said to them, “It was because you were so hard-hearted that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery.” His disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” But he said to them, “Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”
Matthew 19:3-12 (NRSV)
Message: Joshua’s resolution was born out of what he remembered God had done for him and his household. He remembered how God had called him and his people to be a special people dedicated to Him and how God had cared for him. After he had renewed his commitment and faith in God, Joshua reaffirmed that he was going to work for God. There is no sitting on the sidelines. A choice must be made. And so too, we are to make this same kind of resolution with our marriages. We are to choose to serve with a strong commitment. Unfortunately, sometimes marriage is the relationship which we tend to overlook. It is more important than we often realize. Jesus sees marriage and family as a first and most foundational relationship, second only to our relationship with God. The problem is that the marriage concept is in jeopardy. People lack roots to hold relationships together. Most of our relationships are with limited risk because we want to be accepted. However, with trust we can more deeply relate and become more aware that everyone has problems. Everyone needs to become the individual God created them to be. It is a special moment when people make a pledge to set out on a road together. Some find that which they seek, and others do not. Some relationships are good, others merely tolerable and then some, at an increasing rate, are unfortunately broken. Few make it the distance, though the odds get better for those who have been married for seven years. Those that stand the test of time have emotional maturity, common values and a similar viewpoint and faith that is both sensitive and real. Friends, marriage is a calculated choice that is a contract for life we must choose to believe in. A good marriage is the product of hard work from both partners that can strengthen one’s faith in God and that is very important for all of us.
And So, what makes a house a home is the heart and a focus on God. Staying Christ Centered is an individual choice but also one that spills over into one’s household. It is a matter of commitment but also charity extended that unifies a family in service of God and builds up relationships in love. God is the most foundational relationship we have and without that all other relationships are at risk.
Pray we remember what God has done for us. Pray we choose to serve the Lord. Pray we resolve to work for the good of our faith and family. Pray we show respect for others. Pray we really get to know our spouses and relate to them with optimism. Pray we are realistic about human nature. Pray we realize that success in our choices is never by accident. Pray we learn to communicate our wants and needs. Pray we learn to relate philosophically, aesthetically, spiritually and physically with our mates. Pray we keep love alive. Pray we learn to laugh and forgive. Pray we rejoice in the reality that a successful marriage with God and a spouse means we are never alone. Pray we choose wisely.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 