Good Morning Friends,
Today’s scripture selections are daily resolutions of sorts but also the expectation of a long-term commitment. You see, the daily choices and promises we make in life are more important than we realize. So too are God’s promises reflected in them. We learn from our personal history and that of our family, friends, country, and faith. There is a rationale 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. So, Will You Choose To Love Through Service To The Lord Today?
Scripture: 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 24:15 (NRSV)
The word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, make known to Jerusalem her abominations, and say, Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite, and your mother a Hittite. As for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in cloths. No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you out of compassion for you; but you were thrown out in the open field, for you were abhorred on the day you were born. I passed by you, and saw you flailing about in your blood. As you lay in your blood, I said to you, “Live! and grow up like a plant of the field.” You grew up and became tall and arrived at full womanhood; your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare. I passed by you again and looked on you; you were at the age for love. I spread the edge of my cloak over you, and covered your nakedness: I pledged myself to you and entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord God, and you became mine. Then I bathed you with water and washed off the blood from you, and anointed you with oil. I clothed you with embroidered cloth and with sandals of fine leather; I bound you in fine linen and covered you with rich fabric. I adorned you with ornaments: I put bracelets on your arms, a chain on your neck, a ring on your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head. You were adorned with gold and silver, while your clothing was of fine linen, rich fabric, and embroidered cloth. You had choice flour and honey and oil for food. You grew exceedingly beautiful, fit to be a queen. Your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect because of my splendor that I had bestowed on you, says the Lord God. But you trusted in your beauty, and played the whore because of your fame, and lavished your whorings on any passer-by. yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish with you an everlasting covenant, in order that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I forgive you all that you have done, says the Lord God.
Ezekiel 16:1-15, 60, 63 (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)
Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
Mark 9:36-37 (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. So too the passage from Ezekiel, which might remind you of the prophet Hosea and his unfaithful wife, Gomer who was used by the prophet as a dramatic parable of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God. The passage also resonates with the Song of Songs in that Yahweh is as a husband and lover of Israel. The message here is about remembering commitments and promises as it relates to a relationship with God and His character of forgiveness and applying it to our lives. There is no sitting on the sidelines. A choice must be made as Joshua discovered. And so too, we are to make this same kind of resolution with our marriages including our commitment to God. We are to choose to serve with a strong resolve to be faithful. Unfortunately, sometimes marriage is a relationship which we tend to overlook. It is more important than we often realize. Jesus sees marriage and family as a primary and foundational relationship, second only to our relationship with God. But he also lived in a culture where women and children were chattel. Some say today that the problem is that the marriage concept is in jeopardy. But I think it was worse for those living when Jesus walked the earth. People then as now lack roots to hold relationships together. Most of our relationships have 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 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 day at a time. 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, choosing to love the Lord in service is what makes a house a home. It is a matter of the heart with 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 and builds community that honors even children as important in the Kingdom of God. God is the most foundational relationship we have and without that all other relationships are at risk. For healthy ones it frees people to be who God designed them to be. It is a true sign of love that lasts for real beauty like forgiveness is not skin deep.
Pray we remember what God has done for us. Pray that we choose to serve the Lord. Pray that we love to serve. Pray that we resolve to work for the good of our faith and family. Pray that we show respect for others. Pray that we really get to know our spouses and relate to them with optimism. Pray we are realistic about human nature. Pray that 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 that 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 that we choose wisely.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 