The original rough draft of the article was too lengthy so I split it into two parts. If you missed yesterday's post, you may want to go back and read that one first...Christ and the church, marriage and the home (Part 1)
Jumping straight into the topic from yesterday...
When you marry someone, it is natural to expect them to spend time with you, love you, and be devoted to you. It wouldn’t be okay if they devoted too much time and attention to other people or something else. You don’t want to compete with another person for your spouse’s attentions.
In the Bible, God often described His relationship with His people as a marriage. He was the husband and His people were His bride. God expected His people to be devoted to Him alone; worshipping other gods was not ok with Him, and in Him, it was adultery.
More than anything, God wanted a people to call His own. Just before God delivered His people from Egypt, He said, “Exodus 6:7 —And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”
God freed His people from being slaves in Egypt, so He expected some reciprocal devotion from them. The Ten Commandments were soon given after He freed them, and at the top of the list, He wrote—“You shall have no other gods before me.” The second commandment instructed them to not make any images or idols; God alone wanted their worship.
Unfortunately, the children of Israel didn’t listen. They continued to fall into idolatry, though the Lord had repeatedly said, ‘You shall not do this.’” Although God was devoted to His people, over and over again in the Old Testament, His people demonstrated that they were not as equally devoted to God.
Go read Jeremiah chapter 2. God was lamenting the fact that despite how good He had been to His people—delivering them from Egypt’s bondage, providing for their every need, delivering them from their enemies time and again— they still forsook God and allowed their hearts to follow after other gods!! When God’s people chose to worship idols, he compared them to a wife was unfaithful to her husband...God often described himself as a jealous God throughout the Old Testament. He wanted complete devotion and love. Like a spouse who doesn’t want to share his or her spouse with another, God doesn’t want us to share our love/devotion with anything else.
Once you get married, there is an expectation that you will be completely committed to your spouse alone. Jesus himself once said that a husband and wife become one flesh. “So they are no longer twain, but one flesh.”
If you get married, you can’t just go out and do whatever you want with no thought for your spouse (not if you want to have a very long marriage anyway.. lol😊) You can’t run after other men or your husband after other women. You can’t devote yourself or your time to someone else or something else without causing a lot of problems in the marriage.
It’s the same way with God. Too many times God’s people “made him jealous with their strange gods.” God was the one who helped free His people, but they forgot Him and worshipped things instead. In the relationship between God and His people, God considered this to be like adultery. In marriage, you choose to set yourself apart only for your spouse, and you expect your spouse to do the same. It is a shared pledge to honor each other. Through the Bible, God expected the same out of His called people—to be faithful to Him, to worship Him alone, and to follow His ways. God repeatedly told His people not to follow the ways of the heathen nations around them who worshiped idols and did things that did not please God.
Leviticus 20:26 —And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.”
Because of the covenant God had with His people, He expected them to be entirely devoted to Him, set apart for Him alone, not chasing after other gods.
Likewise, if we are a born again believer, then there are expectations of us as well. God requires that our devotion to Him to take priority in our lives. He expects us to be loyal to Him, not chasing after other “gods.” The book of James admonishes us, “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”
We can’t say we love God and are living set apart for Him and then flirt with this worldly spirit of darkness. We can't expect His mercy and grace to excuse our carnality while we "straddle the fence" between good and evil—right and wrong—clean and unclean! If we refuse to come out from among them and be separate, by default, we are accepting that we can’t have all the benefits of a intimate relationship with God. If we are not willing to set ourselves apart for God and God alone, He will not accept us and eventually, after trying to get our attention, He will withdraw His spirit from us... but Can you blame him? Think about this!
What if your spouse tells you that he loves you yet, he is constantly doing things he knows you dislike/don't approve of or what if he is "just friends" with someone else and he repeatedly chooses to spend all his time with that person over spending time with you; perhaps, this escalates and soon, he refuses to talk to you except for 2 short minutes before bed—almost robotically, as if checking off a list. No matter how much you try, he will not communicate with you...Maybe you are desperate to woo him and you write him letter after letter to let him know how much you desire his companionship and his fellowship. You want him to realize just how much YOU LOVE HIM! You long for that close, intimate relationship with your spouse. You try to do good things for Him. You try to bless him in extraordinary or uncommon ways to get his attention but sadly, it appears to be no use. He just doesn't have the time to talk to you or to read the letters you have written him! He is too caught up with another person or he is busy doing other things... but, that’s okay, right? He claims he still loves you just the same!
If this kind of approach wouldn't work long in a marriage, why then do we sometimes think it will work in our relationship with God ?
Just like marriage, a relationship with God is two-sided. Both parties are responsible for the integrity of the relationship. There’s no doubt that God will do His part: He will be faithful; He will be loyal and loving; He will be devoted and true. The question is this: will we do our part? Will we set ourselves apart for God, forsaking all others, and keeping ourselves to Him and Him alone?
When we determine to prioritize our relationship with God, just like we should with our spouse, we can experience the benefits of right living—having a right relationship with God!! By being right with God spiritually, it will carry over into our everyday life. By being right with God, we will be right in our relationships with other people as well.
-Tiphanie❤️
Not especially related to the topic, but it was just the song on my heart today—
🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶
I was taught the scriptures, before I could read them I found them to be true, that's why I believe them. With all of my heart, my soul, and my strength...With every song, I sing
I choose to be a Christian, I will follow Christ Carry the cross that leads to light I will be true, stand for my convictions Whatever others do, I choose to be a Christian
As this world grows darker, my lamp will be burning Brighter—Kindled with love for the one who is worthy. He gave his all, so I will give mine...I'll lay my life on the line I choose to be a Christian, I will follow Christ Carry the cross that leads to light I will be true, stand for my convictions Whatever others do, I choose to be a Christian I will be bold Unashamed of the gospel of his name I choose to be a Christian, I will follow Christ Carry the cross that leads to light I will be true, stand for my convictions Whatever others do, I choose to be a Christian
So very true !