Marriage Is A Covenant

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends."

~1 Corinthians 13:4-8

My husband had this engraved on a leather wall plaque for me as a wedding present 18 years ago, and it has hung over our bed ever since. Over the years, our resolve to live out those words in our marriage has been tested but our love has never failed. 

The divorce rate is now 53%, including marriages among Christians. It seems people are too ready to give up, to go where life looks easy and fun. The problem with that is, life is never easy and the fun is short-lived. Whatever you don't find in your marriage now, you won't find in a relationship with someone else. Marriage is not 50/50, it's 100/100, 100% of the time. If you're only putting in 50%, you're cheating yourself and your spouse.

God never intended for marriage to be a part-time position. He designed marriage as a covenant contract between a husband, a wife, and Himself. The  covenant marriage is a bilateral agreement between parties with equal  privileges and responsibilities. God has likened marriage to the relationship between Christ and the Church, although that is not to say the husband is greater than the wife. The husband's responsibility is to both his wife and Christ, while the wife is responsible to her husband and God. Husband's are commanded to love their wives, while wives are commanded to respect their husbands (Ephesians 5:22-33).

"For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body (Ephesians 5:23)."

When both spouses realize that Christ is head of their marriage, and the marriage is a binding contract between spouses and God, the idea of the strength of the marriage begins to change. A cord of three is stronger than a twine of two.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)."

Read

Exodus 39-40

A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha

©2018

So, You're Not A "Couple"

"To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
~1 Corinthians 7:8-9

Suicide attempts, calls to suicide hotlines, and successful suicides go up by about 75% from February 13 to February 16. While some might find that ridiculous, we live in a society that glorifies the short-term relationship and ridicules marriage. We also live in a world where the media rules by dictating what we wear, where we go, what movies to watch, music to listen to, and how we are to spend holidays. Even non-holidays like Valentine's day.

Being single is not an affliction. In fact, the Apostle Paul was single and says that it allowed him to be closer to God because his time wasn't divided with duties to a wife. He also says there is no difference in how we should look at singles. A person who can control his sexual desires should remain single, but if not, then marry (1 Corinthians 7).

While there was no Valentine's day and no Christian Mingle in Paul's day, I'm sure if there had been, he'd have had a few things to say about that too. Since he doesn't, I have a couple of things to say. The idea of Valentine's day is ridiculous. My husband and I don't treat it any differently than any other day of the year. We don't need a date on the calendar to tell us to show our love for one another. Love is something we walk out each and every day of our lives. Candy and flowers do not say he loves me, but the years he's been faithful, reliable, responsible, honest, and affectionate do tell me he loves me.

If we walk with the Lord, then whether we are married or single should also be up to the Lord. That is a part of our faith walk. Will you serve the Lord as fully married as you do while single? That is for each one to prayerfully decide with God, and not by relying on the calendar.

Read
Exodus 36:8-38:31

A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018

Love One Another

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

~John 13:34-35

The word "love" and it's variations, appear more than 500 times throughout the Bible. Most of those are speaking about God's great love for us but it also talks about us loving God and each other. We might not think it's difficult to love God but even after we've been Christians for a while, we can still find it difficult to love one another. Especially when we are told to love each other the way God loves us.

To love another person the way God loves, means no matter what; unconditionally; whether or not they love us back; forgiving them no matter how they may hurt us; praying for them and showing them Jesus through our actions. Loving someone requires sacrifice, not just words that fade into the wind.

"Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another (Romans 19:10)."

When we make an effort to show love to others, it has a two-fold affect. First, we become kinder and more Christ-like. It's difficult to be self-centered when we give to someone else. Secondly, it changes the person we are showing love and kindness to. We cannot know what might be going on in their hearts but a little love and human kindness might be the difference in choices they have to make. Acts of love take so little but can mean so much.

The Bible tells us that we love because God first loved us (1 John 4:19). And when we show true Christian love to others, they also experience the love of God through us. 

Share the love. Be a blessing!

Read

Exodus 33:7-36:7

A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha

©2018

The Simple Truth

'Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."'
~John 3:3

When I was a kid, we used to sing a little song that went, "If you want to get to Heaven, I'll tell you how to do it...just grease your feet and slide right to it." Of course, it does require just a little more than greased feet to get to Heaven, but the simplicity of the song carries over to God's plan of salvation. Getting to Heaven isn't as difficult as some tend to think.

Jesus Christ did all the work required for humanity to be able to spend eternity in Heaven, and all we have to do is accept the gift of salvation. There is no work required on our side. We don't have to prove to God that we are good enough; we don't have to earn passage into Heaven; and we don't have to prove we're worthy of God's love. We just have to acknowledge that we need a better plan, and ask God to forgive us, and He will.

Being "born again" is not a physical act of the body but a spiritual act where we commit our lives to Jesus. We can't work for salvation any more than we had to work to be conceived in our mother's wombs, or to be born into this world. Our mother's physically labored to bring us into the world, and our lives were a gift. That first breath we took drew life into our bodies. The same is true spiritually when we accept Christ as our Savior. Jesus did all the work at Calvary to give us eternal spiritual life. 

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,  not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9)."

Salvation is a gift like no other you will ever receive. It is a gift that will last forever, and guarantee you will spend eternity with God.

Read
Exodus 30:1-33:6

A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018

Taking The Long Way Home

"I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”’
~Exidus 3:17

The children of Israel had been enslaved in Egypt for 400 years when God recruited Moses and Aaron to confront Pharaoh. God had a better place for them, a place "flowing with milk and honey," in other words, a place filled with everything they would ever need. All they had to do was follow Moses across the desert for about 200 miles and enter into the place God prepared for them. So why did they spend 40 years wandering around that desert instead?

My life path feels a lot like the one the children of Israel took across the desert. A couple of steps in the right direction, the a few more back. A few steps to the right, a few steps back. Spin in a circle until you fall down, wallow for a while, crawl away until you can stand. Take a few steps in the right direction, then do it all over again. Sound familiar? 

God has a path for us to follow that leads to the Promised Land, so why do we find it so difficult to stay on that path? Why do we insist on doing things our own way, no matter how much pain it causes? As God said, "They are a stubborn people." (Exodus 32:9)

When I look back at the path I've taken I see all the trouble and and heartache I could've avoided. While some of what happened was beyond my control, there was a great deal that I can blame only on one person -- myself. I was stubborn and willful and refused to heed advice, and I ignored common sense.

"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid (Proverbs 12:1)."

Umm.... Yes. Yes, I was. Extremely stupid!

The path I took to get to where I am now was long and exhausting, however, I am here now. I have arrived at the place God wanted me to be all along, and that is the important part. We have to remember that, especially when we are looking back over the rocky road of our journey. Yes, we could've done things differently that would've saved heartache but hindsight doesn't change a thing. We did what we did but we are still where we are supposed to be. If we are now living the life God wants for us, we can't berate ourselves the path that got us there. We can take those experiences and use them for the glory of God, knowing that no matter what was intended to harm us is being used for good. (Romans 8:28)

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)."

Read 
Exodus 19-21

A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018

What Are You Being?

"For the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
~1 Corinthians 1:18

Have you ever heard someone scoff at the idea of Heaven and hell? Have you ever been told your belief in Christ is ridiculous? Those who do not believe the truth of the Bible are perishing. Those who believe are being saved. Notice that in the above verse, "being" is in the present tense -- it is happening right now and every day in the future. 

While we receive salvation when we accept Christ as our Savior, it is also a continuing process that is not fulfilled until we reach Heaven. The converse is true with the word "perishing." Those who do not place their faith in Christ perish day by day until they are completely lost (separated) from God at the time of their death. However, the process of perishing can be stopped by choosing to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. Praise God!

"The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance (2 Peter 3:9)."

God does not want even one of us to perish and be separated from Him for eternity, and has made every provision for us to live with Him forever. That provision was fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

"And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15)."

Read
Exodus 16-18

A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018

You Can't Change His Mind

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?"
~Romans 8:38

Did you know there is nothing you can do that will make God stop loving you? His love for us is unstoppable, uncontrollable, without conditions or qualifications. The love of God is the answer to all of the questions about why we're here, why the universe exists, and why we were born. 

"Long ago, even before He made the world, God chose us to be His very own through what Christ would do for us; He decided then to make us holy in His eyes, without a single fault—we who stand before Him covered with His love. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us. And He did this because He wanted to (Ephesians 1:4-5)!"

God was under no obligation to do anything for us, not even creating us. He was under no obligation to give Adam and Eve another chance outside the Garden of Eden. He was not obligated to rescue the Children of Israel time after time. He was not obligated to come to Earth in the flesh and offer Himself up as a living sacrifice for our sins. He did those things for one reason only -- His great and everlasting love for each and every one of us.

There is no way we can earn His love and salvation. We can never be good enough. And we don't have to be, all we have to do is accept the love of God by accepting His plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. No one else can give us eternal, everlasting life but we do have the responsibility of saying, "Yes, Lord, I accept You as my Savior and Lord of my life." And then to live out that commitment for the rest of our days. No matter how you've lived your life, it's not too late to live the life God intended for you. 

"And it is this Good News that saves you if you still firmly believe it, unless of course you never really believed it in the first place. I passed on to you right from the first what had been told to me, that Christ died for our sins just as the Scriptures said He would, and that He was buried, and that three days afterwards He arose from the grave just as the prophets foretold (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)."

Nothing has changed since God said, "Let there be light." No matter how we've strayed, God has remained the same, and so has His steadfast love for us.

Read
Exodus 13-15

A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha

©2018