Before You Say, “I Don’t”

Unbiblical reasons to pursue a divorce:

1.    “My feelings have changed. I’ve fallen out of love with her” (Pr. 28:26; Mt. 24:12; 1 Cor. 13:5-6; Rev. 2:1-7).

2.    “That man has killed all the love I ever had for him” (Lev. 19:18; Mt. 5:43-48; 22:34-40; Gal. 5:14; Eph. 5:25; Tit. 2:3-5).

3.    “It is not good for the children to have to live in a home with so much conflict, hatred, and disharmony” (Jer. 16:12; Lk. 12:1; Rom. 12:18; 14:19; 1 Cor. 7:12-16; Eph. 4:3; 6:4; 1 Thes. 5:13; 1 Tim. 4:12; Heb. 12:25).

4.    “I’m tired of trying” (1 Sam. 1:24ff; Heb. 10:36; 12:1-11; Jas. 1:2-8).

5.    “I have peace about it” (Jonah 1:5-6; Rom. 14:22-23; Col. 3:15).

6.    He has lied to me repeatedly. I will never be able to trust him again” (Pr. 3:5-6; 20:6; Lk. 17:3; Ac. 15:36-39; Col. 4:10; 2 Tim. 4:11’ 1 Pet. 3:5-6).

7.    I cannot continue to live in this constant state of confusion that this marriage keeps me in” (2 Cor. 4:8; 1 Cor. 10:13; Phil. 4:13).

8.    I’ve lived with her for umpteen years and I know that she will never change” (Psm. 138:8; 1 Cor. 1:8; Eph. 3:20; Phil. 1:6; 2:13; 2 Tim. 1:12; Ju. 24).

9.    My family and friends are all advising me to get out of this horrible marriage” (Pr. 11:14; 15:22, 24; 24:6; Rom. 14:22-23; 1 Cor. 15:33).

Lou Priolo, Excerpted from: Divorce: Before You Say “I Don’t,” 2007, P&R, p. 18-23.

I preached on “What Jesus Said about Marriage and Divorce” recently. Read or listen.

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Responding to the Casey Anthony verdict

I didn’t follow the trial that closely but I know that the Casey Anthony verdict lit up the internet and social media world.  I just glanced quickly through the comments on Faceboook and Twitter and people have very strong opinions (almost all opposed to) about the verdict.

How should Christians respond to this verdict?  Chris Brauns (who has written a great book on forgiveness) shares these thoughts:

• Trust God for Justice – Romans 12:19 (quoting the OT) explicitly tells us that vengeance belongs to God.  No one is getting away with anything.  I take no pleasure in writing that there will be a Hell of a reckoning one way or another very soon. No appeals.  No evidence hearings. No shenanigans.  God who sees all perfectly will deal justly in the timing that it pleases Him. (By the way, this is one of the reasons why this discussion Frances Chan, Rob Bell, and Hell is so critical, see also Mike Wittmer’s excellent book).
• Be confident that God loves little girls infinitely and eternally more than any of us. Again, justice will be served.
• Take no revenge. Scripture repeatedly warns us against taking revenge, again see Romans 12:19.  You may let yourself off the hook by saying, “There is no possibility of me taking revenge on Casey Anthony,” to which I would respond, “Don’t you think that some of the people writing about Casey Anthony are taking revenge? It would seem that some are trying to pay Casey Anthony back if no other way than through Tweets. Or is it just my imagination?”
• Honor our court system. Some who watched the trial and believe that Casey Anthony was guilty may be tempted to be very cynical about our court system.  Never the less, Romans 13:1-7 tells us to pay honor to our government recognizing that God is sovereign.  Like Joseph, we can say that whatever harm may have been intended, God will work it together for good for his people (Genesis 45:5-7, Romans 8:28). The government is only a tool in God’s sovereign hand, however mysterious it may seem that God allows injustice in the short run.
• Point people to the Cross. Situations like this are the opportunity for Christians to point to a balanced view of forgiveness that stresses love, justice, and grace.  Casey Anthony is not the only one who will stand before her Creator. We are all sinners, and we will all be there.  If we don’t know Christ, then the wrath of God abides on us (John 3:36).
• Examine yourself. If you find yourself feeling terribly ungracious towards Casey Anthony, then perhaps it is because you haven’t been thinking enough about God’s grace in your life.  Indeed, this is what happened with the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:21-35. Do you get more energized about the sin or perceived sin of someone else or your own? Consider 2 Corinthians 13:5.
• Don’t trivialize forgiveness and misrepresent it by saying silly things like, “We all need to forgive Casey Anthony. Christians have so often said cheap things about forgiveness in contexts like this.  We need to point people to the Cross, not say something like, “We just all need to forgive Casey.”  Lots more to say about this, but I won’t try and re-write my book in a post – – though you could take the forgiveness quiz to get some flavor of the discussion. The answers to the forgiveness question are here.

Check out more at Chris’ blog.

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We are easily distracted and lonely

Even though (or maybe because of) Google, Facebook, Twitter, texting and all the other great technologies today we have at hand today. . . .

We now have to learn how to survive in an age of distraction.

We feel bored, isolated and lonely

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How does the Lord speak to people today?

Audibly?

Through a small voice?

Through impressions or intuition?

How about through dreams or visions?

Mike has pondered this question and responds in a way you should think about:

“If the question is: has God spoken in this way?  Well, yes, he did speak in voices and dreams to people in the Bible.  Or: can God speak in this way?  He’s God he can do anything he wants so long as it is not against his nature.  But does God speak to most people in such a manner?  Well let’s think about that one item at a time: . . .

Would have said the last paragraph a bit differently perhaps but you will get the point.   Read the whole article here. 

 

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Stirring words–from a scaffold

Stirring words! I love the last line especially about the best pulpit ever.

“I am this day sailing towards the ocean of eternity, through a rough passage to my haven of rest, through a Red Sea to the promised land. I think hear God say to me as He did to Moses, “God up to Mount Nebo, and die there.”

Beloved I am this day making a double exchange. I am changing a pulpit for a scaffold and a scaffold for a throne; and I might adda third; I am changing this numerous multitude on Tower Hill, for the innumerable company of saints and angels in Heaven, the holy hill for Zion; I am changing a guard of soldiers for a guard of angels which will receive and carry me into Abraham’s bosom. This scaffold is the best pulpit that ever I preached in. In my church pulpit, God through His grace, made me an instrument to bring others to heaven, but in this pulpit He will bring me to Heaven.”

Excerpts from the speech of Christopher Love upon the scaffold immediately before martyrdom–As told in A Spectacle Unto God by Don Kistler.

(HT: Puritan at Heart)

Read more: http://www.apuritanatheart.com/voice-of-the-martyrs/#ixzz1RKNXWH4D
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

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