SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/21/2023 9:38 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-4 “The Appropriation”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
Matt. 19:10-12
Message of the verses: “10 The disciples said
to Him, "If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is
better not to marry." 11 But He said to them, "Not all men can
accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 “For
there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb; and there
are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also eunuchs who
made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able
to accept this, let him accept it.’”
I want to continue quoting John MacArthur as we
begin this SD, as the things that he is teaching about marriage are things that
all married people should listen to, myself included.
“Most people, including Christians, know little of the
self-giving self-committing, and self-sacrificing love that knits two souls
together for a lifetime of sharing and happiness. Instead of the rich, deepening, meaningful,
and thrilling friendship that only such love can bring, they settle for a cheap,
shallow substitute that fluctuates with every mood and that is doomed from the
beginning to be disappointing and short-lived.
A relationship that is built only on pleasant emotions and good feelings
will soon die, because those emotions and feelings are built on circumstances
and on superficial and selfish expectations.
But amazingly, a relationship that is built on loving commitment and
self-giving concern for the other person will produce emotions and feelings
that not only do not die but grow richer and more satisfying with every
year. Feelings are a poor foundation for
marriage, but they can be a wonderful, glorious by-product.
“The
committed marriage is the only happy and enduring marriage. “When two Christians love each other for the
other’s sake rather than their own and live their lives in humble submission to
God’s Word and to each other, a bond is formed that can withstand every
temptation, disappointment, and failure that Satan and the world can hurl
against them. They become lovers and
friends in a way that the unbeliever and the disobedient Christian can never
know. In sharing everything together,
they forge a friendship that knows no limitations, no bounds, no secrets, and
no conditions.
“Like
the disciples, some Christians today seem afraid that lifelong, unconditional
commitment would destine them to a life of boredom and frustration restrictions. They conclude with the Twelve that it is
therefore simply better not to marry.
But God planned and designed marital commitment to bring just the
opposite. No marriage can be happy and
satisfying, much less enduring, without it.
God blesses a committed union in ways that a single person, or an
uncommitted husband and wife, can never experience and hardly imagine. Far from being a reason to avoid marriage,
lifelong and loving commitment is the very thing that makes it most fulfilling
and desirable.
“Obviously
a Christian’s marriage partner should be chosen carefully and with much
prayer. Marriage commitment should only
be given to a person who shares one’s spiritual values and commitments. But there is no human joy or fulfillment that
can measure up to that which is experienced by a husband and wife who love
Jesus Christ and each other and who live together in obedience to His Word and
in the power of His Spirit.
“There
is a certain truth to what the disciples had just said about it being better
not to marry, but the context suggests that it was not that truth they had in
mind. Their view of marriage, like that
of their fellow Jews, focused primarily on selfish, shallow satisfaction and
fulfillment. From a purely practical
standpoint they therefore concluded that lonely singleness is preferable to
risky marriage.
“Jesus
reminded them that not all men can accept this statement, but only those to
whom it has been given. Singleness has
its own problems and temptations, and not every Christian is capable of living
a godly single life. Paul said that it
is good to remain single for spiritual purposes, but that it was ‘better to
marry than to burn’ with lust (1 Cor. 7:8-9).
“Accept
is from choreo, which has the basis
idea of making room or space for something.
Metaphorically it means to completely embrace and idea or principle with
the heart and mind so that it becomes part of one’s very nature. Singleness cannot be wholeheartedly accepted
simply by human will power or sincerely.
Nor can it be successfully lived out simply by applying the right
biblical principles. Celibate singleness
is a kind of spiritual gift (1 Cor. 7:7), and only those to whom it has been
given can hope to spiritually survive in it, much less find happiness and be
effective in the Lord’s service.”
We
will stop at this point, and Lord willing pick up some more from MacArthur’s
commentary in our next SD.
2/21/2023 10:08 AM
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