Final Thoughts on Marriage

Some final thoughts on marriage. For now. 

Couples, when first married, are in the honeymoon stage. It's all about love and romance. It is a very exciting time of your marriage. Enjoy it, because it doesn't last long. Maybe two years. Next come the child raising years. Depending on how many children you end up having, this could last 20, 30, or 40 years. You will spend this time raising children and preparing them for life out on their own. If you do a good job you will not have to bail them out of jail or visit them in prison. There is plenty of help for couples and families up to this point in marriage. The key is to stay married until your nest is empty.

The golden years are the forgotten years in marriage. Perhaps because people do not stay married anymore. No one knows what to do in the golden years of marriage so they advise these couples to rekindle the fire that they had as newlyweds. Ask grandma and grandpa to act like newlyweds. It could be the richest and most satisfying time of your marriage if you stay healthy long enough to enjoy it.

Marriage is a wonderful thing. Everyone should try it.

Marriage Ministry

 Last night they had ministry for the married couples at church. Casey Mammon ministered. He talked about raising children instead of talking about marriage. This is an important subject, but not for the keynote address of a marriage focused event.

They do marriage ministry different here than I am accustomed to. Just one more thing that causes me to adapt and adjust and to change my mind about.

The trick to ministering on marriage is to realize that it is not a one size fits all topic. You have young and old, newly weds and married a long time. Do you focus on one aspect and ignore the rest?

Pastor Mitchell once did the service at the marriage retreat on how to stay married for 50 years. A genius move. Older folks could relate and appreciate it. It gave younger folks something to strive towards.

Pray for our married couples. The hope of the world rests on their shoulders.

Not Yet

 "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet." Mat.24:6

"All these are the beginning of sorrows." Mat.24:8

Every time someone in Jerusalem sneezes some pastor will be quick to declare that the end is near. Let there be shooting in Gaza and it's time for the Rapture now!

I do believe in the pre-tribulation rapture. That Jesus will come to take us out of a deteriorating situation. Noah and his family entered the ark with wet feet. We may see some trouble before we are taken away.

Note how the Lord says that the end is not yet. He further says that all of these things are the beginning of sorrows, not the end. It is not the end just because some folks in society have lost their minds.

I believe that everything that was said in Matthew 24 will happen just as it is said. The fulfillment will match the prophecy perfectly. The time to get ready is now.

So, whether the world is at war, or calling peace, Jesus will come when the Father sends Him. And not one moment sooner.

The Broken Heart

As I studied about the healing of a broken heart, I discovered and interesting thought. In the Hebrew the word broken is the word sabar. In the Greek it is the word syntribo. They have the same meaning in English. Literally it means to break, to destroy, or to crush. It is a word that implies violence and destructive force. 

We can all experience a broken heart. Things happen in life that crush us. Death or loss or even betrayal can leave us with a broken heart. Divorce is so obvious as to be almost forgotten.

"Hands that used to hold now sign the papers. Lips that used to kiss now say goodbye." This lyric that I heard in a song speaks of this damage in divorce.

Identifying what breaks a heart is fairly easy. Finding how to fix a broken heart is harder. It is only hard because it is a work of God not human effort to do this. Part of Jesus' mission was to heal the broken hearted. Part of the ministry of the church is to provide an arena where Jesus can heal broken hearts today.

The word heal means healed. It means to be free. Jesus doesn't just but a bandage on it and send you away. It is the Greek word iaomai. It means to heal, to be healed, to be free.

Faith opens the possibilities of what the Lord can do for us. All we have to do is ask, and believe. If God can raise people from the dead, your shattered and destroyed heart is able to be healed today. Amen.

Sleep

 A long time ago, pastor Greg in Prescott preached a message on sleep. He was for it, by the way. But it revealed that sleep is a valuable thing. God cares about whether you get enough sleep. 

"It is vain  for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep." Ps.127:2

Some people want to sleep and they cannot sleep. Some people think that sleep is overrated and is a waste of valuable time. Some people need 8 or more hours of sleep per night, while others get by on 4 or less. My intent is not to tell you the scientific facts or the moral implications about how much or how little you sleep. My point is to tell you that if you are too busy to sleep, then you are too busy period.

Insomnia is not unique to the modern world. It is a human condition. God is our creator and sustainer and He is aware of all the things that trouble us  in life. He helps us in every facet of life no matter how big or how small.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." Mat.10:29-31

Thank God that He does not slumber or sleep so that He can watch over us while we sleep!

Prayer Warriors

 I found out through my recent health dilemma that there are people praying for me literally all over the world. This is a humbling experience. It's just me, not a big celebrity all star preacher. But they indeed had prayed and some continued to pray for my recovery.

I have been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Not cardiac arrest or a heart attack. My heart cannot pump hard enough to clear out all of the fluids that my body produces. I was swollen, short of breath, foggy headed, and I could not get my shoes on.

I went to a clinic where I received the diagnosis and from there went to a hospital where I have been for the past seven days. I was cleared to go home today, but I wonder if it was too soon. I am much better now than I was, but it is still not right completely.

If you are a prayer warrior, please lift me up before the throne of grace. So that I might obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Amen!

Healing the Broken Hearted.

 Recently I was in bed, trying to sleep, and extremely troubled by the situation that I was in. I was facing some procedures to see what was happening in my heart. I was praying, and I was worried. I thought about canceling the procedure. But, as I lay there battered by worry a voice came to my heart. It reminded me that Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted. It was like someone threw a light switch. A weight seemed to lift off of me immediately. The assurance came that the test would find no flaws. Once the procedure was finished I was informed that my major arteries were clear of all obstructions and that no corrective steps needed to be taken. I was pleasantly surprised.  You might ask, how troubled were you? I was bothered enough to seek counsel and prayer from a hospital chaplain. He helped me at 3am.

"He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3

Healing the broken hearted is not just about emotional healing from heartbreak. It also applies to actually healing a damaged heart muscle. Like mine! Jesus came into the world to do this today. 

"The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the broken hearted..." Luke 4:18

Has God anointed you to bring this kind of ministry to people like me?