Thoughts in Worship

Thoughts in Worship 4.8.2016


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Thoughts in Worship
Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Friday, April 8, 2016
This Week’s Devotional Focus is, “Cooperation.”
“And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” (Matthew 19:5–6).
Biblical marriage is the ultimate demonstration of human unity and cooperation. During the first week of creation, God affixed His seal to it. He created Adam, the perfect man, in His image and at just the right time, having had some private time with Adam, he put him to sleep. As he slept, God performed an operation on him, removing a rib from his side and forming a woman. This beautiful, perfect woman would be his equal who would help complete him. After she and God had some private time alone as Adam slept, God awakened him and they met for the first time. Adam immediately called her “Woman”, because she came from man. Thus it was that God performed the first miracle of marriage and the ultimate in human unity was revealed and indelibly etched into the fiber of human love and interaction. Two people, complete in their relationship with God became one flesh.
While I would be remiss if I represented marriage as some mystical entity into which our invisible God ushers us if we are found worthy, I would be equally remiss were I to misrepresent it as a mere human construct. That, perhaps, would be even more destructive. In many ways this cooperation of marriage wherein two individuals who ideally are complete in and of themselves become inextricably unified into one purposeful entity actually represents the highest order of cooperation. And this is why it is absolutely necessary to retain God’s view of marriage rather than concocting our own. In God’s view of marriage, selfless love between a man and woman is paramount. In God’s view of marriage, that man and woman vow never to abuse or intentionally hurt one another. In God’s view of marriage, that man and woman vow not allow any intruders to meddle in or insert otherwise themselves into their intimate areas of relationship. In God’s view of marriage, the man and wife vow to build one another up and never use their vulnerabilities as a manipulation tool. In God’s view of marriage, if the couple does have children, those children will witness what it’s like to live in harmony with each other and with God.
And this brings me to the main point. The reason we must reject any iteration, mutation, or variation of the Bible model for marriage and embrace God’s view, is because it ultimately represents our union with God. Notice what the apostle, Paul said about it in this lengthy passage: “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” (Ephesians 5:22–32).
The ultimate manifestation of marriage is intended to illustrate our relationship with God as we prepare to live with Him forever.—L....
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Thoughts in WorshipBy Message Magazine

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