Divorce Sucks...

I was talking with a friend recently and he shared that he and his wife are separated and she has filed for a divorce. They have their hearing in a month. I was deeply saddened by this news. What do you say to a friend who is about to be divorced? According to God's word, there is only one reason for divorce, adultery. Has adultery been committed in this case? I don't know. How can a wife or husband throw away over a decade together as man and wife? The statistics say over half of marriages end in divorce. That includes couples in congregations and outside of congregations. What the heck? Whatever happened to cherishing your wife or husband? I went through hell during my first three years of marriage and vowed never to return to that again. My wife and I always say, "Divorce is not an option."



AMERICA IS CRUMBLING



American society is broken because the America family is becoming past tense. There are very few social norms. I wonder what the statistics are for the stability of marriages of people whose parents divorced? I'd say those people may end in divorce too. Since I am talking about social norms, we could say there are none. Anything goes in America. Same-sex marriages, abortion of millions of babies (infant homicide), Islam being the fastest growing religion in the world, Christians being persecuted for their faith, conservative talk radio and tv about to go off the airwaves because of anti-Christ bleeding heart liberals, the value of the dollar shrinking because the government keeps printing more money etc...



DIVORCE IS OVERRATED



Why do people divorce? Most people divorce because they are not happy. Well, I say to yawl, "Boo hoo." Obviously wedding vows mean nothing and they are merely words people traditionally say. What happened to, "for better or for worst". Happiness does not come from external things. Joy can only come from having an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. But if this is true, why are "Christians" divorcing too? The grass is not greener on the other side. Our marriages must last on earth because in heaven we are not married. Adultery according to God's word is the only valid reason a marriage couple can divorce.

WHAT IS THE ANSWER?

The answer to the divorce dilemna is to have a Christ-centered marriage where both the husband and wife have committed to lives first to Christ and second to each other. When one the spouses is not fully focused on the marriage and their spouse, expect problems. Both men and women can easily wander away from the marriage due to a host of things which include but are not limited by the following: lack of feeling loved, cherished, appreciated, etc... Great books to read to stimulate your marriage are the Love Dare from the movie, "Fireproof." Also the "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman (I think that is his name). Can I say that my marriage is perfect? Well, no. Marriage is a journey you take with your wife or husband, it is not a destination. Marriage takes alot of work and humility. If your marriage is on the ropes right now, don't give up. Jesus is your answer. First admit that you are a sinner needing a Savior, repent of your sins and ask Jesus to come into your life to be your Lord and Savior and believe in your heart He died for your sins, was buried and rose on the third day and you will be saved. Do it today.

Bumper-Sticker Man Dan Merchant from

Bumper-Sticker Man Dan Merchant from "Lord, Save Us From Your Followers"

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what has love got to do with it?

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth (1 John 3:18 - NIV). My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth (KJV). I was watching the program on KQED last night, 9/15/09, all about love. What has love got to do with it? Love is not merely an emotion that we feel. The Bible teaches us that God IS love. What does that mean to you? God said, "dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (1 John 4:11) Who is "one another"? Do I have to love the unloveable? What about those co-workers who gossip and slander you at work? Do I have to love them? The Bible teaches us the Great Commandment: "Lord the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength; and love your neighbor as yourself." I suppose as Christians we need to love all people no matter if they will be in Heaven with us for all eternity or not.

Dang, it is so hard to love others when it appears they hate you and talk bad about you but hey, God calls us to love them. God still loves us unconditionally no matter how we sin. This is so hard to understand how an infinite God can love us. How are we so different from the world? We lie, steal, lust, envy, covet etc...

My prayer is "Lord help me to love others like you love me, help and empower me to love You with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. Empower me by Your Spirit to love my neighbor no matter how they behave. Lord I express and acknowledge my weaknesses in this area. Fill those areas with compassion, humility and strength. I fail miserably everyday. Let my light shine before men so that You may be glorified. I do not preach myself but You Lord. Thank you for your grace and mercy in Jesus' name I pray. Amen."

Are blind Christians oxymorons?

Can Christians be blind to spiritual things? In 2 Corinthians chapter 4, the Apostle Paul characterizes the whole scheme of salvation by making a comparison to blindness. In verse 3 of 2 Corinthians 4, Paul says, "If our gospel be hidden, it is hidden to them that are lost." In other words, if as we preach the gospel of Jesus Christ it is hidden, the ones to whom it is hidden will be those that are lost. Why? Because they are those in whom the God of this world has blinded the minds. The reason men do not understand God or God's truth is because they are spiritually blinded by the God of this world, lest the light of the glorious gospel should shine unto them.Later on in verse 6, Paul says it is we Christians who have seen the light. God has commanded in us that light should shine out of darkness. But in the case of unbelievers, they are in darkness, their minds blinded by the God of this world to prevent the light of the gospel from shining unto them. And thus it is hidden to them. When salvation comes along, it opens the eyes of the soul or the spirit to understand light and to comprehend God's truth.This is clearly illustrated by Paul when he was talking to Agrippa in the twenty-sixth chapter of Acts. He says this, "I came to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light." That was Paul's mission, to take spiritually blind people and give them spiritual sight. Now the scriptures teach us that it is only those who know and love Jesus Christ who have spiritual sight. There are a lot of people in the world who are religious and think they see. The Pharisees did. They were super religious. And they thought they had everything pigeonholed. They thought they could see and comprehend every spiritual truth in existence. They thought they knew everything And in fact they knew nothing. They were totally blind.

So based on the word of God, Christians cannot be spiritually blind. People can claim to be a Christian but can be merely religious and go to church. The Bible teaches us about being swayed to and fro. Too many people in the Church are allowing themselves to be swayed by the popular opinion and are totally deceived (remember that Satan is a deceiver and liar). They are being led down a path they shouldn't be on. I pity these people who have been blinded by the devil, yes he does exist and he doesn't have a red cape or a pitchfork). Many people who profess to be a Christian are headed for hell. What is my point in all of this? Examine yourself to make sure you are in the faith. Don't rely on feelings. Rely on the Spirit of God communicating with your spirit that you are in fact a true believer.

Christian T-shirts

I know that Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron from the Way of the Master show both say to never wear a Christian t-shirt when you are out sharing your faith but I still did the other day. I went to Target Monday night with my son and was wearing my C28 t-shirt which read on the front - SINNER. It is based on the verse where the Apostle Paul said that he was the worst sinner which I can totally relate to. I bought a padlock for my son's locker and the checker said, "I like your shirt." I asked him if he was a Christian and he said that he was. His name was Mario. I asked him where he attended church and he said in San Leandro. I have previously met his pastor, Pastor Gary. Mario shared that he wanted to be a youth pastor someday and spends most of days either at work or at the church. We traded pleasantries and said God bless you to each other. Before I left I gave him an Obama million $ gospel tract and he chuckled.

We never know when we will have opportunities to encourage a fellow believer or share our faith with a person who has yet to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We pray for opportunities all the time but do you recognize the opportunities we have everyday?

My favorite acronym is B.O.B. Pray that God by His spirit will BURDEN your heart for the lost, He will give you divine OPPORTUNITIES and that you will recognize those divine appointments and that He will empower you by His spirit to BOLDLY speak His word without fear. Very few Christians share their faith with a dying world. Our friends, family, co-workers and strangers on the street are heading for Hell. God speaks about hell more in His word than heaven.

Step out of your comfort zone and share your faith. Sharing your faith can be in many ways and to tell you the truth, whether you know it or not, you are sharing your faith everyday. Everytime we speak we are telling the world something. It could be that you are different and ppl want to know what that difference in you is. Or perhaps you open your mouth and pp think that you are a hypocrite and don't walk your talk. This is me at times. Pray for me I am in process. The type of movies you buy or rent tells the world about you. How you act shares your faith. The world is watching Christians. They are generally hoping that your walk does not match your talk. The reason being that they have to look in the mirror everyday and if they don't like what they see as their reflection, it makes them feel better when you fall.

Those of you who are Christians are sharing your faith. What kind of testimony are you sharing with the world. The Harvest is great but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out the workers.