Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Holy Marriage – Lasting Life of Love

Shoba Sanu


St. John’s MTC, NY

4. Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers.
 
A true believer worships the God by loving Christ and loving others.  In this Bible portion, the author of Hebrews is offering practical advice to the people to love each other as brothers, showing hospitality towards strangers, and sharing the suffering of prisoners and vulnerability of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We can see that people at that time are struggling with their faith. Similarly God is encouraging us to hold on when we are going through trials and tribulations.  God is assuring us that, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we can say with assurance “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6).

Hebrews 13:4 states that,” Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”  Why would the author of Hebrews mention marriage to be held in honor?  People may have been showing infidelity for many reasons of their own.  People may have felt too restrictive or not aware of the Christian values God has placed for Christian couples.  Whatever may be the reason, the author states three advices we can follow. They are to honor marriage, keep the sexual relation pure and remember that God will judge.
  1. How can we honor our marriage?  We should value it as the biggest treasure in our life that God has given us. Some people treasure their jewelry, job, money etc., all of these are worldly things with no importance but marriage is a gift from God. Mutual respect is a key to a successful marriage. One’s respect is vital to winning the others respect. It’s an important step in conveying the message of Jesus.
     
  2. How can we keep the sexual relationship pure? Purity begins in the mind, so always guard your thoughts and avoid temptations.  Marriage provides God’s way to satisfy the needs and desires, and strengthen the partners against temptation. Spiritually, our bodies belong to God , so through marriage, which was designed by God, our bodies belong to our spouses and the two bodies became one.
     
  3. God will Judge: God can judge because He is holy.  God watches our each and every movement. God should be the center of our life, keeping this in mind, we should discipline ourselves when we are making any decisions in life which will stop us from sinning.
Marriage should be honored by all.  Those who fail to honor marriage and maintain the marital purity will come under the judgement of God and they won’t inherit the kingdom of God.

PRAYER

Heavenly father, help us to honor our marriage and keep our relationships pure.  Help us to respect each other so our life will be faithful and free from temptations.   Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
“Marriages are fragile.  They must be nurtured and protected if they are to survive for a lifetime.”   Dr. James Dobson



  

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