Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-

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



  

Popular posts from this blog

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
  Constant, patient and welcoming love of God   St. Luke 15: 11-32  V.21: And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ The parable of the ‘Prodigal son’ is one of the most frequently quoted parables that Jesus told His disciples. The parable contains the rich mine of human virtues and emotions. This parable is lived and re-lived in progressing civilizations from time immemorial and continuing. It brings out in vivid detail the pathetic depth of human sinfulness and the glorious heights of God’s forgiveness.      As a story of human nature, fathers are generally merciful to their children in any circumstance. They are very protective and are eager to provide for and secure the lives of their offspring. Jesus is telling this parable to underscore the superlative love of God to His children. The nature of such love is reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 7:11. Humankind who are evil by nature, give good gifts t
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
Revelation for Liberation Acts 27:18-26 Sherine Thomas Long Island MTC, NY 20  When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. “After winter comes the summer.  After night comes the dawn.  And after every storm, there comes clear open skies” so said a Scottish clergyman from the 1600s. It’s been said, that hope can sometimes be the most dangerous weapon.  However, it’s sometimes the hardest weapon to carry when you’re living with the loss of a loved one, something that almost feels like a terrible nightmare that’ll never go away.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry when day in and day out no one seems to hear or see those tears that are shed or silent cries that are made during a heartfelt prayer. It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you see your loved one lying on that hospital bed.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you search and seek out answers to tell a child as to why they’ve been a
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
PRIESTHOOD: THE ANOINTED MINISTRY Exodus 40:12-16 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting... wash them with water. Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest (Exodus 40: 12-13). Priesthood among the people of God was a divine command and initiation. God wanted some people to be separated for the special ministry among his people. God appointed Aaron and his descendants to take up this kind of ministry among the people of God. Priests are always separated and appointed as channels that connect God with his people. All throughout the history of Israel, priests played an important role in connecting people with God and to lead and guide them in the statutes of God. But there are incidents in the Bible where the priests failed in their duties and that led the people to go away from God. So the priests have a special and significant ministry to perform in this world among his people. Two important things
Read more