Light to the World (Part 1)

Matthew 5:14-16

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

So often we hide.
We hide our true selves.
We hide our circumstances.
We hide how we feel.
Sometimes, we hide due to fears.
Other times, we hide to escape judgment.
Sometimes people tell us to hide in some ways, by their words about what we may share.
Past situations can make us want to hide.

Whatever our reasons may be, we often hide. We could all fess up to hiding in one way or another, when we could have been a brighter light to the world around us. The person hiding could be the person who appears to have it all together at church on Sunday morning, and their life is actually a mess. It could be our neighbor, friend, or someone else. Nobody is exempted from the possibly of hiding themselves (or parts of themselves) even the ones who seem to have it all together. It is something that probably everyone has faced at one time or another. It is easy to put on a mask of who we want (or need) to be to others, and for a while--it works. However who we are will still remain, and our testimonies will not shine as bright. We are in costume and not letting ourselves be used by God to help others. In 2 Corinthians, we are told that we are to comfort others in difficult times just as we have been comforted. We have to be willing to share, in order to experience comfort from our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We have to share to give comfort.

I wrote about hiding, because God is showing me today that it can make our light less bright to the world. We may think "it doesn't matter or even affect my relationship with Christ", but God wants to use our whole testimony without us hiding parts of it, by not sharing how He is working in us. Hiding parts of us or our lives affects our walk with Christ. It affects our relationships. It affects us as individuals. We can lie and say we are okay, but it affects us still the same whether we admit it or not. I know all too well how easy it is to stay in hiding and ignore the brighter testimony I could be sharing.

Let me explain a little bit about my own mask: I have two noticible ones that I can see right on the spot. The first is how God is freeing me from the sin of gluttony. Gluttony is a sin that isn't talked about much in the Church. It is a vital testimony that is worthy of sharing, even if others do not see it as such. 

The second one is this: I have two facebook accounts to "hide" part of my life on one facebook. In some ways, it is to hide parts of my life. IE) Find another outlet to help me as I deal with chronic illnesses. The second facebook has really become an outlet. However, I risk putting on a mask by not talking about those things out of fear, anxiety, and judgments. In a lot of ways, it is easier and safer to talk about certain things like this on one particular account. It is this process that is showing me I need to find a way to balance my life. How can I be real on both? So in a sense, my problem is learning how to let that brighter light shine wherever I go. It is a matter of balancing who I am and how I approach the world. It doesn't matter how we "cope" with our mask. A mask is still a mask. Our light could be brighter. In some ways, having two accounts has freed me in sharing my testimony in a brighter way for one, but has dimmed it for the other. I am learning how to blend those two aspects of my life into one. It is a matter of giving everything over to the Lord and allowing my light to shine brighter as I come out of hiding. The question to be asked is: What hinders us from shining brighter for Christ?

We need to evaluate ourselves and see how we are living and sharing our testimony. Are we hiding our light? Is God doing something in our lives that we are unwilling to boldly share? Sharing our testimony allows God to use us to teach, encourage, and minister to others. He also teaches and ministers to us. It is when we know the reason of why we hide that we can begin to open ourselves up to begin to be a brighter light to the world with our whole testimony showing.

Part two::How are we able to share our testimony and shine for Him if we are hiding?

Writing (Spiritual Gift)

Today, I read that writing can be a spiritual gift. That is exciting and encouraging to me. Writing is something I love to do to help me meditate, ponder, and wrestle with what I am reading/learning in the Bible. I never thought about the possibility of it as a spiritual gift. What makes writing a spiritual gift rather than a talent? A good friend was given a piece of advice about spiritual gifts versus talents, and she was kind enough to share it with me. A spiritual gift is something that is consecrated before the Lord, whereas a talent can be used for anything. Is the talent used for God and His purposes alone? That is what sets writing apart as a spiritual gift, because it is used for God alone.

 Writing, as a spiritual gift, is a form of speaking the truth in written form and also building up the body of Christ! It is about using the gift primarily for God and the work He would have us to do. A couple things set writing apart as a spiritual gift:

1. The writing is to build up the body of Christ and/or speak God’s Word. This may be in the form of a poem, devotional, book, Bible study, sermon, prayers, songs, blogs, etc.
2. The writings are inspired by the Holy Spirit who gives the writer the words to be written.
3. The writer expresses more effectively through writing rather than verbally.

These three characteristics are what distinguish writing as a spiritual gift instead of a talent. For those with the spiritual gift of writing—they’ll write and it has the effect of building up the body of Christ and speaking His truth to help others grow in Christ. It can be a devotional, book, blog, or other methods of writing. Writing can take many forms.

This spiritual gift is very influential. For Luke, he could be classified as having the spiritual gift of writing---as he wrote two books in the New Testament that spoke the Gospel, shared the absolute truth, and built up the church. (Luke 1:1-3) Without the spiritual gift of writing, we would not have any of the Bible written in a God inspired manner where we know each word came from God.

The important characteristic in writings is that it is God inspired. The Holy Spirit gives the writer the words that are to be written. Since the Holy Spirit is heavily involved in the writing process for those with the spiritual gift, the writings can be used for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. God can use our writings (blogs, devotionals, books, poems, etc) for His glory! He can use us to encourage other believers, teach them, correct them in certain areas of their lives that need to be corrected, and train them in godly living.

The spiritual gift of writing also enables believers to express more effectively through writing rather than verbally. This is true of me. I am much more efficient as a writer than I am as a speaker. My words are not eloquently spoken verbally and expressed rather poorly, but God has given me the gift of being able to sit here, write, and reflect in a more expressive manner.

Writing is a powerful tool that God can use as a spiritual gift to bless others in mighty ways, and lead them closer to the Lord. This is the whole purpose of writing for those who have writing as a spiritual gift. It is for the Lord and His glory! 

For me, there are many blessings of writing as a spiritual gift. I love the intimacy that comes with writing and feeling God’s strong presence while I write whatever He lays on my heart. I haven’t treated this gift as honorably as I should. I have gotten out of the habit of writing, and let it slip away from me. I am excited to be able to re-experience the joys of writing for my Father and hope it encourages others and draws them closer to Him. The writing experience is about building up the body of Christ—encouraging, rebuking, training in righteousness, and teaching. 

All three characteristics can be clearly displayed in my own life. The main reason for my blog is to help me think as I continue to write. I am able to understand and learn more as I write rather than merely think. What sets it apart as a spiritual gift for me is being able to write about God's Word and hopefully put it out there, so others in the body of Christ may be built up as a result of sharing it. The writings are also inspired by the Holy Spirit. I get the opportunity to be truly blessed when I take the time to sit and write whatever the Lord is speaking to me about at the given time.

Prophecy (Spiritual Gift)

I thought I would start a blog series on spiritual gifts. Most of what I write on this blog stems from my walk with Jesus. Jesus died on the cross to save me eternally and He was raised to new life by the Father. My walk with Him is of most significance. He deserves my all! Writing enables to wrestle with whatever I have on my mind, as I learn more about Him and how to live out my life. To know more about God is to learn more about myself. It is impossible to know who I am outside of who God is and His plans and purpose for my life. Today's post is an example of learning about me as I learn about God. This is the first post where I will be looking at different spiritual gifts. Prophecy is one of my favorite gifts to look at. It is also special, because it has a profound impact on who I am and my personality.

 For each believer in Christ, we have spiritual gifts. Believers have different spiritual gifts that given by God alone. Not all have the same spiritual gifts. (What fun would that be?) The body of Christ has many parts, as it states in 1 Corinthians 12:12. In order for the church body to work well, we need diverse spiritual gifts. We all can’t be prophets, because who would be there to love? We can’t all have the spiritual gift of compassion, because who would be there to boldly proclaim God’s Word without worrying about hurting feelings? The church body has diverse spiritual gifts for a purpose! We need to use each one we are given in our lives to glorify God. These spiritual gifts are unique and come only by God's power! It is not something that can bought at a store. Money and practice cannot make us possess these gifts. Only God can bring these gifts into part of our lives!

Prophecy

Prophecy is the first spiritual gift I want to write about in this blog series. Prophecy is the special spiritual gift God gives where we are able to proclaim the Word of God with accuracy and apply it. It is done fearlessly to strengthen believers, comfort, bring encouragement, and helps unbelievers know the truth. The Holy Spirit is working in each step of it: boldly proclaiming the Word, softening others’ hearts to hear the message, and help others to know and grow in Him. 

The main purpose of prophecy is to speak God’s Word to the people. It is to help others reconcile with God, because of Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins and rose again on the third day. It is to show the truth to others to challenge them when they fail to know the truth. Also it is to warn them of God’s immediate and coming judgment if there is no repentance. It is through the Holy Spirit that the gift of prophecy is used to speak God’s Word and helping others come to Him and grow in their walk.

 The Experience

God shows me the fingerprints that He has left on my life and personality, as I learn about this spiritual gift. He shows me why I am the way I am. He shows me why I am blunt and boldly speak. He shows me why there is such intensity in my life. He shows me the passion I have for Him and His Word. I love getting the chance to learn about the gift of prophecy. I love that it explains why random verses come into my head and I can't contain my excitement for sharing God's Word. I love how God will give me a reference for a Scripture that I haven't memorized to give to others. He is giving me the words to speak, as I grow more in Him. He gives me the urgency to speak His truth. He speaks through me, and allows His power to be known! Speaking directly and boldly is only for His truth to be known. He brings a scripture to mind that needs to be given to one particular person. He continues to use me to help others know Him. He continues to use this gift to show me who He has made me to be. If I was to ignore it, I would be missing out. Seriously. Missing out. God has so many blessings in store, as I obediently follow Him and His Word. There are still lessons I need to learn about using this gift and using it diligently, but knowing this spiritual gift is such a blessing!

Personality Traits

The spiritual gift of prophecy is one of passion. It is having a great passion for God, His Word, and proclaiming His Word wherever He sends you. I have some characteristics of prophecy in my own personality. The ones that stick out most for me is strong personality, (type "A") lack of mercy and patience, and intensity. For this spiritual gift, these are the personality traits.

1.      They have a strong personality, which can be defined as a type “A” or dominant personality. This believer has to have a strong personality to help them face the adversity that is required of anyone who boldly speaks the Word of God.

2.      They are often intense in the things they do and intent in their relationship with Jesus Christ. They are also tough to do what they need to do, which is highly necessary to go forth and preach the Word of God regardless of what others may say or do in reaction to what has been spoken.

3.      They are more focused on the direct issues rather than those involved. Prophets lack patience and are low in mercy. Regarding mercy, they are much more interested in confronting a person rather than hesitating out of fear of hurting someone’s feelings.

Responsiblity

Prophecy is boldly speaking God's Word and proclaiming it fearlessly. It has to do with boldly speaking even if it hurts someone for a little while. The eternal is much more important than temporary. I can relate to Apostle Paul when he says in 2 Corinthians 7:8-10:

For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

Speaking boldly is a big responsibility. It is requires us to be diligent about declaring God’s Word. On some levels at time, it requires us to take a step back from the situation and remember that God's Word comes first. It comes before people to whom we will proclaim the message. It comes before fear or anxiety that will plague us from wondering what will happen once the message is preached to others. The point is: we must boldly proclaim. We can't allow others things to get in the way. We must speak up and speak God's truth obediently, so others may come to know Him! It is to be boldly proclaimed and without shame or fear.

When the prophet speaks the words given by the Lord, others may be sorrowful for a little while—but it will lead them to repentance and enable them to enter a right relationship with the Lord. This is the focus! It is not on the temporary of what may hurt others, which individuals with the gift of compassion and prophecy may face. It is much more difficult for those with both gifts to proclaim, but it is still necessary. We are called to be good stewards of the gifts we are given. It is important to use them with God’s guidance.

Here are some Scriptures concerning the special spiritual gift of prophesy:

1 Corinthians 12:7-11

Romans 12:6-8

Ephesians 4:11-13

1 Corinthians 12:28-31

Deuteronomy 18:18-22

1 Corinthians 14:1-5

1 Corinthians 14:24-25

1 Corinthians 14:30-33

1 Corinthians 14:37-40

 

Victory in the Battle

Psalm 144:1-2

 1 Praise the LORD! He is my Rock. He prepares me for war. He trains me for battle.

2 He loves me and protects me. He is my safe place high on the mountain. He rescues me. He is my shield. I trust in him. He helps me rule my people.

No matter where we are in life, God is preparing us. God is preparing for a battle of some kind. Sometimes part of the training for battle is a smaller battle. God is preparing and guiding us to fight the good fight. (1 Timothy 6:12) 

This Christian walk is not an easy one. We are constantly in one kind of battle or another. The battle may be a physical affliction (just as Paul was in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10) , a conflict with someone, or overcoming our past. Whatever our battle, God loves us and prepares us. Because He loves us, He does not leave us nor forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6) Even when we rejected God's own son (Jesus Christ), He did not leave us. It was for our own sake that God does not leave us. (Leviticus 26:44-45) Instead of leaving us, God loves us greatly and prepares us for the battle. 

The battle may seem like it is all downhill and we are failures, but we must remember that as long as we are fighting--we are winning. We are winning as long as we have Jesus Christ by our side giving us the strength to fight. Even when we do not have the strength left to fight, we still have all we need. We have Jesus Christ. When we are weak, He is then made strong (2 Corinthians 12:10) ! He is our strength when we have nothing left. 

God is the reason I can keep on fighting. There are many days of a rough battle when I feel like I have lost the battle. I am reminded that God is my strength, my song, my victory, (Exodus 15:2) my everything!

In this particular Psalm, the Psalmist (David) reflects with thankfulness that God has prepared him to fight the battle. God has given him the ability to fight the battle. I think this battle goes beyond fighting with a bronze bow (2 Samuel 22:35). God gives us the shield of victory (2 Samuel 22:36). It may be preparing us for the battle of a conflicting decision we must face, an illness that makes us feel defeated, or living in a world of busyness that makes us lack peace. Whatever situation we may find ourselves in, we know who brings the victory. 

God sent his son Jesus to give us the victory! We were once sinner and enemies of God, and God give us victory in the biggest way we can imagine. God won the biggest battle of them all. God sent his son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. Jesus was sinless, but paid the price that we could not pay. Many of us face debt every day. We know how demanding and how much it brings hopelessness into our lives, and these are trivial things in comparison of the debt that would leave us without eternal life. God sent his son to pay the great price for our disobedience!

We face battles every day, and if God took care of the biggest battle of all---why wouldn't he take care of the earthly battles we face daily and even hourly? God is preparing us for the battles that we are in right now. Whatever they may be: illness, finances, relationships, dilemmas of all sorts. God is capable of handling them all. We have victory, because of God's redeeming love for us when we are incapable of deserving his great love..

When we choose to follow him and trust in Jesus Christ, we win. We have the victory, because of Him!

My own battle is not all smiles, but at least I know who wins in the end.. It makes it worth the difficulties that must be overcome. I am a child of God. It doesn't mean that life is without battles or pain, but it means that God will continue to prepare me for everything that I must face. The battles still hurt. Suffering still takes place, but it is a different kind of suffering---it is a different kind of battle. God gets all the glory. Even when the battle is rough and I feel inadequate to handle it, I can rely on God to carry me through it. It is about the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8: 18) as we are prepared for and overcome the battles of this world!

1 Corinthians 15:57

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 John 5:4

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.

Examining Ourselves

The Bible speaks about the significant importance of examining ourselves. In 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul says: "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?" We need to examine ourselves to make sure we are still in the faith. Examining ourselves affirms if we are truly His, by the fruit of the Spirit we are showing. It also shows us where we have slipped up, so we can get back on track---leaning on His everlasting arms and amazing grace to help us to continue to live for Him alone!

In the Bible, there is one place of great significance about examining ourselves. We are instructed to examine ourselves before we take the Lord's Supper. In 1 Corinthians 11:28, it says: "Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup." This is done, because taking the Lord's Supper is pure joy, but also a very serious thing. We do not want to go through the Lord's Supper with our hearts not right. We do not want to abuse the Lord's Supper. We do not want to eat and drink judgment as Paul states in 1 Corinthians 11:29. Paul continues to say that this is why so many have fallen asleep and are weak. Taking the Lord's Supper wrongly, but also not examining ourselves. Examining ourselves is essential to our walk with God! We must continue to examine ourselves. Christ dying on the cross for our sins is something that should cause us to seriously reflect our lives. "Is what we are living for worth Christ dying for?"

Also, Lamentations teaches that we need to examine ourselves. Why examine ourselves? We are able to see where we are in our walk with God, and return to where we once were if we have strayed. We can also be bold to continue in our walk with God, and deepen our walk with God when we are aware of where we are spiritually. In Lamentations 3:40, it says: "Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD."

Finally, Romans teaches that we should think of ourselves with sober judgment. This can only come from examining ourselves. Romans 12:3 says: "For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned."

This is a weekly evaluation worksheet found in "Becoming a Vessel God Can Use" by Donna Partow, and gives us a format to examine ourselves on a weekly basis.

1. Am I listening for and hearing God's voice? What is He saying to me?

2. Am I increasingly manifesting the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? What areas look encouraging? What needs prayer? 

3. What did God teach me in my quiet times? 

4. Which priorities did I live by? 

5. Which priorities did I neglect? 

6. What new thing did I learn--about life, God, my family, and the people around me? 

7. What are my specific priorities (where is God directing me) for the coming week?

Marriage with God

I am writing this as someone who is single, but longing to be reminded of what God designed marriage to be. Also I am yearning to write this in the most respectful way, while emphasizing what many face especially if they are in chronic pain. 

Specifically for individuals with Fibromyalgia, they face an 80% chance of getting a divorce. This could happen for a variety of reasons. Individuals with some kind of chronic illness have a divorce rate of 70-80%. This is ridiculously high, even amist the crazy sometimes hopeless storm of pain, poverty, and frustrations--Marriages are falling apart, which makes things only worse in the lives of these individuals.

I have been thinking about this topic a lot in the past few days. I read many heart breaking stories about people's marriages. Sometimes, things get too hard. And other times, situations or illnesses are given to one person and another doesn't really understand what is going on. I have been privileged enough to be able to pray for these friends and people I meet online, but also to count my blessings on my own single status. I wanted to blog a bit about what God designed marriage to be. It hasn't ever been something to be taken lightly, yet so often when something bad happens to one---the other says "i'm out of here." This is NOT the way God intended marriages or relationships. If it was the way He intended relationships, we would not know His freedom, grace, or salvation!

So, what about the divorce rates if you aren't part of the 50% chronically ill population? What about you? 50% of all marriages fail. It doesn't seem to matter if the couple is part of the Church or not. Many things attribute to it. I am not going to get into the specifics any more than I already have, but I do want to talk specifically about how God intended marriage and the example of our marriage to Him!

What was marriage meant to be like?

How did God design it?

What are our responsibilities?

Does our marriage with God belong in this equation? Most definitely, it does!

We have a spiritual marriage that can give us insight on how to handle our physical marriages. Isaiah 54:5 states: "For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called." How can God impacted our relationship? How does our relationship impact our marriage and relationships with others?

This is what I am wanting to write about tonight. I think it is very important. If we do not look at our marriage with God, how can we know how to appropriately care for our marriage if we have physical marriage with a husband or wife?

What is the marriage to look like?

In Genesis, marriage is the coming together as one. It is no longer him and her, rather it is them--together. Genesis 2:24 says, "That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh." Marriage is about submitting to one another. It is not about who is wrong or who is right, rather it is about submitting and giving yourselves to each other. 

What would a biblical husband look like? What would a biblical wife look like? What should we be like now while we are single?

Ephesians 5:24-33

"Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."

Let's talk about the husband's responsibilities according to this passage. He must lead his wife. He is to love his wife, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. It is about following God's will, and nothing else! What a picture this would be. What would happen if men led like this? If I find a man like this, I don't think I would have a trouble with submitting. It is about caring for her and leading her closer to Christ. It is more than just submitting, but the leading in obedience with God's will.

In Titus, it also gives a fuller picture of what these husbands should possibly look like. They are to be self-tempered, worthy of respect, sound in faith, in love, and in endurance. (Titus 2:2) These go well with the characteristics of the Ephesians 5 husband. He is putting his family first showing them what it means to have faith, loving them abundantly, and choosing to devote himself to teach his children and wife, point them towards the Lord, and chooses to disciple them. In the New Living Translation, it states that the husband should live wisely. If husbands want respect, they need to live wisely choosing to give the best example for the family they are responsible for.

Also in Titus, it says more regarding men (relates to husbands too..): 

"Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us." (Titus 2:6-8) Setting an example is a big key. How you are in your family says alot about a person. How you lead your family is a big part of your example and the responsibility God has given you. Since the husband is seen the head, just as Christ is the head of the church, he will give an account to God for how he leads and takes care of his family.

What about the wives? What should wives look like? How do they influence the marriage? What should they bring to the table?

First off, they should be submissive as previously mentioned. I believe if my future husband would live wisely and lead the family as the godly leader God intended, I would not have a problem with being labeled as "submissive". 

What does Titus say that adds to the attributes of the Ephesians 5 woman? In Titus 2:3-5 says a lot about how we should be as women. We may be wives or may be still single. It still has a lot to say to us. We are to be reverent in the way we live, teaching what is good, urging younger women to love their husbands and children, be self controlled, pure, busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to our husbands. So, that no one will malign the word of God.

When we do not hold to these attributes, I think marriages are bound to fall apart. When we do not recognize the greater picture and begin to live biblically, it is easier to look at the world and see what is common. 50-80% of marriages end in divorce in America! Our actions are going to speak on behalf on God's word. When we fail to do what the Bible says, Titus 2:5 says that God's word is being dishonored. We are making a covenant with God and our spouses, and so often it is being dishonored because we are not taking His word or our marriages seriously!

Seriously..

Realizing that I am a singled one, I can begin to pray for my future marriage and husband and begin to desire and work toward these attributes of working at caring for my home, being kind, subjecting to those in authority positions  (as long as they are following God's will), teaching what is good, and choosing to live wisely! Just because it says the woman is to busy at home does not matter that is what she is restricted to---it means giving her marriage one of the first priorities as she seeks to do God's will!

Goal:

The goal of the marriage to be each other's helper and definitely grow each other closer to the Lord. This is the GOAL of marriage, guys! We are missing it. Instead of seeing it as a failure, we need to see it as the opportunity to grow in our marriages and relationships with others. 

How has God acted toward us?

In Hosea, we see what kind of marriage we were in with God before. We were prostituting ourselves, we were in serious debt, and God redeemed us. We can see this through Hosea 1-3. As the church, we are Christ's bride! We are his beautifully fallen bride that He continues to rescue. We have prostituted ourselves just as Gomor has in Hosea 1:2. We ran away from our Beloved, and needed Him to call us back (Think about on the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32). We have a debt that had to be paid, just as Gomer had a debt that must be paid to be free to go back to her husband. Jesus Christ came and paid our debt. When we were the most unlovable--- God freed us from sin, and welcomed us into a marriage! God still loves us even when we have fallen , and demonstrates this in Hosea's life: God instructed Hosea to buy back his wife Gomer for fifteen pieces of silver and five bushels of barley and a measure of wine. (Hosea 3:1-5)

What was the difference between before and after the redemption? It is our actions. We are changed. We aren't going to go back to our past and doing what we used to do. Our marriages are at stake, just as it was at stake for Gomer and Hosea. We are FREE! Our freedom had a great big price though. Our marriage is not to be taken lightly.

Question for you to ask yourselves:

What kind of marriage do we have with Christ? Remember in Isaiah, the Maker is our husband! (Isaiah 54:5)

How has our marriage with Christ influenced our earthly marriage and/or relationships with others?

1. http://www.restministries.org/invisibleillness/statistics.htm

2. http://divorcerate2011.com/divorce-statistics

3. Ephesians 5

4. Titus 2

5. Hosea 1-3

6. Luke 15:11-32

7. Isaiah 54:5