June 22-Selfless

Happy Friday to you! I read yesterday that “Marriage is out of fashion” and since less than half of the households in the country are married (48 percent) which is down dramatically since I was in high school when it was more like 2/3rds and down even further still from 1950 when nearly 80 percent of all households were married. So...what has happened over the last 70 years to change our perspective on marriage? 


Is it because divorce is easier? A single live style is more acceptable? Women make better money? People living together? Gay lifestyle more acceptable? I have no idea of the surface cause or causes but I think maybe I know the root cause and it all boils down to selfishness. It’s really hard to be in a marriage and be selfish. And the world we live in teaches us that “we deserve a break” and “do it your way” and 100 other little jingles that tell us it’s all about us and our pleasure and our wants and wishes. Never do we hear about putting others before ourselves or how better marriages are forged by wanting the best for the other person, but usually about “What are you getting out of this?”  


Marriage is the earthly view of Christ and the church. It’s the picture we can only try to emulate where He completely gave himself for us never once thinking about what He would get back. 


“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her...In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself...Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:22-25, 28, 31-33‬ ‭ESV‬‬


I think the reason the marriage rate in this country is at an all time low is because it’s hard. It’s really hard and we are a society who likes easy. We don’t want to love someone else more than we love ourselves and we don’t want to have to submit or give up ourselves. But if you do...it’s a pretty great thing. Christ made the model for a reason—it’s awesome. 


Dear Jesus, thank you for setting examples for us and giving us the rules to live by that set us up for a successful life in things like marriage. Living by your precedent, we can understand the principles of Christ and the church and the relationship you want for us to have with our spouse. We praise you for your great love for us and for the mercies you show us and how your grace sustains us. You are the Almighty and we sing hallelujah to you. Amen and amen. 


Love you dear friend, 

Pam

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