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And the Lord Added

Any bride beginning a new marriage would have trouble if she only spent 1-3 hours with her husband, spoke to him only when she needed something, made excuses to not study him, and never wanted to spend time with his family.  Yet, that’s often how we treat our relationship with our Bridegroom, Christ (Acts 2:42-47).

I. Ephesians 5:21-24.  Our work in our relationship with Christ is to devote ourselves to Him.  One of the words used to describe how we are to work in 1 Corinthians 15:58 is ‘steadfast,’ which is the way that the KJV translates how early Christians approached their new relationship with their Bridegroom.  Other translations use ‘devoted,’ which Paul and James say is to wholeheartedly submit to our Husband (James 4:7-10).

II. Ephesians 5:25-27.  There’s mutual benefit when both work in a relationship.  Jesus sanctifies His bride, the church, so that it can glorify Him.  He died for us to give us life, so we set our hearts and minds on things above (Colossians 3:1-4).  When someone’s hobby, such as fishing or cars, is his life, it’s obvious.  Christ is our life now, and so this ought to be obvious in what is important to us and how we live.  This was obvious with the early Christians.

III. Ephesians 5:28-30.  Faithfulness and steadfast love being the foundation of God’s character (Psalm 89:14), He never changes in our relationship with Him (2 Timothy 2:11-13).  He equips us out of love with what we need, but our job is to grow in Him (Ephesians 4:15-16).  In the ‘Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20, we can see the dating phase that with our Bridegroom’s authority, we are to make disciples.  The wedding occurs as they are baptized and the Lord adds them to His bride, the church.

Then, the marriage begins as we work to keep them as disciples with Jesus’ help.  Any relationship takes much work to maintain.  How are you growing in yours?

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For You Alone

It matters not that men don’t see,
Nor ears be never pleased by praise;
I live, O God, for you alone,
To walk beneath your gracious gaze.

Make it so, O Lord! that I
Be a man against the world’s hard sway,
To passions of the flesh immune,
To do your will without delay —

Without delay to oft return
When feet would stray from the narrow path.
Let the heart be won by Jesus’ love,
The mind be warned by your righteous wrath.

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And They Devoted Themselves

A wedding is an event; the marriage is an endurance race.  As parts of the bride of Christ, we should plan ahead for the time beyond the “I do” of baptism to the daily walk with our Bridegroom.  A glimpse into the lives of the 1st Century Christians can help us in the 21st Century.

I.  Acts 2:42-47.  How long would a marriage last if after the honeymoon, the bride returned to her single life and only spent an hour with her husband once a week?  There’s much we can learn from the early church’s devotion to their new life.  In western culture, we are in the habit of scheduling time with Jesus along with the other things that we do.  But, a marriage is not something we can schedule.  It is through our relationship with Christ that we live our lives.

II.  1 Timothy 2:1-6.  Just as newly married soldiers in Israel were to stay home to work on the devotion to their wives (Deuteronomy 24:5), new Christians especially need to work on their relationship with Christ through their devotion to learning from God’s Word, serving with fellow Christians, remembering Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection through the Lord’s Supper, and praying as Christ desires all to come to salvation (Acts 2:42).

III.   Ephesians 5:31-33.  And, of course, as the years go by, all couples need to maintain their marriages through such things as retreats, date nights, and good communication.  These keep their oneness from splitting back into two individuals again.  The formula that Christ and His bride use is sacrificial love and obedient respect.  This takes work as well as devotion in our spiritual walk to do the things that benefit ‘we’ and not just ‘me’ (Acts 2:43-47).

Rather than treating our Christianity as a checklist, we should seek to do those things that a good friend or spouse would do with our Bridegroom to have a loving and lasting relationship.

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Promised to Him

Remove myself, O Sovereign, as the center,
Into my heart as Lord let Jesus enter;
For him I die — the kingdom my surrender,
His cross for glory, eternal crown of splendor.

Zeal that comes from Christ, pure and single,
No human view or earthly prize to mingle,
Promised to him, sincere and whole devotion,
Owner of every thought and deed and emotion.

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Command & Teach These Things

Timothy was a young evangelist, and yet Paul told him to “command and teach” the things that he had been writing to him about (1 Timothy 4:11-14).  The bigger issue was how could Timothy (or us for that matter) be the kind of Christian that when he would command and teach that others would want to listen and learn?

I. 1 Corinthians 11:1.  The first thing to remember is that we are not asking others to follow the best version of ourselves that we can put forth.  No, we want others to follow us as we follow Christ.  So, Jesus is the example to others that we must follow ourselves, so that others in our sphere of influence can listen and learn from us.

II. Acts 2:42.  To ensure that our example of Christ is one to follow, we must be devoted to God’s Word.  We have the example of the early Christians who, among other things, devoted themselves to the public reading, exhortation, and teaching of Scripture.  When others we hope to command and teach see our devotion, then they will want to listen and learn from us.

III. 1 Corinthians 12:14-31.  The illustration of the church as a body with all of its parts working together and arranged just where God has placed them is a powerful one.  When others see us encouraging and ministering in whatever way God has blessed us to work for the whole of the body and not just ourselves, then they will want to listen and learn from us.

Whether young or old, rich or poor, educated or unschooled, God has a place for you and work that He has prepared in advance for you to do (Ephesians 2:10).  When we are about it, only then are we in a position to “command and teach these things.”

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Soul and Body

Romans 12.1-2

Soul and body, the heart of me,
Belong to you, O Lord — an offering,
A sacrifice of praise — Be pleased
To receive it, bought by Jesus’ suffering.

Mind and will and deepest thought,
Are yours, my God — I hold back nothing —
All is given — your will I’ve sought —
For bread and drink in hope I’m trusting.

Head and feet, in stillest hour,
Our Father, and in busiest moment;
Be with me — worries let faith devour,
And I, on earth, your best proponent.

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The day when we live

Heavenly Father, let this be a day of peace, when fullness and joy and blessing populate the hours.

Let this be a day of security, when we rest in you and find safety in your shadow.

Let this be a day of sowing, when the seed of the gospel is scattered far and wide and the power of salvation comes to needy souls.

Let this be a day of reaping, with shouts of joy at seeing friends and family and perfect strangers come into your family.

Let this be a day of faithfulness, as we decide in every situation to do your will and please you in all things.

Let this be a day of hope, with sights set on heaven and the prayer of Jesus’ return on our lips.

Let this be the day when love is shown and shared and received, when people are treated as equals, and our time is dedicated to others, and our obedience brings to us your special presence.

O Lord, let today be the day when we live for these things and not for the world and its passions and ephemeral pleasures; let today be yours and a closer step toward our life in heaven with you.

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Away with Lesser Things

Away with lesser things, O Lord!
Prevail eternal zeal for Christ!
From me remove desire for mammon,
Let love for you and yours remain.