As I said in the sermon this past Sunday, “I believe in faithful marriages.” I think that the best way for us to defeat the work of Satan in our communities when it comes to sexual immorality and unfaithfulness in families is to demonstrate everyday what a faithful family is. Not perfect. Not sinless. But absolutely faithful, and committed and devoted to the Lord and to each other, taking seriously that promise, “for as long as we both shall live.”
Our combined assembly and dinner with our Brewer Road family this past Sunday evening was a wonderful experience. What a great connection we have with our brothers and sisters from la iglesia de cristo! Thanks to all who played a major role in making this wonderful event happen.
I shared some thoughts on Sunday from a book by Emerson Eggerichs entitled Love and Respect. Did you notice that, during our joint worship assembly with our brothers and sisters from Brewer Road, Gustavo Prato in his excellent message referred to the same book? We did not plan that, but the messages sure complemented each other! You’ll notice here a copy of the slide I used in the sermon, based on Ephesians 5:33. “The Crazy Cycle” happens when the husband, wanting the respect he is not receiving, reacts by withholding the love from his wife that she so desperately needs. And so, until she gets the love she needs, the wife reacts and withholds the respect her husband so desperately needs. You see the problem, right? That crazy cycle will continue to spiral downward. But you likely also see the solution. And it’s simple, but not easy.
Someone has to break the cycle.
Someone has to be proactive instead of reactive. Someone has to act unselfishly and give what their spouse needs even though their spouse is not reciprocating. As Gustavo said Sunday evening, we can deliberately choose to act that way and break the crazy cycle. That takes courage, commitment, and an unselfish love that is reflective of the love Jesus had for us on the cross. It is not the typical, selfish, “I will if you will; but if you don’t, then I’m not going to either” kind of “love” we see in much of the world today. But it is the kind of love that the world should see in the Christian, and in Christian families.
As you know the vote on the proposed Marriage Amendment and other primary elections finishes up this Tuesday, May 8th. Please be prayerful that the Lord will be at work and will bless the outcome. We know He will continue to act in and through us no matter how the vote ends up. Once again here are web links that you can go to for information concerning the Marriage Amendment issues.