On The Go Daily Devotion for May 15, 2011
Brought to you each day by
On The Go Ministries / Keith Cook Team
Marriage Goes Hollywood By Keith Cook
"Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge." Hebrews 13:4
Actress Cameron Diaz, has stated in the June issue of Maxim magazine that marriage is a “dying institution," “I think we have to make our own rules,” “I don't think we should live our lives in relationships based off old traditions that don't suit our world any longer." (1)
Upon hearing her remark I realized that to some degree she is right - marriage is a dying institution - dying to self and living for another's happiness and fulfillment, dying to the temptation to continue hunting for the next sexual conquest, and dying to doing, living, or thinking selfishly or for oneself.
While Hollywood preaches a message of loose living, on and off again commitments to marriage partners, and multiple attempts at finding the right partner they are not the only ones to blame for the decline of marriage importance in modern culture.
Who is to blame? Everyone is to blame. Once anyone allows sin and compromise into their personal lives it will affect every area of their lives.
If a father mistreats his wife most agree that that is wrong. He may commit this sin for many reasons, none of which are valid. Yet - He may drink too much and get out of control, he may desire another spouse and take it out on the wife he has, he may be in a job he hates and feel unfulfilled. So he abuses his wife. Plain and simple. Yes - No!
Not only does the wife suffer abuse but all in that household. Children grow up with a perverted view of marriage, a warped view of love between a man and a woman, or a emotional scar that will follow them into their own relationships.
If marriage partners "die to self and live for Christ" marriage is truly made in Heaven. Secular marriage may be a thing of the past but a true Christian marriage is divine. With Christ in control of a marriage there are spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical benefits. Love, acceptance, companionship, compassion, tenderness, caring, sharing, commitment, security, strength, passion, courage, peace, and trust are all attributes of a real Christian marriage.
Christian marriages are not perfect but they do have a perfect marriage counselor and guide in the Holy Spirit. All any marriage needs to survive is a direct relationship with their creator. WIth Christ all things are possible. The valley of death can be traveled, the pathway through shame and guilt can be traversed, and the normal ups and downs of family life can be navigated under Christ's control.
You do not need a Hollywood marriage, you need a Godly marriage. Deny self, the tabloids, culture, fairytale dreams and just live life with the partner God has given you (or will give you). There is such joy with living out your life with the one God has given. There is adventure and blessing around every corner of life and with every breath. Enjoy!
Daily Prayer Focus: Praise God for your Marriage Partner! Pray for God to draw you closer to Him and to one another. Pray that together you will die to self and live for Christ.
On The Go Prayer Focus: Crusade USA. God has placed a United States effort on the heart and mind of the On The Go Team. Three Key Objectives for Crusade USA are sharing, praying and training. This week, Keith and the team will be preaching and sharing in Pinson and Jackson, Tennessee. Pray for Keith today as he preaches the Word at Parkburg Baptist Church. Pray that God will give him discernment, sensitivity, power, and boldness to preach the Gospel.
(1) http://entertainment.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/05/05/cameron-diaz-says-the-institution-of-marriage-is-dying/ May 5, 2011
Thank you for taking the time to pray for this important division of On The Go Ministries. For more information on any our ministries here at On The Go, you may send your questions to info@onthego.org.
Copyright (c) 2011 Keith Cook - On The Go
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Founder/Director - Keith Cook, keithcook@onthego.org
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