Happy August to you from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com !
With love shining from his eyes, the handsome groom vows, "I take you to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part."
Smiling tenderly at her husband-to-be, the bride repeats the same vow. A kiss then sealed their promises to be together till death parts them. Then a few years later, they sadly parted—and not by death. Like many other married couples, their wedding vows are forgotten, replaced by bitterness and regret as they sign their divorce paper.
Chances are, you know someone who has gone through such a painful divorce, as 35-55% of marriages worldwide end in divorce. Perhaps you, yourself, have experienced the ordeal.
Why are wedding vows broken so often? How can lovers remain together and keep their promises to each other? Mainly, marriages prematurely end when lovers do not fully grasp the principles of marriage before they say, "I do." The basic marriage principles couples should understand include the purposes of marriage, the roles each partner should play, and the spiritual implication and value of marriage.
The Purpose of Marriage
The very first marriage in the history of human kind was designed and carried out by none other than our Life-Giver, Jehovah God Almighty. After creating the first man, Adam, Jehovah said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." (Genesis 2:18, World English Bible) Thus, God created the first woman and brought her to Adam. Upon seeing her, Adam proclaimed, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She will be called 'woman,' because she was taken out of Man." (Genesis 2:23) Adam said this since Jehovah made the woman from Adam's rib.
Why did Jehovah make the woman from the man's rib? After all, He could have used any material or simply made her from nothing. I believe that God used the man's rib to create the woman to achieve the greatest intimacy. It is like a mother giving birth to her own child; many people agree that a mother feels more intimate with her child if she has given birth to him as opposed to adopting him. So when the woman came from the man's own body, they have that intimacy to begin with.
In the intimate union we call marriage, "a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh." (Genesis 2:24) Here, two bodies become "one flesh," signifying spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and physical oneness or unity. This unity is to last till death shall part the couple, for what "God has joined together, don't let man tear apart." (Matthew 19:6) For this reason, divorce should be the option only in cases of fornication (sexual immorality, such as adultery). Note what Jesus said, "Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries her when she is divorced commits adultery." (Matthew 19:9) Physical abuse may be another cause for divorce (I Corinthians 3:17), but remarriage is forbidden in this case.
Hence, the purpose of marriage between a man and a woman is companionship and intimacy on every level. Two people who fully grasp this purpose of marriage will avoid entering into marriage for the wrong reasons.
The Roles of Marriage Partners
In any arrangement, whether it be a business, organization, or family, responsibilities and tasks can be fulfilled orderly and timely only when each person is assigned a specific role. For instance, a school principal, as the head of the school, is responsible for overseeing all activities, the teachers are responsible for teaching, and janitors are responsible for keeping the school ground clean. Working in a hierarchy ensures that things are done in an orderly manner; for example, everyone in a school knows whom to go to if problems arise: the principal.
Likewise, in marriage, the man and woman each has their own roles and responsibilities.
The man should be the head of the household, providing for the needs of his wife and children. Being the head, however, does not mean he should boss his family around, nor should he forbid his wife and children speak their mind. On the contrary, since the woman is a part of his body, the husband ought to love his her as his own body: "He who loves his own wife loves himself. For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it." (Ephesians 5:28, 29)
The woman should respect her husband and be subject to him "in everything." (Ephesians 6:24) Does that mean she has to do everything her husband tells her? No, if her husband asks her to do something unlawful or immoral, she should stand her ground. In a loving marriage where the husband loves his wife as himself, she would not be forced to do something that compromises anyone.
In actuality, all people should subject themselves "to one another." (Ephesians 6:21). So husband should subject himself to his wife and children even though he is the head; this means that he should love them with a self-sacrificing love. This is called "servant leadership," where we lead by serving others and doing things in others' best interest.
Both parents should be responsible for caring for their children and bringing them up with love and discipline. But "don't provoke your children, so that they won't be discouraged." (Colossians 3:21)
The Spiritual Implication of Marriage
Marriage between a man and a woman has a significant spiritual implication; it represents the covenantal relationship between Jesus Christ and all Christians, who comprise the body of Christ. As the husband is the head of his wife, so is Christ the head of his body of Christians. The husband loves his wife as his own body, as Christ loves all Christians as himself, for he even died so all can be given an opportunity to live forever with Jehovah. And just as the wife should be faithful and subject herself to her husband, Christians should be faithful to Christ. Christians who are not loyal to Christ commit spiritual adultery.
While marriage in itself without this implication is already sacred enough, this representation gives this holy union more significance and meaning. With this in mind, if you are considering marriage, strive to value your future with your mate. If you are married, remain together with your partner and uphold the sanctity of your marriage.
How can you have the faithfulness required to keep your marriage holy? Faithfulness is a quality of the fruit of the Holy Spirit—Christ-like characteristics—therefore, ask Jehovah for faithfulness and He will abundantly and freely bless you with this gift. Then you and your mate can stick together for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; until death do you part. Amen! (So be it!)
~*~Q&A with Shirley~*~
This month's questions are submitted by Dr. Gary Marshall, a mechanical engineer, Marine Corps officer, combat warrior, professional pilot, chiropractor, father, and grandfather.
Question: If God is my Father and Jesus is my brother, what is the function of the Holy Spirit?
Answer: The Holy Spirit has many functions in a Christian's life. For example, it:
1) Convicts of your sins so you can repent (be sorry for what evil things you did and become a good person in Christ)
2) Gives you wisdom so you can understand the Bible when you read and study it
3) Gives you power to be a powerful witness (preacher, teacher, evangelist) of the Gospel (good news of God's Kingdom and salvation)
4) Develops Christ-like characteristics in you called the fruit of the Holy Spirit; these qualities are love, peace, joy, longsuffering (patient endurance), meekness, gentleness, goodness, self-control, and faithfulness (Galatians 5:22-23)
5) Gives you a special spiritual gift that will help you spread the Gospel; for example, the special gift of a teacher so you can teach other people with clarity and love
6) Helps you follow God's laws and His righteous standards, along with many other functions
Question: Based upon todays rapid access to world events as they compare to the end times predictions, how long will it be before we can expect Christ's return?
Answer: During his earthly ministry, Jesus specifically said that no one—not even the angels or himself—knows the day when our world will end and when he will return. Only Jehovah knows: "But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only." (Matthew 24:36, American Standard Version)
Regardless of how we may try to guess or predict, we cannot know the day when Jesus returns. Moreover, it is not for us to know the date of that day, for Jesus said, "It isn't for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority." (Acts 1:7, WE However, his second coming is near according to the signs he gave in the Gospels: wars, famines, earthquakes, diseases, etc. People agree that all these have become increasingly worse.
Since we don't know the day of Christ's return, Jesus told us to be awake and alert at all times, for he will come as a thief: "Watch therefore, for you don't know in what hour your Lord comes. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don't expect, the Son of Man will come." (Matthew 24:42-44) At all times, we ought to be diligently following in his footsteps—showing love to God and fellow human beings, for love is the fulfillment of all of God's laws:
"For the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not give false testimony,' 'You shall not covet,' and whatever other commandments there are, are all summed up in this saying, namely, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love doesn't harm a neighbor. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law. Do this, knowing the time, that it is already time for you to awaken out of sleep, for salvation is now nearer to us than when we first believed. The night is far gone, and the day is near. Let's therefore throw off the works of darkness, and let's put on the armor of light." (Romans 13:9-12)
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known of God is revealed in them, for God revealed it to them. For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse. Because, knowing God, they didn't glorify him as God, neither gave thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things." (Romans 1:18-23)
Let us not be wise in our own eyes and be utter fools in our Creator's eyes. Look at His awesome creations all around you—can you say, "They popped up from nowhere!"? No, they themselves declare the grandeur of their Creator. We have no excuse to say otherwise!
Have a splendid month!
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Proclaimer of Jehovah's Good News
Author/Contributor/Editor of 32 books by age 27, Poet, Motivational Speaker, Self-Empowerment Expert, Advocate
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Having a bad day? Then meet Shirley Cheng, A.K.A. the modern day Helen Keller, to inspire, empower, and motivate you to go for the gold medal in life!
"Although I'm blind, I can see far and wide; even though I'm disabled, I can climb high mountains. Let the ropes of hope in Jehovah God haul you high!"
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However, his second coming is near according to the signs he gave in the Gospels: wars, famines, earthquakes, diseases, etc. People agree that all these have become increasingly worse. 