Surprise

Surprise! Throwing a loved one a surprise birthday party is the great way to honor them. But such a party is not easily pulled off since the recipient knows their birthday is approaching and the whole idea is to do all the planning without being detected. In order for the party to be successful many details must be attended to; gathering a guest list, providing the meal, buying the gifts, finding a venue and arranging parking so the surprise will not be spoiled. What are the odds of completely surprising someone? Why would anyone go through all this trouble to create the perfect, "surprise" moment? It is worth it. When the time came for God's only Son Jesus to be born into this world God the Father went out of His way to make it a surprise. Jesus's birth was foretold thousands of years before it happened, people should have known the time was near but, "surprise," God came as a baby. "Surprise", A virgin teenager became pregnant with God. Imagine the surprise for her soon to be husband finding out his fiancé is with child further more knowing for certain this child is not his. For the grand event, God chose a barn in a faraway city as the venue. He orders angels to bring the invitation via singing telegram.  The guest list well, it included the people you would least expect, the poorest of the working poor, shepherds. What a surprise. This month we celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus and God's surprising plan for our salvation. God became flesh, lived the perfect life He knew we couldn't. Then He surprised us all by dying a death we should have endured because of our sins. He did all of this to surprise humanity with a gift of salvation for all who believe. Why is the gift of salvation so surprising to so many if we know God's goodness? I think we believe He is good, but we don't feel worthy to receive this goodness. Today God continues to surprise us and as Christians we are called to surprise others who may not feel worthy. In awe of His love for humanity and His love for me, I want to celebrate Christmas God's way, surprising people by sharing His goodness. I want to give gifts people are not expecting; a tank of gas, a twenty dollar bill, a gift card or a cup of coffee. And I want to give more than material things; I want to give from God’s supply of encouragement, understanding, compassion, kindness, love and cheer. I want to give to the unsuspecting, like friends whom I haven't spoken to in some time, neighbors, and strangers. I want to celebrate God's way and I invite you to join me. In our own way, let's surprise humanity with God's goodness and make this their best Christmas season ever.

Why One Flesh?

I just completed teaching through the book of Malachi. In doing a study and presenting you can only cover so much in the time allotted as well as the attention given by the audience. Inevitably, there are things that you would l like to cover but can not. I will have some teach/Q&A this Wednesday as well as use this blog "After Thought" to cover what I would have covered then. I was reminded of a passage in Malachi with a conversation I had. In talking with a man recently he said "I am not going to have sex until I get married because that is  what marriage was for." I have been married to long and talked with enough women to know that they see marriage as much more than a institution created for sex, though women may agree with the notion that marriage is intended for intimacy. I believe that sex is both intended for pleasure and intimacy but that is not God's main purpose.  God's main purpose for marriage is to demonstrate the divine relationship between God and His bride, the church. (Eph. 5:22-33) It is not just the homosexual relationship that is blasphemous to the image of God but any marriage that does not model the biblical ideal of love, submission, sacrifice and oneness. If this is God's main purpose in marriage what is his main purpose for sex inside the marriage covenant?

Malachi 2:15 (NIV)
Has not the LORD made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.

God is looking for children to be more than a by-product of marital intimacy but he is seeking godly offspring. To often children fall away from God because all they see in their parents relationship is two lives being lived together but not as one. Faith has been broken, oneness shattered, leaving the portrait of what God's desired relationship with them a masterpiece marred beyond recognition. Oneness is more than sex but sex should not be less than a true express of oneness. The way we live out love before our children can determine their destiny. May the Lord as He is seeking find your marriage one in flesh and spirit and your children godly.