Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Daily Light - May 25, 2010

Daily Light from the Lighthouse

"And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city."
Revelations 22:12-14

Sitting at the Captain's Table

One of the clearest principles taught in the Word of God is responsibility. Luke 12:48 tells us that the one who has been given much, much will be required of him. This is truly especially in marriage. God has entrusted us with a unique relationship that has its great comparison Christ and His church. We will give account to God for what we did with our marriage and how we glorified Him through it. What a joy it will be to enter into God's presence knowing that we have honored Him by honoring our spouse.
There are four principles of marriage that are good to consider before we take our seat at the Captain's table in eternity.
1) Marriage is a testimony of our love for God. God is love and those who abide in God will live with a loving spirit (1 John 4:16). Our love for our spouse is very simply a reflection of our love for God. You cannot love one or the other. If we truly love God, then we will have no problem loving our spouse as we ought. It is only when we understand the love of God that has been given to us that we are able to love our spouse properly.
2) Marriage is a test of stewardship. The beautiful life of our spouse has been given to us as a trust. That person does not belong to us in a sense of ownership; they belong to almighty God. He has allowed us to demonstrate faithfulness (1 Corinthians 4:2) to Him by being faithful to this precious person. We must be faithful to our spouse recognizing marriage as both a responsibility and a privilege.
3) Marriage is an opportunity to experience God's pleasure. In a world where every one talks about marriage as a prison and a hindrance to really enjoying life, we must see that this is not God's perspective. God has given us the gift of marriage to enjoy life and even better, the abundant life. One day as we sit at the Captain's table, we will understand the words of 1 Corinthians 2:9: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." While we do not know what awaits us, in the present we are allowed to taste the joys that God has for us through our marriages.
4) Marriage is the opportunity to experience God's presence. We know that the Bible says that none will be given in marriage in Heaven (Matthew 22:30). I do believe however that we will still enjoy eternal life with those who God has given us to love here on this earth. God knew that it was not good for Adam to be alone in the garden. In our eternal home there will never be loneliness, we will be continually encompassed and enthralled by the presence of God. I thoroughly enjoy the presence of my wife. When we are not together, I am miserable. I look forward to seeing her face each morning, and when I come home during the day, I immediately seek her out. Her presence is both comforting and exhilarating. If she is that much to me, how much more is the presence of God? We enjoy now the companionship of marriage that will be played out for all eternity. I for one cannot wait.
May you look forward to that moment today!

No comments: