"Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago." (Isaiah 25:1)
Today I am going to discuss something that many Christians in Western Civilization are "too busy" to do: praise God. Let's just think about this for a moment. God has created our entire universe out of nothing and has sent His only Son to be KILLED so that we can have eternal life through Christ's resurrection. Without Him, we wouldn't even be able to breathe (Numbers 27:16). Yet we are too busy to praise Him for it? Seriously, can't we just take some time away from Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, and everything else that we do while we are glued to our smartphones (or tablets/computers) and praise the One who is the source of our very existence?
Look, I'll admit, praising God hasn't always been my highest priority. In fact, it has probably been my lowest. Then tonight, a thought hit me. What if I was married, and my wife, for whom I sacrificed everything to be with, constantly refused to have sex with me because she "had a headache"? Or what if I constantly refused to take my wife out on romantic dinners, after she has sacrificed everything to be with me, so that I could watch UFC on Fox? Ultimately, we would just be selfish if we treated each other like that. Well, in our case, God has sacrificed everything to be with us. How many of us can say that we loved someone so much that we allowed ourself to be tortured, stripped naked, and suffocated to death in order to be with them? Jesus can, and I'm no longer going to selfishly withhold the praise that He deserves. How about you? What's more important: your Savior, or your busy schedule?
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
God Cannot Be Thwarted
"For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?" (Isaiah 14:27)
This verse comes near the end of a chapter in which judgment against Babylon and Assyria is prophesied. The question is a rhetorical one. After all, God is all-powerful. Can anyone stop Him from doing what He wants to do? Absolutely not. Nonetheless, as human beings, our pride often gets in the way of our reason, and we tend to think of ourselves as more than we really are. I don't think it's any coincidence that the majority of the deities worshipped throughout history are, for all practical purposes, just superpowered men and women. Since we are the greatest creatures that we can see, it only makes sense that we assume that the universe is run by stronger and more ancient versions of ourselves. Nonetheless, this mentality will always put us at odds with God. After all, if we make ourselves gods, then what does that make Him? Ultimately, there can only be one supreme power in the universe, and God has made it clear that that is Him and Him alone.
"I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God..." (Isaiah 45:5a)
Since He is the only God in the universe, we are all accountable to Him. Not even the most powerful nations can evade His judgment. Babylon once ruled the known world, just like Assyria had before it. Both empires now lie in ruins in modern-day Iraq. If they couldn't escape God's wrath, what makes us think we can? Before we let our hubris get the better of us, we need to meditate on the questions asked in Isaiah 14:27, so that we don't make the same mistake that those two nations did and think that we are invincible when we are clearly not.
This verse comes near the end of a chapter in which judgment against Babylon and Assyria is prophesied. The question is a rhetorical one. After all, God is all-powerful. Can anyone stop Him from doing what He wants to do? Absolutely not. Nonetheless, as human beings, our pride often gets in the way of our reason, and we tend to think of ourselves as more than we really are. I don't think it's any coincidence that the majority of the deities worshipped throughout history are, for all practical purposes, just superpowered men and women. Since we are the greatest creatures that we can see, it only makes sense that we assume that the universe is run by stronger and more ancient versions of ourselves. Nonetheless, this mentality will always put us at odds with God. After all, if we make ourselves gods, then what does that make Him? Ultimately, there can only be one supreme power in the universe, and God has made it clear that that is Him and Him alone.
"I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God..." (Isaiah 45:5a)
Since He is the only God in the universe, we are all accountable to Him. Not even the most powerful nations can evade His judgment. Babylon once ruled the known world, just like Assyria had before it. Both empires now lie in ruins in modern-day Iraq. If they couldn't escape God's wrath, what makes us think we can? Before we let our hubris get the better of us, we need to meditate on the questions asked in Isaiah 14:27, so that we don't make the same mistake that those two nations did and think that we are invincible when we are clearly not.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Is Your Idol Worth God's Wrath?
"For before the boy knows how to say ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.” (Isaiah 8:4)
Why does God allow evil and corrupt nations to rise to power? Well, ultimately, He does it to carry out His will. Now, don't get me wrong. God never condones wicked and evil governments. That being said, if He can use them to fulfill His plan for the world, He will. For example, He used the Pharisees and the Jews' Roman oppressors to bring about salvation for all of humanity. Their unjust trial and execution of Jesus Christ ultimately allowed Him to atone for our sins so that we could become right with God again through repentance. However, in this particular instance described in Isaiah, the purpose is not salvation: it is judgment.
Israel had been divided into two kingdoms. Judah was the southern kingdom, and the northern one was still called Israel. King Jeroboam, the ruler of the northern kingdom, feared that, since God's temple was located in Judah, his subjects would go back there to make sacrifices. He believed that this would lead them to kill him and reunite with their southern brethren. In order to prevent this from happening, he created two golden calves for the people to worship, claiming that these idols were the gods who delivered them out of Egypt instead of the one true God (1 Kings 12:26-30). The people fell for his scheme and descended into a downward spiral of wickedness which led them to commit unbelievably evil deeds, including the use of the occult and child sacrifice (2 Kings 17:17). Finally, God ran out of patience and chose the most violent nation around at the time to punish them: Assyria.
The Assyrians were basically the Vikings of the Middle East. I saw a relief taken from the tomb of one of their kings, Ashurnasirpal, inside of a museum in London, which showed Assyrian soldiers playing a soccer-like ball game with the decapitated heads of their enemies. When God needed someone to teach the rebellious Israelites a lesson, the Assyrians were more than willing to oblige. They completely sacked the northern kingdom and deported everyone into slavery throughout other parts of their empire.
Now, we may think that we are safe from God's judgment. After all, we don't go around worshipping golden cows, so we should be in excellent shape, right? Not necessarily, for the following reason:
Anything that we worship other than God is an idol!
Take an honest look at your life. Do you worship money? Has your career become more important to you than God? Do you worship sex? Have hours of pornography stolen your quiet time with Jesus? Do you worship your friends/family? Is their approval of your life more meaningful to you than God's approval? Do you worship your boyfriend/girlfriend? Is their love more important to you than the love of Jesus? Or do you worship your public image? Are all of your good deeds just an attempt to make yourself look better than everyone else?
Be very wary of what you worship, because if you choose something other than Christ, then that idol will completely consume you. Once that happens, you may become capable of unspeakable acts, just like the Israelites. After that occurs, you are putting yourself in the path of God's judgment. Now, if you are a Christian, you cannot lose your salvation (John 10:27-29). However, God can still discipline you for what you do. There may be an "Assyrian army" waiting to enslave you if God chooses to remove His protection from you. They could be the backstabbing coworker who will get you fired once your ruthless ambition causes you to make a horrible mistake. They could be the promiscuous young lady who tries to "babytrap" you when you decide to live out your lustful fantasies with her. They could even be the local gossip at your church who will destroy your reputation once they find out that your lack of private integrity does not match your public image. So before you bow down to that idol, ask yourself if it is really worth incurring God's wrath.
Why does God allow evil and corrupt nations to rise to power? Well, ultimately, He does it to carry out His will. Now, don't get me wrong. God never condones wicked and evil governments. That being said, if He can use them to fulfill His plan for the world, He will. For example, He used the Pharisees and the Jews' Roman oppressors to bring about salvation for all of humanity. Their unjust trial and execution of Jesus Christ ultimately allowed Him to atone for our sins so that we could become right with God again through repentance. However, in this particular instance described in Isaiah, the purpose is not salvation: it is judgment.
Israel had been divided into two kingdoms. Judah was the southern kingdom, and the northern one was still called Israel. King Jeroboam, the ruler of the northern kingdom, feared that, since God's temple was located in Judah, his subjects would go back there to make sacrifices. He believed that this would lead them to kill him and reunite with their southern brethren. In order to prevent this from happening, he created two golden calves for the people to worship, claiming that these idols were the gods who delivered them out of Egypt instead of the one true God (1 Kings 12:26-30). The people fell for his scheme and descended into a downward spiral of wickedness which led them to commit unbelievably evil deeds, including the use of the occult and child sacrifice (2 Kings 17:17). Finally, God ran out of patience and chose the most violent nation around at the time to punish them: Assyria.
The Assyrians were basically the Vikings of the Middle East. I saw a relief taken from the tomb of one of their kings, Ashurnasirpal, inside of a museum in London, which showed Assyrian soldiers playing a soccer-like ball game with the decapitated heads of their enemies. When God needed someone to teach the rebellious Israelites a lesson, the Assyrians were more than willing to oblige. They completely sacked the northern kingdom and deported everyone into slavery throughout other parts of their empire.
Now, we may think that we are safe from God's judgment. After all, we don't go around worshipping golden cows, so we should be in excellent shape, right? Not necessarily, for the following reason:
Anything that we worship other than God is an idol!
Take an honest look at your life. Do you worship money? Has your career become more important to you than God? Do you worship sex? Have hours of pornography stolen your quiet time with Jesus? Do you worship your friends/family? Is their approval of your life more meaningful to you than God's approval? Do you worship your boyfriend/girlfriend? Is their love more important to you than the love of Jesus? Or do you worship your public image? Are all of your good deeds just an attempt to make yourself look better than everyone else?
Be very wary of what you worship, because if you choose something other than Christ, then that idol will completely consume you. Once that happens, you may become capable of unspeakable acts, just like the Israelites. After that occurs, you are putting yourself in the path of God's judgment. Now, if you are a Christian, you cannot lose your salvation (John 10:27-29). However, God can still discipline you for what you do. There may be an "Assyrian army" waiting to enslave you if God chooses to remove His protection from you. They could be the backstabbing coworker who will get you fired once your ruthless ambition causes you to make a horrible mistake. They could be the promiscuous young lady who tries to "babytrap" you when you decide to live out your lustful fantasies with her. They could even be the local gossip at your church who will destroy your reputation once they find out that your lack of private integrity does not match your public image. So before you bow down to that idol, ask yourself if it is really worth incurring God's wrath.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
November Celebrity Prayer Project: Anthony Ervin
This month I will be praying for another Olympian: champion swimmer Anthony Ervin! I first read about him in "Rolling Stone" magazine and was inspired by how he turned his life around. He won the gold in the 50m Freestyle at Sydney in 2000 and a silver in the 4 x 100 Freestyle Relay. Shortly after that, he went on a downward spiral of drugs and womanizing. However, he cleaned up his act and made a triumphant return to the London Olympics this year, placing 5th overall in the 50m freestyle. That's pretty amazing, especially considering all of the damage that he did to his body and the fact that he was 31 at the time. I saw that race and was really hoping that he would get the gold again. That being said, fifth in the world is still pretty awesome. Since he has overcome his personal demons, he has truly inspired me and is one of my personal heroes. I just hope that he doesn't "throw out the baby with the bathwater" and stop playing rock music.
The guy also is trying as hard as he can to be a good person, up to selling his gold medal to raise money for the UNICEF tsunami relief fund. On top of that, he is a spiritual seeker, even visiting a church while looking for truth. That's why I am praying this month that he finds the One who his heart is truly seeking: Jesus Christ.
You can read more about his amazing story here:
http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/videos/olympics-2012-gold-medal-swimmer-anthony-ervin-is-out-to-reclaim-his-title-20120727
(Photo from anthonyervin.com)
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
The Only Ghost Whom You Truly Need To Fear
"Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men." (Matthew 12:31)
I do not have time to discuss whether or not Christians should celebrate Halloween. This is because my only knowledge of the holiday's origins comes from the film "Hocus Pocus." That movie was hilarious, but personal experience has taught me that Hollywood and historical accuracy are usually mutually exclusive. So for now, to those of you who celebrate Halloween: Happy Halloween. To those of you who don't: Happy Fall Harvest.
At any rate, there is one thing that I can say for certainty: there is only one Ghost that truly exists. Many people live under the assumption that your soul can visit and/or haunt the earth if you die. In Hebrews 9:27, it states "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:", which makes it clear that that assumption is not true. Or, as my friend Blake once succinctly put it, "Once you are dead, you stay dead and you don't come back." There are, however, demons in the world who deceive people in order to lead them away from Christ. Paul warns us about them in 1 Timothy 4:1. For this reason, I suspect that all of these ghost sightings (and for that matter, sightings of werewolves, vampires, etc.) are more than just human imagination run amok. I personally suspect that evil spirits are secretly fueling many of these myths in order to keep us away from the gospel. Whatever is going on, the only Ghost that exists is the One Whom you should fear: The Holy Ghost.
The Holy Ghost is the Third Person in the Trinity and, along with Jesus Christ and God the Father, is the one true God. Now, the Holy Ghost loves us and will dwell within us if we accept Christ as our Savior. At the same time, He is not to be trifled with. In Acts 5:1-11, He kills Ananias and Sapphira for lying to Him and holding back part of the money which they had promised to donate to the church. However, the worst mistake we can make is blaspheming Him. What exactly is this unforgivable sin? To figure it out, we have to look at Matthew 12:22-32.
In this passage, Jesus has just cast out a demon from a man who was blind and mute. Was this enough for the Pharisees to believe in Him? NO!
"But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of devils." (Matthew 12:24)
Upon seeing Him do this miracle and hearing people ask if Christ was the Son of David (Matthew 12:23), the Pharisees hardened their hearts and refused to believe at all. They even went as far as to make the completely ridiculous statement that it was by the power of the devil that he cast out devils. It is this refusal to believe that is unforgivable, and it is a sin that can only be committed by unbelievers. When we are saved, the Holy Ghost works in us to transform us into Christ's image. When we refuse to repent of our sins, we reject the Holy Spirit and in doing so, blaspheme Him. If we die in this state, we will spend eternity burning in the Lake of Fire.
Jesus died on the cross and rose again on the third day so that we could be saved. That being said, He won't save us if we refuse to believe and reject the work of the Holy Ghost in our lives. This Halloween, you have a choice to make. Will you allow the Holy Ghost to transform you by accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior, so that you can live in heaven forever? Or will you blaspheme Him through unbelief and incure the wrath of the one Ghost Whom you truly need to fear?
I do not have time to discuss whether or not Christians should celebrate Halloween. This is because my only knowledge of the holiday's origins comes from the film "Hocus Pocus." That movie was hilarious, but personal experience has taught me that Hollywood and historical accuracy are usually mutually exclusive. So for now, to those of you who celebrate Halloween: Happy Halloween. To those of you who don't: Happy Fall Harvest.
At any rate, there is one thing that I can say for certainty: there is only one Ghost that truly exists. Many people live under the assumption that your soul can visit and/or haunt the earth if you die. In Hebrews 9:27, it states "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:", which makes it clear that that assumption is not true. Or, as my friend Blake once succinctly put it, "Once you are dead, you stay dead and you don't come back." There are, however, demons in the world who deceive people in order to lead them away from Christ. Paul warns us about them in 1 Timothy 4:1. For this reason, I suspect that all of these ghost sightings (and for that matter, sightings of werewolves, vampires, etc.) are more than just human imagination run amok. I personally suspect that evil spirits are secretly fueling many of these myths in order to keep us away from the gospel. Whatever is going on, the only Ghost that exists is the One Whom you should fear: The Holy Ghost.
The Holy Ghost is the Third Person in the Trinity and, along with Jesus Christ and God the Father, is the one true God. Now, the Holy Ghost loves us and will dwell within us if we accept Christ as our Savior. At the same time, He is not to be trifled with. In Acts 5:1-11, He kills Ananias and Sapphira for lying to Him and holding back part of the money which they had promised to donate to the church. However, the worst mistake we can make is blaspheming Him. What exactly is this unforgivable sin? To figure it out, we have to look at Matthew 12:22-32.
In this passage, Jesus has just cast out a demon from a man who was blind and mute. Was this enough for the Pharisees to believe in Him? NO!
"But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of devils." (Matthew 12:24)
Upon seeing Him do this miracle and hearing people ask if Christ was the Son of David (Matthew 12:23), the Pharisees hardened their hearts and refused to believe at all. They even went as far as to make the completely ridiculous statement that it was by the power of the devil that he cast out devils. It is this refusal to believe that is unforgivable, and it is a sin that can only be committed by unbelievers. When we are saved, the Holy Ghost works in us to transform us into Christ's image. When we refuse to repent of our sins, we reject the Holy Spirit and in doing so, blaspheme Him. If we die in this state, we will spend eternity burning in the Lake of Fire.
Jesus died on the cross and rose again on the third day so that we could be saved. That being said, He won't save us if we refuse to believe and reject the work of the Holy Ghost in our lives. This Halloween, you have a choice to make. Will you allow the Holy Ghost to transform you by accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior, so that you can live in heaven forever? Or will you blaspheme Him through unbelief and incure the wrath of the one Ghost Whom you truly need to fear?
Monday, October 29, 2012
Who Is REALLY Your Father?
"You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (John 8:44)
Who was Jesus speaking to when He said this?
A) The priests of a cult that worshipped Jupiter, Mars, or another pagan god?
B) A bunch of power-hungry political rulers in the oppressive Roman government?
C) A gang of thieves, harlots, and murderers?
D) The religious elite of Israel?
I'll give you a hint: it's not A, B, or C.
Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees. These guys, in public, were the perfect people. They were so dedicated to being holy that they created a buffer of man-made rules to ensure that they never even came close to sinning. Unfortunately, they became to wrapped up in these regulations that they forgot the whole point of obeying God's laws: to worship and honor the Lord. In making this spiritually fatal mistake, they shifted from believing that God was holy to believing that THEY were holy. They became corrupt, manipulative, self-serving bullies and showed everyone who their real father was: Satan.
Satan's fall was remarkably similar. He began as a mighty servant of God in heaven, one of His chief angels, if not the highest one of all (Ezekiel 28:11-15). However, he became so wrapped up in all of his God-given glory that he started worshipping himself instead of the Lord and decided that he could do a better job of running the universe than his Creator did (Isaiah 14:13-14). He eventually went completely mad and tried to overthrow God with an army, only to be defeated and cast out of heaven (Revelation 12:4; 7-9). Although all those who reject Christ as their Savior are destined to burn in the Lake of Fire forever (Revelation 20:15), it was originally created for Satan and his demons (Matthew 25:41). It makes perfect sense that Satan's "children" would follow a similar path of pride, self-worship, and ultimately, open hostility towards God.
How do we know if we are making the same mistake? How do we know if we are God's children, or the children of Satan? It's very simple. Christ is God incarnate. He is the strongest and clearest picture of Who God is.
Our reaction to Jesus Christ will show whether or not we are God's children!
"Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me." (John 8:42)
Now, bear in mind folks, we are looking for patterns of behavior. If you gave your life to Christ and still sin once in a while, as long as you are repentant and continually trying to serve Him with all of your heart, then you are saved. If you simply are a "pew-warmer" and sin as much as you want without caring, then either:
A) You were never truly saved to begin with, or...
B) You are so hardened by your sin that God is about to take you to heaven early by killing you. He did this to the Corinthians when they abused the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:30). Hey, when He promised you eternal life, He didn't mean in this current world, ladies and gentlemen.
In addition, you don't want to have a "witch-hunt" at church and go around accusing people of being children of Satan. After all, as God told Samuel, we "look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel: 16:17). That pregnant teen might not be unsaved. She may have simply been too naive to resist the advances of that charming, handsome boy that one particular night. That boy blaring Rob Zombie on his Ipod might not worship Satan. He may simply be going through a rebellious period because he is being rejected by his peers. Conversely, that squeaky clean elder with the big house and huge family might be embezzling money from the church without remorse. It is also possible that the prim and proper Sunday School teacher who just graduated from a Christian college might be shagging her "gangsta" boyfriend every night and loving it.
So rather than risk condemning the innocent (or getting hosed by the guilty) just take a look at your own heart and your own reaction to Christ. After that, ask yourself the following question: who is REALLY your father?
Who was Jesus speaking to when He said this?
A) The priests of a cult that worshipped Jupiter, Mars, or another pagan god?
B) A bunch of power-hungry political rulers in the oppressive Roman government?
C) A gang of thieves, harlots, and murderers?
D) The religious elite of Israel?
I'll give you a hint: it's not A, B, or C.
Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees. These guys, in public, were the perfect people. They were so dedicated to being holy that they created a buffer of man-made rules to ensure that they never even came close to sinning. Unfortunately, they became to wrapped up in these regulations that they forgot the whole point of obeying God's laws: to worship and honor the Lord. In making this spiritually fatal mistake, they shifted from believing that God was holy to believing that THEY were holy. They became corrupt, manipulative, self-serving bullies and showed everyone who their real father was: Satan.
Satan's fall was remarkably similar. He began as a mighty servant of God in heaven, one of His chief angels, if not the highest one of all (Ezekiel 28:11-15). However, he became so wrapped up in all of his God-given glory that he started worshipping himself instead of the Lord and decided that he could do a better job of running the universe than his Creator did (Isaiah 14:13-14). He eventually went completely mad and tried to overthrow God with an army, only to be defeated and cast out of heaven (Revelation 12:4; 7-9). Although all those who reject Christ as their Savior are destined to burn in the Lake of Fire forever (Revelation 20:15), it was originally created for Satan and his demons (Matthew 25:41). It makes perfect sense that Satan's "children" would follow a similar path of pride, self-worship, and ultimately, open hostility towards God.
How do we know if we are making the same mistake? How do we know if we are God's children, or the children of Satan? It's very simple. Christ is God incarnate. He is the strongest and clearest picture of Who God is.
Our reaction to Jesus Christ will show whether or not we are God's children!
"Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me." (John 8:42)
Now, bear in mind folks, we are looking for patterns of behavior. If you gave your life to Christ and still sin once in a while, as long as you are repentant and continually trying to serve Him with all of your heart, then you are saved. If you simply are a "pew-warmer" and sin as much as you want without caring, then either:
A) You were never truly saved to begin with, or...
B) You are so hardened by your sin that God is about to take you to heaven early by killing you. He did this to the Corinthians when they abused the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:30). Hey, when He promised you eternal life, He didn't mean in this current world, ladies and gentlemen.
In addition, you don't want to have a "witch-hunt" at church and go around accusing people of being children of Satan. After all, as God told Samuel, we "look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel: 16:17). That pregnant teen might not be unsaved. She may have simply been too naive to resist the advances of that charming, handsome boy that one particular night. That boy blaring Rob Zombie on his Ipod might not worship Satan. He may simply be going through a rebellious period because he is being rejected by his peers. Conversely, that squeaky clean elder with the big house and huge family might be embezzling money from the church without remorse. It is also possible that the prim and proper Sunday School teacher who just graduated from a Christian college might be shagging her "gangsta" boyfriend every night and loving it.
So rather than risk condemning the innocent (or getting hosed by the guilty) just take a look at your own heart and your own reaction to Christ. After that, ask yourself the following question: who is REALLY your father?
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Marriage: Friendship To The Millionth Power!
"His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, this is my friend, daughters of Jerusalem." (Song of Songs 5:16)
What is the most important part of marriage? It's not "sweet love" in the middle of the night, and it's not the "Prince Charming" fantasy land that is in romance novels. Marriage (traditional marriage, my friends) is friendship to the millionth power. Oh, and it's an exclusive friendship, so in this case, sharing is not caring. Ladies, friendship is what makes you willing to please your husband, even when you have a headache. Gentlemen, in your case, it's what makes you willing to romance your wife, even though it's football season. When I get married, friendship will make me stay home and be romantic when UFC is playing at Duffy's. I know that I'll have met my future wife when she makes me want to miss a title fight in the octagon for a candlelight dinner. At any rate, that friendship is what will make your marriage last. It won't be the "midnight dessert special" that you get from her once a week. It won't be all the roses and fancy jewelry that he buys you with his six-figure salary. It will be that unconditional, selfless love that made you both say "I do" to begin with. That love that kept you together through thick and thin and that made you want to work it out after your arguments became verbal MMA grudge matches. So remember, you are not tying the knot to get a sugar daddy, nor are you doing it for a guilt-free booty call pass. You are doing it because you are best friends who are there for each other no matter what. Ultimately, you are also doing it to show the world what it will be like when Christ is married to His bride, the church (Ephesians 5:31-21). So make sure that nurturing your friendship is a priority in your marriage. You lovebirds will have plenty of time to "get busy" and go shopping later if you want.
What is the most important part of marriage? It's not "sweet love" in the middle of the night, and it's not the "Prince Charming" fantasy land that is in romance novels. Marriage (traditional marriage, my friends) is friendship to the millionth power. Oh, and it's an exclusive friendship, so in this case, sharing is not caring. Ladies, friendship is what makes you willing to please your husband, even when you have a headache. Gentlemen, in your case, it's what makes you willing to romance your wife, even though it's football season. When I get married, friendship will make me stay home and be romantic when UFC is playing at Duffy's. I know that I'll have met my future wife when she makes me want to miss a title fight in the octagon for a candlelight dinner. At any rate, that friendship is what will make your marriage last. It won't be the "midnight dessert special" that you get from her once a week. It won't be all the roses and fancy jewelry that he buys you with his six-figure salary. It will be that unconditional, selfless love that made you both say "I do" to begin with. That love that kept you together through thick and thin and that made you want to work it out after your arguments became verbal MMA grudge matches. So remember, you are not tying the knot to get a sugar daddy, nor are you doing it for a guilt-free booty call pass. You are doing it because you are best friends who are there for each other no matter what. Ultimately, you are also doing it to show the world what it will be like when Christ is married to His bride, the church (Ephesians 5:31-21). So make sure that nurturing your friendship is a priority in your marriage. You lovebirds will have plenty of time to "get busy" and go shopping later if you want.
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