Enjoy Life With Your Wife!

 

"Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that are given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun."  Eccl 9:9

Nearing the end of my vacation with my husband, I wanted to cook out. I had planned to cook bratwursts over an open fire with marshmallows for desert. I did not realize that some NFL play-offs were on television at the same when I had suggested it. My husband did not say a thing about it. I figured it out when I went outside to see how the fire was going and he was standing before the fire pit checking the game on his telephone. He was multi-tasking. He managed both quite well. He managed to hang in there until supper was over before he retreated to the living room.

We have many common interests. But, we also have many uncommon interests. He enjoys football. I do not. I enjoy hiking and camping and kayaking. He does not. But, somehow we manage to find a way to enjoy life together.

May God bless all husbands and wives with the gift of enjoying life together.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Husbands and Wives

Honor One Another!

For Husbands.

Ye husbands, dwell with your wives according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers be not hindered. 1 Pet. 3:7. And be not bitter against them. Col. 3:9.

For Wives.

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord, even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord; whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement. 1 Pet. 3:6; Eph. 5:22.

http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php

 

I am not quite sure what Martin Luther meant when he wrote that husbands should dwell with their wives according to knowledge. Was there some specific knowledge he was speaking about or was he merely saying "Don't be stupid! Treat your wives with honor."?

 

Yesterday, my husband and I held a graduation party for our eldest granddaughter. He was setting tables and chairs out. Cassie and I were preparing the meal when my husband pointed out that I didn't make the coffee the way he thought it ought to be made. I have been making the morning coffee for almost forty-four years. Forty years ago, letting me know that he didn't think that I knew how to make coffee would have been fighting words. Yesterday, I let him remake the coffee without saying a word.

 

As we grow old; as we grow in faith; as we grow in love for one another; we find that there are just some things that are not worth arguing about. We remember that we are both heirs of God's grace and mercy. Respect and honor one another that you might live in peace with one another all the days of your life.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

1 Peter 3:1-7 Beauty

1 Peter 3:1-7 NIV

Beauty comes not from name brand clothes and jewelry; but,
from what you do and who you really are.

Each succeeding generation of women seems to pick up fashion trends that they think will make them more attractive to men. I've lived a for a few of these generations and I'm thinking that hasn't been working well. Take a look back at photos of when you were a teen. Would you really adorn yourself like that today? Fashion trends change just about every year. They will be eaten by moths or rust away. But, the love of a caring woman with integrity will last a lifetime.

St. Peter suggests that real beauty comes from within and is expressed by our behavior and not by what we wear.

God's Peace - Pr. J 

Song of Songs 6 - Can Men Really Love That Many Women?

Too many wives and concubines! Admittedly, my reading of Songs of Songs is tainted with the doubts I have toward anyone, even Solomon, having the ability to keep so many wives happy and even from killing each other out of jealousy. Sure the courting may be awesome for the one who is being courted; however, I cannot imagine what the other wives are thinking as he pursues yet another woman. How much jealously is there? And once this woman is conquered how will she fit in to the harem? Once married, will she be content to share her husband with multitudes of others?  On the other hand, once they realize that this man is just that - only a man who over indulges himself - the wives are grateful that there are so many of them that they don't have to deal with him too much.

On the other hand, God is not like man, in that He can and does love the multitudes. His love is not the kind of love that would cause us to be jealous over His love for others. His love will fill us with love for His whole church on earth, for all people. He does not neglect one to chase after another. He will not leave one to go chasing after another. He is fully capable of loving and caring for all people, at any given time and all at the same time, according to our individual needs.

A closing prayer from St. Paul for the Ephesians (and you):
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.  (Eph 3:14-21 NIV)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Ecclesiates 1 - Life Is Meaninless Without Love

Although there are those who would refute attributing Ecclesiastes to the writing of Solomon, the contents indicate that he was. For my part, I will proceed with the understanding that Solomon indeed wrote Ecclesiastes. After all, who would be the wise king, son of David, king in Jerusalem if it were not Solomon?  

"The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem." (Eccl 1:1 NIV)

"I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens." (Eccl 12, 13)

 

Solomon's search for knowledge and wisdom, brought him not an enlightenment that would satisfy, but depression. Solomon finds instead that everything under the sun, is meaningless. "For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief." (Eccl 1:18)

 

One of my mother's favorite sayings for when one of us kids did something stupid was: "No brains, no pains." Then she'd leave it at that. I'm not sure if that's the most appropriate thing to tell a child. But, we got the point. With wisdom and knowledge comes many opportunities; but, with opportunities comes many challenges and often some trying times. My mother's view was that accepting the opportunities and challenges that come with gaining wisdom and knowledge was worth the bit of hardship one might have to endure.

 

Solomon, on the other hand, who was wiser than any other man, has found that his seeking knowledge was meaningless in the end. In the end, every living thing under the sun dies. As we read through Ecclesiastes, I hope that we will come to the understanding that not everything is futile. But, that it is possible to strive for greater knowledge and wisdom, even while we enjoy the fruits of this life that God has given us. We are to live life, not just bury ourselves in seeking after knowledge. Books are good, but life is still to be enjoyed.

 

Another thing to remember about Solomon is that as he decided to marry foreign wives, he also decided to worship their gods, as well. This is not good. Worshipping false gods is utterly meaningless and a source of the emptiness that many feel. Solomon, I fear, lived a life as a seeker. He was seeking meaning for his life. It was a life devoid of real relationships founded on a relationship with the one true God, who gifted him with much wisdom. His life probably lacked love. After all, how lonely is the man who would need to have 700 wives and 300 concubines? I believe he was one who may have had wisdom, but not real relationships. Not with God and consequently not with the people around him. So we have a man, who has found that his pursuit of wisdom and knowledge was meaningless. He never really lived life.

 

May God grant you a greater relationship with Him and with those around you that you may live life more fully.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 85 - Love and Faithfulness

"Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other." (Psalm 85:10 NIV)

Verse 10 caught my eye this morning as I was in Shopko last night and noticed they have the Valentine's stuff out already. Love and faithfulness...  I have seem some wonderful examples of it in the people around me. I have also seen some marriages that have neither.  Oh, for sure, most of the partners in these marriages will tell you that they really love each other, especially when they are caught in an act of out right unfaithfulness.  But, the evidence of love is not there.  Faithfulness is not there. 

The evidence of love and faithfulness is seen when one spouse would do anything for the good of the other.  Faithlessness to a spouse is not only about not "being with" other people.  Whenever, we put our own selfish desires above the others to the point that we separate ourselves from them, we are being unfaithful.  If you have to go fishing with your buddies every weekend or out with the girls, bowling, every Saturday night, you are being unfaithful to your spouse. You can tell me and you can tell God all you want that the other spouse does not mind. But, I've witnessed it enough and I am telling you that one or both of you is probably lieing to yourself or the other. You have chosen activities and other people rather than being with your spouse, rather than sharing your life together. You are breaking your marriage vows. You have chosen to separate what God has joined together.

There is no better example of love and faithfulness than the union that God chooses for us in the Body of Christ.  That, my friend, is a marriage made in heaven. He loves us so much that His whole life on earth was given so that we might be united with Him forever in His Kingdom.      

 As a reminder of how we are to treat our spouses; how we are to be loving and faithful: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." (Eph 5:25-33)

"Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other." (Psalm 85:10)

God's Peace - Pr. J

2 Chronicles 11 - Family

Last chapter, Rehoboam oppresses the people.  This chapter; the oppressed (Jeroboam) sets up false gods.  Makes sense to me!  Not!  It is just amazing how our human nature will lead us to do what is not God's will.  And... yet, God continues to love His children.

And speaking of children, Rehoboam has a few - 88 of them - including 24 sons.  Course, that really not that many when you consider that he had 18 wives and 60 concubines.  Rehoboam knows how to manipulate his sons for his own political purposes.  He has, as is necessary. chosen one as the heir to the throne.  We'll see how that plays out, as he has chosen the eldest son of his favorite wife, not the first-born of his sons.  But, he is shrewd in that he provides well for all them and gives them each places of authority in various cities.  This probably in hopes that he will be able to satisfy them and keep them from killing each other out of jealousy.  It will also ensure that Rehoboam maintains control over the whole region as his own sons watch over the various areas.  I'm thinking Rehoboam is a "control freak" and he's pretty good at it.  Money and power can really aid in controlling the lives of people around us.

Most of us have much smaller families today - in this country we do not allow for 18 wives.  It would be good if these smaller families would be able to interact and genuinely care for each other.  However, it still often happens that the whole family will end up being controlled in such a way by the most powerful and manipulative in the family to do their will, to help fulfill their desires, their dreams, and aspirations for their own lives.  No one in the family benefits from this.  Everyone one ends up a bit more dysfunctional than they would be in the first place, given our human natures.

May God bless families so that they would love and not manipulate and use their loved ones.  May He bless this world and all leaders so that they will think first of serving God and others, before themselves.