Today I read Mark 9 and 10. Chapter 9 starts with a display of the awesome power and glory that is inherent in who Jesus is. I know that these days the word 'awesome' is thrown around freely, being used to describe the taste of food, the enjoyment of a game, the winning ways of a sports team, in short anything that we appreciate. That day on the mountain with Jesus, Peter, James and John weren't giving each other fist bumps or high fives and saying, "This is awesome!" A more likely thing for them to say would have been, "Oh crap! What do we do now?" There was a respectful fear upon them that better exemplifies the way to respond to how 'awesome' Jesus is than to slap a picture on a T-shirt with the words 'Jesus is my homeboy.' Yes, Jesus is our friend, these 3 men would have lived that friendship as closely as anyone, but that doesn't take away the fact that He is our Lord and Master. In fact, God audibly answers the question "What do we do now?" for them in verse 7, "....Listen to him!"
Again in these chapters I see much reflected from what I read in Matthew, from how important faith is when God does the miraculous in our lives, to the focus on serving and humility in leadership rather than domination, to the dangerous ground we are on when we cause others to sin.
One thing that is addressed again is divorce, and when I look at Malachi 2:16, it is very clear that God hates both divorce, and spousal abuse. Neither of these is the heart of God, in fact they are far from it. I can certainly understand the need to remove oneself (and children) from an abusive situation, God hates what that person is doing (abuse), and yet He doesn't hate the individual, any more than He hates us when we abuse Him... His love is unconditional, always holding out hope of improvement, and we are called to be the same. Mark 10:5-9 makes it clear that the act of divorce is not God's ideal, it is a hardening of the individual's heart to the point where they are unwilling to seek restoration. Marriage is a picture of God's relationship with us, and if God is always willing to seek restoration, so I should be too. I intend to enter into marriage with that always in mind.
I know that not everyone reading this may be single or married... there may be those who have gone through the pain of divorce, even against their own will. God can bring healing and wholeness to your life, whether through working in the lives of both people to restore the relationship, or by removing the bitterness toward the hard-hearted spouse and giving a person the grace to fulfill His plan for their life despite their circumstances. 1 Corinthians 7:15-16 indicates that an attitude of peace towards your spouse if they are not a Christian could have an eternal impact, whether through staying with them, or through allowing them to go. God's heart is for taking care of the hurting and broken, and that's good news for anyone who has suffered a divorce.
What about remarriage? Our culture embraces it, many churches will not make a call on it one way or the other, some are for it and some oppose it. I won't go into what individuals feel about it, because I've already looked at how our emotions can be misleading and must defer to God's Word in past blog entries. The important question is, "What is God's heart?" and who better to answer that than Jesus? Mark 10:11-12 is His response: "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. / And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery." Does that fit with God's heart for marriage being a lifelong covenant? Yes it does. Is there hope for someone who has been divorced to have a fulfilling relationship? Of course. The desires we experience in this life for good things will ultimately be fulfilled in Christ for eternity in a greater way than we could ever hope for in this life. Also, His people are called to come alongside those who are hurting and be His hands of comfort to them, so outside of a marriage relationship men and women of God can and should come alongside.
What about those who have already remarried? I'm NOT trying to condemn anyone, and the good news is that God loves them just as much. If God has mercy for all of us, myself included, who have fallen short of His plan (and He does) He can certainly forgive those who have remarried, whether through ignorance or even through rebellion. I do not believe that the answer is another divorce or separation. I believe the answer is owning up to the difference between one's actions and God's will, as in any other situation, repenting for past actions and then doing one's best to make the current marriage the best and most godly that it can be.
In summary, wherever you are in life, God loves you, and circumstances haven't changed the fact that He has a good plan for you, and can turn things around for good. I pray that people would see the hope that is available, and not take this as discouragement or condemnation. May God bless you as you seek His heart.
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