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March 5, 2009
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
Together in His Grace, by Phil Ware
"... because your hearts were hard" (Matthew 19:8).
Jesus' words are blunt. They carry with them the sting of a painful
truth. Our lives, especially our lives with our families, are often a
mess because of the hardness of our hearts. The pain we inflict on each
other and the wounds that we leave behind are the bitter testimony that
Jesus' words are, all too often, agonizingly true.
Most of us want something better. Most of us want to be better. Sure,
some cling to their total innocence and blame their circumstances, the
lack of understanding by others, the maliciousness of their
spouse/child/parent, or some cruel fate. In reality, however, most of
us acknowledge that we are at least part of the problem. We recognize
that many of our own messes happened because of moments when our hearts
have been hard.
At Heartlight.org, we are committed to bring resources to you to help
you live for Jesus in our world today. It's a tough time in the world.
Life together is not easy. Stresses are high and relationships are
strained. So we believe there is a need for some straightforward
discussion about how we are to live together in our families in ways
that honor God.
On most Thursdays, we will turn to two sources for input on these
matters, Joe Beam and Rick Reynolds. Both of these counselors have
worked with hundreds of couples as they have dealt with marriage issues
many would never tackle. Our prayer is that this will be a blessing to
you and that God is honored.
We believe that it is only fair that you know the convictions that we
operate from at Heartlight.org. So here are some of the foundational
commitments that we have and that we will expect of anything shared
through us.
Men and women are both made in the image of God and are to be cherished
because there is something of the Creator's glory in each person (Genesis
1:26-27).
God made men and women differently and as we learn to submit to each
other to honor Christ (Ephesians 5:21; Philippians 2:5-11) and as we
learn to bless each other sexually in marriage (1 Corinthians 7:1-5),
we are fulfilling God's good and holy desire for us (Genesis 1:27-31).
Our hearts are sometimes hard.
God made marriage as a life covenant (Matthew 19:1-9). God hates for
families to blow up in divorce (Malachi 2:13-16). Seeking to be
faithful to God, we want to do all we can to help husbands and wives
honor their marriage covenant with each other and God. We pray that
this marriage relationship furnishes the foundation of a strong family
and a powerful testimony to the world.
We believe that each child, from the moment of conception, is precious
and to be valued as a gift from God and that each one has been created
by God with a plan and purpose for his or her life (Genesis 4:1; Psalm
139:13-16). Each child is to be lovingly nurtured and trained in the
ways of God and taught to obey his or her parents and seek after God (Ephesians
6:1-3).
Our responsibility as Jesus' community is to humbly help each other
stay on the path of God (Galatians 6:1-3; James 5:19-20) and encourage
each other to faithfulness (Hebrews 3:12-14). To simply do nothing (or
worse, to gossip) while marriages and families blow up is to share in
the sin and not love the broken (Matthew 18:10-14; James 4:17).
Yes, our hearts are sometimes hard. Yet as we look to Jesus, we are
promised that the Holy Spirit's power will be at work transforming us (2
Corinthians 3:18). God is at work in us to make us more than our
mistakes (Philippians 2:12-13) and his grace redeems us to be used for
his creative purposes (Ephesians 2:8-10).
So our hope is that you will be blessed from week-to-week on Thursdays
as we focus on living life "together in his grace," making our
marriages and families stronger and our lives more full of joy. Those
who share their insight here have witnessed the transforming power of
God in the lives of broken families and seen those families -- spouses,
parents, children -- healed and made strong. Please pray for those who
share their insight and their understanding of God's will for couples
and families. Let's make a commitment to help each other honor God in
our marriages and our families.
---------
(c) 2009 Phil Ware <phil@heartlight.org>. All rights reserved.
RELATED LINKS:
* What is Biblically Appropriate?
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200902/20090219_appropriate.html
* Hopeless?
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200505/20050507_hopeless.html
* Marriage Can Be a Lot of Work
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200508/20050820_work.html
* Southern Hills Church of Christ
http://www.southernhillschurch.org
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200903/20090305_tig.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
THE GIFT FOR ALL PEOPLE, by Max Lucado
A celebration of God's gift of salvation wrapped in a collection of
inspirational stories.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?255
Find more great books, CDs and videos at the Heartlight store! With
each purchase you make, you're helping to support Heartlight's
ministry. Thanks SO MUCH for your help!
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