Before I jump into the hot topic of this week (The Marriage Amendment in NC), let me start off by asking: What is the big deal about marriage anyway?

Let me start off by saying what marriage is not?

• Marriage is not merely a legal contract.
• Marriage is not something done for tax or insurance benefits.
• Marriage is not simply two people in love, living in the same place.
• Marriage is not an idea man made up.

So what is marriage?

Marriage was originally instituted by God in Gen 2:24 as a covenant relationship between one man and one woman. Gen 2:24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. Jesus quotes this verse in Matthew 19:4-5 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ ⁵ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?

Marriage as designed by God is a picture of the gospel. It is a covenant relationship between one man and one woman to give their lives sacrificially fulfilling their God given roles for the sake of living out a picture of the good news of Jesus Christ. Husbands are to love their wives as Jesus Christ loved the church (Eph 5:25-33). Wives are to submit to their husbands as the Church submits to Jesus (Eph 5:22-24). In this harmony people who do not know Jesus are to see a picture of the gospel through the institution of marriage.

So it is:

• Designed and defined by God as a relationship between one man and one woman in covenant before Him.
• For the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Implication:

We don’t get to decide what is and is not a valid marriage. God has already done that when He instituted marriage.

Now the debate:

The debate raging amongst many Christ followers is not how to define marriage. The debate is whether or not to vote for an amendment that states:

“Sec. 6.  Marriage.

Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State.  This section does not prohibit a private party from entering into contracts with another private party; nor does this section prohibit courts from adjudicating the rights of private parties pursuant to such contracts.” (Copy and pasted from: http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2011/Bills/Senate/HTML/S514v3.html).

Many fear that this law goes too far in defining marriage. We have seen a stir that many consider a scare tactic to confuse the issue. Many fear to take steps to make moral decisions. I remember learning from a mentor: It is never wrong to do what is right (See Daniel in Daniel 6 or Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3). The truth is we don’t get to redefine what God has already defined for us. Marriage is a covenanted relationship between one man and one woman.

The role of a father is overwhelming too. Yesterday when Gracie’s three older sisters came up to visit I had a moment of great joy. Amidst the high pitched voices, the twirling hair and dresses, I was overwhelmed with how gracious God has been to entrust me with these little gifts. I am overwhelmed that God in His divine wisdom thought I would be the best possible father for these girls. A father accountable to point her to her Heavenly Father. To show her unconditional love. To teach and train her (Deut 6:4-9). A father with the role of showing her what faith looks like through my own life. It is all overwhelming, but its part of the God given gift of having the only role that shares a name with our Heavenly Father.

Think about the genius of genealogies. You can trace the story of humanity through the genealogies from Adam to your own. What is even more riveting about that is that within the story of humanity every human has a story. Every human from Adam to you and every hard name in between has a story. There is a story of birth. A story of childhood (good and bad). A story of growth and development, pain and past, dreams and future. Every person has a story. For Adam, he was married to Eve. I am sure they fought. I am sure they enjoyed one another. We don’t get all of the details of his life, but the guy lived a long time. I am sure there were a lot of details. Hence, he has a story, just like you.

So from the beginning of these sometimes seemingly boring genealogies there have been people created by God for His glory that each have a story. What is your role in the story?

So is true freedom to be able to say or do whatever we want whenever we want? No. That is what many of us consider freedom, but true biblical freedom is really to be able to say or do whatever God wants, whenever He wants. Like the woman in Luke 7:36-50 who threw off the religious expectations of the day in an all consuming desire to love Jesus. It is interesting that the religious rules of her day actually hindered her from being connected to Jesus for life change. She threw off those rules, those expectations, because she was free. Free from her wounds, free from shame, free from guilt, free from her past. Are you free? Are you free to do whatever God wants, whenever God wants?

To hear more about this click here. Look for the message titled: The Fuel of Our Faith.

Here is one that stuck out to me today:

Proverbs 14:30 A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

God has been giving me verses on peace lately. I know I am at peace with God, but I am still don’t fully understand the peace of God.

1. My salvation. That while I am still a sinful person Jesus died for me.

2. Daily forgiveness. That I can experience true cleansing even after salvation.

3. Grace. Common  grace that we all experience and special grace for those who know Jesus.

4. Wrath. The fact that God is righteous and just makes His grace and forgiveness even more meaningful.

5. Love. Without His demonstration of love, we would have a twisted and distorted view of true love.

6. Giving. I am incredibly grateful that God is a giver and not a taker. He loved us so much He gave His only Son (John 3:16).

7. Freedom. That there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Rom 8:1; John 3:17).

8. Relationship. That God desires a relationship with us (John 17:3).

9. That eternal life starts now, not later in heaven (again John 17:3).

10. Wisdom. That I can trust God has infinite wisdom when I cannot understand.

The 411 – April 25, 2010 from Ascending Productions on Vimeo.

In a culture of information overload it seems that we need is to be much more selective to what we give our attention. While I love to learn, I sometimes intentionally don’t read or view things that are very popular. This is not to be a culture snob, but why spend the time to filter through laborious details when you will eventually gather all of the information from conversations with other people who have already done all of the work for you. We need to be more selective in what we take in both in quality and quantity. Information is flowing at a faster rate than ever before. What do you plan to do about it?

I asked our church a simple question: “If you could ask God to do one thing what would it be?” There was a follow up question: “Do you believe He is big enough to do it?” The truth is, there is nothing God cannot do. There is no person too far from God for Him to save them. There is no one He cannot forgive and make clean. There is no disease He cannot heal. There is no situation (no matter how ugly) He cannot transform into something beautiful. Writing down the answer to those questions does not in any way guarantee God will do what we want Him to do, but it does make us aware of what God is using in our lives to do a work in us and it does cause us to reflect on our faith in Him and whether we have made God too small.

Ephesians 3:20-21 ²⁰ 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, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

If you want to hear yesterdays message you can listen on itunes or by clicking: My God is So Big.

 Proverbs 30:15b-16

…”There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’: ¹⁶ the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’

I can think of one more: Us. We live in a culture that constantly tells us how much is enough. Just a little bit more. So how much is enough? Is Jesus enough? If so why do we feel we need to add so many other things?