Life Choices
Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? -Amos 3:3
In today's Scripture passage, we watch an entire nation take a dramatic turn for the worse. This downward spiral is directly related to the marriage of the new king, Jehoram. While his father and grandfather had been godly men, 2 Chronicles 21:6 tells us that Jehoram "walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord."
The Scriptures tie Jehoram's marriage and his conduct together. The lesson is clear: The choice of a marriage partner has far-reaching effects. If you're a young person feeling the tug of the Holy Spirit upon your life to serve the Lord, your marriage partner will either double your effectiveness for Christ or kill it. There is no in-between.
I heard of a young man whose wife is an encouragement and challenge to him. One of his unmarried friends asked him, "Where did you find a girl like that?" His answer was amazing. He said, "I asked God for a wife like that. Every day since junior high school I've prayed for God's perfect choice for me. And God has answered my prayers."
According to one recent book on marriage, the statistical improbability of a person finding the right mate is astonishing. The author based his mathematical calculations on six desirable qualities, including physical attractiveness, intelligence, and concern for others. He concluded that a person would have to meet more than fifteen thousand people before encountering one with all of the above requirements. If you consider other criteria like religion and age, the chances become even less optimistic. But we're dealing with the faithfulness of God, not the chances of finding the right person.
PrayerLord, I desire Your will for my life. Keep me in the palm of Your hand. Amen.
Are you asking God for His direction for your life?
Fairest Lord Jesus
Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature,
O Thou of God and man the Son,
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor,
Thou, my soul’s glory, joy and crown.
Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands,
Robed in the blooming garb of spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
Who makes the woeful heart to sing.
Fair is the sunshine, Fairer still the moonlight,
And all the twinkling starry host;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels heaven can boast.
All fairest beauty, heavenly and earthly,
Wondrously, Jesus, is found in Thee;
None can be nearer, fairer or dearer,
Than Thou, my Savior, art to me.
Beautiful Savior! Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration,
Now and forever more be Thine.
Daily Smile:
What does a dog put on its pizza?
muttzerrella and puperoni!
In The News:
Britain, France Threaten to Recall Israel Ambassadors
Britain and France threatened to recall their ambassadors after Israel announced plans to build on land Palestinian Arabs claim as part of a future Palestinian state, CBN News reports. In protest to last week's U.N. vote that granted non-member observer state status to the Palestinian Authority, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the announcement that Israel would build more than 3,000 new apartments in areas known biblically as Judea and Samaria. The U.N. vote abrogated agreements the Palestinians and Israel made to each other in the 1993 Oslo Accords, Israel said. Some lawmakers in Washington, D.C., wanted to cut funding to both the PA and the U.N., but the British and French governments objected to Israel's decision to build. "We don't tell the British or the French where to build in Paris or London and we do not expect anybody to tell us what do to," Israeli Minister of Infrastructure Uzi Landau said. Another part of the controversy concerns plans to expand Maale Adumim, a Jewish community just outside Jerusalem with a population of more than 40,000. Palestinians say the expansion would create a land barrier breaking the continuity of their future state, but for Israel, it would link the suburb to Jerusalem. Though U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and many nations call the land "occupied" territory, Israel says it is not "occupied" but "disputed," and that the nation has both a natural right and territorial claims to it. Meanwhile, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas addressed crowds in Ramallah after the U.N. vote, promising that "one day, a young Palestinian will raise the Palestinian flag over Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the state of Palestine."
West Point Hosts First Same-Sex Weddings
The U.S. Military Academy at West Point hosted its first same-sex weddings over the past two weekends, CBN News reports. Both weddings were held in historic campus landmarks: the Cadet Chapel and the Old Cadet Chapel in the campus cemetery. Army chaplains from other bases performed the ceremonies because the denominations of the West Point chaplains don't allow them to perform same-sex weddings. New York legalized same-sex marriage last year, just months before the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy was repealed, allowing gays to serve openly in the military. According to Dr. Albert Mohler of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary: "The celebration of a same-sex marriage ceremony in Cadet Chapel at West Point, complete with the saber arch and full military honors, represents a huge step toward the normalization of same-sex marriage, and of homosexuality itself, in the larger society. The event was a powerful symbol of the great revolution in sexual morality that marks our times."
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