Family #4 Parents train children

Family #4 Parents train children


Well here we are at the final direction of the family in this section of Colossians. Check this verse out:



Colossians 3:21



21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.



The dictionary define provoke as this: to anger, enrage, exasperate, or vex. So as Fathers and mothers, we are to train our children in a way that will be encouraging, loving, and caring. But let me say this also, we must be firm. We can not turn from biblical teachings just to tickle the ears of our children. The truth must be told. Sometimes in the truth our children may react in a negative way, love them but do not stray from the truth! Lets look at some other scripture about training our children:



Proverbs 22:6



Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.



Ephesians 6:4 4



And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.



Proverbs 1:8



My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother;



Proverbs 3:12



For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.



Proverbs 4:1



Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding;



Proverbs 6:20



My son, keep your father’s command, And do not forsake the law of your mother.



Proverbs 15:5



A fool despises his father’s instruction, But he who receives correction is prudent.



Proverbs 23:22



Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old.



Proverbs 29:15



The rod and rebuke give wisdom, But a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.



Deuteronomy 6:6-9



6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.



Do you see how important it is to train your children in the Lord. It is of utmost priority because if you don't train them, the world will train them of their way! So let's get busy! One other point, the church has a small part in training your children through Sunday School, and other programs BUT you are the Pastor in your home....do your job! Train your children!



Tom

Family #3 Children Obey!

Well we have talked about the wife, the husband, and now it is the childs turn. God's design for children in the life of a family is this:



Colossians 3:20



20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.



It seems so simple when we look at it. It is in reality. But our society has allowed the child to run the home. This is not God's plan. We are to love, guide, and yes even discipline our children under God's Word. We have even went as far as saying spankings are bad!!! Not according to God:



Proverbs 13:24

He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.



What are we doing?????



Children, we are to obey our parents. Only one exception to this rule and that is is we are told to do something that God's Word says not to do, or God's Word says to do and we are told not to do it. That's it! In everything else we are to obey until we are on our own. Even then it is a good idea to listen closely to what our parents say!



One last thin here, to the parents, you are not their best friend! You have a job to do. That is to raise a well grounded child of God. Of course they have to make the choice to be a follower or not but you are to lay the foundation! Be faithful to God! Many are failing at raising their child as God desires! Later in life you may be the best friend but as you raise them be the parent!



Tom

Family #2 Husbands love your wives.

Yesterday we looked at wives, today we look at what God desires from husbands toward their wives. Here is the verse:



Colossians 3:19



19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.



It seems so simple when we read it, don't it? Love your wife. When we are courting, love is so easy it seems. Throw in marriage, jobs, children, bills, and little bit of taking each other for granted and love becomes very hard in some cases. TV and books don't help as they display love in ways that are fantasy land. Love takes work and commitment in good times and they bad. God tells us what love is in 1 Corinthians 13: long suffering, kind, truth, bears all things, hope, enduring and then it also tells us what love is not: envy, prideful, rude ,selfish, provoking, thinking evil, rejoicing in sin, and then ends with LOVE NEVER FAILS!



Now husbands and even wives, take a look at the list again, love does and does not. Evaluate yourself. Do you see any changes that need to be made? Be honest and look at yourself not your spouse....yourself! Like I said before love takes work, and men God expects you to do His Word. Here are some other verses to the husbands:



Ephesians 5:25

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,



Ephesians 5:28



So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.



1 Peter 3:7



Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.



A couple of things here: 1. Love your wife like Jesus loves the church...He died for it. 2. Love your wife like you love yourself....you meet all your needs and many of your wants....do the same for your wife. 3. Give honor to your wife, she deserves it as she is a creation of God....don't miss the warning at the end! Your prayers may have difficulties if you are not being the husband God desires of you! Think on that!



Men, God designed to to lead and love your wife the way he has prescribed! Are you doing that? If not change now! Blessings will follow!



Tom

Family #1 Wives submit!

That title should get some attention! That don't seem to go these days does it? In the next couple days we are gonna look at the family and God's Word and how He expects it to work. So here is today's verse about wives:

Colossians 3:18

18 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

This verse is not as hard as it sounds. If men love their wives as commanded by God, treat them with respect, and lead them spiritually, most wives will not have a problem with submission. This submission is leadership not dictatorship! Don't miss the last part of the verse "as is fitting in the Lord". This is the key to it all. When we treat our wives in a way that is fitting to the Lord, and we must know our bibles to know what that is, our wives have no problem with submitting to our leadership. In fact most wives desire us to lead but we have dropped the ball so many times over the years that they now either don't expect it, or have had to lead themselves that they don't know what it even looks like for a husband to lead! How sad!

Here are a couple of other verses to think about on this subject:

Ephesians 5:22
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

Ephesians 5:24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

1 Peter 3:1 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives

So we see, what God desires for the wife. Ladies are you being faithful to God's Word? Men are you treating your wife like God has called you to do?

Tomorrow we look at the husband!

Tom

Joy over a beating?

I must admit it is hard for me to completely understand this below:



Acts 5:40-42



40 And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. 42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.



The apostles had been arrested for preaching and teaching Jesus. God miraculously had them freed and they went right back to preaching and teaching. The high priest and his gang were not happy about this but a wise man in their group told them to let it alone and see if they were of God or not. So they beat them and let them go. All that I get but what is hard for me to grasp is this "rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name"! Wow. Now don't get me wrong, I love Jesus, but to rejoice over a beating? That is hard to comprehend.



This is what God is looking for: Uncompromising faith. After all God told us that we would face persecution if we are doing His work. I guess we have to ask ourselves, have I been persecuted for my faith? Probably will not be a beating. Maybe cussed at for telling somebody about Jesus. Or a door slammed in our faces. People may make fun of us because we are trying to live for Jesus instead of the world. If we have never faced any of these it is probably because we are not serving Jesus like we should!



Many across the world are suffering physically for Jesus. They do get beat, starved, families separated, and yes even killed for serving Jesus. The reason the apostles could rejoice was it was a clear sign they were serving Jesus! I pray we all have that same strength to rejoice and stand strong no matter the opposition. Remember we have the power in the Holy Spirit!



Tom

What has God torn away from you?

God wants our obedience. When we willfully disobey God we lose blessings and even responsibilities God may have had for us. This is what is happening to King Saul in the verses below. God told him to completely destroy the Amalekites and their animals. He did neither. He spared their King and kept every animal that had worth. This what happens next:



1 Samuel 15:24-28



24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 25 Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord.”

26 But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.”

27 And as Samuel turned around to go away, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. 28 So Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.



When you read the surrounding text you can see Sauls ask for pardon is not genuine. He is worried about self more than pleasing God. Saul even grabs the prophet and tears a piece of his robe, which is then a sign to Saul that his Kingdom will know be torn away from him by God and given to someone who is better than him. Guess who that person is? King David! A man after God's own heart we are told in scripture. Saul was not!



So thinking on our own lives, what has God taken from us because we are not seeking Him in all areas of our life like we should? I hope nothing because you are living for Him. In reality though many of us may have lost some blessings and responsibility from God because we are worried about SELF more than God! Thankfully we can turn things around. God says if we confess our sin, He will forgive us in 1 John 1:9. So what are you waiting for! Do it and get back to serving God the way He desires! If you are serving the way He desires, keep up the good work!



Tom

Let the house be rebuilt!

(Continued from yesterday)



Yesterday we seen some men of God answer His call to continue building His house even though a prior King had ordered them to stop! These men heard the call of God and nothing was going to stop them and remember the Word of God said "the eye of God was on the the elders of the Jews" meaning the leaders! God was protecting them! Again opposition arose questioning their permission to carry out this building so a letter was sent to King Darius to search the archives and decide on this matter. Here is the result:



Ezra 6



6 Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in Babylonia, in the house of the archives where the documents were stored. 2 And in Ecbatana, the citadel that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found on which this was written: “A record. 3 In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt, the place where sacrifices were offered, and let its foundations be retained. Its height shall be sixty cubits and its breadth sixty cubits, 4 with three layers of great stones and one layer of timber. Let the cost be paid from the royal treasury. 5 And also let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought back to the temple that is in Jerusalem, each to its place. You shall put them in the house of God.” 6 “Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates the governors who are in the province Beyond the River, keep away. 7 Let the work on this house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site.



12 May the God who has caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who shall put out a hand to alter this, or to destroy this house of God that is in Jerusalem. I Darius make a decree; let it be done with all diligence.”



14 And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia;



Oh yeah! King Darius had a search done. A scroll was found. King Cyrus decree was on this scroll! King Darius said basically...let the building be done! Opposition was ordered to stay out of the way! The King also said let this building be done quickly! The House of God was completed! Why? Because the eye of God was upon them and some faithful men did what God told them to do!



Folks we are to be building too. We are to be building the Kingdom of God by bring others to Jesus. God's eye is upon each of us. He gives us everything we need to share Jesus. Are we being obedient even in the face of opposition? No excuses, let's build!



Tom

God's eye is on you!

God at times makes it clear to us to do something for Him. We are to do that task no matter the obstacles. The devil will try to stop you. Be strong and carry your task out. We see this here in these verses. In a nut shell King Cyrus had sent some Jews back to start the building of the house of God. Well they started and then some opposition had arose and stopped them by appealing to a new King, Artsxerxes. He stopped building. That brings us to these verses below:



Ezra 5:1-5



Rebuilding Begins Anew

5 Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. 2 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.

3 At the same time Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and their associates came to them and spoke to them thus: “Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?” 4 They also asked them this: “What are the names of the men who are building this building?” 5 But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until the report should reach Darius and then an answer be returned by letter concerning it.



God said get back to work through His prophets and faithful men did just that! The opposition showed up again and asked who gave them permission to start building again? And wanted names of men who were building, so they could hold them accountable! Then the key part is told to us! "But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews". When God's eyes are on you doing His business, you have nothing to fear!



Tomorrow we will see what happens next!



So this morning, God's eye is on you! How are you handling the business of God. One thing we are all to do is share our faith in Jesus. Are you? Let God find us all faithful to His callings!



Tom

Is Word of God dwelling in you richly?

Yet once again we see the importance of God's Word in our lives. Have you been in the Word today?



Colossians 3:16



16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.



Getting in the Word is a day long process as we see in this verse. First we have to get in the Word. Learn it, soak it in, dwell in it so it is a part of every area in our life. Get rich in the Word! I am not talking about money here, I am talking about the Word enhancing our lives as God desires! Second, once we are in the Word daily, we are to teach others. Do you know you bible well enough to teach others? You should! This verse also says admonish one another. Admonish means caution, advise, reprove, or even scold. This is to be done with love and wisdom from the Word. Notice it says one another, you are to receive admonishing when needed too! Third we see worship and praise as we sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs! Let it go! Shout it from the roof tops! Jesus is worthy to sing about and praise all day long! We should be the happiest, singingest, dancingest people around! We serve the Savior of the world, who died for you and for me!!!! Then fourth, we see with thankfulness. I like what my Pastor, Mark warren, said about this. Don't wait til Thanksgiving to be thankful!!! Be thankful 24/7/365! God is good and deserves to be thanked all day long!



A side not on the word richly, it means of great value. It God's Word of great value you to you? Before you answer, evaluate what you have been doing with the Word. If it isn't much then it isn't of much value to you!



So I pray the Word is of great value to you today! Use it as God desires in your life! Do some singing and shouting for the risen Savior. God is good!



Tom

Rate yourself!

I was doing some counseling yesterday and asked a few simple questions to the person about their time with God and leading their family. I was surprised at the answers and it is obvious why life isn't where it should be. Let me share the questions with you and you rate yourself....the key is to be honest in your answers.



1. On a scale of 1-100, what is your relationship with God right now.



2. How many times a week do you read your bible/have a devotion?



3. If you are married, how many times a week do you study/have a devotion with your spouse?



4. When is the last time you have a family dinner at home around the table?



5. Besides a food blessing, when is the last time you prayed?



6. If you are married, when is the last time you prayed together?



7. If you are married, when is the last time you had a date night?



8. List the top priorities in your life right now, what they are not what they should be!



9. What two things keep you from where God wants you if you had to name them?



10. Have you ever read the Bible all the way through?



Now think about these things. The one I was counseling is considered a strong Christian. But the answers to the questions showed major work needed to be done. Rarely was the bible being read. Church attendance was not a priority. Leading the family spiritually was not happening. Priorities were not in line. things were placed in front of God and family.Let me remind you about priorities....this is how God says they should be according to the bible:



1. God

2. Spouse

3. Children

4. Church

5. Others

6. Self



When we get these out of order which many of us do, we are headed for problems!!! It is amazing to me that followers of Jesus get so out of whack, including myself! Keep God on the throne and get ourselves off it!



One other thing that I have said before, a majority of Christians have never read the bible all the way through! Think about that. God has given us His Word, a guide book for life, and we don't take the time to read it and study it. This is crazy!!!! Read psalm 119! It shows importance of the Word. How can we live like God wants us too if we don't know what His Word says? It is impossible!



So how did you do on the little test? Only you can change the answers. Do it! The devil don't want you to, he likes you right where you are!



Tom

Remember this!

Here is a verse we need to keep at the front of our thoughts constantly:



Hebrews 13:14



14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.



We are just passing through this time period in our life. We will not dwell here forever. We have an eternity to spend somewhere else....heaven or hell. In my life there is much heartache going on in our friends, family, church family, and in general around the world. No where in the bible does it say this side of heaven is going to be easy. As the verse above says "we have no lasting city" here! This is not our home....heaven is for the follower of Jesus Christ. "We seek the city that is to come"! That heavenly city! Oh what a day that will be!



In the meantime, we have much to do here. Pray for the lost and the hurting. Share the gospel. Help the needy. Live daily for Jesus. In doing all this remember, this is not your home! It is coming soon!



Tom

Something about the name "I AM"!

Have you ever set back and thought about God saying He is the "I AM"? Check it out here:


Exodus 3:13-15

13 Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”

14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’



John 8:58
Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

'I am' and light: John 8:12; 11:25; 14:6; 6:35; 10:9-11,15
'I am' and belief: John 6:35; 8:24; 11:25; 13:19
'I am' and knowledge: John 8:28; 10:14; 14:6,7
'I am' and witness: John 8:12-13, 8:18
'I am' and truth: John 4:24, 26; 8:17-18; 14:6
'I am' and origin/destiny: John 6:40, 5 1; 7:34; 8:23-24
'I am' and time: past and future: John 8:58; 13:19; 7:34
'I am' and the Father: John 8:18; 8:28; 10:14; 14:6; 15:1
'I am' and Titles: John 4:26; 8:28
'I am' and Authority: John 6:20; 8:28; 18:5-6

There is much to the title "I AM". The main point is deity. God! All powerful, all knowing, and everywhere at one time! WOW! Just sit back and think...if you are in Christ, a believer, a follower of Him, you are in the hands of the "I AM"! It don't get any better than that!



Tom

Have you put on love this morning?

Here we are another Monday! Whooo hoooo! Been a great Monday for me so far. Got to go hunting with my son this morning. Now sitting at work in the office writing this devotion. Some of you may have not started off as well. Boss yelling, wife or husband mad, children dragging their feet for school, somebody pulled out in front of you and the list can go on and on!!! But guess what? we still need to show the love of Christ. Look at this verse:


Colossians 3:14

14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.



Putting on love is a choice we have everyday! We can do it or we can put on the grumpy, grouchy, dislike face! But to be the Christians we claim to be the Word says put on love! So how about it? Where you at today? When we love our day will be much better because we will make others day better.



Did you notice in the verse "above all these things"? What else are we to put on? Here is the list and you can find it in verses 12-13.



1. compassionate hearts

2. kindness

3. humility

4. meekness

5. patience

6. bearing one another

7. forgiving each other



Whew! I can put on these other traits only if I have love put on first. So let me ask...have you put on all these traits today? Tough isn't it? It can be done in the strength of Christ!



So put on some Love today and share it! It will make your day much better!



Tom

Are you doing greater things than Jesus?

Your first response to this question may be....ha ha are you crazy? How can I do greater things than Jesus? Don't say that so quickly...read this:


John 14:12

12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.



Remember these are the Words of Jesus. So how in the world can we do greater works than Jesus? It seems like an impossible thing to do. When Jesus died, resurrected, and then went back to heaven He promised to send us a helper. The Holy Spirit. This is the first key. When Jesus was on the earth he could only be at one place at a time but when He sent the Holy Spirit back we are now indwelt with the Spirit at all times as a believer in Jesus. With the Holy Spirit in us we are able to follow His promptings 24/7/365!!!



The second key is Jesus ministry only lasted 3 years. If we are blessed to live a long time physically as well as in Christ, we have a much longer time to work for the kingdom of God. Thus we should have many works done for the kingdom.



The third key is Jesus had a limited range of ministry as he walked everywhere he went. With our modes of transportation, with internet, and with phones, we have a much larger area we can impact. Basically around the world if we want to.



So when you add these three things up we can have a greater ministry than Jesus, but of course all glory and honor goes to Him!



So what are you waiting for? Get busy! Souls are at stake!



Tom

Do you love Jesus?

Jesus tells us in these verses there is proof of your love for Him:


John 14:15-24

15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”

23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.



So what is the proof you love Jesus? Keeping Jesus's commandments. He also says it another way in verse 23, Keep My Word! So here is the question for each of us....are we obeying the Word? It is not a partial keeping either. We are to obey all of the Bible. We do not have the option of picking and choosing like so many so called followers want to do.



Here is the flip side in verse 24, if you do not love Jesus, you do not keep His Words! Can't be put any plainer. Again here is another reason why we need to know our bibles! Hard to keep Jesus's Words if you don't know what they are!



So do you love Jesus? The proof is on the keeping of His Words!



Tom

A return to God.

Under the leadership of King Hezekiah, Israel had a return to God which was much needed. Look at how the people took part here:



2 Chronicles 31:1



The Reforms of Hezekiah

31 Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke the sacred pillars in pieces, cut down the wooden images, and threw down the high places and the altars—from all Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh—until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned to their own cities, every man to his possession.



This makes me think of what it would take for our nation to return to God. The reforms that need to take place. It would be a major under taking. Just think of all the sinful things according to God's Word that would need to be removed by the faithful! Billboards, music, movies, television shows, websites, clothing stores, and even people!!! The list would be huge! Folks it could happen. If we would have revival in this land it still could turn back to God but it has to start with me and you! Our homes must be in order! It is so easy to point at others but remember when we do that we have 3 fingers pointing back at ourselves!



Pray with me for a return to God. Our leaders of this country are not going to bring us back to God, so we must do it on our own! Thank God for leaders like Hezekiah! May we be a leader like him.



Tom

Sermon-I pledge allegiance to the Lamb

Watch this before sermon, then skip song in sermon!

Wait for God in marriage!!

I just Got back from marrying my cousin Sara in Michigan. Sara along with her new husband Eric have waited for a long time for each (in their mid 30's) other but most importantly for God to show them who to marry. In today's society, we tend to think get married to who ever we think we want to and then if it don't work get a divorce and try again. Folks this is not so and we need to learn this is not pleasing to God! Look at this verse:



Mark 10:6-9

6 But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh’;  so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”



Can it be any more plain than that? First, we see male and female to be joined together. Not man and man or women and women. Do what God says not what man thinks is right! Second, we see they become one flesh. They are now united after marriage. Treat each other with love and respect as you would yourself because in marriage you become ONE! Third, we see the command from God....Don't separate what God had joined together! This is why it is so important to wait on God for the one he has for you! When we get ahead of God, things are not what they should be and hard times lie ahead!



Wait for God to lead you in marriage, it will be worth the wait!



It was such a pleasure to perform Eric and Sara's wedding as they have put God first in their lives. They even asked for me to present the gospel during the ceremony! Praise God! May God bless them and use them for His glory!



Tom