Who Was on Your Guest List?

Matthew 19: 5-6  “. . . a man will leave his family and be joined together with his wife, and the two will become one life.  They are no longer two, but one.  What God has joined together, let no one separate.”

The church was filled for the joyous occasion with beautiful flowers and music all around.  Two lives were being joined together in the presence of God and friends.  But in the back corner, in the very last chair, sat an uninvited guest.  He is busy writing on a legal pad as each vow is spoken.  On his pad was written:

“I watched you both as you grew to love each other and I didn’t say a word.  People say that dating always brings out the best in each person, but to me it is just preparation for the plans I have for your lives.

I’ll allow you get through the honeymoon and maybe a month or two of blissful happiness.  But this thing about serving the Lord together and being an example for others is just not in MY plans.

Let’s see!  You both must work long hours to get the possessions I dangle in front of you.  For the groom, you will have little sensitivity to your bride’s feelings as I give you plenty of guy things to do and think about.  There’s golf rather than a date, and the TV ball games on Saturday, the Internet every waking moment, and on other days just doing your own thing rather than playing with your children.  Let’s not forget about Sunday’s.  There’s no time for church, or prayer, or giving, for either one of you.

Ah, I hear the pastor talk about God bonding you together.  What he bonds today, I’ll pull apart next week, next month, and next year.  Some of my best pleasures to tear at a relationship are money, possessions, children, fellow employees, and just being too busy for each other. I can take you two and turn you away from God and you won’t even realize it until you’re in divorce court.”

This may sound a little absurd, but when you look at the ever increasing divorce rates and see many of your friends ending their marriage, it’s appears that Satan is having his way with many of us.  He knows your faults and weakness.  He capitalizes on each area until we see a stranger in the house that we call our spouse.

We figure that our lives are going to be happy because two people get married.  Yet when the daily grind of life hits us, we often turn our attention to the day’s events and forget the Lord all together.

So as you are confronted by the world’s issues, take time for each other.  Not just for romance, but for working on your commitment to each other through prayer, and focusing each day on the Lord. 

Work on taking Satan off your guest list today in every decision you make!