Love, Marriage and the Engine Light of God

 

(Genesis 2:24 - In marriage, there is a small loss of self to the man and woman…”and they shall become one flesh…” again in Matthew 19:5 it says, “and they shall become one flesh.”  In God’s eyes, His Church is a collective of individuals. You are one. Just is the same in marriage. God and the world will now see 2 individuals as a whole. A unit. A family. One bond. One household. Together. Where one is, so shall the other be also. At the side of each other for love, support and furtherment of God and each other. No one is “better” than the other. Remember: roles, responsibilities, play to your strengths, be there for each other in the areas of weaknesses; you are a team now; work together; work live play grow learn together; help each other; don’t put each other down and pull each other down.

This is your other half; the counterpart; and wild it is not biblical, some may refer to this great bond as the yin to your yang; the give to your take; the up to your down; the in to your out; it is called by many names but at the end of the day, biblically, in the Creator’s eyes, it is a union 2 into 1 that starts on the spiritual level; NOT the physical level as the secular wayward world would have you believe

Without a mental, spiritual connection to each other, the physical connection will soon grow weak and fall away because it is only the biproduct of the spiritual connection; it is NOT the actual engine that powers the motion. The spiritual connection is the engine. This moves the car. Without the engine, the car is just a big hunk of metal, rubber and glass; pretty to look at; but doesn’t go anywhere or do anything. You must have that clean clear spiritual connection with God First; then the bond between each other can blossom. 

Spiritual

Now you’re cooking! You’ve got fuel, that’s the Holy Spirit – you’ve got a clean strong engine with plenty of horsepower to get you on your way fast – that’s the spiritual mutual connection and bond 

Mental

– and you’ve got nice clean brand new tires, shiny paint job, top up or top down, your choice but either way, you’ve got the mental connection and you understand your purpose and where you’re going

Emotional

now that GPS navigation is up on and running and ready to take you as far as your hearts and minds can dream to travel and go together 

Physical

and lastly, yes, you’ve got it all waxed, polished, no dents, no scratches, air freshener, radio on and ready to soak up the miles together, that’s your physical! Get that vehicle on the road baby and let’s enjoy the ride!

Marriage is more than just a material item like a ring or trinket of jewelry. It is more than just an idea on paper for tax breaks and insurance applications or loan applications. It is more than just an emergency contact for work or school and PTA meetings

It is your bond of promise to love, uphold, sharpen, correct, steer clear of danger; call on your spiritual Triple-A when you need to aka GOD and rejoice with Him when you don’t! God is more than just your spiritual On-Star, He is actually the pilot! 

GOD - You’re just holding the steering wheel! GOD is the cruise control, the service engine light, the low fuel or battery indicator…GOD tells you when you need to pull over and rest. Go in for service maintenance and tune ups…tells you when it’s time to get new tires or oil changes…you get the point. You are NOT alone. This is the road of life. And God’s got you covered. He is the greatest road-side service/insurance you could ever have. Yes, there’s going to be bumps in the road, swerves in the high curves and hazards in the low valleys we can’t see… there will be accidents along the way…you will see road kill, markings and signs of others that have gone by the wayside before you, but know this.

As long as you are still moving and the wheels are turning; it’s not over. Your journey is still going. And yes, while this may be about marriage and the trinity bond between God, man, woman – mind body spirit; yes, single people, (like me) this all applies to you, too. 1 Corinthians 7-9 reminds us we’re not on the road of life alone; all the same biblical principles apply to us as well. Oh Yes. So, remember…)

3 become 1

The bodies join as one church – one mind – one energy. Together, they are fulfilling. Enriching. Complimentary. It is NOT loss – it is gain. You + them = US. True, but remember, you times Him times your spouse = ONE. How? Look again. 1 x 1 x 1 = 1. See how that works? When you are single; you are one. When you’re together, you are one. The both of you with God? Still one. So, be good to yourselves, and each other. It is the way of love and love is the way of God. 1 Corinthians 13:13

-by DeMaster Thomas 12/16/23

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Marriage: the original covenant of God and Us

 

Marriage

theoretical vs practical

Empathy track is the gateway – time to build – draw out – learning time – patience, understanding – fix it track is near the conclusion

John 14:15 – if you love me, obey me

Start complete – finish the session with God at the center. This is church counseling – not clinical psychology. So, pray! (yeah, I remember the instructor was adamant about opening and closing every counseling session with prayer)

Marriage – mind body spirit – our trinity. Our action is first – the word.

Marriage is the first human institution given to us by God

Genesis 2:18-23 (man/woman are equal, their roles in the relationship compliment each other) God ‘married’ (joined together or bound) Adam to Eve (man to woman). It was not created by man. It was created by God. We were created for relationship.

God created marriage for His glory – togetherness, oneness in love is God’s view of His relationship to us. Ephesians 5 -  ¹ Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children ² and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 

There is a marriage between the church of God and Jesus Christ – (metaphor, yes. Again, to ‘marry’ means to join or bond in union for purpose. It is clear and evident that yes, the join and bond of the redeemed and the Savior in one union for the New World is for the purpose of furthering God’s Kingdom on Earth as well as other reasons laid out before the foundation of the Earth. https://www.gotquestions.org/bride-of-Christ.html - go on)

Hardship to greatness; it is all done in marriage. It is intentional. Extensional; purposeful. Revelation 19:7-10 Let us rejoice and be glad
    and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
    and his bride has made herself ready.
⁸ Fine linen, bright and clean,
    was given her to wear.”

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)

⁹ Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

¹⁰ At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”

God’s marriage relationship will last – Genesis 2:24 – what He joins, no one can separate (again, referring to the His Church to Christ. Humans get divorced every day. Sad but true. We took a beautiful biblical practice of love and purpose and completely shredded it into little nano pieces of death and destruction. We truly just can’t have nice things) – selfishness can and very clearly shadows this spiritual foundation. Self-serving destroys the ability to serve.

Matthew 19:5 The marriage comes first before your other relationships. God is orderly. (Clean. Simple. Direct. Order of responsibility in the household:

1.       God 2. Man 3. Woman 4. Child. Each sibling in the order of birth by age thereafter and so on. Each accountable to the other and most importantly, accountable to Head of Household – GOD. This is now a power play. This is a clean clear order of roles and responsibility to each other – each according to their strengths. This hierarchy builds a foundation on solid rock that cannot easily be moved. And yes, this, all coming from a man who is never married or had children but I can read and the Bible is clear on this and we ruin it by putting ourselves first before the biblical union and structure put before us by God. Anyway, I’m preaching to the air. (sigh) Go on…)

Parents are the primary unit – children are the impact unit

Marriage is a covenant relationship – sew the definition into your heart. Abuse of ANY kind will damage the covenant. Selfishness has no place in a marriage. Change is constant. Healthy communication is key. It is binding. You are committing yourself to this institution. It is not a contract on paper (the secular world did that, not God). It is a covenant of the heart.

(Covenant definition: formal solid binding agreement between two or more persons with God and each other to honestly and truthfully fulfill promise and keep your word in honor and glory for the betterment of God’s Kingdom and the preservation of our place in it. everything we do in that marriage should be to His glory and His liking and for the greater accomplishment of our journey with the Lord. This is why He is so adamant about keeping the marriage bond clean. Do not soil it with immoral unethical impure violations. It will tear at the walls of the covenant brick by brick until the foundation is so weak, the house falls into quicksand. Just as the Ten Commandments keep that marriage foundation between God and His Church on earth strong and free from cracks, leaks, breaks and crumble, so do they apply the same strengths in a marriage to each other. Yes, there will be daily attacks at the walls and windows or your marriage, the world hates a holy union because it is broken and falling and misery loves company. But what God joins together, let no one put asunder. Mark 10:9 😊

Once an Adult-Twice a Child

Every life has reason. How that life came to be is nowhere near as important as how invaluable that life is once it is in the world. It is common to harp on how a child was conceived and far too common to live in regret believing that child's purpose is any less than another simply based on when, where or how the child came to be. Regardless, once you are here, guess what! You're here. Welcome.

Now that you are part of the incredible tapestry of life, what are you going to do with it? The options are indeed limitless. While they may not appear that way at first, they are. As a child, you will learn, grow, and develop your mind, body and spirit from your internal and external environment. While you may not necessarily contribute financially to your household, you bring joy, laughter, challenges, learning opportunities, moments of enlightenment, times of self-reflection and most importantly, you bring a message. A message that unconditional love is not a concept, but a reality. You are, for most parents, the focus, the point, the reason they carry on each day. Life without you is soon seen as a hazy blur in the rear view mirror. You are the gift and the purpose for a loving parent. You are literally a slogan-"you bring good things to life." So it is only fair that you live your life as the blessing you are-to the fullest. As a child, now is the time to take in as much as you can. Ask as many questions as your heart desires, but be prepared to accept the answers, whether it is what you want to hear or not. Know that if you are reared in love, you will reap the benefits of a healthy upbringing and while you may not like all the things you see and experience now, it will come into good use at some point in your life. All things and experiences can be used as tools for adulthood.
-De'Master A. Thomas

Adults. Through your early years, you were told what to do and how to do it. Now is the time to put your skills and knowledge to work. You are an adult. It is only fair to ask that you act accordingly. When you were a child, you thought like a child, now that you are an adult, you will think like one. You will make rational decisions based on realistic facts with a hint of gut feeling to support your choices. You will not take advantage of others, but instead gain advantage by embracing opportunity for growth when you see it. You will find throughout these years that these are the most productive, most creative, most contributing years of your life. You will continue to ask lots of questions. You will continue to make mistakes and you will continue to learn from them. Career, family, professional and personal relationships will consume most of these years. So be sure that you are choosing wisely in all categories. If you don't like something-change it. Now is the time to explore, expand, and entertain those childhood dreams. As long as they are healthy and beneficial, go for it. This is the time to embrace responsibility, work hard, play hard and set yourself up for the future. At times it will seem like the struggles are not worth it, but struggles build character. Each experience shapes and molds you into the true man or woman you were designed to be. Find your unique gift, share it and be a blessing to yourself and others. If you do not know what your unique gift or ability is yet, be open to new ideas and avenues along your journey. You may not know your true calling, but your true calling knows you and knows just when and where to find you. If you have already set ground for a successful personal and professional life, reach one, teach one. "Maintain and elevate" and teach your children well. And while you may not like all the things you see and experience now, it will come into good use at some point in your life. All things and experiences can be used as tools for your senior years.
-De'Master A. Thomas

 

Say it loud, say it clear. You have survived the living years. There were lots of moments filled with laughter and others filled with tears. You have come so far and struggled for so long and carried heavy burdens along the way. But you can now look back and say it is was all worth it; you did it all for this special day. The day you can say your wisdom, your time and your love are the reasons you never strayed. You stayed focused when faced with adversity and made a way when the path was not straight. If you have not done all the things you want to do in this life-do them now before it's too late. You spared nothing when it came to raising your children and always saw them through. Good thing you did, because the ones you took care of, will one day take care of you. Be wise when planning for the final hour, you can finally sit back and smile. We leave this life as we came in it, once an adult and twice a child.

-De'Master A. Thomas