June 2018
IN JUNE, WE THINK OF WEDDINGS
Dear Neighbor,
Summer is the most popular season for a wedding. It’s a good time to ask, What is the best way to love our married partner?
The best way is to commit ourselves 100% to our marriage. That means we flee from adultery and all other unclean situations. If we are married and find ourselves developing a romantic friendship with someone who is not our spouse, we can ask ourselves, Would I talk this way if my husband or wife were here? We can be determined that divorce is not an option, no matter how hard it gets.
Most couples make this promise in traditional wedding ceremonies. It comes straight out of the Lord’s Word: “Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate” (Mat. 19:6, Mark 10:9). It’s what the Lord commands us when He says, “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14, Deut. 5:18). It is what He hopes for us, because any other course only leads to misery—for us, for our children, for our community, and for our country.
On the other hand, when we stick to the vows we made, we let the Lord bring stability, peace, and trust into our homes. The greatest gift we can give to our children is a secure marriage of their father and mother. Faithful marriages make people healthier, wealthier, and wiser.
All marriages go through hard times. But if a couple is determined to make it work, because they have each committed to the marriage, very often they will feel closer and more in love after they have weathered a hard time than they did on their honeymoon.
Some people may think that such a commitment is unrealistic. Jesus said, “If you can believe, things are possible to him who believes…. For with God, all things are possible” (Mark 9:23, 10:27). The Lord will help us carry through our commitment if we humbly ask Him. And that will be the truest expression of love, to Him, to our married partner, and to all our friends and family.
You are welcome to worship the Lord at the Kempton New Church any Sunday at 10:00 a.m.
Have a good summer!
Rev. Lawson M. Smith