Marital Vows --Part One--

Bill Keller wrote a devotional today that I
recommend to you for your consideration.  It has food for
thought.  He has given me permission to copy his e-mails,
and I'm sure he would be happy if you would share this
with people you know as well.

What does God want us to do in our marriages?  Clearly,
it's something different from what occurs in most
marriages.

Please read on.

*********************************************

DAILY DEVOTIONAL   SATURDAY JUNE 3, 2006
(Mark 10:9, Ephesians 5:25, Ephesians 5:22, Isaiah 41:10,
2 Corinthians 12:9,10)

Part One of Two

"For better, for worse."  Having had the honor and
privilege to marry dozens of couples during my years in
ministry, without a doubt the most critical part of the
marriage ceremony is when the bride and groom make their
vows to each other and to God.  Often, the importance of
those vows is underestimated, the words taken lightly. 
When I have the opportunity to counsel a couple prior to
them getting married, I always make sure they fully
understand what they are saying when they vow, "for better,
for worse."  It means exactly that, "FOR BETTER, FOR WORSE."

Marriage is God's Holy Institution between a man and a
woman for life.  Other than your relationship with Christ,
it is the most important relationship a person will have
during this lifetime.  God's plan for marriage is one man,
one woman, for one lifetime.  Anything else is a perversion
of that plan.  That is why no matter how man may try,
marriage will never be between two people of the same sex. 
God's definition of marriage will always be a man and a
woman.

Another perversion of God's plan for marriage is divorce. 
The most important thing to understand about divorce is
that it was never, is not now, nor ever will be part of
God's plan for marriage.  God clearly expresses His
feelings on divorce in Malachi 2:16 by simply stating
that "He hates divorce."  Divorce is a sin, period.  The
biggest misconception about divorce comes from the poor
teaching that there are Biblical reasons for divorce. 
This is mainly due to a misunderstanding of the passages
in Matthew chapters 5 and 19 where it appears adultery is
a legitimate reason to get divorced.

Let me say this as clear and concise as I can.  There are
NO, ZERO, NADA reasons for divorce.  Marriage is a
LIFETIME commitment.  In all of the weddings I have
performed over my years in the ministry, I have never yet
said "till death do us part... unless."  There are no
"unlesses" in the marriage vows you make to your spouse
and to God.  The exception for adultery is NOT from God,
it is an exception from man.  It comes from the Jewish
laws of marriage and divorcement and is a MAN-MADE reason
for divorce.  That is why Jesus said in Matthew 19:8,
"Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your
hearts were hard.  But it was not this way from the
beginning."

That is why when you say "for better, for worse" you
better understand the commitment you are making to your
spouse and to God.  Of course nobody ever has a problem
with the "for better" part.  We all look forward to and
enjoy the "for better" days of marriage.  A husband and
wife sharing the accomplishment of doing well in their
careers, making the home you live in a special place,
taking time off to travel, the incredible blessing of
having children, the joy of seeing each other grow in
your relationship with the Lord, and just sharing your
love with the one you have committed to spend the rest of
your life with.

It is the "for worse" days that people struggle with. 
Nobody stands at the altar on their wedding day thinking
for a moment that "for worse" will ever happen to them. 
I want to encourage you today that if your spouse has
left you, if your spouse has committed adultery, if your
spouse is in bondage to alcohol, drugs, pornography,
gambling, or anything else, if your spouse has become ill
and you are their primary care giver, if your spouse is
not working and finances are a problem, if your spouse is
not following Christ and living for Him, if the intimacy
and love is missing from your marriage, if you and your
spouse can't agree on raising your children....these are
some of the "for worse" days that you promised to endure
when you made that vow to your spouse and to God!

It is during these "for worse" days that we need to find
our hope and strength in the Lord and make our faith real
since only He can sustain us.  Let me share a powerful
truth with you today.  The same God who is God during the
"for better" days, is the very same God who is God during
the "for worse" days.  The same God who sees you through
the "for better" days, is the very same God who will see
you through the "for worse" days.

I love you and care about you so much.  This is why I have
tried so hard in past Devotionals to share with you how
serious the decision to get married is.  It is for LIFE. 
You are making a lifetime commitment to your spouse and to
God.  That is why I encourage you to take it slow when you
are in a relationship that may lead to marriage.  Don't rush
into anything.  First of all, don't ignore God's warning in
2 Corinthians 6:14 by getting involved with a non-Christian. 
Take the time to build a spiritual foundation to your
relationship.  Get to know the other person over TIME.  So
many of the problems I see each day in marriages could have
been avoided if people would have only been patient and
taken the time to get to know their spouse BEFORE they got
married.

I am well aware that this does not insure you will have a
perfect marriage.  There is no such thing.  People make
choices every day.  Sadly, even people who know the Lord
make the choice each day to live in rebellion to God. 
You are NOT responsible for the choices your spouse makes
if at some point in your marriage they choose to rebel
against God.  However, you can be much more assured of who
your spouse is if you are patient and build a spiritual
foundation to your relationship prior to getting married.

My heart breaks today knowing how many people are going
through "for worse" days in their marriage right now.  I
will be praying for you.  If you are having problems in
your marriage today, please know that God is your hope
and strength.  He is still a God that changes lives and
can bring healing and restoration to your marriage.  It
is satan who is lying to you, telling you to just give up. 
It is God who speaks truth when He says, "But he said to
me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more
gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may
rest on me.  That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in
weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in
difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 
(2 Corinthians 12:9,10 NIV)

May God's blessings be upon you as you honor your vows
"for better, for worse."

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

***If I can help you in any way you can contact me
through my personal email at bkeller@liveprayer.com

***ARE YOU 100% CERTAIN WHERE YOU WILL SPEND
ETERNITY?  The fact is you will die one day.  At
that moment, you will either spend eternity with
the Lord or be cast into everlasting darkness
forever separated from God your creator.  To know
for certain you will be forever with Jesus, go to:
http://www.liveprayer.com/bdy_salvatn.html

***GET YOUR FREE LPeMAIL ACCOUNT!  Never miss
receiving your Daily Devotional again.  LPeMail is
an effective email SPAM filtering application
that most ISP's charge $10/mo, for FREE!  Get your
LPeMail account now at: www.lpemail.com.

***I am excited to let you know that the Liveprayer
Daily Devotional is now available via AUDIO each
day.  Simply go to
http://www.liveprayer.com/DailyDevotionalAudio.html
Also, you can now listen to the Daily Devotional by
phone by calling toll-free, 1-888-382-4662, or
access it on your wireless device by going to:
http://wapdd.com

(C) Copyright 2006, Bill Keller Ministries.
All rights reserved

************************************************

May God bless you as you learn from this message!

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2006 Donald W. Mitchell

Be Loyal

Bill Keller wrote a devotional today that I
recommend to you for your consideration.  It has food for
thought.  He has given me permission to copy his e-mails,
and I'm sure he would be happy if you would share this
with people you know as well.

Do you put others first?  Or do you sometimes put yourself
first?  Being disloyal often means breaking your vows to
your spouse, not keeping your promises to family and
friends and dishonoring your relationship with God.

Please read on.

*********************************************

DAILY DEVOTIONAL   FRIDAY JUNE 2, 2006
( Hebrews 13:5, 1 Samuel 22:14 )

***PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO PRAYERFULLY READ AND PRAY OVER
THIS MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE TODAY.  IT IS ONE THAT YOU
SHOULD FORWARD TO EVERY FAMILY MEMBER, FREIND, BUSINESS
ASSOCIATE, TO EVERY PERSON YOU KNOW.  IT IS THAT
IMPORTANT!!!

No more loyalty.  One of the observations I've made over
these past 40-some years is that loyalty has become a very
rare commodity.  Growing up, I was taught that being loyal
was an important part of who you were as a person.  Just
like I was taught to always tell the truth, to help others,
to be kind, being loyal was an important element in making
up the fabric of a person's character.

The longer I live, the more I see loyalty missing in the
character make-up of most people.  Today, being loyal is
not a component of who most people are.  This has become a
contributing factor to the breakdown of our society, but
even more important, the breakdown in the lives of many who
claim to know Jesus.

A great example of loyalty from God's Word is David's
loyalty to King Saul, even when Saul was trying to kill
him!  Now that my friend is a tremendous test of your
loyalty to someone.  Will you still honor them, be loyal
to them, even if they are trying to kill you?  Sadly, this
type of loyalty is very rare in today's world.

Men and women who are in relationships are no longer loyal
to their boyfriend, girlfriend or other friends.  They
think nothing of cheating on someone they are in a
committed relationship with.  Sadly, this mentality carries
over into marriage which is why you have husbands and wives
without conscience committing adultery, not even thinking
about or caring about the consequences of their sin and how
many lives it will hurt and even destroy.

Because so many children grow up today in a variety of
living arrangements, many in blended families, there is not
even loyalty to those in your own family any longer.  These
children grow up without ever being taught the importance
of loyalty and sadly have parents and step-parents who
model behavior that demonstrates no loyalty to anyone.  So
it is no wonder why these children grow up never learning
how to be loyal, even to those in their own family.

Of course, if people aren't loyal to their boyfriend,
girlfriend or friends, to their spouse who they vowed
loyalty to before each other and God for life, to their own
family, it is no wonder why employees are no longer loyal
to their employer, and likewise, employers are no longer
loyal to their employees.  40 years ago a person would have
2-3 jobs in their lifetime.  Now, they are likely to have
2-3 jobs before they get out of college and dozens more
throughout their working life.

The real danger is, this lack of loyalty that exists in
most people also carries over into their faith.  I mean if
you think about it, it only makes sense.  If you aren't
loyal to anyone in your earthly relationships, how can you
expect to be loyal to the Lord in your spiritual
relationship?  Just like a person can without conscience go
out and cheat on their wife, or betray a brother, or scheme
against an employer or employee, that same person who has
accepted Christ can turn their back on Him and willingly
sin and live in rebellion to God's Word!

Listen to me carefully.  If you aren't loyal to someone
you are in a committed relationship with as a boyfriend
or girlfriend or as a friend, if you aren't loyal to your
spouse who you vowed loyalty to for life to, if you aren't
loyal to your own flesh and blood, if you aren't loyal to
the place you earn your living or the people who help you
earn your living, WHY DO YOU THINK YOU WILL BE LOYAL TO
JESUS???

Our failure in being loyal really boils down to one thing
.....selfishness!  We put ourselves above everyone else,
including Jesus!  The reason a person cheats on their
boyfriend or girlfriend is that they are selfish.  The
reason a person cheats on their spouse is that they are
selfish.  The reason a person is not loyal to those in
their family is that they are selfish.  The reason a
person is not loyal to their employer or employee is that
they are selfish.  The reason a person is not loyal to
the Lord is that they are selfish.  We aren't loyal
because we are selfish!

Loyalty requires a commitment to someone or something
other than ourselves.  It often costs to be loyal.  We
want the benefits of a relationship, a marriage, having
a family, our job, knowing Jesus, but we don't want to
pay the price of having that relationship, being
married, being part of a family, having a job, or our
faith in Christ.  We all can be loyal when things are
going good, but the true test of loyalty is during times
of trouble.

The disciples of Jesus were all loyal when great crowds
came to hear Him preach, when He was sharing His wisdom,
when He was healing people and raising the dead.  But
where were they when the Romans came to take him in the
Garden of Gethsemane?  Nowhere to be found.  Running away
in fear for their lives.  Denying they even knew who He
was.

I love you and care about you so much.  My word for you
today is simple.  BE LOYAL!  It is a lost human
characteristic in most people's lives in the year 2006,
but one that every follower of Jesus MUST HAVE!  Being
loyal is part of what being a follower of Christ is all
about.  We are to be loyal to the Lord and to our faith.
The fact is, if we are loyal to the Lord then we will be
loyal in other areas of our life as well.  In our
relationships, in our marriage, to our family, to our
employer or employees.

I will be praying for you that God will open your heart to
really hear these words today.  I pray that you will do an
assessment of your life and how loyal you are to your
friends, to a boyfriend or girlfriend, to your spouse, to
your family, to your employer or employees.  Ask yourself
if you are really a loyal person in your earthly
relationships.

Finally, assess how loyal you are to Jesus and to your
faith.  Do you do your best each day to live in obedience
to Christ and to His Word?  As a follower of Jesus, are
you loyal to Him even when things aren't going so well in
your life?  It is easy to be loyal when the blessings are
flowing, but what about when you are in the midst of some
major battles?  Despite the challenges you face are you
still loyal to the Lord?

When I think of Jesus, I think of loyalty.  Jesus promised
that He would never leave us nor forsake us.  Even when we
turn our back on Him, Jesus is still there, loving us,
watching over us, caring for us.  That my friend is what
being loyal is all about.  May we follow the example of our
Lord and be loyal in our life to others and to Him, as He
is loyal to us!!!

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

***If I can help you in any way you can contact me
through my personal email at bkeller@liveprayer.com

***ARE YOU 100% CERTAIN WHERE YOU WILL SPEND
ETERNITY?  The fact is you will die one day.  At
that moment, you will either spend eternity with
the Lord or be cast into everlasting darkness
forever separated from God your creator.  To know
for certain you will be forever with Jesus, go to:
http://www.liveprayer.com/bdy_salvatn.html

***GET YOUR FREE LPeMAIL ACCOUNT!  Never miss
receiving your Daily Devotional again.  LPeMail is
an effective email SPAM filtering application
that most ISP's charge $10/mo, for FREE!  Get your
LPeMail account now at: www.lpemail.com.

***I am excited to let you know that the Liveprayer
Daily Devotional is now available via AUDIO each
day.  Simply go to
http://www.liveprayer.com/DailyDevotionalAudio.html
Also, you can now listen to the Daily Devotional by
phone by calling toll-free, 1-888-382-4662, or
access it on your wireless device by going to:
http://wapdd.com

(C) Copyright 2006, Bill Keller Ministries.
All rights reserved

************************************************

May God bless you as you learn from this message!

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2006 Donald W. Mitchell