I wish I could keep up with the post more but just too many other things on my plate. Great stuff so far though!
Two quick thoughts. First, as to why bad things happen to good people - so to speak - we must remember that God is love and He is compassionate, BUT he is also Holy, Just, & Righteous. Moreover, God is God. Period. If He weren't He wouldn't be God. We cannot in our finite minds try to explain an infinite God. That's where Faith comes in. We just have to trust the God knows what He's doing and even those things that don't seem to make sense are done for good reasons. We have to remember that even things that apparently are completely evil bring God glory. God works all things to Himself and brings Himself glory in all things.
While this is probably something you already know, it might be a nice reminder or of help to someone else. Here it is: Everything that comes your way in life E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G good, bad, AND ugly everything that comes your way either comes by God or through God. And it is always done so for the express purpose of drawing us deeper into dependence upon Him and bringing Him glory.
Secondly, some of you know as I posted my wife left me a couple of weeks ago. For those who would like to read an absolutely powerful book on marriage, check out "Reforming Marriage" by Douglas Wilson. Pages 68 & 69 lay out very clearly why my wife left. I have heard and read that the Divorce Rate amongst those who profess to be Fundamental Evangelical Christians is something over 50%. Emerson Eggerich said in his Love & Respect conference that the women professing to be Christian are leaving their husbands at the rate of 3 to 1 today. There is something fundamentally wrong with this. And to make matters worse many in The Church are encouraging them to do so or at the very least looking the other way. Often we hear, "Well, he/she must have had some good reason for leaving." No, it's called disobedience and rebellion!
The Bible says that we are supposed to confront a Brother or Sister that we know to be in sin. Lovingly of course and with the goal of restoring them. I've actually had pastors tell my wife that what she's doing is ok. Frankly if more pastors were more concerned with pleasing God than filling their pews, collecting money, or who knows what, we might not have the separation, divorce, and homosexual problem in this country we have today. I once had someone send me an email about homosexuality and yet the same person was supporting my wife in her sin. Where does The Church have any room to talk about homosexuality when it encourages spouses to leave or looks the other way while a spouse in rebellion sits in their pew on Sunday? They arent willing to stand up and do the right thing that Jesus calls them to do (as clearly outlined in Scripture) with but yet they want to talk about homosexuality. Of course homosexuality is wrong but I submit to you that if Christians would do what the Bible says and what Jesus says out of His own mouth toward marriage, then the sanctity of marriage just might be understood by enough people that homosexuality would never get close to having a foothold.
Lastly I'll just say this. For all those struggling marriages, remember this - one does not know what is in a sponge until you squeeze it. When my wife does something that causes me to say or do something I shouldn't, then she has been a blessing because she has helped reveal in me something I need to work on and get rid of. She is not responsible for what came out of me. It was already there. All she did was help to reveal it. Nobody can "make" you do something or "make" you feel a certain way. That is your choice. So for all those out there that know someone who has left their spouse and claims to be a Christian, I hope you won't become part of the problem but rather would just simply ask the question, "What about you? Are you obeying God in this?"
As someone else wrote, I could probably go on for a year but I'll stop now. I'm sorry to have been so long winded but this is a BIG issue before The Body today. The Church is losing its testimony because it doesn't look any different than The World. We need to get back to Scripture and personal accountability, personal obedience, and focusing on the fact that we are here to bring God glory. Not just be happy. Whatever happened to "God Said It. That Settles It."?
God Bless,
