Today’s Devotional – September 14th (Divorce: Bondage or Perfect Peace?)

By admin On August 19th, 2014

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Today’s Devotional – September 14th

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Divorce: Bondage or Perfect Peace?

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“But if the unbelieving depart,

let him depart.

A brother or a sister

is not under bondage in such cases:

but God hath called us to peace.”

1st Corinthians 7:15

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So this above verse, pretty much says it all! Yes, if an unbelieving spouse departs, then we are free to remarry! Right?

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Divorce – cropped image – Wikimedia – the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

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BONDAGE = SERVITUDE

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http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mocking_Bird_Argument.jpgWell, actually, this passage is not saying we are “not under bondage” in a legal sense. Actually, this word bondage is a word which speaks of bondage in the sense of suffering, or servitude.

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In other words, when an unbelieving spouse departs, we are no longer under bondage in the sense that we have been freed from all the servitude and suffering which comes from a Believer and an unbeliever living under the same roof!

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Mocking Bird Argument – cropped image – wikimedia – share-alike license

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REMAIN UNMARRIED!

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And we have further confirmation with this next verse… “And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.” 2nd Corinthians 7:10, 11 

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So this above passage confirms that a Believer should remain unmarried, if she departs.

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Weddingring – JH – cropped image – Wikipedia – share-alike license

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JESUS SPEAKS ON DIVORCE & RE-MARRIAGE

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Now there is more to all this! Listen to Jesus, as He answered the stubborn Pharisees about the issue of divorce… “It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” Matthew 5:31, 32

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So this passage makes clear that re-marriage after divorce is adultery! God reveals in Malachi… “For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that He hateth putting away (divorce)” Malachi 2:16

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So, God hates divorce, as this above verse says! But the Pharisees loved divorce! They loved the idea that they could use just about any excuse to divorce their wives!

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Brooklyn Museum – The Pharisees Question Jesus – James Tissot – US Public Domain – Wikimedia

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.http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:At_a_loss.svg

So, with all this, just why would a true-worshipper of God ever want to divorce and re-marry, if God says that’s adultery?

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Question Marks – At a loss – svg – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License

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LOVE RULES THE HEAVENS!

orion good shepherd

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But there is a much greater principle which governs the matters of life! Yes, it is the great rule which governs the entire Heavens!

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Some call it “The Golden Rule”. Others simply call it “Love”.

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You see, God has chosen us to be ambassadors of love!

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We have been called to be representatives of Jesus Christ, spreading the seeds of agape love to this fallen and sin-darkened world!

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CHRIST IN ME!http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Braet_von_%C3%9Cberfeldt_woman_with_bible_1866.jpg

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And as ministers of Christ’s love, God has given us the mind of Christ. And so, we are to live in this world, even as Christ lives out His holy life through us!

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Listen… “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20.

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Braet von Überfeldt – Woman with Bible – 1866 – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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LET LOVE RULE MY HEART!

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Columpio_Veracruz_059.jpgAnd so, we are to love our spouse with the same agape love as Christ has for us! And this means that we are to do for others, even as Christ has done for us! And of course, this includes our spouse! Yes, no matter how our spouse behaves, we must let Jesus live out His life through us!

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Listen… “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.” Matthew 5:38-40.

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So obviously, this passage presents a way of life vastly different from the way the world operates!

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Man & Wife on swing – Fraternal love (Prehispanic sculpture from 250–900 A.D., of Huastec origin) wikimedia public domain

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CHRISTIANS IN TRAINING!

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Now, why does God put us in such a miserable position, with an unloving and even a bitter spouse? Well, for a number of reasons! But one big reason is, that God wants us to die-to-self. And there is no better training ground for a Believer to die-to-self, than to live with an unbelieving spouse!

Cat and dog - Dont know whats comin - Wikimedia - Share-Alike License

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Yes, an unbelieving spouse unknowingly trains us to keep quiet in the midst of verbal attacks! And there is nothing like an unbelieving spouse to teach us patience! And there is nothing like an unbelieving spouse to drive us to our knees in prayer, for our worldly-minded children, products of a divided home! And the unbelieving spouse teaches us how to forgive, in the face of anger, rudeness, and hardheartedness! And many other Christlike virtues are developed in a divided home, such as patience, if the Believer is willing to stay and endure such chastening.

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Cat and dog – Dont know whats comin – Wikimedia – Share-Alike License

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TRIBULATION IN DARK AGES!http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Santo_Domingo_y_los_albigenses-detalle.jpg

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Now O child of faith, let’s think this thing through! Just read a book like Foxe’s Book of Martyrs!

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Just read about the torture that God’s people went through during the Dark Ages! Yes, those men, women, and children lived lives of deprivation and hardship! And some even suffered unspeakable torture in dark and dank dungeons! And many were simply left to rot in cold and damp prison cells! Many were forced to witness their own family members raped and even tortured to death!

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Burning at the Stake – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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SUFFERING IS A VITAL PART OF CHRISTIANITY!

David's sorrow - Wikigallery - Public Domain

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And so, to live with a bitter spouse is far less suffering than what our predecessors endured for the name of Christ! Thus, in light of the bloody history of the Church, God is giving us a very merciful way of sanctifying us, wouldn’t you agree? 

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Listen to the testimony of Paul… “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Hebrews 8:17, 18

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David's sorrow - Wikigallery - Public Domain

Yes, the Bible tells us that it is our privilege to share in Christ’s sufferings! We just need to forget all about this worldly notion that the Christian should live a charmed life!

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Oh yes, we can indeed have peace in the midst of the storm. And if we endure the many hardships before us, God will eventually give us that perfect peace which is an incomprehensible witness to the world’s inhabitants, as they behold us standing on a sea of glass, even in the midst of the fiery furnace!

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David’s sorrow – Wikigallery – Public Domain

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SUFFERING MUST CONTINUE FOR A WHILE

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There is a worldly proverb which goes like this… “Why trade the devil you know for the devil you don’t know?”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PaulT.jpg

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Now this isn’t to indicate in the slightest degree, that one’s spouse is a devil! No, but the point is, if we are a true worshipper of God, then one thing is for sure: we must fill up the measure of Christ’s sufferings in the body, as is written by Paul… “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body’s sake, which is the Church:” Colossians 1:24

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So if we are a true worshipper of God, then God is going to allow suffering. And if we think that by escaping a troubled marriage will somehow deliver us from fiery trials, we really don’t understand the Gospel of our Salvation! And if our “trouble-making” spouse leaves, then God may give us an even more fiery situation to chasten us. Maybe a terrible disease or even a terminal illness! 

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Paul the Apostle – Artist – Valentin de Boulogne or Nicolas Tournier – circa 1500s – Wikipedia – public domain

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CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR!

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http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vincent_van_Gogh_-_Old_Man_in_Sorrow_(On_the_Threshold_of_Eternity).jpgAnd so, as a popular saying goes… “Careful what you wish for!” Yes, by wishing to be freed from my present circumstances, I may end up in even worse circumstances!

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And as a chastened child of God, just be happy with the circumstances you are now in. And pray that, “after that ye have suffered a while, (God will) make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” 1st Peter 5:10.

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Vincent van Gogh – Old Man in Sorrow (On the Threshold of Eternity) – Wikipedia US Public Domain.jpg

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AND WHAT IF LIFE BECOMES PEACEFUL?

"Welcome to Hell" may use or share with credit or link to www.signsofheaven.org

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Now, on the other hand, if my troubled marriage ends, and all of a sudden, life turns into a bed of roses, then the possibility is, I am not even a true-worshipper of God!

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Listen… “But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” Romans 12:8

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As this above verse reveals, those who seem to live a charmed life, are in reality, probably not true children of God!

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REJOICE THAT GOD IS PURIFYING YOU!

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:THE_WAYNE_GIPSON_FAMILY_SAYS_A_PRAYER_BEFORE_THEIR_EVENING_MEAL_IN_THE_KITCHEN_OF_THEIR_MODERN_HOME_NEAR_GRUETLI..._-_NARA_-_556611.jpg.

Well, the bottom line to all this is, if you and I are genuine Christians, suffering will be an integral part of our heart’s purification. So, if we will just suffer our present circumstances, then the day may come when our spouse may finally come to Salvation! 

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Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in His ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD.” Psalm 128:1-4 
 

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Family Worship – Wikimedia – US Public Domain

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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Otto_Greiner_Betende_H%C3%A4nde.jpg

TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to rejoice in my sufferings, just as Paul did! Please keep giving me the trials which will cleanse my soul from the deeply-seated evil which exists within! Give me that peace which surpasses all understanding, so that I may endure those trials…

Praying Hands – Otto Greiner – Wikimedia – .bassenge.com – Cropped image – Public Domain

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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Question_book_magnify2.svg

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “The Flower of Heaven Constellation” or you can also read… February 1st (In Every Thing Give Thanks!?!)

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

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THE END

.picture - soldiers of the cross - armor up!

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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN

Info & pics of constellations on this site from Wikipedia & International Astronomical Union (click here)

 

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THE FLOWER OF HEAVEN CONSTELLATION

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REVELATION 12 WOMAN ON ALTAR AND FLOWER OF HEAVEN

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In The West

In The West

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This constellation almost appears as a vine, as it projects out from the Altar/Ark Constellation . This constellation appears in mid-winter through late-spring. As you can see in this sketch, the Altar/Ark

Constellation is also known as Leo Major , and the stem or vine of the flower is made of stars of the Virgo Constellation, and the flower itself is made of the Corvus Constellation.

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THE ZODIAC CONSTELLATION NAMES

It is not the purpose of www.theheavensdeclare.net to give any validity to the Zodiac or any pagan deities. But the common names of many constellations must be given, solely for the purpose of locating them on star-charts.

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THIS STORY BEGINS WITH A FLOWER

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“COME FOLLOW ME”

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Revelation 12 Woman on Altar w/ Flower of Heaven Constellations

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God called to anyone, and everyone to come follow Him on a heaven-ward journey, symbolized by the Summer Constellations of Signs Of Heaven. God then led His followers through the battle between good and evil, symbolized by the Winter Constellations.

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Then, after the battle was over, and the Revelation 12 Woman (The Church) (sketch right) victoriously swerves toward the Narrow Gate Stars (Gemini stars, picture to right), it begins to be seen that she is rising as incense from the Altar/Ark Constellation.

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GOD’S PURPOSE FINALLY UNDERSTOOD

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3.9.132

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And finally is seen this Flower of Heaven, suspended as a vine from this Altar/Ark (picture right). So now we understand the Lord’s intent. Now we see what God was doing all along. Yes, God has been severe. Yes, He has brought Humanity through a very horrific experience. But alas, He took a dying flower (Humanity), and through a long process, He revived this dying flower. And in the end, God, through Christ, gave new life to this dying flower: new life which shall never ever perish. And this flower no longer springs up from the Earth. But now is suspended from this Altar/Ark, which is located in Holy Mountain of Zion…God’s eternal throne.

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But as we look at this Flower of Heaven Constellation, it also reminds us of something almost romantic. This last scene from Signs Of Heaven almost reminds us of a love letter, written by God to Humanity, with a single rose, placed upon that letter, just waiting for anyone to read it. 

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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Question_book_magnify2.svg

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “The Flower of Heaven Constellation” 

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http://www.joyfulheart.com/easter/images-tissot/tissot-peter-smites-off-the-ear-of-malchus.jpg

TOMORROW:

“September 15th (Here Are Two Swords!)”

Peter Smites Off the Ear of Malchus – www.joyfulheart.com

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20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY

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ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. 

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THIS IS STUDY #255 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING, FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…

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Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain

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Those who are interested in using photos on this page may click on the provided image credit link below each photo, to get to Wikimedia Commons for various licensing names, details, and tags, and all other necessary info on any particular photo.> 

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