Don't get IT!

I have seen all the attention that has been drawn towards same sex marriage recently and have kept silent as government leaders, fellow church leaders and friends give their "personal" input on the topic.

Some speak of equal rights and present a convincing line of thought about all couples should have the same marital rights, regardless of their lifestyle choices. 

Some speak on the matter of love and if you love someone and you are willing to commit to them and be loyal to them then you should be able to openly share that love in marriage.

One pastor speaks about a same sex couple and deals with the issue of committing adultery but does not openly deal with the issue of homosexuality.  That sets off a fire storm against him by other religious leaders saying that he is skirting the issue because he has a Mega-church with thousands of members.

Another pastor friend of mine says 100% of those against same sex marriage are all straight.  I'm not completely sure of his implications with that statement because he is one who lives on the edge of grace, often making people wonder about where he stands on God's Truths.

One reason for my silence was because we will be focusing on the marriage relationship for 4 weeks beginning Sunday, May 20th here at New Life.  But with so much swirling around me I could not hold until then and do not believe God wants me to remain silent any longer.

We have 30 different states in America that say marriage is defined as a man and a woman.

We are so worried about the definition of marriage in The United States of America and our state constitutions but how concerned are we about God's purpose for marriage?  How concerned are we about His purpose becoming a reality in our own marriages?

Why do we get married in the first place?  Why does marriage even exist if we do everything designed to be inside a marriage before we are married?
Is it to love someone?  Is it to create a family?  Both of these things we can do without being married.  In fact many people today are "loving" another person and creating families before "tying the knot."

Why is there marriage?  Is it so you can visit your loved one in the hospital or make the final decisions at death?  Is it to provide health care benefits for your partner or choose proper custody of your children?  Is marriage here today so you can get a bigger tax break come each April?

Marriage exists for one purpose - to give us an image of what our relationship with God is supposed to look like.  Marriage is about how the oneness of two unique persons reveals to us how oneness with God is possible.

The marriage issue in America only addresses the legal side, not the eternal side.  Eternity has been placed in the heart of man and that eternity is to be spent either with God or separated from God based on our choice to love and follow him or turn away and give others the attention that God desires from us.

Paul in his letter to the Corinthian church says these words,
I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him. ³³ But a married man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife. ³⁴ His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband. (I Corinthians 7:32-34)

We are already in an eternal "marriage" relationship with God before we are in our earthly marriage relationship begins with our spouse.  That marriage relationship is better known as a covenant. 

In our day and age we focus on the contract of marriage and debate whether it is with a man and a woman.  You can have whatever contract you want, that does not matter, it is the covenant that matters.  God's covenant "marriage" with you and me is so important to Him that He sent His son Jesus to die and create a stronger, more beautiful covenant between Him and mankind when Jesus rose from the dead.

Covenants don't end when one person chooses to opt out.  That works in a contract but not in a covenant.  Have you ever wondered why Jesus gave permission for divorce?

I think the church loses more and more of its voice on marriage with every divorce that happens between two followers of Jesus.
Jesus gave permission because when someone opts out of the covenant of marriage with God by choosing to be with another, in the simplest of terms, it gives God permission to do what He does not want to do and that is separate Himself from you at your death.  He separates from you because you have not sought forgiveness of your sins and God cannot be in covenant with sin.

So I say to every man and woman, gay or straight, black or white...Don't Get IT!  Don't get married!  Stay in covenant relationship with God.  Love Him with everything you have!  Choose to turn from your selfish ways and follow Jesus.  Confess your sins and He is faithful to forgive you of your sins and purify you from your unrighteousness (I John 1:9).  Find what you don't want to let go of and let go of it!

We should not jump into the earthly marriage too quickly but focus more intentionally on the eternal marriage between you and God.  It is this relationship that lasts far longer than any relationship we will have with any person here on earth.