The morals of our society are changing. It was once taboo for a couple to live together before marriage. Now, it is almost expected. Once swearing was considered a sin but now many of the preachers will do so from their pulpits. Should we re-interpret God's Word so that it fits our lifestyle? Is it truly applicable for our lives today?
I have learned that God's word is not for God. He did not make up a bunch of rules because He thought it would be good for our religion. He did not make up the Ten Commandments because He needed a test to see if we were really serious about Him. God gave us His word because it is good for us.
The Bible says that there will be ways that we think or better than His word. They will end in death. They will bring us to ruin. They, however, make more sense to the human mind than His word does. For example, we believe that people in love should fully share themselves with each other. We do not see the importance of commitment before God in this relationship. We, therefore, will live together before marriage or will get married (even in a church) without any thought that we are making a covenant with God in our marriage.
The result is an unstable relationship. It lacks what the man and woman need. There is no security nor admiration for there is neither protection nor appreciation provided. The commitment before God says that you stay together because of your commitment to Him. You remain faithful because of your covenant with Him. The Bible gives the picture of Christ and His Church as the example of husband and wife. Christ will not leave His Church. He will protect her and she will praise Him.
Is this still valid? There are multitudes of people who are dissatisfied with their marriages who are proving that it is. They know that their needs are not being met but because they think they know more than God's word, they keep trying things that violate what God has said is best for us.
Take another example: God's word says we should honor our parents. Is that invalid? After all, aren't they spending our inheritance which could be used much better on the things we want rather than their own health care? Shouldn't we just throw them under the bus and clean out the things they have?
Honoring our parents is best for us. It comes with a promise of long life. It prevents the idea of pitching out the old people because they get in the way. It is an example for succeeding generations to continue to listen to the elders' wisdom. It is a model for our children to watch how we treated our own parents and cared for them. It preserves the honor of a family who holds its ancestors in esteem. It makes your name mean something.
The lack of honoring parents destroys a society. There is no grounding in morals. There is no name to honor. It results in doing what seems right in your own eyes. You can find the failing of a family by going back to the generation that did not honor its parents. Your parents honored their parents by being honorable. They were not good parents if they did not.
Again, is this what is best for us? Yes, emphatically, yes! And this is God's word.
I believe that God's word is valid today. I believe it is what is best for us. We do what it says and our society is much better. We do what it says and our own lives are much better. It is not a bunch of rules that we keep for a uninterested god. It is His care for us. It has been preserved to bring us to Him and do what is best for us.
God's word is timeless in its application. Do what it says no matter what other reasoning you have. Do what it says and you will find your life full.
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