When a young Richard Carpenter heard an ad on the radio for Crocker Bank,
the tune stuck in his head. “We’ve Only Just Begun,” was remixed by him, and
today is still a favorite among newlyweds. And one of the singles that put The
Carpenters over the top, and onto the pop charts for years. White lace and
promises, with a kiss for luck, and we’re on our way, and the hope expressed in
the song still is fresh today. Together, together, as the tune tells us. And
such is the joy of the wedding day, when the two become one before the Lord,
making vows in public to him, and we know the routine, till death do us part.
But today with the divorce rate near 50%, which means the success rate is still
50% also, too many fall out of love, the commitment isn’t there, maybe it never
was, and it paves the way for many sad love songs. But for those who honor that
commitment, even when not in love, or when all seems bad, God honors their
commitment. Some of the best advice I was given before getting married, going
on 39 years now, was “you will not always be in love, but honor the
commitment.” Advice I share with couples before I preform a marriage today.
Honor the commitment....till death do us part.
Only a commitment with God goes on eternally, for we will carry that
commitment with Jesus into heaven eternally. And today many examples of long
term marriages are still told and bragged about, with only the till death do
they part part yet to come. But one couple in the book of Acts, shows their
commitment to each other until only in their death do they part, and go unto the
Lord forever. The first century church is and was a model of how God wanted
things set up. Acts 2:42 tells us how they fellowshipped, were taught, prayed
for each other, and met each other’s needs in the Lord. By his spirit. And how
when one day there were needs, many in the church were selling their own goods,
donating the money to the church, and seeing it grow while obeying God. Spirit
driven, they joyfully gave, as many do today, and were blessed. Privately and
publicly they gave, not looking for anything in return, which is true giving.
Jesus tells us to give hilariously, “take it Lord, bless it,” while they laugh
out loud from the inside out. Where all can see and hear! Truly giving unto
the Lord, and he multiplied the church daily. Note that God grew the church,
not the church grew itself. But there are always some in the body who hear but
don’t get it. They may be saved, but never allow the spirit to guide them.
Still driven by greed, a manifestation of pride, they may even be pillars in the
church, give to missions, go to Israel, know all the songs during worship, and
even sit on a church board. But inside they are rotten, known only to God. And
maybe themselves, but their selfishness has long ago taken over and it is all
about them. Heaven awaits, but they leave a stain behind.
Know anyone like that? The Bible tells of a couple named Ananias and
Sapphira, who were active in the church, and well known. But they liked to be
popular, the center of events, to have God shine down on them, not for a
witness, but for earthly good. Lust, that I need to have it right now urge, no
matter the cost. And so on the day many were standing and pledging their goods,
they did too. But secretly, planned on keeping part of what they committed to
God for themselves. Stealing, not honoring a contract with the Lord, they
wanted the attention of the church, “look how we gave, we sold land for the
Lord, aren’t we special.” They sought honor and prestige, and got exactly that,
just in a way they never expected. Today when we read Acts about them, we find
how when Ananias came in the temple, he was met and judged quickly, and died and
taken to heaven. Later his wife not knowing his fate, was told and the same
happened to her. It seems they got the attention they wanted, just not the way
or the legacy they had planned for themselves. There are ways to be recognized
by God, and other ways you wish you weren’t. Something to consider once you
make a vow or pledge to the Lord. Others may forget, he never does.
Their marriage lasted till death did they depart. They shared confidences
with each other, and maybe on the surface were a couple to be admired and
copied. “Just look at those two, I wish we could be more like them.” For we
only see on the outside, but God sees the heart. And truly a double minded
person in all ways. Maybe a time to stop and reflect on our motives, to seek
forgiveness, and repent, “Lord please show me the way, I got lost momentarily.”
And stop and think before you brag how you want to be more like Jesus, for it
will probably entail some discomfort, and times of trials and temptations so you
can be shaped and honed to be more like him. He was a suffering servant, how
many in their prayer box of promises include “what joy trials and tribulations
are?” We only want the good things, Christians get flat tires, lose jobs, have
cancer, and get divorced too. Maybe the greatest testimony is not the action
itself, but how we react to it!
Ananias and Sapphira, a first century Christian church couple, who knew the
Lord, but never gave into his spirit. Who rather lived like Old Blue Eyes sang,
“I did it my way.” When there is only one way. There are two days in our life
we have no control over, the day we were born and the day we will die. But in
between we have a lot of choices to make, don’t rely on your heart which can be
deceitful. Remember the vow, the commitment that you made when you were saved,
God is still honoring his, Jesus honored his, and the spirit is here to guide so
you can honor yours. Somehow I believe that Sapphira knew exactly what had
happened when she saw her dead husband, “oops, they found out!” what legacy are
you leaving about your marriage? Your family? Your walk with God? With who
Jesus is in your life? If they made a movie about your walk with Christ, would
you want to watch it?
A wise man once said “you can fool some of the people all of the time, and
all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of
the time.” And you can never fool God. With a kiss for luck and we’re on our
way. White lace and promises, so many roads to choose, we start off walking and
learn to run. Words in a song, a vow many try to keep. God keeps his, are you
keeping yours?
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com