of Scripture, we can be thankful that Jesus taught about matters clearly - we read in Matthew 19:
4 And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,'
5 and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?
6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."
That is certainly clear, isn't it? The Bible, Old and New Testament, teaches binary genders. Not 56 options, like Facebook promotes, but 2. Not fluid or chosen by humans, but fixed and determined by God. And, he defines marriage plainly - one man for one woman; I can't see how this can be somehow credibly turned around to fit a social agenda. But, beyond the social issues of today, we read how Jesus taught of a beautiful picture: two people, joined together as "one flesh" by God. That points to the simplicity and the sanctity of marriage.
+++++
The beauty of the marriage relationship, representing Christ and the Church, is described in Ephesians 5. We pick up in verse 23:
23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
And, there is also a high responsibility placed on the men:
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her...
You might call it discipleship in a fishbowl, and some may question the level of spiritual growth that is being demonstrated by the enigmatic Justin Bieber, who is always seeming to find some way to stay at the forefront of the headlines - certainly, the paparazzi is responsible, too, but he's always giving them something to write about.
And, now he's getting married! Relevant Magazine reported the story not too long ago, which stated:
The Relevant article said that Hailey "is also outspoken about her faith. The article quoted from a 2016 Teen Vogue story, in which she said: “I think that it’s very important for everybody to be in touch with their spirituality and to have a relationship with God. I think that God kind of put me in the place in my life to not be quiet about it, not be quiet about him, but to reach people and to inspire people.”
A Christian Headlines story related this about her:
But, again, their flaws, unlike what you and I might experience, are on display for all the world to see. And, you really don't know what God is doing in their hearts - at least they both make an effort to make references to the Lord and attend Hillsong Church. Just yesterday, the Daily Mail reported that they had been at a conference together at Hillsong in New York.
I have often thought that high-profile people ought to follow the apostle Paul and get away for a while; devote time to getting to know the Lord and developing their newfound faith. That thought occurred to me when I read about the baptism in the Jordan River of NFL star Odell Beckham, Jr. on the Faithwire website. It reported:
Fact is, though, we all have our inconsistencies. One consistent element of the Christian life is that we, in our humanity, are prone to inconsistency. We struggle, as Paul depicted in Romans 7, between the spirit and the flesh. Our walk becomes more consistent as we recognize the triumph of Christ, who has delivered us from the power of sin, and appropriate His resources in order to walk a victorious life. We have temptations, and each day, we have the choice - to surrender to Christ in decision after decision, to mortify the flesh, or to allow the flesh to reign supreme.
Now, back to the Biebs-Baldwin engagement - Justin's post had plenty of spiritual content, and he and Hailey have to realize that there are forces that are aligned against them. The pressure of fame, the wild schedules, and life in the public eye will make their marital journey more challenging. I think that's good advice to couples who are young and who are, well, not - we have to recognize those conditions that work against our marriages and make sure we are equipped to walk in God's strength to preserve our relationships. I thought of Matthew 7, in which Jesus contrasted the house built on a rock vs. the one built on sand - one withstood the storms: the house built on the solid foundation, which we know to be the foundation of Christ.
Finally, some quick words from the theologian (?) Justin Bieber, of all people, in that Instagram post, because they actually ring true for married couples. He says that he promises to lead his family with "honor and integrity letting Jesus through his Holy Spirit guide us in everything we do and every decision we make." That's a series of lofty goals, but through God's power, that's actually something we can see materialize.
He also wrote, "My heart is COMPLETELY and FULLY YOURS and I will ALWAYS put you first!” He also quoted from Proverbs 31: “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains FAVOR from the Lord!” In summary, there are two core principles that we can consider as we seek to love our spouses well - to put Jesus first and to put our mates before ourselves. True love, while it involves our emotions, certainly, is lived out as we develop a selfless mindset.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her...
You might call it discipleship in a fishbowl, and some may question the level of spiritual growth that is being demonstrated by the enigmatic Justin Bieber, who is always seeming to find some way to stay at the forefront of the headlines - certainly, the paparazzi is responsible, too, but he's always giving them something to write about.
And, now he's getting married! Relevant Magazine reported the story not too long ago, which stated:
In an Instagram post announcing the engagement, Bieber talked about the importance of his own faith, especially as it relates to marriage. He said, (in part): “I promise to lead our family with honor and integrity letting Jesus through his Holy Spirit guide us in everything we do and every decision we make. My heart is COMPLETELY and FULLY YOURS and I will ALWAYS put you first!”
After talking about why he believed the engagement happened in God’s timing, he ended the post with a Bible verse: “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains FAVOR from the Lord!”The bride is not someone who would be considered an unknown. Her name is Hailey Baldwin, a second-generation member of a family of actors - her father and uncle are in the field of entertainment, and her father sat at a table with me at NRB recently; that would be Christian actor Stephen Baldwin.
The Relevant article said that Hailey "is also outspoken about her faith. The article quoted from a 2016 Teen Vogue story, in which she said: “I think that it’s very important for everybody to be in touch with their spirituality and to have a relationship with God. I think that God kind of put me in the place in my life to not be quiet about it, not be quiet about him, but to reach people and to inspire people.”
A Christian Headlines story related this about her:
Earlier this month, she retweeted a video of a hospital staff praying for its patients.
She has said she’s “not the poster child for Christianity,” but she and Bieber are both members of Hillsong Church.
She has also posted Bible verses on her Instagram page, which boasts a following of nearly 13 million people.Then you have this:
Sources tell OK! Magazine that the celebrity couple is planning to go on a mission trip to a country in need for their honeymoon! “Justin and Hailey decided to “skip an exotic vacation because they travel all the time anyway,” says the insider.Yes, they just traveled - together - to the Bahamas - that's not a good look for an engaged couple. I'm not really keen on what I have seen out of the public persona of either of them. The half-million-dollar engagement ring just projects an image of vanity, as far as I am concerned.
But, again, their flaws, unlike what you and I might experience, are on display for all the world to see. And, you really don't know what God is doing in their hearts - at least they both make an effort to make references to the Lord and attend Hillsong Church. Just yesterday, the Daily Mail reported that they had been at a conference together at Hillsong in New York.
I have often thought that high-profile people ought to follow the apostle Paul and get away for a while; devote time to getting to know the Lord and developing their newfound faith. That thought occurred to me when I read about the baptism in the Jordan River of NFL star Odell Beckham, Jr. on the Faithwire website. It reported:
In a series of Instagram photos posted this week, Beckham wrote he “couldn’t of asked for anything more.” And in a photo from his baptism in Israel’s Jordan River, he declared, “FRESH START … What a time.”But, that faith getaway might be next to impossible. Unfortunately, with Biebs, his walk has been publicly inconsistent...one day you might see a powerful statement, and the next a compromising incident. You would hope that Beckham will get some strong believers around him in the locker room to help disciple him.
Fact is, though, we all have our inconsistencies. One consistent element of the Christian life is that we, in our humanity, are prone to inconsistency. We struggle, as Paul depicted in Romans 7, between the spirit and the flesh. Our walk becomes more consistent as we recognize the triumph of Christ, who has delivered us from the power of sin, and appropriate His resources in order to walk a victorious life. We have temptations, and each day, we have the choice - to surrender to Christ in decision after decision, to mortify the flesh, or to allow the flesh to reign supreme.
Now, back to the Biebs-Baldwin engagement - Justin's post had plenty of spiritual content, and he and Hailey have to realize that there are forces that are aligned against them. The pressure of fame, the wild schedules, and life in the public eye will make their marital journey more challenging. I think that's good advice to couples who are young and who are, well, not - we have to recognize those conditions that work against our marriages and make sure we are equipped to walk in God's strength to preserve our relationships. I thought of Matthew 7, in which Jesus contrasted the house built on a rock vs. the one built on sand - one withstood the storms: the house built on the solid foundation, which we know to be the foundation of Christ.
Finally, some quick words from the theologian (?) Justin Bieber, of all people, in that Instagram post, because they actually ring true for married couples. He says that he promises to lead his family with "honor and integrity letting Jesus through his Holy Spirit guide us in everything we do and every decision we make." That's a series of lofty goals, but through God's power, that's actually something we can see materialize.
He also wrote, "My heart is COMPLETELY and FULLY YOURS and I will ALWAYS put you first!” He also quoted from Proverbs 31: “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains FAVOR from the Lord!” In summary, there are two core principles that we can consider as we seek to love our spouses well - to put Jesus first and to put our mates before ourselves. True love, while it involves our emotions, certainly, is lived out as we develop a selfless mindset.
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