Is being good really good enough?
By Chaz Oswald, 22, Michigan In a previous article that I wrote, A Ready Defense, I made mention that I felt I wasn’t really prepared to provide justified explanations for my faith if ever I was put to the test. Since then, I have taken on the challenge to understand many of the questions typically [...]
ODJ: too worried to wed
All of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other (v.8).
READ: 1 Peter 3:1-12
Wang Guiying is 107 years old and looking for love. Born in the southern Guizhou province of China, she steered clear of marriage until this point because she grew up watching her uncles criticize and abuse their wives. According to the centenarian, “All the married people . . . lived like that. Getting married was too frightening.”
Like this woman, the idea of commitment is enough to make many of us cower. God’s ideas about marriage, however, make us brave when we hear wedding bells.
A big part of this courage comes from remembering that God is our ultimate source of love, provision, and protection—even within marriage. Due to our humanness, we will inevitably disappoint our spouse and our spouse will disappoint us, but God will never let us down. Maybe that’s why Peter praised women who “trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands” (1 Peter 3:5).
If you’re a woman, that “male authority” thing might have you running scared. Fortunately, God’s plan for marriage includes mutual submission (Ephesians 5:21). Building on that foundation, Paul tells wives to submit to their husbands “as to the Lord” (v.22). Guys are supposed to honor their wives, to love them (vv.28-29), and “never treat them harshly” (Colossians 3:19). And all believers in Jesus are supposed to “be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude” (1 Peter 3:8).
Still, many of us have witnessed just the opposite within marriage. Bad marital behavior, however, carries
consequences.
God takes marriage seriously. With His help, we can fight the fear that makes us too worried to wed. —Jennifer Benson Schuldt
How do you think God wants us to respond to the fear of commitment? How do biblical guidelines for marriage help to ease anxiety over the altar?
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Loading ...ODB: who are you?
March 18, 2010
READ: Matthew 4:18-25
Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. —Matthew 4:19
If someone were to ask, “Who are you?” my guess is that you would tell a little about yourself and what you do—“I’m an electrician” or “I’m a nurse.” But that’s not really who you are—it’s what you do. Which leads to the question, If what you do is who you are, who will you be when you stop doing what you’re doing?!
Who you are is found in your relationship to Jesus. And this sense of identity will drive your behavior. Take Matthew, for example. As a tax collector during the reign of the Roman Empire, his life was driven by greed. But everything changed the day Jesus showed up and invited Matthew to follow Him (Matt. 9:9). Suddenly Matthew had a whole new identity as a follower of Christ! And he wasn’t the only one. We also read about four fishermen in Matthew 4:18-25, Peter, Andrew, James, and John, who left their nets to follow Him.
Jesus is a compelling Person, and He is still looking for followers. He wants to make something of your life by giving you the identity of a follower of Jesus. It doesn’t mean giving up your career, but it does mean that you will do your work—and all of life—according to His will and ways.
So next time someone asks, “Who are you?” I hope you’ll answer, “I’m a follower of Jesus”! — Joe Stowell
If you are a follower of Jesus, that’s all the identity you need.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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