Revelation 3:8, “I see what you’ve done. Now see what I’ve done. I’ve opened a door before you that no one can slam shut. You don’t have much strength, I know that; you used what you had to keep my Word. You didn’t deny me when times were rough.” (MSG)
A good professor friend of mine who lives in Nashville TN has an absolutely amazing office! It is breath-taking! The inspiring view out of his office window looks as if it should be listed as one of nature’s most beautiful imagery's. But there’s something interesting I want you to know about it. Daily he’s able to look out at a beautiful lake and then there is a beautiful field. The field dips down into a hollow, or a "holler" as we call it down South. In the spring, some of the trees in the hollow start to bloom in living color. The redbud, the dogwood, they just start setting out their blossoms in all their glory. Well, last spring, someone walked into his office, glanced out that window, and said, "Well, look at those beautiful trees down there, if I didn't look hard, I would never have seen them."
Truth is, they are indeed beautiful, but they're in a spot where very few people ever see their hidden beauty. God doesn't always reserve His beauty for places where lots of people can appreciate it. You see, He also plants some beautiful things in out-of-the-way places. And maybe you're one of them. Believe it or not, but not many see beauty when it's in an unlikely or a little known place, however, it's no less beautiful.
Which reminds me of a counseling session I had a few months ago. A beautiful couple with communication issues. You see, it was their first anniversary and they went out to an amazing restaurant to celebrate. She went and got her hair done, make-up flawless, beautiful new outfit, the latest name-brand shoes and pocketbook set, manicure, pedicure, facial…I mean she went all out to look drop-dead gorgeous. Well, they starting talking and one of the questions she asked (as women, we are always asking questions), is ‘what do you think is my most attractive feature?’ You’ll never guess his response! He said ‘your mind.’ Now, many of us (especially women) are going ‘awwwwww’, However, his wife didn’t quite respond the same way. In fact, she was upset because he didn’t compliment her style, clothes, hair, looks, figure etc…but what was most attractive to him was her mind. He loved how strategic she is planning and executing, how she pays attention to every detail, how she can figure out a solution to almost any problem…but for her, that wasn’t her most valuable asset. She was so focused on the surface, that she didn’t see just how deep his love, admiration and respect actually went. She looked for the obvious, the familiar, the usual that would come from a man to a beautiful woman. And so she missed out on the value of a man who could see beyond sight. And isn’t that like many of us? We stare at the surface and overlook the depth of beauty found in not so obvious places…
With that said, as God is evaluating each of the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3,He seems pretty unimpressed with the ones that look beautiful to everyone else. Like the church at Sardis that has "a reputation of being alive" but Jesus says to them, "You are dead" (Revelation 3:1 reads like this, “…I see right through your work. You have a reputation for vigor and zest, but you’re dead, stone-dead” MSG). Or the rich and powerful Christians at Laodicea who Jesus says are actually "pitiful, poor, blind and naked" (The Message Bible says Revelation 3:15-17 like this, “I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You’re not cold, you’re not hot—far better to be either cold or hot! You’re stale. You’re stagnant. You make me want to vomit. You brag, ‘I’m rich, I’ve got it made, I need nothing from anyone,’ oblivious that in fact you’re a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless.” MSG).
But then there's this church - this out-of-the-way, little known church that Jesus thinks is absolutely beautiful. Listen to how He describes them in Revelation 3, beginning in verse 8, "I know everything you have done. And I have placed before you an open door that no one can close. You were not very strong, but you obeyed my message and did not deny that you are my followers." (CEV) Even though they are weak, He promises them something that He offers to none of the other, highly visible churches, just because they obeyed Him. He says, "I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut." He's going to give them special blessings and opportunities simply because of their quiet faithfulness. They didn't use their weakness as an excuse not to follow their strong God.
And yet, if you obey the Word of the Lord, you still receive the Promise. See, unfortunately for us today, we’ve become so materialistic, greedy, selfish, and even stylish, that we don’t know how to discover hidden beauty. Especially if it’s not attached to a name, promotion, increase, “blessing”, or some form of elevation or acknowledgement. We’ve even become so number-obsessed with getting adults into the church, that we haven’t noticed the beauty of youth has faded from the church. We’ve lost touch with real beauty. But God never does. He looked at the church without the reputation for great works, and without the wealthy members, and He saw the beauty of a little out of the way hidden church that simply kept His Word. When others didn’t see them, He did.
And for someone reading this today, you need to know that's exactly how He feels about you. You've been asked to serve Him, to be faithful to Him in a little place, maybe even a hard place, a place where you receive little or no appreciation or affirmation. Maybe you work or live in a situation where no one appreciates the beauty of Christ in you. But God wants you to know today He loves to look at you. And He thinks you're absolutely beautiful!
You don’t sit on the front row, no one carries your stuff, wipes your sweat or grandly acknowledges your presence…but God sees your beauty. You serve people who don’t even know your name or say thank you, but God sees your beauty. You’ve kept your virginity and obeyed the Word of the Lord, remaining abstinent, and still you wonder where is Mr. Wonderful, where is Mrs. Right, but remain faithful, God sees your beauty.
Leah was unloved, Hannah was barren, Tamar was raped, Abigail was married to a fool, Esther was an orphan, Naomi loss of a husband and 2 sons, and Mary was more than misunderstood, David sinned big time, but yet a man after God's own heart, Joseph was sold off into slavery by his own brothers. And yet, the Lord didn’t allow His Word to be written without their stories being included. Therefore, maintain your character, God still has great chapters to add to your life’s story.
Now, You May Not Always Be Seen and Celebrated By Others, But God Always Sees Your Hidden Beauty, And If He Alone Celebrates It, Who Else Matters?
Blessings
J.P. Olson |
Saturday, March 18, 2017
For Some Reading This Today, God Is Saying: I Have Placed Before You An Open Door That No One Can Shut.
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
You Are Not Giving Up! Keep Your Vision in View in the Spirit; No Matter What You See in the Natural That’s Attempting to Block You!
One of my friends that I admire the most, is my friend Pastor Gerard who must have a million and one great memories of ministering in South Africa. He’s there so much in fact I can’t wait for him to finally inform us all that he’s relocating! This last time he traveled there, he had the tremendous opportunity of reaching some lost young people and their parents, and train youth leaders to reach young people as well. His schedule was extremely intense, but their Field Director and Pastor Gerard managed to sneak away for a couple of hours in a wild game park. And the Lord of all those African creatures was really good to them, because He allowed them to see zebras and rhinos and hippos, and many more of God's African best, and none of which desired to eat them for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a midnight snack!
However, his most unforgettable moment began when their driver said, "Whoa, that's fresh! Keep your eyes open for an elephant." Her "that's fresh", referred to a broken branch she saw in the middle of the little road they were on. Now, the staff member he was with as well as himself were a little skeptical, but not for long. As they rounded a bend, There He Was - a big old elephant lumbering down the road ahead of them! They followed behind him for a while and then they watched with ringside seats as he stepped off into a little pond, watered himself and sprayed himself. Pastor Gerard said it was amazing!
But what caught my attention, as well as watered my faith so it could grow even more, was the part about when his driver saw just a LITTLE sign (a broken branch), and knew that something really BIG was coming up!
Now, God may very well be doing something Big on the trail just ahead of you. Oh, you can't see it yet, but it's important to be able to see even the little signs of "God's something big" on the way. That's part of what faith is all about.
Hebrews 11:1, “What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.” (TLB). The Amplified Bible says it like this: “Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality – faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].” (AMP)
Pastor Gerard’s driver saw a little broken branch as evidence that a Big elephant was about to appear. Imagine if we walked by faith like that, what would we believe God for, ask God for, and expect with confidence that God is able to do?! Just a little sign showing that something Big was about to make a grand appearance, and all they had to do was keep looking for it!
Which brings us to Elijah. Elijah had prayed that God would show His power in Israel by sending a three-year drought. In 1 Kings 18, beginning in verse 42, we see why the Bible presents him as a man whose prayer was "powerful and effective" (James 5:16-18, in the Message Bible reads, “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t – not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.” MSG ).
So, now he's praying for the drought to end. The Bible says, "Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. 'Go and look toward the sea,' he told his servant. And he went up and looked. 'There is nothing there,' he said. Seven times Elijah said, 'Go back.' The seventh time the servant reported, 'A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea.' So Elijah said, 'Go and tell Ahab (the king), 'Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.'" It hadn't rained for three and a half years, but Elijah saw that little cloud and he said, "It's coming!"
Elijah kind of reminds me of Pastor Gerard’s guide and driver there in that African game park. His eyes are wide open, looking for and expecting some early sign of the major work God was about to do. Pastor Gerard saw a branch, but the one with the trained eye said, "Get ready for an elephant." Elijah's servant saw a little cloud, and Elijah, with his trained eye for God at work, said, "Get ready for a deluge." The word ‘deluge’ is defined as ‘a severe flood or very heavy fall of rain; a great quantity of something arriving at the same time; to overwhelm. All of your sadness will have to flee as you’ll have to make way for your unspeakable joy to arrive! Your Deluge of Blessings Are On the Way!
But you have to have faith! You have to see beyond what you see! You have to look for the little sign, before you see the Big showing! Which means you’ll have to look past the bank accounts, bills, tuition, mortgage, loans, car insurance, debt, health crisis, marriage and parental crisis, struggling church, loneliness, hurt, despair, rejection, abandonment…you can’t focus on that stuff because if you do, you’ll miss seeing your little sign of something Big! So you’ll also have to get out of your own feelings. Don’t allow your emotions to cause you to have a distorted view of the great things God is about to make happen just for you!
Shift your focus from anger, depression, rage, resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness, and the need to seek revenge. All of those things act as a cataract and glaucoma, blocking and blinding you from seeing the little signs of something Big in your future!
Habakkuk 2:2-3, “And then God answered: “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming – it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.” (MSG)
That’s your encouragement for today, Walk By Faith, Wait and Watch! It will happen, right on time! The problem for us though occurs when we’ve been walking by faith for so long that the soles of our faith feet are worn; we’ve waited so long, we’re trying to hold on to that last grain of sand in the hourglass before it falls denoting 'time's up'; and we’ve watched so long, that our eyes need a 3 month supply of Visine, they’re so red and tired! And still even with all of that, I say to you today, continue to Walk, Wait and Watch!
You Are Not Giving Up! Keep Your Vision in View in the Spirit No Matter What You See in the Natural That’s Attempting to Block You! What’s coming is so much better than what’s been!
Which is why I encourage you to open your eyes today for the wonderful things God is already doing around you - the little cloud that will enlarge your faith to expect the Big rain, the little buds that will fuel your faith to expect the glory of spring. This winter will end…and soon...no matter what the weather forecast predicts! Winter can only hold on but so long, like it or not, the season will change, and it will have to let go! You see, March 20th, is officially Spring. But if you look at the weather reports, we may very well have Snow in Spring. But does that stop Spring from appearing on the calendar as the Next New Season?
Absolutely Not! And there’s nothing going on in your life that can hinder the change of seasons that God is about to bring about just for you! God can move in your life even with the eviction notice, foreclosure notice and layoff looming overhead! He can never be hindered by the elements He created and controls. So, even when it looks like nothing is happening, remember, God is Still at Work! He’s orchestrating things in your favor, so you have nothing to fear!
A lot of times we are unnecessarily discouraged and disheartened because we don't see the tracks of God that are all over our day. A good friend of mine likes to call them "God sightings". It may not be very large or not very dramatic, but there's God again, working in your life. Your marriage isn’t perfect, but you’re still married; your children have gone astray, but they were trained in the ways of God, and will find their way back eventually; your job hasn’t granted you the promotion and increase yet, but you’re still employed; your car isn’t brand new, but it gets you from A-Z and back, and during a cold season like this, there are quite a bit of people jealous of your little hunk-a-junk; you may not be healed yet, but neither are you dead yet! These are your little “God sightings”, you just have to look for them, and you’ll see! In fact, the more you look for them, the more you see of them!
Blessings
J.P. Olson
Friday, March 10, 2017
Fasting And Prayer Provokes Heaven To Act. God Has Already Done It! I Believe It, I Receive It And It’s Already Mine!
Friday: Today's Reading
Fasting and prayer provokes heaven to act. "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God". Your plan for your life is rarely God's plan. Seek His will over everything. At times we might get angry at God, but we must not sin against Him in the process. It hurts God's heart when we don't use the gifts He's put inside.
Presently there appear to be disconnection between earth
1. OUR SHELTER IS NOT A PLACE, IT’S A PERSON. David finds shelter in God. David’s shelter is his personal relationship with God. He surrenders his life over to God and finds refuge in Him. During a troubling situation, surrender to God, and pray. Instead of taking the path of worry and fear, take the path to God’s shelter. During trials it is easy to fall into a faulty shelter. A faulty shelter does not really help us, but it offers a false sense of comfort or security. False shelters can be found in drinking, smoking, food, hobbies and habits. In commercial buildings there are emergency routes that lead to safety, they are normally marked in red. In the New Testament, Jesus’ words are written in red. His words will guide and lead to His shelter.
Sometime we just have to sacrifice and back away from the table, get down on our knees in prayer. Because fasting and prayer will provoke heaven to act on our behalf.
When God Goes Into Battle, Victory Is Guaranteed! So, before you dare to doubt that you are well equipped and well able to win your every battle with God on your side, remember that the Battle is HIS, and HE has NEVER lost, and NEVER will!
It makes no sense to pray you come out on top, when He’s Already declared you are Already out on top! So, why worry over a victory you’ve Already attained? Why stress over a battle that has Already been won in your favor? Why lose your mind, your sleep, your appetite and even your hair over what the doctor has said when Jesus has said that “By My Stripes You Are ALREADY Healed?” It is unbecoming behavior for a believer to walk in unbelief! So today declare to yourself, God Has Already Done It! I Believe It, I Receive It and It’s Already Mine!
Blessings
J.P. Olson
www.thewordwithjpolson.com
Sunday, March 5, 2017
Even When Your Situation Doesn’t Change, Your Mindset Can. Your Outlook Can, Your Perspective Can! What You See Depends On What You're Looking For
Lamentations 3:25-27, How great your faithfulness! I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over). He’s all I’ve got left. God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks. It’s a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from God…” (MSG)
Alex is the director for the outreach team at his church. One year, several of his team members were all driving together to an evangelism explosion out of state. They were in two cars, but stayed in touch by means of walkie-talkies. At a couple of points, one of the men in the car behind him pointed out a hawk that he spotted soaring gracefully over them. They saw several of them, actually, on this particular trip. ‘Now, when you see a hawk or an eagle’ Alex said, ‘it’s kind of always an event for a city boy like me’. But then Alex friend Terry said, "Well, I just saw a dead coyote on the shoulder." As their walkie-talkie conversations went on during that trip, that wasn't the last hawk Alex saw – nor was it the last road kill that Terry saw. I guess whether you see soaring hawks or dead coyotes depend on where you're looking and what you’re looking for.
Some of us have this amazing ability to miss out on the most beautiful things going on around us because we only focus on seeing the ugly or even the dead. For instance, some folks see mostly what's right with people and with their situation - others just can't help focusing on what's wrong. And it really does depend on where you choose to look - up or down. And in the end, it all boils down to choice…whether you look up or down, or focus on what’s good or what’s bad, either way it is always your choice.
Alex and Terry were on an evangelism mission; therefore, you would think they would already have their focus on what’s good, positive, great, uplifting. But you had two men, traveling down the same road, but seeing two very different outlooks. Alex was focused on the soaring hawks, Terry was focused on the dead coyotes…which are you focusing on?
The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah knew what it was to see the ‘dead coyotes’ - until he chose to look up and see those ‘soaring hawks’ that is. Both perspectives are evident in Lamentations 3, beginning in verses 19-20. First, he saw, the ‘dead coyotes’ – the Bible reads: “Just thinking of my troubles and my lonely wandering makes me miserable. That’s all I ever think about, and I am depressed.” (CEV). Another translation reads: "I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me." (NIV). That word “downcast” is defined as “to have eyes that continually look downwards; to be low in spirit; to be bowed down; distressed; troubled; uneasy; worried; hopeless; disappointed; discouraged; agonized; anguished; weeping; bleak; desolate; dreary; comfortless; having a despondent feeling.” And “despondent” is defined as “to feel or show extreme discouragement, dejection, or depression; to be brokenhearted; gloomy; joyless; miserable; saddened; sorrowful; unhappy; pessimistic.” Needless to say, the prophet was not feeling all that great! But how could he when the Bible says, “Just thinking of my troubles and my lonely wandering makes me miserable. THAT’S ALL I EVER THINK ABOUT, and I am depressed.” Of course if this is your only mindset about yourself, your life and the challenges you face, you will be depressed, especially if this is “…ALL YOU EVER THINK ABOUT…”!
Imagine going day in and day out with nothing positive, good, uplifting or encouraging to enter your mind. What a horrible way to live, especially as a believer who has been given the promise of Life and that More Abundantly! What the prophet struggled with was his affliction, troubles, loneliness, bitterness and gall. Is that where you are? Does your pain, failures, broken heart take away God’s Unspeakable Joy from your life? Well, it’s possible, when you focus on your frustrations and your failures, the bad news and the negative feelings, yeah, you're going to be discouraged, and you’re going to be depressed, your souls going to be downcast within you. I reiterate, especially when this is “…ALL YOU EVER THINK ABOUT…”!
At this point, the prophet is very much like Terry, all he can see is the ‘dead coyotes’, while others are focusing on the ‘soaring hawks’.
Reality Check: Now, truth is, at some point in time we’ve all felt like this, and if you haven’t yet…just keep living! To be honest, life can throw you some curve balls that no one can prepare you to catch. Can we be real? No one looks forward to a divorce, a baby out of wedlock, an addiction, a disease, the loss of a loved one, the bankruptcy, the foreclosure, the abandonment, the final closing of the churches doors, the rejection, the depression, the job loss, the repossessed car, the unmet tuition, the promotion passing you by. No one wakes up one morning and thinks this will be a part of their agenda for the day. But for many, life happens, and happens hard and unexpectedly! And so we look around and all we see are ‘dead coyotes’. It doesn’t look as if things could get any worse, nor does it look as if things will ever get any better. Then, the next thing you know your mind starts wandering, “I thought I’d be married by now; I thought I’d have at least my first child by now; I thought the church/ministry/business would have taken off by now; I thought my vision and dreams would have come to pass by now; I thought I’d be finished school by now; I thought I’d own my own home by now; I thought I’d be off the bus by now; I thought I’d be through with all these tests and medications by now; I thought the ailment would have run its course by now; I thought I’d be happy by now…” It appears as though life, happiness, promise, dreams and even God has forgotten about us. And so we look around like Terry and only see ‘dead coyotes’, or the prophet and only see 'troubles and misery'.
But then there comes a turn of events, a shifting of focus and perspective. Listen to the change:
“I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, and the poison I’ve swallowed. I remember it all – oh, how well I remember – the feeling of hitting the bottom. BUT THERE’S ONE OTHER THING I REMEMBER, AND REMEMBERING, I KEEP A GRIP ON HOPE. GOD’S LOYAL LOVE COULDN’T HAVE RUN OUT, HIS MERCIFUL LOVE COULDN’T HAVE DRIED UP. THEY’RE CREATED NEW EVERY MORNING. HOW GREAT YOUR FAITHFULNESS! I’M STICKING WITH GOD (I SAY IT OVER AND OVER). HE’S ALL I’VE GOT LEFT. GOD PROVES TO BE GOOD TO THE MAN WHO PASSIONATELY WAITS, TO THE WOMAN WHO DILIGENTLY SEEKS. IT’S A GOOD THING TO QUIETLY HOPE, QUIETLY HOPE FOR HELP FROM GOD…” (vss. 19-27 MSG)
Alright, prepare for the soaring hawks!
You see, when you focus on all the evidence of God's love and God's care in your life...when you look for the blessings that He has sown into this day and every day, your load gets lighter and your heaviness turns to hope. Same situation - two different outlooks. Either way, you choose! Because things didn’t change for the prophet, but his mindset, focus and perspective did. The trouble, lostness, taste of ashes, poison, hitting rock bottom…all that was still there, but placed in perspective of an even greater truth… “BUT THERE’S ONE OTHER THING I REMEMBER, AND REMEMBERING, I KEEP A GRIP ON HOPE…” That’s what you have to learn to do when you’re losing your grip on life, grab a hold of hope! For it’s in that hope that you’re reminded of God’s loyal love that can’t run out and His mercy that can’t dry up! Every new morning they are there to meet you before you even meet the day! Your God is that loving and that caring and that protective and mindful of YOU! Even When Your Situation Doesn’t Change, Your Mindset Can, Your Outlook Can, Your Perspective Can! This is what happened to Jeremiah, “I’M STICKING WITH GOD (I SAY IT OVER AND OVER). HE’S ALL I’VE GOT LEFT. GOD PROVES TO BE GOOD TO THE MAN WHO PASSIONATELY WAITS, TO THE WOMAN WHO DILIGENTLY SEEKS. IT’S A GOOD THING TO QUIETLY HOPE, QUIETLY HOPE FOR HELP FROM GOD…”
The same God who has promised to never leave you or forsake you is still your very present help in times of trouble. Even on a bad day you still serve a good God! Which is why you have to make the deliberate choice to stop looking for the ‘dead coyotes’ when the soaring hawks are flying overhead to remind you to look in the right direction…Upwards!
Today, be encouraged to look at life from a different perspective! Focus on the good, for your God is still good even when you’re having a bad day! He’s working all things for your favor and for your good. Don’t let the situation shift your focus! Even when your shoulders are weighed down, go to God to lift your head high! Even when you’re overwhelmed you will not be overtaken! God is there, every morning with new mercies, ensuring that you are never consumed! Keep your eyes on Him at all times, especially in hard times, remembering that What You See Depends On Where You Look! Be Like Mary and Hang On Every Word of God; Be Like Caleb and Go After the Promises of God Regardless to the Enemies in the Way; Be Like David Remember That the Same God Who Kept and Protected You Before, Will Do it Again; Be Like Jeremiah and Remember That God's Love and Mercy are New Every Morning and Shall Never Fail; Be Like Alex and Keep Your Eyes Focus Upward On What Soars High! What You See Depends On What You're Looking For. Today, No Matter How Bad Things Look; See Something Good!
Blessings
J.P. Olson
Sunday, February 26, 2017
You Cannot Expect To Have An Enjoyable Marriage That Has No Joy! If Only We’d Stop Inviting And Involving Jesus In The Wedding. And Start Inviting & Involving Jesus In The Marriage.
A love triangle is usually a prescription for broken hearts unless you have the kind of love triangle that keeps hearts from being broken.
Now, there's a formula in Ecclesiastes 4. It's a formula for lasting bonds between people. You could very well call it the arithmetic of love. Here's what it says beginning at verse 9, "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up. If two lie down together they will keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." (TLB)
That passage is a powerful statement about relationships, especially if you apply it to the ultimate relationship of marriage. It says two work together better than one, two walk together better than one, two stand together better than one, and then suddenly the number changes. Suddenly it's talking about three strands. Wait…I thought we were talking about two…
So enters the love triangle: a husband, a wife, and a Savior. That's the kind of love triangle that avoids broken hearts. Ephesians 5:21 alludes to it when it says; speaking to husbands and wives, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." (NIV). It's the Jesus factor in a marriage that always makes the difference. Now, the triangle is the strongest geometric figure there is, and a love triangle with Christ at the top is virtually indestructible!
In other words, you've got the man and woman joined together by that line along the bottom, but they both have a line going up to Jesus at the top. That bond between the man and the woman will fray sometimes. There's interference, there's disappointment, there's disillusionment, there's hurt. But if both the man and woman are connected to Christ at the top of the triangle, that bond will hold them together when the bond of human compatibility is unraveling.
The problem with many of us as spouses is, we don’t always keep Christ at the top of the triangle. Often we fight to be in the top slot that we push Him down, or take Him out of the equation altogether. But the only way for the love triangle with Jesus to work effectively, is to always be certain that He maintains His top priority position. While we’re fighting to be heard, fighting to be right, fighting to prove the other wrong, fighting to get the upper-hand, we undermine His hand on our Covenant.
Which makes you wonder: As soon as we think divorce is the answer, isn’t it amazing when you share that theory with others, most will always ask, “have you prayed about it first?” Why do they ask that? Well, genius, you can’t call yourself a Christian then make a decision to Crucify your Covenant, and think people aren’t going to ask if you consulted Christ! Even other people are under the impression that you have Christ in your marriage! And so they ask the obvious question of “have you prayed about it first?” And more often than not, we haven’t, we just want a quick fix for what we’ve allowed to slowly break down over the years. We want Jesus, in the beginning, to bless our covenant, but as soon as conflict and crisis hits along the journey, we pull the marriage over, kick Jesus out from behind the wheel, and then drive our marriages right over the cliff! After all, how can you possibly think you can reach your marital destination without the only One who has the directions? And remember, we kicked Him out! But when you take over the Wheel, you lose your Way from His Will!
So, the question is, "How much is Jesus Christ a real Person and Presence in your marriage?" Do you pray together about real life issues as if Jesus is right there with you? "Lord, we've got to talk to You about this together."
In fact, when was the last time you prayed With your spouse? And not for houses, cars, land, business, ministry, money, promotion, elevation, or personal gain. But prayed With your spouse: “Lord, teach us to be loving, faithful, supportive, encouraging, kind, generous, patient, forgiving. Teach us to acknowledge one another’s strength’s and be patient and understanding in one another’s weaknesses. Teach us to be a better man and woman; better husband and wife; better father and mother; better son and daughter; better disciples; better believers, better friends, better spouses, better lovers, better teammates. Teach us to walk by faith and not by sight. Teach us to trust You when our finances or health is failing. Teach us to be Your mirror to the world of what unconditional love really looks like.” When is the last time you prayed With your spouse, not for personal gain, but for personal growth?
Do you often ask together, "What would Jesus do?" Are you cultivating the habit of sharing what Christ has said to you from His Word that day with each other? Are you at church together? Do you sit together? Do you labor in ministry together? Do you get on your knees together and fight for your family and children?
And though most ‘super-saved Christian’s’ may call it ‘carnal’, but do you also laugh together, watch television together, travel together, go to the movies, out to dinner, go shopping, do you still date and court your spouse? Do you call and text your spouse as much as you do everybody else? Are you in your spouses’ face more than you’re on Facebook? Do you share as many pictures with your spouse as you do with Instagram? Do you text your spouse as much as you tweet? Do you send flowers? Do you enjoy engaging conversation from talking about Jesus, to the weather, to the government, to what you ate for lunch? Do you take walks? Do you still share dreams, or have you become each other’s nightmares? Do you sit down to dinner, in your own home, at your own dinner table, without the intruding guest of your cellphone, internet or social media?
Do you go for a long drive? Picnic in the park? Weekend get-a-ways to absolutely no-where in particular? Have you planned your vacation? I know, sounds ‘carnal’ to some, but for those who know that it takes your body, soul and spirit to make a marriage work, you get it!
We don’t spend all of our time in church, in the Word or in prayer! Those things are wonderful, those things are needful, especially when they’re done as couples, however, going to the beach together won’t send you to hell either!
If you’re finding it difficult to laugh with your spouse over something silly, then something is wrong!
Even Jesus, slept, ate, prayed, wept…in other words, Jesus expressed His natural as well as His spiritual. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with you doing the very same thing! As a couple you can preach the walls of Jericho down, but when you’re done, go to Olive Garden and eat some pasta! Are you getting this?!
You Cannot Expect To Have An Enjoyable Marriage That Has No Joy!
Maybe the marriage is rotting because you’ve both stopped eating the fruit of the Spirit! Imagine if you digested daily more love for your spouse, more joy and peace with your spouse, more forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and gentleness towards your spouse, and more self-control to keep yourself only for your spouse, you’d see a tremendous difference take place in your marriage. That’s the beauty of having Jesus not only in your marriage, or a part of your marriage, but having Him (His Spirit) as Head Over your marriage! Then, even on bad days, you could still be good to your spouse!
So, are you attempting to make marriage work with just the two of you, or have you considered a love triangle with Jesus? After all, who better to have in the midst of your marriage, and even in the midst of its’ problems than Jesus? Jesus saves, heals, delivers, forgives, understands, is patient, kind, loving, and generous. Who better to teach a couple such characteristics but the One who has exemplified such characteristics with the Godhead? Isn’t it amazing how they work together? And as a believer, you have the opportunity and privilege to invite them into your marriage to show you how to work together just like them.
I’ve always said it, and always will, most often the issue in marriage isn’t ‘we’ve grown apart’, the issue is ‘we haven’t grown up.’ Marriage takes maturity. It takes two people that will stop screaming ‘mine’ and start screaming ‘ours’. It takes two people that will stop trying to have their own way, and instead go in the way of God. It takes two people who learn to talk to each other and with each other not against each other and at each other. It takes two people who learn to attentively listen, even when they have so much they want to say.
Love triangles with people will destroy your marriage, but one with the Godhead ensures that it’s indestructible! Which will choose today?
The good news? You don’t have to do it alone! If Only We’d Stop Inviting And Involving Jesus In The Wedding Only…And Start Inviting And Involving Jesus In The Marriage Always!
Before you get married, wait for someone who is joined to Jesus as you are, because it is worth the wait. And after you marry, practice His presence daily in your home. A love triangle with Jesus as that real third person is the strongest bond on earth!
I pray this devotional will encourage every Covenant Couple in Christ to maintain their Connection and Commitment to the Awesome Call of Marriage!
“Fight less, cuddle more. Demand less, serve more. Text less, talk more. criticize less, compliment more. Stress less, laugh more. Worry less, pray more. With each new day, find new ways to love each other even more.” (Dave Willis)
“Your spouse should never have to face any struggle without your full partnership, encouragement, and support.” (Dave Willis)
“Lifelong love isn’t the result of Compatibility. It’s the result of Commitment.” It's a covenant to be kept. (Dave Willis)
Blessings
J.P. Olson
www.thewordwithjpolson.com
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