Tabatha

I pray, talk and communicate with God when I am lonely, When I need to be close to Him. He is my friend, He is my lover. When I just tell God how much I love Him He pours it back on me. Yes I talk to Him for self edification and encouragement when I am down. I also talk to God re; difficulties of others. I talk to Him about Israel and the needs of the war over there. Yes God knows what I need before asking, The purpose of asking is putting pride aside and acknowledge Him as my provider and my dependance upon Him. I enjoy the intimaticy we have. I love the personal relationship we have. I am always excited when He gives me conversation back. Pray is a two way conversation with God when we are still and listen. There are times when He does correct me and I have to repent. Those are time I am grateful He loves me so much He is not going to leave me where I am.

Where is your treasure? So many things come to mind when I think of what Jesus is saying in these three verses that begin our passage. Are you earthly minded or heavenly minded? Are you investing in the future eternity to come, or are you investing in the here and now? Are you enthralled with the temporary versus the permanent? Now obviously all of these are asking the same thing, but it is very important that we fully grasp this thought. Jesus uses the three examples below to show how the things we deem most important are only temporary. He uses the moth, rust, and the theif. We can all think of example of these things in our lives. I had bought a new car that I badly wanted, It cut my finances short, the first thing that stopped was my tithing, the next thing that happened the car kept having trouble to the tune of $3,500.00. You can guess how fast I got rid of that car for a cheaper and older one. God does have His way. I am back on track. Praise God. A little humility comes with that. " Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves breal in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" ( Matthew 6:19-21 ) "tHE LAMP of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, Your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness". ( Matthew 6: 22- 23 ) Gathering up riches here on earth blurs our vision. It causes us not to se the truth, the will of God, correctly. It distorts our vision, causing us to not see God as clearly as maybe we once did. The eye that is full of light is a life lived by faith in the eternal promises of God. We may not be able to see the physical manifestation of those things, but we believe by faith in the truth that one day we will be with Christ-the end of our faith, the salvation of our souls. When our focus is on earthly, temporal things, our sight is all blurred and messed up. When our treasure is on earth; it is a distraction from what is really going on. We cannot see straight. Look at two examples in ( Hebrews 11).

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. ( Matthew 6:19-24) Yes, I belive He means that Literal, Depends on where their heart is. Jesus says we can have only one master, We live in a materialistic society where many people serve money. They spend all their lives collecting and storing it, only to die and leave it behind. Their for money and what it can buy far outweighs their commitment to God and spiritual matters. Whatever you store up, you will spend much of your time and energy thinking about Don't fall into the materialistic trap, because " the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" ( 1 Timothy 6: 10 ) Can you honestly say that God , and not money, is your master? One test is to ask which one occupies more of your thoughts, time, and efforts. Jesus contrasted heavenly values with earthly values when He explained that our first loyalty should be to those things that do not fade. cannot be stolen or used up, and never wear out. We should not be fascinated with our possessions, lest they possess us. This means we may have to do some cutting back if our posessions are becoming too important to us. Jesus is calling for a decision that allows us to live contentedly with whatever we have because we have chosen what is eternal and lasting. One of the main points, if not the main point is our relationship as Christians to our our heavenly Father. In this chapter alone Jesus mentions the term "Father" 11 times, showing the significance and importance of that relationship. Our relationship to the Father as His children is the most remarkable and incredible relationship. We have been bought with a price, so that we can be called"children of God' ( Romans 8: 15- 17 ). The big question from Sermon on the Mount is the question of where my heart is. In reading through and studying the Sermon on the Mount over the past several months, my heart has been challenged to really think through this question and to evalute if my heart is seeking after self or after a real, vibrant relationship with God. In a lot of ways, we can put on many masks and faces so people perceive us as spiritual or Godly, when in reality, deep in our heart of hearts or in our private life, we struggle with fears, temptations, and desiring the things of the world for man's praise instead of glorifying God. In this passage, Jesus directly addresses the heart by asking the question, " Where is your treasure?" He says in ( Matthew 6:21 ), " For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." There are a lot of things vying for your heart, as this is the control center for life.

" How do we lay up treasures in heaven?" The answer is by living the way God has asked us to live and following after Him in all that we do. There are so many things which all narrow down to loving God with all your heart,soul, mind, and strength, loving your neighbor as your self. Storing up treaures in heaven is not limited to tithing but is accomplished by all acts of obedience to God. There is a sense in which giving our money to God's work is like investing in heaven. But our intention should be to seek the fulfilment of God's purpose in all we do, not merely what we do with our money. In contrast, Jesus says in ( Matthew 6:20 ), " But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." here Jesus is talking about laying up eternal treasures that do not fade away. What are these treasures Jesus is talking about? (1st. Peter 1: 3-6 ). Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God though now for a little while,if need be, you have ben grieved by various trials. What an awesome thing to know that as believers our inheritance is waiting for us, that as children of God, we will inherit eternity! Being with Christ, that is our reward! Those who strive to store up treasures here on earth will be disappointed because those treasures will only pass away. " The scripture teaches that the heart is the control center for life. A persons life is a reflection of his heart. ( Proverbs 4:23 ) states it like this: " Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the well spring of life.' The word picture here is graphic. The heart is a well from which all issues of life gush forth.

Jesus was speaking Specifically, "Where is your treasure? " So many things come to mind when I think of what Jesus is saying in these verses. Are you earthly minded or heavenly minded? Are you investing in the future eternity to come, or are you investing in the here and now? Are you enthralled with the temporary versus the permanant? Now obviously all of these are asking the same thing, but it is very important that we fully grasp this thought. Jesus uses the three examples below to show how the things we deem most important are only tempory. He uses the moth, rust, and the thief. We can all think of examples of these things in our lives. For instances, someone drives a new car off the lot so proudly. They love this vehicle. They have the windows rolled down and the music cranked as they want the world to know they have just bought this new car! The next thing you know, a little humility comes as they are sideswiped, and their new shiny car is destroyed and no longer of value. This is an old teaching: In the final statement in verse ( 21 ), Jesus goes back to the heart: " FOR WHERE YOURE TREASURE IS, THERE YOUR HEART WILL BE ALSO." one of the ten commandments states: ' YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME' ( Exodus 20: 3 ). When we set our hearts on things of this earth and fall to the temptation of being wordly in our ways, we are committing idolatry. ( Matthew 6: 19-24 ) No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other, You cannot serve God and mammom' ( matthew 6:19- 24 ) The temptations we face as believers is the temptation of being like the world in seeking treasures on this earth. So often, we look at the things of this earth and say to ourselves, " If only I had that, then I would be all set." We seek to find security and satisfaction in temporary things instead of what we already have in our relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ. Both of these temptations want our attention, and both distract us from what truly matters-- " For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The Parable of the Rich fool ( Luke 12: 13-21 ) In this parable, Jesus makes a profound statement we all should listen to very carefully. He states in verse ( 15 ) that " ONE'S LIFE DOES NOT CONSIST IN THE ABUNDANCE OF THINGS HE POSSESSES. " The parable of the rich fool suggests this very thing. This parable tells of a rich man who has yielded a great crop. He decides to tear down old barns and build newer, bigger barns. Thenafter he is done, he decides to retire, so to speak, thinking that he has enough stored up to last many years. Now he can sit back, relax, and take it easy. What happens? God call him a fool and says that his life is required of him that day. Jesus completes this parable by saying, ' SO IS HE WHO LAYS UP TREASURE FOR HIMSELF, AND IS NOT RICH TOWARD GOD.' So many of us long for the day we can sit back and enjoy our fortune we have been saving up for retirement and take the path of easiness. This man was ruled by his wealth, thinking of all he had accumlated, only to die that night and see his wealth squandered and split up. He was unable to take it with him. This relates to the sermon on the mount in the part of giving to the poor. Loving your neighbor as your self--if a man has a need for a shirt and you have extra, give him one-- be a cheerful giver, honoring God in your giving from what ever you have. Loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, " For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The context of this parable is where his heart was. His heart was full of greed. He was hoarding his possesions

Christ is very clear, both in the warning attached to the Lord's Prayer and in the parable in (Matthew 18) . If we do not forgive others, our sins will not be forgiven. Those who are saved by grace alone, must show gratitude for grace in their attitudes toward other and in their daily lives. " Lord, I have manifested my faith in your grace by forgiving others, continue to show mercy to me for I truly believe." This petition is unique in the Lord's prayer. It is the only one with an argument attached. We ask God to forgive our sins because we forgive those who have sinned against us. This is the kind of praying that we often see in the book of Psalms where David offers God reasons and arguments for the petitions that he urges. In such a short prayer it is remarkable that an argument is attached to this petition. Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive someone who offended him, "Up to seven times seventy. ( Matthew 18:21 ). In asking this Peter no doubt thought he was being generous. Among the Rabbis, some explicitly taught that a man could be forgiven three times. Seventy times seven! Which is to say, however many times the sinner sins against us, we must forgive him. Indeed, if we did not, no family or church could stay to gether Daily forgiveness means daily confession of our sins. It means daily repentance. The Christian life is a life of repeated repentance and renewal. We will always be sinners in this life and will always need to be renewed in our faith and repentance. The essence of perseverance is daily repentance for our sins and trust in the grace of God to save us. Our Lord's instruction connects our perseverance with helping other Christians to persevere, for that is part of what it means to forgive others. Jesus instructed the disciples to rebuke those who sinned against them not so that they could humiliate the person, but so that they could help reclaim the sinner from sin. To admonish a sinning brother is to seek a lost sheep ( Matthew 18:12-15 ).

The basic meaning of this request is clear enough, But there are a few points worth mentioning, ( First ), when we pray for our daily bread from God, We are taught to trust in Him for all things, even the food that we daily receive. Though it seems to superficial appearance that men obtain their bread with or withour prayer, we are taught to seek our bread from Him that it may be blessed and that we might receive it rightly, for it is a gift from Him, regardless of appearances. ( second ), the prayer for daily bread should be considered as including all of our basic physical necessities. In order to live, we need shelter; we need clothing. Whatever physical need we have as workers for His kingdom should be regarded as included in this request. ( Third ), It is worthy of note that we are here seeking physical blessings from God. God is not the Lord only of the "spiritual " realm or of "spiritual" people. God created us as physical creatures who depend upon the physical world around us for our lives. We seek to be independent of God because mostly of pride in ourselves. The point is that we are taught to ask humbly. Jesus says, " our daily bread." This is not a prayer for riches and fame. jesus does not encourage us to think of God as a magical source of all things we would like to have. We ask with humility because we are asking that He enable us to work for His kingdom. The point here, by the way, is not that it is wrong for us to ask for something more than bread that we need for a single day, but that we ask God for what we need to work for His kingdom. We commit our needs to Him If He decides to give us only our daily bread, we should be content with it. God could have created us so that one meal sufficed for a whole week or even a month. Think how much more convenient that would be for Mothers and how much we could reduce our food bills! But God had something else in mind. He created us as hungry creatures who eat three times a day so we could learn something of our dependence upon God through our dependence on the physical creation. The physical creation, in other words, is given to us as an object lesson to teach us our need of God. In the context of our Lord's instructions and note that He teaches us to seek our daily bread from God so that we may seek His kingdom. To understand what it means to trust in Him daily for all that we are and have is one of the most profound lessons we can learn. It is not something that we know just because we say the words. We learn just like the Israelites did. In our daily walk with God, We are tested and tried on all points. If we are praying the Lord's Prayer daily, God will impress the lessons of His prayer deeply in our hearts through our daily experience of His goodness. We will learn to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and to trust in Him to provide for our every need.

The phrase ""Your kingdom come" is a reference to God's spiritual reign, not Israel's freedom from Rome > God's Kingdom was announced in the covenant with ABRAHAM( LUKE:13:28 ).it is to be present in Christ's reign in believers hearts ( LUke 17:21 ) and will be complete when all evil is destroyed and God establishes the new heaven and earth. ( Revelation 21:1 ). When we pray " Your will be done." we are not resigning ourselves to fate, but praying that God's perfect purpose will be accomplished in this world as well as in the next. This prayer of asking for God's will should be a desire to change our hearts and lives. By giving God permission to taking us as a living sacrifice to mold us and make us in to the person He created us to be. By getting all the pride, and selfishness out. By causing us to have more compassion for those who are in bondage to Satan. To ask for more of Christ and less of us. Our lives should represent the life of Christ who died for us. We need to be more of a witness to all we come in contact with those who do not know the Jesus we know. Showing God's love to the less fortunate than us. Be available to be a servant.In season and out of season.

This is often called the Lord's Prayer because Jesus gave it to the disciples, it can be a pattern for our prayers . We should praise God ,pray for His work in the world , pray for our daily needs and pray for help in our daily struggles . The phrase, " OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN " endicates that God is not only Majestic and Holy, but also personal and loving.The first line of this model prayer is a statement of praise and a commitment to Hallow, and Honor God's Holy name. We can honor God's name by being careful to use it respectfully.If we use God's name lightly we aren't remembering God's Holiness When I hear people call Him the "Man" upstairs It hurts my spirit, When they use "G, D' It is not honoring the creator of the universe. I feel even worse when I hear some so called christians say O' "God" they just don't think, The Jews will not use the word "God " because it is so holy to them God is some one we need to be very careful how we use His name and treat Him, He brought us into this world and He can take us out just as quickly. We need to read more on How He dealt with the Israelites in the wilderness. I have many ways to address Him. Powerful Almighty God, Father, Awesome creator. Our God sent His Son here to made Him known to mankind. And His Son will return for those who have respected God as the creator of the universe and this earth. He is great and mighty and is looking for those who will help build His kingdom on this earth. Our lives and our words must bring Glory and Honor to God. We are never to belittle His name in any form. The day will come when every idle word that comes forth from our lips will be judged, let us hope it will not be descrating the Great Almighty God but bringing Glory to Him.

This was a prayer The Holy Spirit gave me the beginning of the New Year. I am writing this prayer because I felt the Holy Spirit wanted me to share for those who may need it. Father I want to ask your forgiveness for my unbelief. I repent every way that my perspectives, mind sets, and beliefs have been out of your will. I repent for my backsliding and I want to make a new commitment to you. Lord Jesus. Please cleanse me, I want to be restored to the lamp of your first love. Holy Spirit, Please come and expose any of the tactics and schemes that the enemy is using to keep me from possessing the Promised Land. Please reveal what could be standing between me and the promise. What's keeping me from the fullness of my destiny? What's keeping me from my inheritance, God? I want to overcome the gaints and to militantly take what you have promised me and overcome every hindrance and obstacle. I want to be like Calab and Joshua who had the right perspective. They knew what a big, faithful God You are and that You would help thrie nation to dispossess the giants and then tak possession of the Promised Land. Father I thank You for writing Your promises to me upon my heart. Today I am saying I am about to take my promises and go to war and stand against the gaints in the land of God,Give me wisdom and divine strategy to fight them. With Your help I can overcome! God I believe Your promises to me are true and I know That You have a great Plan, purpose, and destiny for me. Lord, I present myself to You as a Living Sacrifice. If you will send me to the nations and tell whoever will listen to the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus, I take authority today over every spiritual stronghold! I stand against those gaints! Every tactic of the Devil! In the name of Jesus Christ, every gaint that is trying to hinder and block me, I command to get out of the way of the Holy One! In the name of Jesus Christ. I will no longer settle for less than Your perfect will! I will no longer be complacent! I am going to rise up and fight the good fight of Faith! The weapons of my warfare are mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds. Father, let every gaint stronghold in my belief system come down now! Be destroyed now! I can do all things through Christ who strengths me! I am more than a conqueror in the name of Jesus! Amen! Glory to God In all things. Hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!

Public prayer was one way to get attention, Sometimes it can be a stumbling block for new Christians who won't pray cause they feel they can't pray as good as that other person who uses all the right words led sometimes by the flesh and not the Spirit. Jesus saw through their self-righteous acts , however, and taught that the essence of prayer is not public style but private communcation with God. I love talking to God, then I have to be quiet so I can listen to Him. Sometimes He gives me directions, or wait, or no answer just His wonderful presence. There is a place for public prayer , but to prayer only where others will notice you indicates that your audience is not God. Repeating the same words over and over like magic incantation is no way to ensure that God will hear your prayer . It's not wrong to come to God many times with the same requests - Jesus encourages persistent prayer. But He condemns the shallow reptition of words that are not offered with a sincere heart. We can never pray to much if our prayers are honest and sincere. Before you start to pray , make sure your heart is cleansed before God and you mean what you say.

Injoy your time away I have enjoyed reading you reply's God Bless you JanMary May his Blessing go with you Tabatha

The term Hypocrites, as used here , describes people who do good acts for appearances only__not out of compassion or other good motives. Their actions may be good, but their motives are hollow. These empty acts are their only reward, but God will reward those who are sincere in their faith. There is one thing I love to do and that is cook, When I hear prayer requests for people who are sick and need prayer, I fix them a meal for however many in the family and take them food. No one need ever know. My cubbards are never bare. Another thing I like doing is sending cards when I feel some one needs encouraging. God has blessed me so above and beyond what i expect, not always materially, but also spiritually. When Jesus says not to let your left hand know what your right hand is doing , He is teaching that our motives for giving to God and to others must be pure. It is easy to give with mixed motives , to do something for someone if it will benefit us in return . But believers should avoid all scheming and give for the pleasure of giving and as a response to God's love . I believe sometimes we hold back giving to the poor for fear of wanting to bless ourselves with material things to do better than the Jones. If we give what we have we are afraid of going with out. I find when I don't have much I just share and God replenishs double but not always what I gave out. I love God's surprises when He blesses. LOL I always remember Job's life. Amazing

It's easier to do what's right when we gain recognition and praise . To be sure our motives are not selfish, we should do our good deeds quietly or in secret , with no thought of reward . Jesus says we should check our motives in three areas : generosity ( 6:4). prayer (6:6 ). and fasting ( 6: 18 ). Those acts should not be self centered, but God centered, done not to make us look good but to make God look good. The reward God promises is not material and it is never given to those who seek it. Doing something only for ourselves is not a loving sacrefice. With your next good deed , ask " Would I still do this if no one would ever know I Did it?" Some people, especially the religious leaders , wanted to be seen as, "Holy. " I had went to a conference once and I was so disgusted when one of the well known speakers who knew there was a need in a certain ministery stood up and began revealing this to the people. I looked at this person who had the need and they were so embarassed. The wife quietly got up and left. The speaker asked people to come forward and lay money on the steps of the platform and in doing so God would triple their finances that month.(So much pride). Another time a Pastor told the people to tithe 90% of their check and God would double the amount of their income that month. Many people went with out and bills were not paid and they scrimped through with their families. If God calls us to do this I am all for it. In my Spirit I felt uncomfortable. I felt it was for show and it was a big sham. Mentioning the need was not a problem, I felt the speaker should have simply told the people to just slip a blessing in a Holy handshake where everyone did not see. God would see. and the giver would be blessed in God's way for what ever their need might be. I have had people put an offering in the plate for my ministery with no name but designed to give to me. I would never know who it was, but God knew. This was given for an "audience of one. "

( Matthew 5; 38-41 ) Of bearing injuries and persecutions, Of borrowing and lending,( Matthew 5:42 )Of love and hatred, ( Matthew 5:43 -46 ) Of Civil Respect, ( Matthew 5: 47 ) Christ's disciples must resemble their Heavenly Father., ( Mattthew 5: 48 ) The only example I can think of to defend ourselves is when evil attacks our country, our schools, our families for no reason. But I believe it must be done in a just way not in reveange.

Jesus wants us to do more than is required of us by our enemies, By those who are trying to use us, by those who are trying to take advantage of us. Rather than turn on them with resistance and retaliation we are to-- in love for them-- give them more than they require. Where there is hatered we give love. turn the other cheek and bless them.

To many Jews of Jesus' day, these statements were offensive. Any Messiah who would turn the other cheek was not the military leader they wanted to lead a revolt against Rome. Since they were under Roman oppression , they wanted retalliation against their enemies, whom they hated. But Jesus suggested a new radical response to injustice: instead of demanding rights, give them up freely! According to Jesus , it is more important to give justice and mercy than to receive it. No I do not agree we would aide and abet evil. Take these example in obedience to the command of Jesus. God's purpose behind this law was an expression of mercy. The law was given to judges and said, in effect, "Make the punishment fit the crime. " It was not a guide for personal revenge. These laws were given to limit vengeance and help the court administer punishment that was neither too strict nor too lenient. Some people , however , were using this phrase to justify their vendettes against others. People still try to excuse their acts of revenge by saying," I was just doing to him what he did to me. When we were wronged , often our first reaction is to get even. Instead Jesus said we should do good to those who wrong us ! Our desire should not be to keep score. but to love and forgive. That is not natural- it is supernatural. Only God can give us the strength to love as He does. Instead of planning vengeance , pray for those who hurt you.

( Exodus 21: 24 ) The "eye for an eye" rule was instituted as a guide for judges, not as a rule for personal relationships or to justify revenge. This rule made thr punishment fit the crime, thereby preventing the cruel and bar baric punishments that characterized many ancient countries. Jesus used this principle to teach us not to retaliate ( Matthew 5: 38-48). Judges, parents teachers, and others who work with people must make wise decisions in order for discipline to be effective. A punishment too harsh is unfair, and one too lenient is powerless to teach. Ask God for wisdom before you judge. ( Leviticus 24: 20 ); This was a code for judges, not an endorsement of personal vengeance. In effect, it was saying that the punishment should fit the crime, but it should not go beyond. ( Dueteronomy 19: 15-21 ) This principle was for the judges to use, not a plan for personal vengeance. This attitude towards punishment may seem primitive, but it was actually a breakthrough for justice and fairness in ancient times when most nations used arbitrary methods to punishcriminals. This guideline reflects a concern for evenhandedness and justice-- ensuring that those who violeted the law were not punished more severly than their particular crime deserved. In the same spirit of justice, a false witness was to receive the same punishment the accused persn would have suffered. The principle of making the punishment fit the crime should still be observed today.

I like what swordwoman said Amen

How can we be perfect? (1) in character. in this life we cannot be flawless . but we can aspire to be as much like Christ as possible (2) in holiness . Like the Pharisees, we are to seperate ourselves from the world's sinful value. But unlike the Pharisees, we are to be devoted to God's desires rather than our own, and carry His love and mercy into the world. (3) in maturity. We can't achieve Christlike character and holy living all at once, but we must grow toward maturity and wholeness. Just as we expect different behavior from a baby, a child, a teenager , and an adult , so God expects different behavior from us, depending on our stage of spiritual development . (4) in love. We can seek to love others as completely as God loves us. We can be perfect if our behavior is appropriate for our maturity level-- perfect, yet with much room to grow. Our tendency to sin must never deter us from striving to be more like Christ. Christ calls all of His disciples to excel, to rise above mediocrity. and to mature in every area. becoming like Him. Those who strive to become perfect will one day be perfect , even as Christ is perfect. ( 1 John 3:2,3).

Here Jesus was emphasizing the importance of telling the truth . People were breaking promises and using sacred language casually and carelessly. Keeping oaths and promises is important it builds trust and makes commited human relationships possible. The bible condemns making vows or taking oaths casually, giving your word while knowing you won't keep it, or swearing falsely in God's name. ( Exodud 20: 7) Oaths are needed in certain situations cause we live in a sinful society that breeds distrusts. Oaths, or vows, were common, but jesus told his followers not to use them-- their word alone should be enough, ( see James 5: 12 ). Are you known as a person of your word? Truthfulness seems so rare that we feel we must end our statements with"I promise". If we tell the truth all the time, we will have less pressure to back up our words with an oath or promise.

I am in agreement with Elwood. I have two friends who were divorced because of abuse. The wife was drawen to a beautiful Christian man, (She to is a christian) They became friends and through this they were healed. They both came to me for counsel in what to do because they felt to remarry. My counsel was I could not say yes or no. This was between them and God. I am an ordained minister I prayed with them and God put so much love in my heart for them. I continued to pray God' would give them the right answer. After a year of staying pure They came to me again for my blessing. I took them in a prayer of repentance, They wept on their faces before God and repented of their sin of divorece. There was such peace and the presence of God's forgiveness. They were married two years ago, The new husband is teaching hurting and broken people. They have a bible study with so many needy hurting people. The past is in the past. Praise God. for a new start.

Here is a suggestion disciples against this law of Christ, ( Mat. 19:10); If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is better not to marry. It seems, the disciples themselves were loth to give up the liberty of divorce, thinking it a good expedient for preserving comfort in the married state; and therefore, like sullen children, if they have not what they would have, they will throw away what they have. If they may not be allowed to put away their wives when they please, they will have no wives at all; though, from the beginning, when no divorce was allowed, God said, it is not good for man to be alone, and blessed them, pronounced them blessed who were thus strictly joined together; yet, unless they may have liberty of divorce, they think it is good for a man not to marry.Corrupt nature is impatient of restraint, and would break Christ's bonds in sunder, and have a liberty for it's own lusts. It is foolish, peevish thing for men to abandon the comforts of this life, because of the crosses that are commonly woven in with them, as if we must need to go out of the world, because we have not every thing to our mind in the world; or must enter into no useful calling or condition, because it is made our duty to abide in it, No, whatever our condition is we must bring our minds to be thankful for its comforts, submissive to its crosses, and, as God has done, set the one over against the other, and make the best of that which is, ( Ecc 7:14 ). If the yoke of marriage may not be thrown off at pleasure, it does not follow that therefore we must not come under it; but therefore, when we do come under it, we must resolve to comport with it, by love, and meekness, and patience, which will make divorce the most unnecessary undesirable thing that can be!

I believe they reacted negatively to his teaching on marriage and divorce because they probabaly were already practicing it., and I believe they understood clearly. It is very clear through out the bible the reason for Moses's law. It was because of the hardness of their hearts. In Gen. 2: 24 God made it quite clear what was to be between Man and woman. The law of Moses allowing divorce for the hardness of men's hearts. and the law of Christ forbidding it, intimate, that Christians being under a dispensation of love and liberty, tenderness of heart may justly be expected among them, that they will not be hard-hearted, like the Jews, for God has called us to peace. There will be no occasion for divorces, If we forbear one another and forgive one another, in love, as those that are, and hope to be forgiven, and have found God not forward to put us away ( Isa. 50:1 ). No need of divorces , if husband, and they live together as heirs of the grace of life: and these are the laws of Christ, such as we find not in all the law of Moses.