PATJOE

It has been mentioned that there is an awareness of a lot of pain that has been suffered by many in their marriage experiences. I am one of them, and I apologize, but I am not comfortable answering any of these questions. The way I am dealing with my experiences here (with God), is on a much simpler basis than these questions.

Jesus often spoke in parables and/or statements that were not easily understood. I think his disciples had some trouble understanding Jesus' meaning and possibly had no choice but to take a literal viewpoint. This would cause them to ask many questions. Yes. I think the disciples had as much trouble totally understanding Jesus' words on marriage and divorce as we do to-day.

No, Moses did not command divorce. The Mosaic law allows divorce, but regulates it with Christian provisos. If either partner in a marriage (or both) become hardened of heart, where love is no longer present, this is devastating to all children issue of that marriage and corrupts the hearts of the married couple as well. This law removed the bonds of devastation and offers a second chance "to get it right with God's help". God's intention was for men and women to come together in marriage to love and respect each other and to raise children "in God's House". This was not intended to be reversible at will.

Since it is God's word and intention for man and woman to be joined in marriage as "one flesh", those who are Christian and believe in God, should be married before they engage in sexual relationships. Those who don't believe in God, are still His creation and whom He eternally waits for to return to Him, so yes, non-believers, when married, are alsojoined as one flesh, in my opinion. I believe making into "one flesh" is accomplished by both religious ceremony and natural law. To answer the last question, the divorce rate today far outweighs committed lasting marriages, so I would say much less than 50% have been joined together by God. I believe both parties to marriage should want God's blessing so they can come together in Christian faith and together live with each other and raise their families according to God's plan. They should be willing to settle for nothing less. So the problem in my opinion, begins with the reasons people get married in the first place. So many do not give God the major role, and therefore do not last. So many marry for selfish reasons - for what "being married" can do for them. When both are of this mind, two selfish people can never respect or stay in love with one another. And this selfishness, is the very element that caused them to chose to not allow God into their lives from the beginning. To let God in, is to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you". I don't believe this sentence is ever spoken or even thought about in the greatest majority, sadly, of today's marriages.

Jesus sided with Rabbi Shammai who believed the only reason for divorce would be unchastity. Jesus said only unfaithfulness would be accepted as a reason for divorce. Deuteronomy 24:1-4 talks about uncleaness being the acceptable reason for divorce, which could refer to unfaithfulness, but to other unclean issues as well.

We are to take lus+ very seriously as it can cost us our gift of eternal life if we succumb without correction. When we look at all people through Christ's eyes, we will love them with His love and respect them for the beautiful people they are in Christ, inside as well as out. We would therefore not be able to even entertain the thought of harming them or debasing their God-given character, as well as our own.

Advice to a sufferer of *********** addiction would be 1) prayer asking for God's strength and guidance to not want this element in their life any longer; 2) ridding their home of everything that offers temptation, including blocking access to electronic **** by phone, TV and internet. You can block access on the internet; stay away from beaches and pools until your inner person is whole again; and stay away or block all TV channels offering temptation.

Pornogr*phy makes God's gift of married sexual desire (intended to be a beautiful union between husband and wife), a common-place trap for men seeking sexual arousal by looking at women, other than his wife; it cheapens the women who pose; it harms children who have such easy access; it pulls everyone involved away from God and straight into satan's clutches. Going to prostitutes helps these women to continue on their wayward path; it is against God's intentions and opens all involved to the possibility of serious diseases. Victims of this activity are wives who are hurt and left behind momentarily, by their husbands, and then put at risk of disease, and the children who are born within these breached marriages are major victims of broken homes, and/or discord in their homes. Once it is introduced into a family's home, it becomes a banquet for satan to feast on from every angle.

God-given sexual desire is intended by God to be within he bounds of marriage and to be a beautiful union between man and wife. Any sexual desire outside of marriage, to a married or a single person, is forbidden lus+.

**** will lead to adultery. **** is in the mind and adultery is the act. Jesus said to **** after a person in your mind, one has already committed adultery in his heart.

I believe the main theme of Jesus' teaching in all of these verses is "Love". Put God first -- Love Him with all of your heart, soul and mind - and secondly, as Jesus taught, "Love your neighbor/fellowman as yourself. If the world were revolving around this kind of love, that puts God first and all others as our equals, then anger, insult and even murder would be non-existent, and all problem areas would be solved with each other through mutual respect of others positions in life, and never have a need to go to court (where a lot of extra trouble can start).

I believe to settle out of court, with God's guidance, keeps us under God's control and not the rulings of the courts and all of the negative ramifications that go with court decision. In other words be a "self-starter" when reconciliation is needed, to keep oneself out of trouble with the courts and with God. We need to settle with ourselves and our fellowman first and quickly so that we can make it right now, before we have to stand before God on these unresolved issues.

When we come to the Lord to worship Him, if we want His full audience, we need to put on the gift of Christ's righteousness. We need then, to make everything as right as possible with our fellowman first so as not to bring impurity or ill feelings with us. We are to approach this person directly to attempt reconciliation. If our attempts to reconcile are not accepted by our brother, we are to leave that matter between him and God. The fact that we did attempt to reconcile to the best of our ability is what matters. We cannot resolve anything without relying on God's guidance and we can't ever resolve anything on behalf of another.

Any derogatory name hurled at another, injures and kills a part of their spirit (and maybe their entire spirit) and the damage can last for a life time. It doesn't stop them from taking their next breath, but it murders their self-esteem. Yes, a murder is no worse than an angry insult in God's eyes. We should try to live "In God's spirit" every minute of the day so that by His being at our side, He guards us against such venomous behavior to our fellowman. We need to focus on the fact that God sees all and God hears all, and to injure our fellow man with verbal onslaught, we also injure our beloved Lord, and according to scripture, Jesus sheds tears for us, and because of us because He too feels the pain we have inflicted. May God help us all in this all too prevalent sin against God and our fellowman.

I do not speak of the church I attend, but it's easily evident in some churches there is an air of modernizing their message so as not to be labeled "old fashioned". This, in my mind, is an attitude that lends itself to ignoring the Old Testament. Christian legalism in a church (if I understand this question correctly), looks like possibly an attitude that says (without moral or spiritual accountability) - "do as I say -- not as I do" - obey what is written to accommodate what is in the law, then feel free to amend your actions to a point that satisfies you and the self-made god within you . If there are no moral standards and no obedience expected of parishioners, this is not a Christian church, but more a church of the New Age era that teaches you are a god unto yourself.

When we are persecuted "for His name's sake", we can be assured that someone heard us - someone who knows we are right in standing for God, but doesn't want to admit it. If he does, he will lose face in the world in his own perception of self power. So he tries to stomp us out, so he can look as if he is right. When we have spoken out this boldly for Christ, that we are stomped on, we have lit our candle and placed it on the lamp stand for all to see. This also explains why glory and suffering go hand in hand. We make a mockery of God to light the lamp in His name, then hide it under a bowl (succumb to temptation of the world instead) It was Jesus' suffering so willingly for us, at His father's bidding that glorified God. Our suffering is also necessary -- we would rarely glorify (or even come to know) God if we lived on a bed of roses. This has everything to do with Romans 12:2 - we are not to be conformed to the world, so that we can continue to see and live the truth in the light of God.

I would think that, spiritually, illuminating a light and then hiding it under a bowl, Jesus is trying to caution us against performing all the "good deeds" ourselves and qualifying in this way in our minds, as being true Christians. When we don't know that God's loving grace, forgiveness and invitation to eternal life, is something we cannot earn or "good deed" ourselves into, but that it comes from God alone, we then impart to others nothing more than a lit lamp that is placed under a bowl and throws the light of truth nowhere.

I would think that, spiritually, illuminating a light and then hiding it under a bowl, Jesus is trying to caution us against performing all the "good deeds" ourselves and qualifying in this way in our minds, as being true Christians. When we don't know that God's loving grace, forgiveness and invitation to eternal life, is something we cannot earn or "good deed" ourselves into, but that it comes from God alone, we then impart to others nothing more than a lit lamp that is placed under a bowl and throws the light of truth nowhere.

Some symptoms of lost saltiness would be when a Christian starts questioning his own faith, or even God. When he finds the pull of society much bigger than his own faith; when he starts longing to be part of the crowd; when he starts rationalizing why he's okay to be on the path he is on without God. A real believer who is starting to succumb to the forces of society, will initially, have feelings of guilt because he knows the Lord, and now momentarily is wanting the temptations of society. Secular people would definitely see a non-committal stance in a de-saltified Christian - an insincerity. I am sure other Christians would notice in me a struggle to give up my self-will to God, and yes, every time God wins this struggle, I am re-saltified.

Rejoice, because we are persecuted because we have been heard (by those who need to hear and don't yet know it). We stand up for Jesus and His righteousness, not ours. We are not loving our persecution, or our pain - we are loving God and His power and merciful love He gives us. The persecuted have been promised the reward of the Kingdom of Heaven, residing with our Lord. They endured with faith. Their persecutors have never asked for God's blessing of eternal life (although He still waits for them), and until they do, the persecuted for Christ's sake alone, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven and reside with Him. Let us pray for ALL to be there.

Only those who love and trust God with their very lives, will ask Him to purify their hearts and cleanse them. God will then make them pure again and give them the holy vision of God. Chronic sinners who deny God's presence, will never ask Him for their cleansing, and will never be given the opportunity by God to behold the vision of Him on their own.

The world knows nothing about God's unconditional love that we cannot earn. The world operates on self, and has never trusted God for what it wants. Its a do-it-yourself world. One will be totally overlooked and stepped on in the world if they display the meekness that trusts God instead. The righteousness Jesus promises to give us is when we hate ourselves for our sins and seek to be better than we are - like Jesus - because we love Him. When we seek this kind of righteousness (His, not our own self-righteousness), it will be given to us -- a promise from Jesus.

True meekness, gentleness and humility belong to those who love God, and endure injury with patience and without resentment, because they wait on their Lord. This is in contract with a world that is out of patience and pushes to take over themselves to make their own way evolve. No one was more humble than Christ, who, as God's true Son, humbled Himself on the cross and died for our sins, when we deserved death. He did this, being perfect and Holy, so that we, His loved ones, could be saved as He buried our sins for us and freely gives us eternal life with Him. What humility! What Love! Thank you Lord. As Christians therefore, we need to always be in "forgiveness mode", even when we are accused unjustly, if we truly want to live in a Christlike manner.