praying effectively: Respect Celibacy and Marriage (Mt.5, 19, Mk.10)

(Matthew 19:11-12)  But He said to them, “Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it.”

(Matthew 19:3-9)  Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?” 4 And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from 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 they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” 7 They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?” 8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. 9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

(Mark 10:10-12)  In the house His disciples asked Him concerning this matter again. 11 He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. 12 And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

(Matthew 5:27-30)  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; 28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.

Reminder:  "praying effectively" involves knowing God's will.  When we pray in His will (in His name), He may choose to not answer those prayers in the time period that we would like, or HOW we would like - but He will answer those prayers!

It is God's will:

- that a life of celibacy is something someone has to understand and choose for themselves (Mt.19:11-12) 

- that when a man and a woman gets married, they become one flesh (Mt.19:5-6)

- that no one should divorce (Mt.19:8, Mk.10:5-9)

- that divorce is only allowed if there has been sexual immorality (Mt.19:9)

- that no one should try to break up someone's marriage (Mt.19:6, Mk.10:9)

- that no one should commit adultery, and this includes divorcing their spouse and remarrying, unless the other spouse has committed adultery first (Mt.5:32;  Mk.10:10-12)

- that we do not lust, which is emotional adultery (Mt.5:27-28)

- that we set up protective measures to keep ourselves from sinning and keep ourselves accountable (Mt.5:29-30)

Today's prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, You have created us, and You know how we work, and what is best for us - help us respect that and obey Your commandments!  You do not make mistakes, but we do!  Help people to realize that our identity can only be found in You.  Give us wisdom in knowing how to set up accountability measures in order to keep our minds and actions pure, whether we are single or married.  

Help us to respect others.

If they are single, may we be supportive and encouraging, so that they can focus on being content and pure in their celibacy, keeping their focus on You.  Help people realize that marriage isn't the answer to loneliness or feeling whole.  Wholeness only comes from a relationship with You.

If they are married, may we be supportive and encouraging, so that they can focus on building their marital relationship on a godly foundation.  Help those who are married to be faithful.  Marriage isn't the answer to loneliness or being happy.  Wholeness and eternal joy is only found in a relationship with You.

Help keep our minds focused on You and Your will for us.  Amen.