THE DETERIORATION OF COMMITMENT

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit; a man who is under the Lord’s wrath falls into it.

Proverbs 22:14            

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Want to see how much the institution of committed relationship is under attack by Satan?

In a 2013 study on fidelity, 57 percent of men and 54 percent of women admitted to being unfaithful in their relationships, more than half! And keep this in mind, these were the ones who admitted it. The percentages are actually much higher.

We have allowed Satan to redefine what relationships mean today and the word commitment as attached to relationship now has a footnote that often reads, “I will remain devoted to my partner through sickness and health, through rich and poor times, through the good and bad until death do us part, that is, unless someone better comes around or it just gets too difficult for us to live together or I get tired of living with my mate. In those instances, I will simply look for a replacement.”

Yes, Satan has a way of convincing men and women that they would be better served to go after another partner and leave their mate behind. Adultery has somehow become an accepted part of the relationship business instead of the heresy that the scriptures rightfully make it.

Think about it. God made it one of the big Ten Commandments! He clearly said, “You shall not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14) His Son Jesus took it a step further when He taught the following during His Sermon on the Mount:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:27-28

There is no doubt here that we are to not commit infidelity in our relationships. And yet we do. Solomon had this to say about the subject of adultery in this proverb:

The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit; a man who is under the Lord’s wrath falls into it. Proverbs 22:14

There’s plenty of this in play today and it obviously was an issue more than 2,000 years ago or else Solomon would have written about another topic. Adulterous women will always attract sinful men who are looking to be lured into infidelity, those men who through their wicked thoughts and motivations are firmly under the wrath of the Lord. There are no shortage of potential suitors for the adulteress, those ready and willing to fall into the deep pit of depravity she offers. That deep pit will not offer blessing to the one who falls in, only curse. This is what amazes me about the number of people who are still willingly opting to transgress this way.

So how do we stop this trend? How do we reestablish relationships to the place where the Lord favors them?

The answer is simple. For the relationships that the Lord looks to bless are the ones where both partners are first committed to Him. In other words, no commitment within that relationship takes greater precedent over the relationship that the man and the woman have with the Lord themselves. In these Lord-centered relationships, the man and the woman are connected with each other through the Lord and the Lord alone. Nothing flows between them without it flowing through the Lord first. When we live like this in relationship, then every decision, every action, and every ounce of love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness is born from the Lord first into the hearts and minds of the committed couple, and as a result, all they do will be blessed.

How can I write about this with such confidence?

Because for 21 years, my wife Grace and I have lived and functioned within such a relationship, a marriage that has thrived because we both first and foremost seek to magnify and glorify the Lord with everything we do. The beauty of all this is that we are seen by so many who view our marriage as a model they want to follow and this is just the way the Lord wants it.

Friends, I’m not sure if you are in a relationship or not as you read this today.

If you are, I pray that you will make a vow to go through the entire year ahead seeking to glorify and magnify the Lord in everything you do, a commitment that may be new or just a continuation of what you have already done. Either way, it’s simply paramount that we do it and show others what a Christ-centric relationship looks like.

If you are seeking to enter into a relationship, choose wisely and make sure your partner is as equally committed to place the Lord first as you are. It may mean you disqualify some candidates but the end result will be a relationship the Lord will favor and bless and that’s what we all should want.

Commitment may have deteriorated in relationships today but that doesn’t mean we can’t turn it around. The Lord is ready to help us, one couple at a time. Let’s all do our part to allow Him.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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