HOW
GOD FEELS ABOUT DIVORCE
.jpg)
Surfing the net one day, I
found an article on “key ways to be rich”-hmmmmm. In one of the highlights, I read about how
women could be rich- marry a wealthy man, settle down with him for like a year
plus, divorce him and be entitled to part of his wealth. Can you imagine that – it is happening right
now even as you are reading this book. People
have been brainwashed to get a divorce paper, serve their spouses and be
detached to enjoy life, that “Life is
too short - they don’t need all those quandaries in marriage”. In fact, in that article were examples of
celebrities that were victims and more on the row of such divorce.
God ordained the institution of
marriage to be a solemn covenant between one man and one woman for life. God
warns us in Scripture about the danger of entering into this covenant
half-heartedly. Marriage is a stage for sincere and wholehearted giving of
oneself to another. It is not to be used to meet one’s needs- rather it should
be thought of as one’s commitment to the other.
When both spouses consider
marriage sacred and each regards only his or her commitment to the spouse as
important, with no expectation of payback, then a truly altruistic attitude
permeates the relationship, and both partners benefit through a close spiritual
intimacy. This is the way God intended it to be. But when couples lose sight of
the other’s interests and start insisting on their own being fulfilled, many
marriages begin to deteriorate.
Divorce cases are on the rise here
in Africa and the rest of the world. Politicians,
celebrities, business moguls and even the anointed men and women of God are
increasingly divorcing. What a shame. The question now is; do we still have
beliefs, norms and values?
All couples disagree from time
to time. In fact there are many today who, before getting married, fight about
everything. They can’t agree about anything, except that they want to be
married to each other. This is short-sighted, because it is often these same
couples who cannot stand each other once they are married, because the issues
they fought over before marrying were never resolved. Instead of the arguments
ceasing, they intensify. So what’s the answer? Work it out. Don’t divorce -for
God hates it.
No matter how badly two people
disagree, they can still find some middle ground. Sometimes what’s needed is
for each to put his or her pride and selfishness aside and defer to the other.
On very rare occasions, there may be irreconcilable differences, but quite
often those that appear to be, can be resolved.
I believe most of us studied
Peace and Conflict Resolution in the University as a course? Fine – bring that
knowledge into your marriage and make it work. You may ask me how! For instance,
your spouse has an inbuilt latest snoring device – depriving you from sleeping
every night and this is causing some sort of conflict in your marriage. The
Peace and Conflict Resolution knowledge will help you stay awake while he or
she snores, then you can continue your sleep from where he or she stops -
hahahahaha. Make it fun and not a boring
marriage. In few months, that snoring
device will be like a soft Classical or Jazz music that you will enjoy while
sleeping.
The overriding principle is
that once two people have committed to each other, they should stay together and
learn to get along, no matter how hard it is. Marriage is two becoming one. The choice that
was made may have been wrong, but that was the choice made. Perhaps the
question ought to be “Am I the wrong one, and how can I become the right one
for my spouse?” rather than “Oh, dear! Did I marry the wrong one?”
Concerning the subject of
divorce, Malachi 2:16 states very
clearly how God felt about it.
"
'For I hate divorce,' says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'and him who covers his
garment with wrong,' says the Lord of Host. 'So take heed to your spirit, that
you do not deal treacherously'."
In
Matthew 19:3-6, where the Jews questioned Jesus about divorce
being lawful for any cause, Jesus stated that from the beginning it was God's
intention that marriage be lifelong and monogamous.
After Jesus stated God's position on divorce the
Jews countered asking, "Why then did Moses command to give her a
certificate and divorce her?" Jesus responded in Matthew 19:8 saying: "Because
of the hardness of your heart, Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but
from the beginning it has not been this way." Restating God's original
plan in Matthew 19:8, Jesus in Matthew 19:9 declared that, the man who
puts away his wife and marries another is committing adultery.
The book “The Other Woman In Marriage” is a touching life stories of alarming
crumbling marriages put together by the author Israel Onoriode Ugbo. It stressed on the followings; 1. Knowing Who
To Marry 2. Protect Your Marriage 3. Strange Women and Men In Marriage 4. How
God Feels About Divorce – the divorce cases on the rise in Africa and the rest
of the world. How Politicians,
celebrities, business moguls, anointed men and women of God are increasingly
divorcing.
It also prepares singles for marriage - Read the book “The
Other Woman In Marriage” on www.okadabooks.com
No comments:
Post a Comment