Hatred is a powerful emotion that can cause irreversible damage, not only toward the one who is hated but also for the one who hates. Hatred doesn’t usually happen in an instant but festers over time. It normally happens with some type of altercation.
This often happens in marriage relationships. Many couples get married thinking they truly love each other but as time goes on they end up hating each other and separating, ending up in a very messy divorce. I know there are many reasons why marriages end up in hatred and divorce, but one of the big ones is thinking you will change the other person after you marry them.
I know a couple that got married years ago that thought they were in love and about 5 years down the road got a divorce. What was the problem? The wife thought she was going to change the husband even though she loved him the way he was before they were married. As time went on and the husband didn’t change for the better, but for the worse, the wife seemed to grow to hate him and divorced him. Before they were married the wife, who was the girlfriend at the time, thought they were going to break up so she took a bottle of pills trying to kill herself, almost succeeding, that was how much she thought she loved him. This couple was not living a Christian life at the time.
This is the problem with many marriages today among believers and non-believers and is the cause of many, many marriages ending in divorce in the church. The sad thing is that many young guys and girls go to church looking for a partner they can date. In this microwave world we live in, people don’t want to wait to really get to know the other person so they jump into a relationship before they even get to know each other.
Think about this, church is much different than it was years ago when people went out knocking on doors, witnessing and bringing converted people in, in many cases. Today is a day when we wait for the un-believer to come through the doors on their own, fresh off the street bringing with them all their baggage and hoping they will hear a message that will convert them! If they are young people we put them in the youth group with others like them and pray for the best. But it may be a long time before they are converted, if ever, and in the meantime they put on their best behavior hoping to get together with someone and have a relationship. Some of these guys are only there to find a girlfriend, or maybe a wife, because they are tired of the fast women that they know in the streets and that is the only reason they are there. How do I know that this is true? I know it is true because I have been there and done that.
The problem is, it is very hard to know who is playing the game and who isn’t because most people in this situation are on their best behavior and it takes time to see through the deception. I have taught young people, teens and young adults over the years and I have seen what goes on, so I have a little experience in this area. Whoever reads this can take this as a warning! I think so many divorces take place in the church and hatred develops because of this problem. Every believer should take plenty of time to get to know the person they plan on dating and eventually marrying to make sure they are with a believer and not just being fooled.
A believer should not even date an un-believer under any circumstances. The Bible is very clear and gives a warning about this also. Check out 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said, ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
This is very clear that Paul was saying that believers should not be bound to un-believers in business or relationships. The un-believer may encourage you by their behavior to compromise your commitment to the Lord. If a believer is already married to an un-believer then they need to try to win them over by their good behavior. But if not, don’t seek to be, you will save yourself a lot of heartache. May the Lord bless you and yours and may you have a great day!!
No comments:
Post a Comment