Picture is of a young boy nick-name, Pencil, martyred in North Korea.

Mth. 19:5 & 6 "...For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate." This was our Lords response to a question about divorce and, again, He sets God's standard of righteousness higher than the law. Further on in this same passage Jesus allows only one reason for divorce and that is immorality or in some translations unchastity. The Lord's demand for absolute fidelity in marriage has led many in the church to ignore the command and marry and divorce as they desired or stay married and commit adultery without remorse or repentance. That life long fidelity to our marriage partner is hard and difficult and when we fail we can be forgiven. However, the difficulty and the forgiveness are not license. If we believe that love is an emotion that just happens and can end, then we don't understand love. Love is what we do. Love is obedience to the Lord and if the feeling is there that's nice but it does not affect the necessity of obedience. Believing that love is what we see in romantic comedies or read in romance novels is worldly foolishness. Believing that, will give you the kind of love we see in Hollywood. Which is nothing more than unrighteous lust and sentimentality. The ancient Greeks believed in romantic love. Study ancient Greece and you will find that wives were little more than property and men looked for love in relations with young boys.

The example for the Christian is Christ love for His church. Does Christ stop loving His bride if she is not everything she should be? Has the church ever deserved the love of Christ? What about the church today? Is it fit for the bridegroom? What about the Lord's love for each of His children? If His love were as fickle and transient as our own what hope would we have? Does God expect a marriage to last a lifetime and then throw us away after the first offense?

God loved us when we were sinners, died for us and shed His blood that we might be forgiven and inherit eternal life. Having done that, we can trust in his love and mercy to save us to the uttermost. God is not a man that stumbles and fails in what He has willed. How could we think so little of God's constancy toward us that we could think He would demand more of us than He has willed for us? Foolish and petty men to think so little of God's character. God forgive us.

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