From The Root (part 3)

The purpose of asking these questions during courtship is solidifying the decision whether to take the relationship to the next level. The interview process is non-committal and there should not be any emotions involved (Proverbs 4:23 AMP). The answers will give the other party time to reflect and the one answering the question may also do some self assessing. My son tells me that people are people. My answer, well of course they are. What else can they be? He was trying to make me not expect too much from people. They are who they are. I disagree because the parable of talents tell us otherwise. I can have expectations from those who are adults as opposed to those who are adolescents (Hebrews 5:12-13 AMP). God has expectations of those who are maintaining the faith, fighting the good fight, and speaking truth by giving Him the glory. If you expect to be His, then you should be doing the same. The Word tells us, if you are ashamed of Him while on the earth, He will be ashamed of you in heaven (Luke 9:26 AMP). This sounds like an expectation. Just as you would have when finding a wife (and the husbanding finding you). Keep that in mind while asking this final part 3.

3. A pastor and his wife agreed to loan one of their best friends money. It was quite a sizable amount. The couple are good friends to the pastor and knew they must have needed it or they wouldn’t have asked. Some weeks later, the pastor was preaching a sermon and used the loaning of the money as means to strengthen the message. The pastor told of the amount and the names of the couple he loaned the money to. If you were the pastor (or wife of the pastor), would you have done this? They are good friends and the other couple didn’t seem to mind. Does it bother you? Why or why not?

This is only a head scratcher if you are not allowing God to be who He is. The Word tells us if we read the Word day and night, then we will have good success and eat from the fat of the land. This means we are not using what's trending for the time being to resolve problems, answer questions, or live our day to day lives. We use His way and will not deviate from it. Keeping His way in mind, can you see the path clearly?

So let's begin with the bite size pieces first. The pastor and his wife...they are one. They are in agreement. We would make this true for the other couple as well...they are one. They are in agreement. Basically, we are talking about 2 people. One decides that being in a financial turmoil, he could borrow from his best friend without the having to go through all of the red tape that one has to stressfully manage when going through traditional means. The friend said yes. Should there be a sigh of relief? The Word says that if one borrows from a brother, to let it go. Remember the slave that owed the master so much back and begged for mercy in paying back the debt.  But when that same slave saw one that owed him, he wanted that man to suffer for not making his payments. God saw that man as evil (Matthew 18:23-35 AMP). Why? Because he was given mercy and he did not show mercy for the one that owed money to him.

But you have those that will deliberately borrow and have no intentions of paying anything back because of what they know from the Word. Do you think this was on the pastor's mind and is it the reason that he made it a public display? It was a large sum of money. Do you think he would have had an issue in letting it go?

Could you see this same situation from God's perspective? The man is a pastor. Wouldn't a pastor know better? Isn't he held by a higher standard (James 3:1 AMP)? By humiliating his best friend using that low point in his friend's life as a part of the sermon, how do you think that felt for his best friend? Why didn't he think of that or did he? Why didn't he ask God? Why didn't the best friend...a pastor?

As a young couple, in dire straits, what would your first course of action be? Where are your emotions? Do you blame anyone? Why not? The husband is supposed to provide and now everyone will know that he has not done that? As a wife, what is your position? What do you do? As a husband, would you have told your wife the financial predicament you put the household in? Is there a fear in telling her? Why? Why not (Romans 13:8 AMP)?

In reading all 3 entries and answering the 3 questions, look within yourselves first before clicking on the highlighted biblical link. In doing so, you will find how you have been walking believing that you have been doing well in God before finding out otherwise or a new answer you hadn't thought of before. Hopefully, these entries will assist in making those paths straighter than they had been. May God continually bless you and yours.



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