by Kimberly | May 7, 2013 | ethics, marriage, sin
Every blog post I wrote has come from personal experience or a conversation I’ve had, etc. This one is no different.
Yesterday on facebook, I was saddened to find out that a college acquaintance of mine, one who was in youth ministry with me and a professing Christian – now ordained in a denomination, was getting married yesterday to her girlfriend. This saddened me so much for her. On our long scenic drive home, the Mister and I were discussing what should be our response. Here are some thoughts:
1. A government-sanctioned marriage between two women is not a marriage in the eyes of God. In our country many states may be allowing same-sex marriage. This does not make it right in God’s eyes. God would never rejoice in something that is an abomination or sin to Him. See Romans 1:18-25, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.
2. Sin does not please God – so how could a homosexual marriage?
3. We all sin (yes), so we should not counsel the person (if you have a relationship with them in the first place) in a harsh, judgmental tone. Ephesians 5:14-16. The reason I chose this verse is because the person in my life that got married yesterday is a professing Christian. I’m not a judger of hearts. I am also a sinner – a great sinner. But, this passage is written by Paul to the church at Ephesus. He is talking about people in the church who have been diluted and mislead by all sorts of unbiblical teaching. For any to think that gay marriage is promoted by God, or right, has clearly been mislead by the Enemy.
4. Show compassion; this needs to be our immediate response. We need to be like Jesus in this encounter. When he dealt with the woman caught in adultery, he did not shame or accuse her, but allowed her to be free of the sin and the entanglement of it. Our God does show wrath and anger toward sin, but he also shows compassion on the sinner. (John 8) God the Father shows much compassion on me and I’m a sinner. I would need to show compassion to my friend and hopefully lead her back to a right relationship with God.
5. Call to repentance. One of my favorite Scriptures in the NT says this “…God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.” Oh that has blessed me and lead me to have a repentant heart so often as I’ve read with tears over my sin this incredible display of God’s love toward great sinners.
6. What about church membership. Let me say a few things: first, any denomination that would ordain a homosexual to be a minister of the Word of God and sanction and condone homosexual marriage is no longer a church because they do not hold to the truth of the Word of God. Second, if this couple were at the church I attend, I would (hopefully) seek to encounter them, provide them with godly counsel about their lives and why their lives demonstrate that they do not believe God or His Word. If they couple were members and then became homosexual or started living a homosexual lifestyle – that would be cause for church discipline and counsel and a desire for them to turn from sin.
7. As I’ve been reading in a book about the authority of the Word of God in our lives: this matter of homosexuality (whether it is right or not) is not primarily a question of preference or sexual orientation or anything else for believers. It is a question about what we believe the Bible to be. If we believe with the Bible that it is the very word of God and it is profitable and truthful in everything it says and is useful for our lives to instruct us in all truth – and we disagree with what the Bible says about the “rightness” of homosexuality – then obviously we have a disagreement with God. I have a feeling that I know who is going to ultimately win that disagreement.
As we get deeper and deeper into a country that is living in prevalent sin and as we see sin creep in (or barge in) to our churches – let us pray that we will know what the Word of God says, guard our own hearts and minds, show compassion to sinners, and call them to repentance (just as the Lord has done for us).
by Kimberly | Apr 4, 2013 | marriage, Uncategorized
How would you answer that question? Obviously, the conservative Kraft company (and hundreds of other companies that have products to sell: from coffee, to burgers, to car washes, deodorant, etc) think it does.
A new ad about the “Zesty” undressing dude making a salad gets “naked” to viewers to tell them to buy salad dressing. Really? This is supposed to make me want to run out and buy salad dressing?
Last night in a Colossians study at church, one of our elder’s wives taught on the sensuality of sin that we crave, and so many targets right now is in a thing called “mommy porn”. I’ve written on 50 Shades of Gray, which is pretty much porn for women and other things on this blog before, but here we go again. I wouldn’t have even known about the ad for Kraft lest I had been on facebook and several of my Christian friends had liked the ad. Seriously?
Mommy porn, like this Kraft commercial, is targeted toward women who are at home with the television on or are on social media during the day. ABC News even ran a segment on it this morning. They think that if marketers can hit that spot in a woman’s brain (or hormones) that “turn them on” and help them to feel sexy, then they can sell their product. They must think that it works (and for most women it probably does).
Does it seem to work for Christian women? Do we allow ourselves to be blinded by targets of Satan (yes, that is what this is) by buying their products. There are many products I’ve quit buying because of the premise that sex sells. I’m disgusted by these commercials. I went to ABC news to see the segment and turned this Zesty commercial off when he got to the “Beautiful pepper” part. Who writes these things?
Anyway…
1. Fill our minds. You can’t separate yourself or your family completely from culture. If you go anywhere these days you are bombarded with sex. But, what do we saturate our minds with? Is it the Word of God, wholesome books, images, good family value things? Or is it sex and porn by either what we read or watch?
2. Protect the marriage bed. I’ve been thinking a lot of this recently. Some women, even Christian women I know, tend to think that porn will help spice up a dull marriage. That is a lie from Satan too. If you have to use other means of either viewing or reading to spice up your marriage, that is nor protecting the marriage bed. That is going outside the boundaries that God set up for a marriage designed His way.
3. Honor Christ. In Colossians, Paul tells us to walk worthy of the calling that is on our lives. If we profess Christ, then we are to walk worthy of Him. Do we?
Or do we give in to a culture that uses sex, and uses it well evidently, to sell you salad dressings and cheese?
by Kimberly | Oct 31, 2012 | 31days, marriage
Want to write a quick note to the wives out there. Do you know what you do that pleases your husband – or what would please your husband?
Here is a simple thing:
My husband likes the bed made. Since he told me that that one act of service makes him smile for the day – I have tried to do it every day. There are a few days when E makes it, but that is a blessing to me. He knows that if he were gone for a week, I probably wouldn’t make the bed until the day he returned. That is why he knows it is a sacrifice for me – to do something that doesn’t matter at all to me – and does matter to him.
Here has been my thought lately – if I know of something I could do that would totally bless my husband (and is not sin), and I fail or choose not to do it – for me that is sin.
What is something you could do today that would bless your husband?
Wrap-up:
I’ve enjoyed being creative in thinking about the daily stuff to write these 31 posts. I’ve also had to cheat a few days and write two on one day. But, I learned that while writing is important to me, spending time with my family is more so.
As I begin the month of November to try to write a James Bible study for women, I hope I can remember grace in the midst of the goal.
by Kimberly | Oct 22, 2012 | 31days, marriage
My pastor is about to wind up a series on Jonah. True, we’ve only caught one of the sermons, but yesterday was a bit on compassion. My hubs chose to put in Compassion Hymn into the service and it fit perfectly.
As I thought about who I needed to show compassion to, I thought to my sweet little boy (and husband). Since I am not a covenantal thealogian (meaning, I do not believe that simply because Eric and I are elect believers that our son is one as well), I believe that my son is lost. He needs Jesus. I need to show him compassion. I need to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit to him: patience, gentleness, kindess, etc.
I also need to show comapssion on my husband. I am not the only one who has gone through my change. He seldom gets more than 7 hours of sleep in a row. He doesn’t have a really clean house anymore (I’m working on that schedule). He started a new ministry in a new state. He needs his wife to show him compassion just as he has been gracious to show much of it to me.
by Kimberly | Oct 13, 2012 | 31days, marriage
I get to brag today. I get to brag on my sweet husband. I had to spend the night without him because he was/is at an Elder’s retreat.
As our pastor’s wives shared about their wonderful husbands – it gave me much more of an appreciation for mine. I love bragging on him – because he is absolutely wonderful.
1. He is super humble. Really – he puts me and baby Eli above himself at all times – even waking up at 4am to clean a poopy diaper.
2. He serves me well. I can’t begin to tell you how many times he did the dishes or cleaned up “morning sickness” during the pregnancy. And he was a trooper during delivery – serving me by holding my hand and letting me crush his long piano-playing fingers.
3. He loves Jesus. He pursues holiness and loves the Bride. He evidences the gospel to me – he reflects Christ so well.
4. He is the man I respect more than any other in the world. He not only must have my respect because he is my husband, but he also has my respect because he has earned it!
5. He knows how to love me well. In the year that we’ve been married he has learned how I receive love and nourishes me that way. He hears my cries and dries my tears. I look into his eyes and find peace. That was especially true when I was in delivery. My midwife said to think of something peaceful: I looked at E and said “he is my something peaceful” – yes, that was the sappiest time of delivery. 🙂 But, so true.
Dear sweet, Mr. Campbell – I love you. So glad I get to do this thing called life with you. My God has been very gracious to me in giving me you – and I look forward to the journey.
by Kimberly | Oct 9, 2012 | 31days, marriage
Ok – glad there is grace. I missed the day yesterday for writing: I was sick, driving, unloading, feeding baby, and on a date with my husband. Why was I on a date:
We celebrated ONE YEAR of marriage. It was fabulous! We went to a wonderful restaurant on the river in Little Rock (although it was too cold to sit out there and too dark to really see anything) called Brave New. Wonderful food. My friend Carrie had told me about it and I was hoping my hubs would surprise me with that location – and he did! We enjoyed wine, Caesar salads, warm french bread, steaks with sides, and dessert ( I had homemade butterscotch ice cream – delightful).
We enjoyed leaving baby with a sweet friend, laughing, driving through Little Rock on our own in our own car, enjoying a fabulous meal, and talking about the past year and the year coming up!
