The Case for Early Marriage

In a recent edition of Christianity Today, Mark Regnerus wrote the cover story on "The Case for Early Marriage." This is a thought process that I think many of us hardly think about. Let me share with you some key quotes in his article.

-Just under 80 percent of unmarried, church-going, conservative Protestants who are currently dating someone are having sex of some sort.
-Evangelicals tend to marry slightly earlier that other Americans, but not by much. Many of them plan to marry in their mid-20s. Yet waiting for sex until then feels far too long to most of them. And I am suggesting that when people wait until their mid-to-late 20s to marry, it is unreasonable to expect them to refrain from sex. It's battling our Creator's reproductive designs.
-Among evangelical churchgoers, there are about three single women for every two single men.
-God does work miracles. But the fact remains that there just aren't as many serious Christian young men as there are women, and the men know it.
-We buy, read, and pass along books about battling our sexual urges, when in face we are battling them far longer than we were meant to.
-Many of us think about marriage much like those outside the church-as a capstone that completes the life of the autonomous self.
-The focus of 20-somethings has become less about building mature relationships and fulfilling responsibilities, and more about enjoying oneself, traveling, and trying on identities and relationships. After all the fun, it will be time to settle down and get serious.
-The mentality that we need to shield young adults from the usual struggles of life by encouraging them to delay marriage until they are financially secure usually rests on an unrealistic standard of living.
-Marrying simply for the lure of sex is not what Paul had in mind.
-Family and friends ought to do their best to help young couples discern whether there is more to their love than sexual desire.
-The fact is that God makes no promises of great sex to those who wait. Some experience difficult marriages. Spouses wander. Others cannot conceive children...
-While sex matters, marriage matters more. The importance of Christian marriage as a symbol of God's covenantal faithfulness to his people-and a witness to the future union of Christ and his bride-will only grow in significance as the wider Western culture diminishes both the meaning and actual practice of marriage. Marriage itself will become a witness to the gospel.
-If a young couple displays maturity, faith, fidelity, a commitment to understand marriage as a covenant, and a sense of realism about marriage, then it's our duty-indeed, our pleasure-to help them expedite the part of marriage that involves public recognition and celebration of what God is already knitting together. We ought to "rejoice and delight" in them, and praise their love (Song of Sol. 1:4)

You can find the full article at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/august/16.22.html

1 year

Today officially marks my one year anniversary of working at Channel 7. I can't believe the past year. Oh, where God has taken me. The journey from graduation, resumes, Montgomery, and Hattiesburg was incredible last year; but I can only stand in awe to think of God's grace in my life. I remember sitting in the late afternoon meeting on a Tuesday in mid-December. Nearly 9 people had just been laid-off, and I was wondering why I was still there. My questions of wondering were quickly jump started into a revitalized, and creative, churn for helping sports and news.

The past year has simply been incredible. I'm so thankful for where God has brought me. My church and close friends are only a blessing from God.

I pray this next year God will continue to sanctify me. My heart longs to become closer to God and understand his love, and I can hardly display patience for the next year. I pray God's will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Thank you Lord, thank you.

Communicable Attributes of God

Some points from Grudem:

Peace:
God is not a God of confusion but of peace. -1Corinthians 14:33
"God's peace means that in God's being and in his actions he is separate from all confusion and disorder, yet he is continually active in innumerable well-ordered, fully controlled, simultaneous actions."
-A key word is "separate" from confusion/disorder.
The 3rd fruit of the Spirit is peace in Galatians 5:22. How often do we consider peace as a fruit of the Spirit in someone else?
People rub off peace to others so how do we share peace?

Righteousness:
"God's righteousness means that God always acts in accordance with what is right and is himself the final standard of what is right."
-When God's righteousness is questions we should immediately know we have no right to say God is unrighteous or unjust. "Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place.."Job 38:12.
-We are a small account, unworthy.

Jealousy:
This word is often used negative but should always be known in a positive sense as well.
"God's jealousy means that God continually seeks to protect his own honor."
It is only right for God to seek his honor and glory.
"He alone is infinitely worthy of being praised."
-this knowledge will also help us understand true worship.

Wrath:
God hates everything that opposes his moral character.
"God's wrath means that he intensely hates all sin."
This is an attribute of God worthy to be praised.
What would God be if he didn't hate sin?
Patience is also linked with wrath.
-"The delay of execution of God's wrath upon evil is for the purpose of leading people to repentance. Romans 2:4

Prayer

God is moving in ways I can't fathom. Praise God for my thirst and desire! My prayer is that you will daily gravitate to God's word. I pray you will dive deeper into learning more about Christ because the turnaround makes your cup larger and larger.
"For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45c

God I come to you tonight in humbleness and thanksgiving. Praise be to you my Lord! Thank you for your love. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for your mercy. And thank you for your goodness. I'm sorry for the wrongful sins I have committed. My past is filthy of evil deeds, but thank you for your cleansing. Thank you for the cross. I deserve nothing, and I'm on my knees saying "Father, how could I?" How could I ever sin against a great and Holy God? Please forgive me. To know your son fell to his knees with the weight of all of our sins, this thought crushes my soul. I'm sorry. But Lord thank you for loving me. I pray your name will be glorified. I pray your name will continue to be spread through your people, and I pray all will hear of the name Jesus Christ. Please continue to allow me to be a vessel for your Name. Thank you Lord.

Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for your joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets. -Luke 6:20-23

Praises

Praise God for his people! I'm so very thankful for the community God has blessed me with this summer. After an extremely difficult and trying time this past May, I feel as though God has really brought me to a place of better understanding and knowledge of his word, but my daily prayer is that I will daily awake in remembrance of the Cross. I pray I will daily find refuge and strength through his word. As I am sliding in continual motion of greater understanding, I also pray for those who don't understand his word as I do. Paul says in Philippians 3, "many live as enemies of the cross of Christ." Knowing people live as enemies of the cross saddens me, but I also know there are some people believing in Christ that still sit on the couch too long. I've recently heard, the more you understand the garden of Gethsemane the more you under the Cross, grace, mercy, love, and the gospel. The more we understand scripture the more we'll understand Christ and God's Holy Kingdom.