Day 338
Mark 12:25
"For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven."
The Sadducess did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. One thing they used to disqualify it was the subject of marriage. They questioned Jesus about who would claim a particular woman to be their wife on the other side, if she had been married several times because of the deaths of previous husbands. Jesus responded to their question by informing them of their ignorance of the scripture. He pointed out that marriage is a temporal contract that is not honored after death.
It is important that we relate properly to temporal things. Some people treat marriage as though it is an eternal union. An incident occurred where a couple tried to commit suicide together, assuming they would continue their relationship on the other side. First of all, there will be no happy reunions in hell. Secondly, there will be no continuation of relationships of any sort in Heaven or hell. Although we will recognize each other on the other side, we will be individuals, enjoying eternity as one big family.
When we consider that all our possessions and relationships are temporary, our primary purpose should be to please God relative to them and everything else in our lives. Our possessions should be at His disposal to be used to glorify Him. Our relationships should be conducted in such a way that they glorify the Lord. A husband must see his wife as a gift that he must cherish and nourish as Christ did the church, because she is only loaned to him for a period of time. He will have to give an account to God for how he handled her. She is not his wife as an eternal possession. She is the body of Christ, loaned to him to help him be all God wants him to be. A wife must understand that she has been given a divine assignment, not just to be a lover and to help with natural things. She is to respect her husband and assist him in becoming all Gods wants him to be. She will give an account to God for what she did with her assignment.
Single people should not be looking at marriage lightly as though it is all fun and games and designed solely to meet fleshly needs. God's primary purpose for marriage is the production of godly seed. The production of godly seed involves more than physical reproduction. Everything we do to further the kingdom in the earth will contribute to the children of our generation growing up to be godly adults. By our Christ-like conduct and giving in various ways to see the kingdom of God advance on the earth, we can make a difference.
All God allows us to have, including husbands, wives and children, are treasures loaned to us, and we will have to answer to God about how we handled them. It is important that singles choose their mates carefully, because all they do should be done to the honor and glory of God. As the saying goes, "Only one life 'twill soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last."
I will ponder my path today to make sure that I consider the eternal value of all I do. I wish to please God in every area of my life.