Friday 12 Aug 2022

August 12: Matthew 19:3-9

Key Verse: Matthew 19:6
So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.

Devotion:
When people take these verses and use them against couples who do not fit the exact words said here I get upset. God wants us to know His word, to hold His word deep in our hearts, but also to understand what love is! The wording used here is said as such because the Pharisees started off by using those words – they were trying to trap Jesus into saying something which the law, as they saw it, would not agree!

Instead Jesus repeated their words and told them the truth. They then called out Jesus because Moses had given them laws about getting a divorce and wanted to know why Moses was given divorce laws from God. Jesus then had to remind them it was because of their own hard hearts which the laws had to be made for… it was because of mankind's shortcomings that the divorce laws had to be made!

God wants us to find out about love and stick with love. He doesn’t want us to follow the route of lust or infatuation because they are bound by human wants instead of our needs. God knows we can live long and happy lives when we do follow the love He teaches us about, the love which makes people come together and stay together.

Too many people read the words of the bible and make up their own laws because they think they know better than the original authors. Unfortunately we don’t always get translations correct because we don’t know the minds of the people who wrote the letters we now take as our Bibles. God wants us to trust Him and listen out for His instructions through the Holy Spirit rather than jumping to conclusions based on words we think should be there!

Points to Ponder:
How often do you read your bible?

How often do you stop to listen out for God after reading?