A Legacy of Love

This week and next, we are focused on living a legacy of love.  Our series FIRST COMES LOVE began with God's amazing, unconditional, self-less, life-giving love. I hope you are inviting God's love into your life.  If we reflect this kind of love in our households, our relationships will be fruitful and we will be fulfilled.  Most marriage failures (not all) are failures of love!  The Bible tells us "LOVE NEVER FAILS!" (1 Corinthians 13:13)

One of the products of God's fruitful love in our lives is companionship.  We're all searching for a soulmate, right?!  Companionship fills our lives with joy and hope.  A great companion builds up and takes care of their spouse.  When marriage is filled up with love and companionship, a deep and abiding friendship is built.  Two people--no longer two, but one, long to be together - talking, laughing, planning, and praying.  This is God's plan for marriage -- unity, fruitfulness, and fulfillment!

It all begins with love.  Love is the foundation.  Love grows friendship and friendship produces unity and trust.  Trust builds a legacy of love.  Your legacy of love can impact your children, your extended family, friends, your church, and your place of employment.

Living a legacy of love begins when a person invites God's love into their life, relationships, and household.  After that, the fun begins!  Learning how to live a life of love and harmony in your marriage is not always easy.  It takes some work, some humility, and a willingness to grow.

This Sunday, we are going to take a look at some specific attitudes and steps (from the Bible) which will build up your marriage and produce fruitfulness and fulfillment in your life.  I encourage you to make plans to join us.  It could change your year.  See you at New Life this Sunday!  Pastor Tom

Broken Together

Real excited about this morning's message at New Life.  Last week we began a new  series entitled, "First Comes Love . . ."  Our focus this morning is the love story in Ruth and how God used Ruth's character through brokenness and bitterness to accomplish his plan of redemption.

Along the way, we will be asking ourselves how we can become a "great companion" like Ruth.  I really believe that great companions make for great marriages.  Here's 10 building blocks of a great marriage from Our Daily Bread Ministries . . .

#1: Lifelong commitment

#2: Shared identity

#3: Absolute faithfulness

#4: Well-defined roles

#5: Unreserved love

#6: Mutual submission

#7: Sexual fulfillment

#8: Open communication

#9: Tender respect

#10: Spiritual companionship

See you at New Life!  Pastor Tom

First Comes Love

Stay tuned for a series on Love, Marriage, and Family.  FIRST COMES LOVE  is a series focusing on love, marriage and family.

Love and romance are big topics in pop culture and in our everyday lives.  Marriage and family can make us or break us.  What we really need is God's wisdom on how to live with love and build long-lasting relationships that are filled with a God-kind-of-love.

Join New Life through out February as we celebrate love and build up marriage and family in our community.

Divorce, Marriage, Relationships, and Life

This sunday at New Life we will be preaching from Matthew 19 on Divorce, Marriage, and Relationships.  I know the subject of divorce has touched all of us in some way.  It is a subject which requires truth and grace.  I hope to offer both this Sunday.  In this blog, I focus on divorce and marriage from the vantage point of someone who might be struggling in marriage or considering divorce as the best option.  Whatever marriage you are in--your first, second, or third--I believe your best course of action is to stay married and grow to become more like Christ, especially if children are involved.

It's true, "the Beavers don't live here anymore."  For decades now, divorce has become common place in American society.  What is more surprising is the reality that being a Christian doesn't seem to function as an inoculation against the pandemic of broken relationships across our great country.  According to George Barna, "Born Again" Christians are divorcing at a similar rates as the society in general.  Barna writes, "America now boasts the highest divorce rate in the world. . . . For Americans, the allure of divorce is that it appears to offer the simplest solution to what typically amounts to a complex web of problems.  As always, appearances can be deceiving.  Divorce often shatters spouses emotionally and financially.  In fact, the consequences of divorce can be more harrowing than the troubled marriage."  (The Future of the American Family, George Barna, 65)  The statistics demonstrate that people who are in troubled marriages and do the hard work to rebuild their marriage tend to be happier five years later than similar couples who get a divorce and remarry.

The Bible is clear, God "hates" divorce because it represents a "broken promise" and it is damaging to adults and unhealthy for children (Malachi 2:15).  Jesus taught us the divine ideal for marriage to be a lifelong bond that unites husband and wife in a "one flesh" relationship (Matthew 19:5).  Marriage is about life-long companionship and love.  Marriage is an opportunity to grow to become more like Christ.  Of course, love and companionship is good fro us and great for our children.

So what about love?  Is there anything greater than love?  Paul wrote these words to the Corinthians, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

Perhaps the biggest marriage allusion is that love "just happens" or that love is a "feeling".  In reality,  love is more of a choice and a character quality.  Love is a gift that we offer to our spouse on a daily basis even if they do not respond accordingly.  Sometimes that love is appreciated and reciprocated.  Other times it is ignored and violated.  In any case, true love flows from God's fountain of love (1 John 4:19).  To love your spouse in difficult circumstances, you need to tap into a huge reservoir of God's love that is available in Christ.

So what about growth?  Some marriages are made in heaven, some it seems in hell (just being honest).  In either case, marriage is worked out on earth!  Whether you have an "easy" marriage or a "challenging" marriage, you have seasons in life when you must work at your marriage to restore it or refresh it.  Otherwise, your relationship of love and companionship will disintegrate into thin air.  What you once felt for your lover and friend will disappear.  So why not work on your relationship and grow in the process?!  

I believe God designed Christian marriage to be an object lesson of God's relationship and love with His people, the church.  Paul seems to agree in Ephesians 5:23-32.  That means that your marriage is a reflection of your relationship with God and your relationship with your spouse is closely connected.  It also means that if you are willing to grow in your relationships with God, your marriage can also be transformed (Romans 12).  

Becoming more like Christ could be the key to saving your marriage and finding true happiness in life.  I know it seems like some marriages are destined to fail.  And yet, no one comes together on their wedding day with a secret plan of divorcing down the road (or maybe some do?!).  We are attracted to our spouse, "fall in love", and make plans for a life together.  Our hope and dreams are that we will experience life-long love and companionship.  Life has a way of challenging those dreams.  But, God has a way (if we will let him) of keeping those dreams alive and growing us into stronger people in the process.
  
If you are struggling in your marriage or considering divorce, My hope is that you would give God a chance to change your marriage and change you in the process.  All things are possible with God (Philippians 4:13)

See you Sunday at the ARC (9:30 AM and 10:15 AM).  Pastor Tom

God is . . . Love

What is your definition of love? This past Sunday we took a look at the Bible's definition of love. We focused on John 3:16, 1 Corinthians 13, and 1 John 4:7-11. We pushed past the "love is a feeling or a reaction to chemicals and hormones". Our culture celebrates romantic love and that's not a bad thing, but real love requires a different quality of love-a love we can only find in the heart of God.

Jesus taught us about love with the words, "Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) Love generates self-sacrifice. If you love someone with God's-kind-of-love, you willingly deny your wants and needs to help them reach their potential in life. That's what keeps a family together and can help you build relationships that last a lifetime.

If you really want to love someone, commit yourself to their welfare and take action to help them reach their potential. I'm looking forward to a week of love. Tom Ragsdell