Bible in One Year:
Thursday, November 26, 2009
(Neh 1 - Neh 3)

Memorise: "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed" (Gen 2:25)

Read: Malachi 2:14-15
14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.
15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

Unfaithfulness and all the divisions of fornication can terminate oneness. Marriage is not an end but a means to certain glorious ends. Marriage without oneness is a fiasco. Marriage is like securing admission into a university to undertake a doctorate degree. Admission into the programme is good but not everything. It is one thing to be admitted for such a programme but another thing to graduate with a doctorate degree. Oneness is one of the purposes of a Christian marriage. If you are married and you do not attain this, you have failed. Raising godly seeds is another purpose of marriage. It is not enough to have children. Eli had children but he failed woefully. Many other patriarchs of old had children but could not accomplish this end of marriage - to raise godly seeds. But Abraham raised Isaac as a godly seed. Are you achieving any ends of marriage? Can God call your children godly seeds?

According to today's reading, another factor working against the achievement of oneness between a couple is marital treachery. This involves deceiving your spouse, or not being loyal to the one who trusts you. Betraying the trust of your partner works against oneness. Some husbands find it difficult to declare their financial receipts to their wives. They fear that if their wives got to know how much they earn, their demands would increase. To prevent them from knowing, they become perpetual liars. Also, some women are very secretive about their financial standing. If you cannot be open to your spouse on financial matters, you will be truncating your journey into oneness. It is sin to lie to your spouse. Whether he or she knows you are lying or not, does not prevent the lie from hindering what should deliver your greatest benefit to you in marriage - oneness! Some people still hide very crucial information from their partner. If you are supposed to be one body, is it not foolish to think that you can hide certain important things from yourself? In Genesis 2:25, Adam and Eve were open to each other and were not afraid. What is preventing you from being totally open with your partner? Ask God to deal with it today. 

ACTION POINT:
Spend at least one hour with your partner and talk on things you have kept from each other. A partner who cannot forgive the spouse of wrong doing cannot enter Heaven. In spite of the wrong, forgive!