Devotional Messages

The Kingdom and the World

We read in Proverbs today, of the importance of, and fulfillment found in, a good marriage. We read of the consequences of adultery contrasted with the lasting delight of a faithful marriage.

Marriage is increasingly losing its significance in the modern world. The amount of marriages that end in divorce is comparable to the number of marriages that make it to the end. It is worth considering I think, the emphasis placed on the union of marriage in the Bible, and the extent to which that is ignored in the world today.

The Bible tells us that in marriage, a man and woman are joined together by God (Matt. 19:6); that sexual union with someone other than your spouse is a special kind of sin against your own body (1 Cor. 6:16-20); that you no longer have exclusive rule over your own body but share with your spouse (1 Cor. 7:3-5); and that the union of marriage is a lifelong one (Rom 7:2).

Now my point is that as the holiness and sanctity of marriage is ignored to a greater and greater extent, more and more marriages end in divorce and more and more lives are touched by the sad consequences of a split family.

This is not an especially insightful statement, nor one which I think could really be argued against. But there are other teachings of God that are being ignored to a greater and greater extent in the modern world which similarly lead to an increase in problems.

Linked to the example of marriage, is the inherrant differences of men and women. It is clear throughout the Bible that God made men and women differently: there are duties physically only possible to women, such as giving birth and feeding a baby; there is the obvious difference in body shape and capability of grown men and women; and there are stronger maternal instincts in women and stronger paternal instincts in men. Yet these differences are increasingly being overlooked in the modern world in a drive to achieve political correctness - sometimes for good reason, other times to the point of stupidity.

There are also clear distinctions made in the Bible as to the function of men an women. The leadership of men in the family is now often disregarded, yet it is expressed clearly in the Bible (Eph. 5:23-32; Col. 3:18ff.). Paul's exhortation for wives to submit to their husbands and for husbands to love their wives (Eph. 5:22; Col. 3:18-19) is often considered offensive by women, and joked over by men.

There are many areas where the view of God is said to be outdated, politically incorrect, or offensive. I could mention the Bible's teaching of correct leadership of the Church, of the creation of the world in seven days, of a world that is thousands of years old rather than millions, of the correctness in telling people the gospel, of homosexuality as a sin, or of treatment of money only as a tool for God's purposes (rather than the worldly instinct to strive after money as if it were a god).

The point is, that the world is not God's Kingdom: it does not function the way God wants it to, and consequently it is a place of suffering and sin. And this is happening to a greater and greater extent. As Christians we live in the world and also live in God's Kingdom. To live in both is to live in the world but wanting to live God's way. To do this we must seek to find where the Kingdom and the world differ: 'What does the world say about the way you live your life?'...'What does the Bible say?'

We must be careful to find these differences and endeavour to follow the way and have the ideals of the Kingdom as expressed in God's word, otherwise we are no longer seeking His Kingdom, His will, or His Way.

Praise God for his knowledge of what is right and how things should work, and thank Him for telling us these in the Bible, praying that you can see where He wants you to live differently for His glory.