Trevor
Active
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2019
- Messages
- 923
Just a thought regarding marriage. Is marriage an institution of the law or of the heart? Many years ago I married my first wife, the reason we married was because she was pregnant. Her father counselled me against it, he was, as it eventually proved to be, a wise man. However I decided to "do the right thing" and we went ahead. Nobody came to the wedding from either family and we ended up having to invite a couple of unknown passers by to be our wittnesses. The marriage lasted for four and a half years and produced another child, we were never in love although we were fond of one another, but in the end, for various reasons, we parted. At that time I was singing in a bar and Helen walked in. It was instant attraction on both our parts and we became an item. We couldn't legally marry because I was not divorced. My wife was living with another man, and so, after three years Helen changed her name, we bought a ring, and we started a family. All this happened long before Jesus found us and, in our union, that over the years has produced four children, we grew closer. Unfortunately, I was very insecure emotionally, and as an entertainer, I received offers from women that my sinful nature found hard to resist. Helen also found herself being challenged by her own desires, and because of this, we decided to be honest about our mistakes. Although Helen went through a period of wanting her freedom, she knew there was no good reason to break up our family. Before I was aware of Helen's feelings, when I believed that our marriage, for we were legally married by this time, was in jeopardy, I was desperate. I thought my marriage was about to end, leaving me alone without my wife and children, and I had no control of my sinful nature. It was then, that The Lord spoke to me. He asked me if I'd figured it out yet. I knew that he meant my purpose for being. I told him that I wouldn't have a clue where to start and he said I would find the answer in the Word. I knew in my spirit that I needed to be born again, up until then my belief had been philosophical. Friends were visiting and together we knelt before the Lord and I confessed my sin and made covenant with Jesus, I shared what I had done with Helen and she, unsure as to what she should do, because of her own feelings, decided to trust in Jesus and accept him herself. It wasn't long before we both started to experience the movement of the Spirit which consolidated our faith and not long after, our children joined us. This was nearly forty years ago. We have in total been together for fifty three years, we believe God intended this and has seen us through trials that destroy many marriages. Our love has grown beyond measure, not just for us, but for the whole family. And since we decided to put God to the test thirty years ago and tithe our income, we have been totally blessed. My first marriage was to obey the rules of society, my second is I believe a marriage made in heaven. There are marriages entered into for the wrong reasons, and there are marriages born of God. Sometimes we don't really understand which is which and judge without wisdom.
