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For No Other Reason

by Rev. Will. Harrison Jr.  
11/06/2006 / Marriage

I have found in all the years of being born again and my marriage being born again that there is one characteristic of Gods plan for a married couple that can almost hands down, as they say, pull a marriage out of any trouble or yea, even prevent it, and that is to me found in the verse in 1 Cor.ch. 7:vs.3 where it says in the KJV Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.. When I have studied this passage thoroughly to me it talks about a deliberate and duty-bound choice and decision to be made by both parties, [the husband first] to conduct themselves to the other person in a way that can literally slay the wicked, that is, the stronghold in all of Adams children known as selfishness.

It is also found in the Bible passage in 1 Cor. Ch.13: vs.4-7 yet especially in verse 5b where it says, seeks not its own. [ actually the theme and major point of all of these verses in this chapter have to do with one thing and that being un-selfishness and non-self-indulgence, or as I would say, others first and me somewhere last.

Now I know that this is not a popular nor to many even a pleasant requirement [and by the way it is not merely a piece of good advice, Jesus said it was a command, love others as you love God and yourself]

As I said, I have personally found this to be true and powerful and Christ-like in my currently 32 years of marriage. The Love that God is and provided for us to be like means never having to do something primarily or exclusively for yourself but to do so primarily and almost exclusively for the simple sake and direct benefit of another, especially thy mate. [ I didnt say wife because it is supposed to go both ways] but first, for thy God, then for thy mate, [if so be youre married], then your children, then the brethren [other Christians] then others, [and that list is long] and then, if youre still alive and able to, for yourself, yet not for your self but for who the Lord Jesus owns, and that being you.

I am to spend most of my life trying to discover what my God loves and wants, and what my wife loves and wants, and the others on the list, and then going about on a daily basis, [as a matter of habit and of course, and not of a favor. Favors have this odd inherent requirement of needing to be noticed. Not cool, as in stick out like a burnt thumb in the Kingdom of God.]

In more practical terms it plays out like this. Lets say that my wife really likes it when I do certain things, maybe a great many things, expressly her particular way and to her particular liking. Sound familiar? If I love her the way that God intended for us to love each other, even all of us, not just married couples, [ all who are of the brethren by the way are in a sense married. But Ill deal with that loaded bomb another time] I will do so as precisely as I can, just as she likes it, without keeping score so that I never expect nor require her to do the same, without any complaint, [not even to the throne of evil in our hearts], not begrudgingly nor of constraint, etc. and so on, simply as what this world might call a favor to her as my wife and love, [not in the other sense I mentioned but in the sense of, for no other reason nor personal benefit, but without keeping score, just to do so for her, just because I love her so much I would do anything for her, even lay down my life for her. Get my drift?

But! We must constantly be in the process and practice of doing this for our God as well or we will always have serious fits trying to do so for others. Read that over again if you need to. Get it way down deep inside of you. Now some Ive talked to over the years of Ministry say that they find it way easier to do so for God than for their mate or anyone else. This only indicates that they are doing what it says not to do in 1 Cor. Ch.13 and keeping score. [The charity that the Lord so eloquently speaks of here in this chapter is not merely an act known as charitable but it is even farther below the base motivation for doing so. Or in other words, the very reason for living and/or dying. Period.] Well, God deserves that level and type of devotion because of all he has done for me and hes also without fault. My mate can never make those claims. Well Saint, that is precisely why Jesus said that when we do something for someone else, especially a Christian who is only alive because they have the person and Spirit of Jesus living in them, we are to Do so, As unto Him. The implication there is, not as unto that person as to whether or not We deem that they might deserve it when the Bible clearly says that no one deserves anything at all, either from God or from anyone else, except for the evil that we have done to God and others. From the Lords point of view, Because that other Christian is either someone made in the image of God as all humans are, and/or that person is now a born again Christian, then the Christ within them does indeed deserve to be treated that special and for no other reason.

Let me say this my friend, Im going to go way way out on a limb here and say that The Spirit of God has shown me what some aspects of life are like in Heaven, especially this one Im talking about here. Not as though I actually physically or even spiritually went there, but in the sense of comprehending and wrapping my understanding around, yet in a dream format, as though I actually was there and saw these things. Its like being given a chance to see the Heavenly Players Theater Production group from the City of God himself do a living epistle or something, of these truths Im teaching. Or even actually seeing actual Citizens of Heaven playing out, in their real life, examples of these things. Lets face it, I can barely even articulate what I saw and understood, but I know I did, on some level, as I have on so many other things. Im telling you the truth my friends the ways that I saw them living out these laws or statutes and principles of life in the Kingdom was done in such a way that I could easily and quickly tell, that none of us down here, as they say, even come close to doing what they did and the way they did so, in those few short moments I was allowed, and I could also easily tell that they did so without any sense of following instructions, or teachings, or mandates, or requirements, etc. but so naturally and as a sure matter of course. Wow! It was gorgeous at the same time as scary because I also knew, as I was deeply convicted in my heart, that we dont have a clue..period. down here. We are so lax and inept and bungling, even the best of us, [whoever they are] concerning the things that are as normal and shall we say, mundane, in the City of God, its just deeply humbling and embarrassing even, especially when we so often think we are actually beginning to grasp the Principles of Life in the Kingdom. But wait, dont despair. Jesus not only knew that this would be the case, and told us so, [ 1 Cor. 13: 9-12 ] but has made huge allowance for our bungling by His Grace and Patience, tolerance, and forbearance of us all. And He can barely wait for us to get where He is so we can just begin to get going on doing things like He intended. He will joy over us in such a way as is indescribable here. And He most certainly is the only one who deserves it. If John the Baptist was to Jesus the greatest man ever born of a woman and yet the least in the Kingdom of God was greater than him, [ Matthew 11:11 ] where does that leave you and me. We really need to begin to also practice humbling ourselves before God a lot more often in this mortal life because if we were to see like I have had such brief glimpses of, we would quickly see that we are certainly going to have to look forward to being extremely humbled when we leave here. After you see the kind of fan fare that will go on for you as you enter the Joy of the Lord, after you have been shown all truth about yourself, you will be in AWE. I cant help but be in tremendous Awe that the Lord would even bother with us, even us mature Christians.

Rev. Will. Harrison Jr. Minister since late seventies, living with disabilities, married with children, should not have been saved. Former white & blue collar businessman. President and Founder LifeBuilders Ministry www.lifebuilders.mysite.com

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