When we exchange wedding vows we are promising ourselves to each other; husband to wife, wife to husband. We pledge our love and promise to be with them through good times and though bad, through sickness and through health, whether rich or poor, as long as both shall live. And after the vows, the officiator says, “What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.” It’s a reminder to us that God has brought these two people together, and no person, no thing, should break them apart. We make a vow to each other that is supposed to last for the rest of our time on this earth no matter what may come our way. We cannot, should not, separate.
In the same way that a man and woman pledge an everlasting vow to one another, so too does God pledge Himself to us, and we to Him. My reading last night was Deuteronomy chapter 26. The end of the chapter contained such a beautiful passage, and those verses have now become one of my new favorites. It’s a vow between the Israelites and God, both pledging themselves to each other as a bride and her bridegroom.
“You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in His ways, that you will keep His decrees, commands and laws, and that you will obey Him.” (Dt 26:17)
“And the Lord has declared this day that you are His people, His treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all His commands. He declared that He will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations He has made and that you will be a people holy to the Lord your God, as He promised.” (Dt 26:18,19)
This is what happens when you choose to follow Him and obey His commands. When we decide to pledge ourselves to Him fully, then He in turn pledges Himself to us. And how do we get there? Through His Son Jesus Christ. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.” (Jn 14:6,7) When we choose Christ, we are welcomed into God’s family, and all that He has promised is now also promised to us. The commands we need to follow are simple: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Mt 22:37-39)
When we make that choice to follow Him we cannot be separated from Him. Paul writes to the Romans, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ro 8:38,29) What else, then, is there that could separate us from God? As my kids would sing, “Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing!”
So as we walk with Him we need to remember that when we accepted Jesus Christ into our hearts we became a child of God, and there is nothing that can separate us from His love. Nothing we do, nothing that may happen to us, will keep God from loving us. The vow we made with Him cannot be broken. Just as in marriage husband and wife go through ups and downs but still stay strong and stay together, so we should stay strong through Him and never leave Him. He will never leave us, never stop loving us. Keep that in mind the next time you go through a “rough patch.” Focus on Him and on His love to get you through. Remember that He loves you and wants to be with you. He wants to give you His kingdom.
May we all remember the love He has for us, and the promises He made to us when we gave our lives to Him. What God as joined together, let no one try to separate. Amen.
In the same way that a man and woman pledge an everlasting vow to one another, so too does God pledge Himself to us, and we to Him. My reading last night was Deuteronomy chapter 26. The end of the chapter contained such a beautiful passage, and those verses have now become one of my new favorites. It’s a vow between the Israelites and God, both pledging themselves to each other as a bride and her bridegroom.
“You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in His ways, that you will keep His decrees, commands and laws, and that you will obey Him.” (Dt 26:17)
“And the Lord has declared this day that you are His people, His treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all His commands. He declared that He will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations He has made and that you will be a people holy to the Lord your God, as He promised.” (Dt 26:18,19)
This is what happens when you choose to follow Him and obey His commands. When we decide to pledge ourselves to Him fully, then He in turn pledges Himself to us. And how do we get there? Through His Son Jesus Christ. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.” (Jn 14:6,7) When we choose Christ, we are welcomed into God’s family, and all that He has promised is now also promised to us. The commands we need to follow are simple: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Mt 22:37-39)
When we make that choice to follow Him we cannot be separated from Him. Paul writes to the Romans, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ro 8:38,29) What else, then, is there that could separate us from God? As my kids would sing, “Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing!”
So as we walk with Him we need to remember that when we accepted Jesus Christ into our hearts we became a child of God, and there is nothing that can separate us from His love. Nothing we do, nothing that may happen to us, will keep God from loving us. The vow we made with Him cannot be broken. Just as in marriage husband and wife go through ups and downs but still stay strong and stay together, so we should stay strong through Him and never leave Him. He will never leave us, never stop loving us. Keep that in mind the next time you go through a “rough patch.” Focus on Him and on His love to get you through. Remember that He loves you and wants to be with you. He wants to give you His kingdom.
May we all remember the love He has for us, and the promises He made to us when we gave our lives to Him. What God as joined together, let no one try to separate. Amen.
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