God’s love, which is stronger than death, is causing me to continue walking the path of the mission the Lord has given me (John 6:1–15). “At that very time some Pharisees came and said to Him, ‘Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill You.’ He replied, ‘Go tell that fox, “I will keep driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach My goal.” In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see Me again until you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Luke 13:31–35). ...
Is space essential?
In a
marriage relationship, couples need to give each other space so that the Lord
can work in their hearts and lives (something I thought was important in my
conversation with my wife tonight).
"We
should respect all people. We may not
respect them for who they are now, but we should respect them for their
potential to change through the blood of the Lamb and the renewing power of the
Holy Spirit" (A. W. Tozer).
People
cannot see the "potential to change" unless they themselves are
changing. The reason we want the other
person to change and think, "Why doesn't that person change?" is
because we ourselves are not changing.
A
couple must be able to see the "potential for change" in each other
with faith. In order to do so, I must first continue to change in my
relationship with the Lord. In the midst
of this, I must see my beloved spouse from the perspective of faith that trusts
in the Lord, and quietly and patiently watch with the eyes of faith how the
Lord changes my spouse in that "space."
So when I talk to my wife, I tell her that we
need to avoid saying things like, "You always do that," or, "You
never do that," because the words "always" and "never"
lock the other person into our preconceptions and blind them to the
"potential for change."
If a
couple lives a life centered on the Lord, they will trust in the Lord and look
to each other, pray, expect, and wait with faith that the Lord is changing
their spouse just as He is changing them, and that He will continue to change
them in the future.
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