Rooted: Part 2

As youth pastor, I have been and worked around a lot of youth. There is something that I see very prevalent in their lives and that is divorce. More than 50% of the kids I know come from divorced homes and it shows.

My heart breaks for these kids because Satan is a destroyer of families. Depression, guilt, anger, resentment and many other problems manage to get "rooted" in a young person's life. These problems can lead to promiscuity, rebellion, and suicidal thoughts. Although some of this is extreme and kids are resilient, God never intended for divorce. This is not to condemn those that are or have been divorced. Life happens sometimes, ultimately it needs to be avoided at all costs.

Here is the key: we must be "rooted" in Jesus!

Jeremiah 17:8 NLT
They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.

Remember the song "like a tree planted by the waters, I shall not be moved", it's true. Soaking up the living waters of God and eating the bread of life, that living word of God!

We can save ourselves a lot of headache and heartache by doing those simple things. Love for someone can easily slip away if we aren't steadfast in praying for our marriages.

The world may try to redefine marriage and what a family is, they may make it seem like divorce is a way of life, God never intended for it! As Christians we know what God's desire is, protect your family and put down deep roots.

Rooted

Good morning to you! I hope your week has gotten off to a great start! Get a cup of coffee and let's dig in. If you want to say something about how God has blessed your marriage, please do! Just write something in the comment section at the bottom.

                 ROOTED

I want my marriage to be rooted in Christ, rooted in the living waters of God!

Many of you have been divorced or experienced it with your parents. Most of us all know or have felt the effects of it.

I was blessed growing up with my dad and mom having a good marriage! I am very thankful for their commitment to each other. Their steadfast commitment to Jesus, each other, and to leading our family, rooted deep within me and my brothers.

A lot can be said about my parents being steadfast. With a good example set before us, my brother and I picked out godly wives. I am very happy with marriage and I know that God's plan is being accomplished in us!

Proverbs 22:6
King James Version (KJV)
6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

1 Corinthians 13:4-6
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

This scripture tells us the way we should be. If you could narrow down a marriage failing, it would probably be one thing: selfishness. It takes two people committed to the Lord and committed to each other. If you start thinking about "self" and "your" needs, the unraveling begins. The core of this verse "love" begins to be just empty words you say to each other. "Love" becomes less patient and less kind, more irritable and resentful. A couple forgets their roots.

We must be "rooted" down deep with our marriage and in order for that to happen, we must have a strong relationship with our God!

John 4:13-14
Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again.  But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

Drink from the well of God, that everlasting life giving water that bubbles up as a spring within you. It will refresh you and keep you in a good marriage so as long as you both seek the Lord.

We need to let our roots run deep, our family needs the roots to run deep. If we sever life giving water to the rest of the family tree, it will die. Preserving the marriage is better, if possible, at all costs.