August 13
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AS YOU WERE WHEN GOD CALLED YOU
A poem by ILMA
Those who are married, the Lord commands you these
A wife must not leave her husband but if she does
She must remain single or be reconciled to him
And the husband must not leave his wife likewise.
If a fellow believer has a wife who is not a believer
And she is willing to continue living with him, he mustn’t leave her
And if a believing woman has a husband who’s an unbeliever
If he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him.
For the believing wife brings holiness to her marriage,
And the believing husband brings holiness to his matrimony
Otherwise, your children wouldn’t be holy, but now they are holy
If the unbelieving spouse insist on leaving, let them go.
In such cases the believing spouse is no longer bound to the other
Don’t you wives realize that your husbands might be saved because of you?
And don’t you husbands realize that your wives might be saved because of you?
Each one should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed them.
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MEMORY VERSE
Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you. – 1 Corinthians 7:17
Read: 1 Corinthians 7:10-17
Isn’t it amazing that the Lord gave us clear instructions about marriage in this account of Paul to the Corinthians? As believers, it is good for us to follow these instructions about marriage in order for us to be able to thrive in our marriages. The trouble with many of us is that we don’t follow these rules and so we end up having broken marriages.
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REFLECTION
• Why do you think God blesses the marriage even if they are unequally yoked?
• Why are unbelievers made holy by the believers?