The 1967 film, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, tells the story of an engaged couple, Sidney Poitier and Katharine Houghton. Joanna (Houghton) takes her fiancé, Dr. Prentice (Poitier), home to meet her parents, Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Joanna and her parents are white. Dr. Prentice is black. It is 1967. Joanna’s parents are shockedContinue reading “GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER. Acts 10:11-16.”
Category Archives: Marriage
Marriage and The Woman at the Well. John 4:18.
One of the greatest evangelists in the Bible may be the unnamed “Woman at the Well.” In the fourth chapter of John, Jesus had a conversation with a Samaritan woman—a remarkable moment, because “Jews do not associate with Samaritans” John 4:9. Jesus was nice to her, they talked quite a bit, and she left andContinue reading “Marriage and The Woman at the Well. John 4:18.”
CARNAL KNOWLEDGE: Sex is not an Action But a Knowing. Luke 1:34.
The phrase “carnal knowledge” has a negative connotation, being a euphemism for sex. But literally it means knowledge of the flesh. The Bible always speaks of sex in terms of KNOWLEDGE. “Adam knew his wife, and she conceived a son,” for example. In our culture, people speak of sex as a happening, an event. ItContinue reading “CARNAL KNOWLEDGE: Sex is not an Action But a Knowing. Luke 1:34.”
Be Wise! WHEN YOU CHOOSE YOUR SPOUSE, YOU CHOOSE YOUR FUTURE. Ezra 10:2.
While living in exile, many of Israel’s men married the women of Babylon. They had been told not to marry foreign (non-Jewish) women, but they did not obey. Ezra led the people in prayers of repentance—and Ezra took this sin personally. He was innocent—that is, Ezra did not marry outside the faith. But because soContinue reading “Be Wise! WHEN YOU CHOOSE YOUR SPOUSE, YOU CHOOSE YOUR FUTURE. Ezra 10:2.”
FOREIGN WIVES. Ezra 9-10; 2 Corinthians 6:14.
How does God feel about dating or marriage outside your own race? Can white people and black people get married? Does it make any difference? God told the Hebrews NEVER to inter-marry with the “Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, … Egyptians, and Amorites.” Ezra 9:1. When Solomon took foreign wives, it was a disaster. The BibleContinue reading “FOREIGN WIVES. Ezra 9-10; 2 Corinthians 6:14.”
Choose a Spouse You Can Agree With. Ezra 9:3, 5-6
Why did God command His people “not to marry foreign women”? Because He knew such a marriage would weaken their convictions and lead to compromise. The New Testament says “do not be unequally yoked.” The image is similar to putting a horse and a donkey under the same harness—such arrangements do not work well, andContinue reading “Choose a Spouse You Can Agree With. Ezra 9:3, 5-6”
MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE. Malachi 2:13-16.
Have you ever felt your prayers stopped at the ceiling? That you could not reach God? The problem may be sin—especially marital sin. My grandfather, born in 1897, hated divorce. Why, because he was old-fashioned? No. Because he knew Malachi 2:16: “‘I hate divorce,’ says the Lord.” How’s that for ‘short and sweet’? God couldContinue reading “MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE. Malachi 2:13-16.”
Some Bad Marriages Do Not Involve Conflict.
It is easy for young people to ask about the basics: Is she hot? Does he have a great career? Does she laugh at my jokes? Does he listen to me? Is she affectionate? Is he romantic? Traits like these are easy. But you must evaluate a potential spouse on a deeper level: does heContinue reading “Some Bad Marriages Do Not Involve Conflict.”
Running the Sprinkler.
Have you ever taken a drink from a water hose? We all did it as kids. No one asked how clean the hose was. What about a sprinkler? Could you drink the cool, white water spraying from a sprinkler? This is the time for watering lawns. Times like this make me glad I liveContinue reading “Running the Sprinkler.”
Unequally Yoked.
Now there’s an archaic phrase. You’ve no doubt heard the analogy to two unmatched beasts of burden. For example, a horse and an ox cannot work together under the same yoke. They are unequal in height and gait, and cannot work together. God warns His children to “be not unequally yoked with unbelievers” 2 CorinthiansContinue reading “Unequally Yoked.”
Household Words: 