But God – A Wedding Challenge

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I had the opportunity to share this wedding challenge to a young couple who were just married on Saturday, April 23, 2016.  It was an absolutely beautiful wedding, held in an opening in a wooded, forest type area.  The weather was perfect, the bride was perfect, the groom?  Ehhh…he’s okay.  ?  Actually, with regards to Abbie and Ryan Whitman, I don’t know if I’ve ever had more optimism for and confidence in, a young couple as I have for them.  Thank you for letting me be a part of your day!  Love you both dearly!

Ephesians 2:4-7 (KJV) 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

I’ve discovered that throughout the most difficult seasons and circumstances of life, there are these “but God” moments. About a year and a half ago, I was in a coma…but God. For some of you, you’ve been through difficult seasons in your life over the years, your only response is…but God!  You were in a horrific car accident…but God!  You received a negative report from the doctor…but God!  Think about a crisis that you have WENT through before in your own life…but God.

So, I want to issue a challenge to all of us today, specifically to those that are newlyweds, or young marrieds, but ultimately this is something that is good for every relationship, three simple principles to live by. Anyone that knows me, knows that I love a good acronym, so here we go. Based on G.O.D.

The “G” stands for grace. I know that in a perfect world, we would all be agreeable, and never have any differences. Notice I said in a perfect world. Obviously, that’s not the world we’re living in. We need to have grace available to offer to each other. We’re all going to mess up, and we’re all going to make innocent mistakes. So, knowing that up front, we should be willing to extend grace whenever necessary. Here’s the other interesting thing about grace. You don’t really know about it, or appreciate it, until you need it. Until grace has been extended to you, you probably really don’t grasp the power of forgiveness and grace.  So, be sure to always have grace available to extend to those you love.

The “O” stands for, and settle down all you young husbands, this isn’t really about you…the “O” represents obedience. I want to shift the focus more however to obedience to God and His word. It’s quite possible that obedience to God and His word is precisely what has governed your life up to this point. Guess what? It is your continued obedience to God and His word that will enable you to safely navigate the future, unknown, roads that lie ahead of you.

And finally, the “D” represents not something that you should do, but rather what you should NOT do. Don’t ever use the “D” word! If you don’t know what I’m talking about, don’t ever use the word “divorce“. It simply should not be in our vocabulary. Our words have power. Our words can speak life, or they can speak death. So, just avoid using this word. It’s not an option. This union of marriage is all about unity, togetherness, oneness, wholeness, and completeness. Nothing should ever be done or said to jeopardize that!

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