God usually deals with people through covenants. Covenants are deals that a stronger person makes with a weaker person, with terms that they both agree to. The Israelites had a covenant with God and in his grace, even though they broke their end of the covenant, a small amount of people have returned from exile, rebuilt the Temple, and restored the Laws. However, more of the promises, in line the covenants, hadn’t come true yet. The kingdom was small and still ruled by non-Israelites. There is no great future materialized. And God hadn’t returned to the Temple. They were now waiting, but after decades, they start doubting and get discouraged and lose hope. In this, they were getting lazy and half-hearted and starting breaking faith. Breaking faith was liking have a contract [covenant], but then not living by it. So God sent Malachi to them to remind them of the covenant and the blessings or punishments that came with it.

A couple of the things they were doing (again as these were why they got exiled in the first place) were that they were marrying foreigners of different religions which lead to idolatry. As well, they were also divorcing which was wrong in God’s eyes. He hates it because a good and godly marriage is to lead to godly children. (This shows how important it is for parents to follow God and to impart that on their children – it wasn’t the Sunday School’s job.) Their marriages had more than just the two of them at stake. Malachi told them that God was saying, even though they worshipped in the Temple, to put them out. Even though they prayed, with tears, God did not answer them because of these sins.

God cared about their marriages and families. He cares about your future marriages and your future families. This includes your relationships while dating and before dating. You need to date carefully, date honorably (God’s name is worthy), and date in a way that follows Jesus. In marriages, there is only one way to live: God’s Way. There is no mixing of values or goals.

Maybe you’re not thinking about marriage yet. If you are single or dating, I hope that you can work at being ready for it. Maybe you are married. Then I hope this helps. Here are some things that I’ve learned. Some of it you may not agree with, but it’s things I’ve learned from experience, from my own life and others, stuff that I think I’ve learned from knowing God, and stuff I’ve learned from understanding how the world has changed with its good results and bad results. These are general thoughts to base your standards of dating on godly marriages, rather than secular ones. To have a marriage, and to prepare for that, in God’s way.

1. God wants marriages to strengthen faith, in each other and in the kids. You need to have someone walking on the same ground and in the same direction towards the same goal. Even if you’re only 10 degrees off, eventually over time you’ll see that it seemed parallel at first, but after walking for miles together, you’re far apart. Together, there’s a better possibility that you won’t stray from the faith – and walk according to it.

2. God wants marriage to be between one person and one person, male and female. Sex joins your flesh and spirit. Imagine if every time you have sex, any form of it, a rope was attached from you to that person. Imagine then if on your wedding day, you are giving yourself to one person, but you are attached to all these others. You’re only supposed to have one rope between you and someone else. This includes porn, which teaches you a wrong sense of what sex is really like. A good rule might be to have no touching where bathing suits are. Keep all your sexual activity (not just sexual intercourse) until you’re married. Why? Cuz it’s not supposed to be an act of lust. It’s not only an act of love. It’s an act of commitment, a commitment that comes after you’ve made the covenant of commitment in public. Learn about physical affection and avoid physical sexuality.

3. Learn about, prepare for, and fight for good marriage dynamics – even before you’re married. Model your marriage on good Christian couples that you know and not Hollywood’s fictional people and relationships. Sex and love in Hollywood movies or TV shows isn’t real sex (even porn stars probably don’t have sex like that in their relationships) or relationships (notice how in most sitcoms the father is an imbecile and the mother is a nag?). Develop communication, understanding, forgiveness, proper perspective on sexual activities, loving mindset, selfless heart, how to spend good, godly quality time, etc. Get it into your head that divorce, abuse, and self-centeredness is not an option. Know that it’s until death do us part. We don’t follow Hollywood. We follow Jesus. It’s supposed to be a good marriage and one that lasts until someone dies. Is it all great or easy? No, spouses have to work at it, but that’s part of the beauty

I hope that you can have a marriage that’s as good as mine, even better than mine. I hope that you have a marriage that is a role model and makes others jealous (in a good way), and that gives shine to God. One that helps you to know God, grow the church, and show Jesus Christ to all better. I hope that you have a marriage that doesn’t break faith, but reflects love and commitment, the kind that Jesus has for the church. God’s hopes are good for your marriage, and even before your marriage. God’s name is worthy in your marriage, and even before your marriage. God’s covenant is good for your marriage, and even before your marriage. Instead of focusing on what marriage and dating shouldn’t be, learn about what God wants it to be and prepare for things that way. Whether you are dating someone now, thinking about it, or hope to in the future, start understanding what you think of relationships and sex and marriage and also start praying, reading the Bible, thinking, and talking about how God wants it and see how much it lines up. Get ready to be the kind of spouse God wants you to be and to have a kind of marriage that God wants you to have.

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This discipline did come in the form of…to read the rest, click here.
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When it comes to God, how much light – truth – do we need to see what’s true?

The first 12 chapters in the Gospel of John could be considered the “Book of Signs”. Signs because John organised his gospel in such a way where he puts Jesus’ supernatural deeds into this section. However, these aren’t just miracles, but miraculous signs. The difference is that with a miracle, you would wow at the event. With a miraculous sign, you are supposed to wow at the person who did it and who he is. Some of the miraculous signs that Jesus did were turning (ceremonial) water into wine, driving out crooked religion at the Temple, feeding 5 000 men (and their families) from five loaves of bread and two fish, raising Lazarus from the dead, etc.

And yet, with all these signs, Jesus fulfilled a prophecy that most wouldn’t believe in him. Even the ones that did believed the wrong thing or were too shook to admit it. If Jesus was sent on a mission to be the light of God, did he fail?

To find out, click here.

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However, a nick name is something that other people give to you. Usually we get nicknames because of the reputation that you already have. If someone were to give you a name based on how much you benefitted others, what would your nickname be?

Let me introduce you to Joseph. He had a dope nickname because…click here to read the rest.
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