2-- Divine Help Needed

Divine Help Needed (by Bill Stevenson) Did you ever tell a teacher after she expressed disappointment in your essay, “Well, I tried my best to write what you wanted, Mrs. Jones.” Have you asked someone why he thinks he is going to Heaven and he replies, “because I have always tried to be good.” Have you asked someone why she thinks she lives the Golden Rule and she replies, “because I have always tried to be nice to others.” Have you asked a complaining wife why is she having problems in her marriage and her reply was, “I try my best to do what he wants.” Before April of 1988 I wrote this: According to 1 Corinthians 13, I should appreciate and love God whenever I can. be patient and kind with everyone. be forgiving of everyone who has been unfair to me. rejoice for any truth and when righteousness prevails. "bounce-up" when oppressed or discouraged. always hope for the best. I should not be envious or jealous of anyone, rude, or selfish. feel proud or insist on my own way or rights. I should try to be charitable to everyone I meet, even my "enemies". In Washington, D. C., I met a man from Holland who read the above list and said it was not right, I was shocked because no one disagreed with it before. He said it was humanistic. It was only indicating human effort, no divine help. The Bible does indicate human effort in the following Scripture: In Philippians 4:13, Apostle Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me. Jude 20-22 says, “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. But look at the mention of deity in the verses. What do you think is required from them for the believer to do what is indicated in the verses? What is required in increasing holy faith? Now review “the Hall of Fame of Faith Livers of the Bible” in Hebrews 11. How were those people not humanistic? Why did they need God’s help? Now, let us look at God’s best for marriage: Ephesians 5:22-33 (for teaching purposes taken from the Amplified Bible of the Lockman Foundation): 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 So that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, 27 that He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such things [that she might be holy and faultless].

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Even so husbands should love their wives as [being in a sense] their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. For no man ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes {and} carefully protects and cherishes it, as Christ does the church, because we are members (parts) of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is very great, but I speak concerning [the relation of] Christ and the church. However, let each man of you [without exception] love his wife as [being in a sense] his very own self; and let the wife see that she respects {and} reverences her husband [that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates and esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly]. [1 Peter 3:2] Wives, be subject (be submissive and adapt yourselves) to your own husbands as [a service] to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife as Christ is the Head of the church, Himself the Savior of [His] body. As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands.

I was told by an associate pastor this year that this passage of Scripture was just for the culture in the Apostle Paul’s lifetime and not for today. He later told my wife if it was for today, then he would have to leave the Methodist Church because of the woman bishop he was serving under. The Christian husbands have 5 main commandments in the King James Version of this passage and the Christians wives only have 3 main commandments. I came up with 24 different ways that Jesus Christ indicated He loved His disciples (the church at that time) in John 14-16. The main requirement for each Christian husband is to live Christ-like. If he does such, than he will not ask his wife to do anything that is against God’s commandments. But none of Ephesians 5 marriage can be done without Holy Spirit help because we can’t remember God’s commandments (even just the small number in the Ephesians 5 passage). So now reread Romans 8 in light of what I just said and then the first part of Ephesians 5. Do you want God’s best? I do. It is not humanism or legalism. It just requires me to learn more about the Bible and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. I am saved by God's grace to live as He desires me to live instead of living for myself. I want may marriage to be an Ephesians 5 one too because that is God's best for us.