2008-01-07T21:48:00.000-08:00

"...I am the resurrection and the life..."
John 11:25 (Jesus speaking)

You remember the story of Lazarus and while at the tomb, Jesus told Martha, "Your brother will rise again." (John 11:23).

Martha responded, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Then Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" Martha said, "Yes Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into this world." Martha believed that not only her brother but all believers would rise on that last day, but Jesus was trying to help her realize that He was there with her now, and this was possible now!

So what about John 10:10? Jesus says, "...I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." Jesus is speaking of a life here on earth and the more we turn our lives over to the Holy Spirit, the more we enjoy the life which has been given to us. In the previous blog, I spoke of my being color blind, and that to my knowledge, there is no cure at this time. But I have a son who is legally blind in one eye. We discovered this when he was about 9, while playing little league baseball. He usually played the infield and while he was a good hitter, he was a short swing, opposite field: singles hitter. When we discovered the problem, it was correctable with glasses. Now it's true that one lens was like the bottom of a coke bottle, and the other rather normal, but he could see! He told me the ball looked like a beach ball coming at him and he could actually see the ball leave the pitchers hand! Well, his swing became longer and he began hitting home runs. As a thirteen year old he was instrumental in his team winning the district flag. Unlike me, his vision problem was correctable here and now; he didn't have to wait until heaven.

So again, with our marriages, since we are told we can have a life more abundant... doesn't that mean in our marriages also? Could it be that instead of learning to adapt and settling for what we have known we can, (as John 10: 10 says), ... turn our lives over more and more to the Holy Spirit and enjoy a more abundant marriage? But what would it mean to turn my marriage over to the Holy Spirit? If it ain't broke why fix it ? OR, is marriage just one of those things that we don't understand here on earth. And when we get to heaven, we will understand fully what it means? (I Cor. 13: 12)

Are we 'color blind' and just accept it... until heaven?

OR, do we have a 'vision problem' that is reparable now, one that we could allow the Lord to work on now?

2007-12-13T10:05:00.000-08:00

"For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I am known."
I Cor. 13: 12

I realize that this verse is speaking of knowledge, and how we perceive things here on earth and one day when we are in heaven with our Lord, we will "see" things differently. Our knowledge will be more complete in heaven and our perspective will be much different. But please allow me a little latitude as I use the first part of this verse and apply it strictly to vision... You see, I am color blind. I discovered this while working as a truck driver in Californina. While being color blind is a disqualification for driving... I see some color, enough to know the difference between green and red and a few other colors. It's something I have always had and while it explains a few things... for one thing my taste in clothing.Also the fact that growing up my brothers and sisters were playing with crayon sets numbering 64 and 128, while I was completely satisfied with 8 colors; it also explains why, when I was in high school, my sisters would take me back to the store after I purchased new clothes for a dance or special date. I never knew anything else so it wasn't a big deal. I was born color blind and have lived my life as such.... but;
Since moving to Oregon from California the topic of my colorblindness has come up more often between my wife and I. You see, I love the four seasons here. I love to see things blooming in spring, and the change of colors in fall, and even the deadness of colors in winter. But I am color blind and wonder what does my wife see that I don't? While looking at a rainbow one day, I could identify two, possibly three differnt colors while my wife saw so many others and again I thought, what does she see that I don't? Devotionally I can read the verse at the top of the page and I may not see all there is to see now, but in heaven I will see all there is to see then...
But since this is a marriage blog, (finally), does this apply to us in marriage? Do we see dimly now and later we will fully understand what a marriage was suppose to look like. Have we become complacent in our marriages? Do we compare our marriage to what our parents had, or maybe a friend or relative and say, "well our marriage isn't perfect, but it isn't bad either." Are we complacent because this is all we have seen or known? Or is there more... and if there is more do we have to wait until heaven to experience it? (Yes, I know we are not married in heaven, but we are described as the bride of Christ). What does the bible have to say concerning the type of marriage that I can have now?

Dave C.

Marriage