Friday, May 30, 2008

My Wife is Not My Rock - Apples of Gold - May 30, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for May 30, 2008

“My Wife is Not My Rock”


Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

My wife is my companion, but she is not my rock.

God and God alone is my rock, my sure foundation.

Now let me tell you, that takes an incredible amount of pressure off of a marriage.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my wife, and I am a strong advocate of marriage, the two become one, ‘til death do us part, the whole kit and caboodle – especially the caboodle.

But sometimes we elevate our marriage and our spouse almost to the point of idolatry.

Recently I heard about an older woman whose husband died.  Her son said that she just never recovered.  Her grief became depression, and she could not go on without her husband.  She just gave up, and died shortly thereafter.

I understand the grief, but to me, this man was the foundation of her life – a position that only God should fill; that only God can fill.

When I die I’m sure my wife will grieve.  Or she’ll at least notice I’m gone.  But my hope and prayer is that the Lord is the rock in her life, and that no matter what storms come along, she will not be shaken.

At our wedding I had a friend sing a song that doesn’t sound very weddingish.  It’s called “I Pledge My Head to Heaven” by Keith Green.

The second verse says:
“I pledge my wife to heaven, for the Gospel,
Though our love each passing day just seems to grow.
As I told her when we wed, I’d surely rather be found dead,
Than to love her more than the One who saved my soul.”

Some wives might have taken offense at that.  They want to be first. 

But if your spouse ever comes before God, my friend, you are building on sand.

But when God comes first, you are building on rock, which means a stable marriage, a stable home and a stable family.

My wife is not under pressure to be my all-in-all.  I am not clinging to her or sucking the life out of her. 

No person can be your salvation.  They just can’t be.

That is God’s role, and His alone.

Psalm 18 is all about God as our rock.  Verse 2 says, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.”

Verse 31 says, “For who is God besides the Lord?  And who is the Rock except our God?”

And verse 46 says, “The Lord lives!  Praise be to my Rock!”

Yes, we should put our spouse high on the list.  Of all the people in the world, they should be number one.  They are the only person God says we become one with.  That makes them the most important person in our lives.

But in the end, they are just a person, another human being.  They make for a great companion, but they are not suited for being the foundation of our lives.

For that we turn to the Lord Almighty.  We are to put Him first, to love Him first, to serve Him first.  We are to seek Him first and obey Him.  We are to take up our cross and follow Him.

In a figurative sense, a husband and wife are not to look at each other.  Instead, we should both have our eyes fixed on Jesus.  Like it says in Hebrews 12:2, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”

When married people fix their eyes on Jesus, they end up walking in the same direction.  They have the same priorities.  They become servants to one another, not because they need each other, not because they are codependent, but because they are servants of the Most High.

So is your marriage feeling a little shaky today?  Maybe what you need to do is not focus on your marriage.  Maybe you need to take your eyes off your marriage altogether and fix them on Jesus.  And if both of you fix your eyes on Jesus - well, you’ve got it made.

Remember, your spouse can be your companion, but only God can be your Rock.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
 

© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for
Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000

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