A Godly Portion

Malachi 2:15 ESV

Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of his youth.

It is amazing how God has ordained relationships. God balances the most physically intimate relationship we have on earth by making it the most spiritually invested as well. This passage comes in the middle of a section centered around the Lord accepting and honoring someone’s sacrifices. The chief reason God was going to not value this sacrifice was that the persons heart was not right. This is nothing new though he had already rebuked them for bringing the rejects of the flock and acting like that was an acceptable sacrifice.

Yet, this rejection of an offering is different. Where the previous rejection centered around God evaluating what was in the heart and using the quality of the offering as evidence. At this point he turns the conversation to a different reason for rejection of a person’s offering. Their sacrifice was legitimate in and of itself but the heart still wasn’t right because of the relationship between spouses or, more precisely, I should say “X”-s.  Yes, the offering or sacrifice was good. It had no blemish it was the full tithe from the gross profit but marriage was lightly esteemed. Promises made, the most intimate of promises, were lightly held. This is compounded because God is actually a part of this union.

Note that God tells us here that a marriage actually brings “a portion of the Spirit” into it. Vows are made “before God and these witnesses” but God is not a simple witness in the ceremony of marriage, he is an active participant! God has skin in the game, as it were, in every marriage between a man and a woman. Because of strife in this relationship prayers are not heard and sacrifices are not honored!

Let that sink in. No matter what percentage of income is given, even the widow’s mites, it is rejected,if you are not right with your wife/husband. If you are not acting faithfully to your X-wife/husband God will not regard you or your offering with favor. Even if when no ceremony has taken place and “all” that has transpired is a child conceived, God is in the relationship, in view of this text. See how the intent was Godly offspring, even baby-mama and Baby-daddy relationships are to be treated as ones in need of faithfulness. Because “Godly offspring” are to be in view.

God has resolutely said that if you want a strong healthy relationship with him you are to have a strong healthy relationship with your spouse. As married couples look at their faith and spiritual walk, priority has to be taken to solidify and develop this relationship or growth will always be muted. If Christians wish for the church to grow this must be fostered. It won’t be easy though there is a reason so many marriages end in divorce, Sin and Satan are also focused on this relationship recognizing its nature, and importance as well. The battle is engaged the moment “I do” is heard.

The struggle is even more challenging for those that think that they have already failed because of divorce. Yet, battle is not over, just on rougher terrain. You are still called to be faithful in the midst of this. You are called still to do what is best for your former spouse even in the midst of heartbreak and betrayal. This is how we show Christ. By loving not because they love us but because Christ loves us and we in turn love those “who trespass against us”.

1 John 4:10-11

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and set his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God So loved us, we also ought to love one another.

CRUCE, DUM SPIRO, FIDO