DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2021-08-05
WRITTEN AT: Hattiesburg, MS

SCRIPTURE FROM: Mark 10:2-6
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ² Some Pharisees came and asked him, “Do you permit divorce?” Of course they were trying to trap him.
³ “What did Moses say about divorce?” Jesus asked them.
⁴ “He said it was all right,” they replied. “He said that all a man has to do is write his wife a letter of dismissal.”
⁵ “And why did he say that?” Jesus asked. “I’ll tell you why—it was a concession to your hardhearted wickedness. ⁶ But it certainly isn’t God’s way… 

APPLICATION: Having been involved in church leadership at several churches, this story from Jesus about a concession that Moses made, caused me to stop and meditate on any concessions that I may have agreed to while in leadership. No, I will not discuss any concessions we may have made, but I want us to be reminded that we must carefully look to God’s Word when we are faced with decisions that put into question what Jesus may have written in His Word. This might be in our personal lives, as well as groups in which we participate or have responsibility for. We must remember that Satan is still very much at work in our midst, and he will try every trick in the book to distract us from the Word of God. These attacks will come in various forms and will sometimes look very legitimate. There are many differences today, compared to the rules and practices I grew up with. Some of these rules were drenched in tradition of older denominations. But as changes are made in the life of a follower of Christ, we must be careful to review, agree to, and approve of those changes – IF they conform with the Word of God. In the earlier part of my career, I was an auditor for a short while. If I found discrepancy in a practice being performed, and I wrote the individual up for not completing their job in conformance with operational rules and regulation, then I had to support that write-up with the exact reference in the company rules or the government regulation. This is exactly what we should do if we are asked to personally change, or agree for our church to change a formal practice.- Does the Scripture support that change? Divorce is a hot topic for most churches, and Jesus tells us in today’s Scripture what God intended. Whether you are a divorcee or a church member deciding how to handle divorce overall, we must refer to God’s Word and see what He says. As His follower, we must be obedient to what He tells us to do. But unless we become distracted with just this topic, let’s not forget that there are many other similar items that will test us in our commitment to follow God’s commands and do His perfect will. I pray that each reader and listener will seek God’s face and ask for His direction as they strive to be His example here on earth.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: We will be challenged with worldly practices that may not align with the Word of God. As a follower of Christ, it behooves us to always search the Word of God for direction and be obedient to God’s commands.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You have gone to great length to provide leadership for all decisions we will make here on this earth. As we commit to be Your follower and make every effort to be obedient to Your teachings, please give us strength, wisdom and a boldness to stand firm on the Word of God. You have established us as a light on a hill, please help us to shine brightly so that the world may see Jesus in the flesh through Your servants. May they have a greater desire to know You and then follow in accepting You as their Savior. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!