Jesus emphasizes that marriage is a unique work of God. It is not simply a contractual relationship which can be ended at will, for what God has joined together cannot be ended lightly. Although a contract or covenant is involved, marriage is a state of being, not just of belonging. That thought is contained in the word “wedding” which refers to this biblical idea of being indissolubly “wedded” to each other. Marriage is intended as a bond for life, and Jesus’ appeal to (the original creation of marriage) provides us with a high view of marriage, a vivid contrast to liberal teaching then and now.
Conflict – How it Starts/How to Stop it, Focus Publishing, 1999, p. 143.
Though many conflicts can be upsetting and difficult, see if it is possible to regard such interactions with others in a positive, even optimistic way… Conflicts can become invitations for you to grow in a transformed humanness and overcome the destructive habits of mind, speech and behavior.
Conflict – How it Starts/How to Stop it, Focus Publishing, 1999, p. 221.
There is no immunity from conflict. It gets us all in the end. Its targets are wide, its pains prolonged. Arguments, aggression, even complete relationship breakdown can happen to anyone. Regardless of the deftness we normally bring to our relationships, when conflict surfaces its power to overwhelm us can be deeply perplexing.
Conflict – How it Starts/How to Stop it, Focus Publishing, 1999, p. 13.
What is conflict in its essence? It’s easy to recognize its surface symptoms: the anger, the panic, the shakes and the collywobbles. None of us welcomes the unpleasant responses it stimulates. But the working basis of conflict is confrontation, a clash of interests, an argument, perhaps an ongoing state of active and continuous dissatisfaction. Its effects are both personal and global, touching the lives of individuals, families, whole organizations, even nations or groups of nations. Conflict begins with matters of value, concern, anger or philosophy. It can end with agitation, anger, hostile action, even the termination of otherwise long-cherished human bonds of friendship and marriage.
Conflict – How it Starts/How to Stop it, Focus Publishing, 1999, p. 13.
God’s…promises are not simply random good intentions. Rather, God’s promises together point to and delineate a divine plan for history – a plan to rescue a people for the praise of His glory, and to effect that rescue, that salvation, through a judgment that God Himself would bear on our behalf. In other words, history is not cyclical, a “mere repetition” of archetypal patterns. Rather, history is heading somewhere. It’s linear. It’s developing and progressing toward an end that God has already prepared.
Biblical Theology Tools 2 by Michael Lawrence taken from Biblical Theology by Michael Lawrence, copyright 2010, Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org. Page 71.
Obedience (for children) is part of the Maker’s instructions, and there is no guaranteed success without it; for obedience is a God-created way of ensuring that we learn the right habits of living in our early years. To use Paul’s word (from Ephesians 6:1), it is “right” in the sense of being natural for our human development.