Dealing With Divorce: Hope For The Hard-Hearted And The Heavy-Hearted

Dealing with Divorce: Hope for the Hard Hearted and the Heavy Hearted

No one knows the pain of divorce more than one who has been divorced. Divorce is not a topic that I can talk about from personal experience; in twenty-seven years of marriage Ronda and I have never even entertained the idea.

I want to be a church that forever lifts up Godfs institution called marriage.

I want to be a church that forever lifts and loves people who have been divorced.

I want to be a church that takes Biblical steps to help prevent divorce.

If you have experienced the tragedy of divorce I want you to know that God will NEVER divorce you! This Pastor loves you! This congregation wants to minister to you. I believe I John 1:9 works for everyone! Letfs repeat that together: gIf we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.h

This is what God thinks about divorce. God hates it!

"I hate divorce," says the LORD God of Israel, "and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence as well as with his garment," says the LORD Almighty. (Malachi 2:16)

It is an act of violence and anyone who has been thru one can understand what He is talking about. It rips families apart. Divorce will shame your name and strip you of your identity.

This is what God thinks about the divorcee. God loves you! DIVORCE DOES NOT DESTROY A PERSONS VALUE.

John 3:16

gFor God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.h

(KJV)

Our value as human beings is based on the fact that we were created in the image of God. Christian or not, God loves each one and considers everyone valuable enough to die for. Divorce may cause great hurt-but our value remains. Please understand that God loves you and a failed marriage does not mean a failed life! Divorce does not alienate you from Godfs forgiveness & grace

Some people who have been divorced have said, upon reentering the social scene that they felt like damaged goods or a failure that no one would want. That’s not the way God sees them!

Besides, if we get right down to it, we could all qualify for damaged goods.

Romans 3:23

gfor all have sinned and fall short of the glory of Godh

(NIV)

Yet Divorce in America must be dealt with because...

The divorce rate is more than double what it was in 1960.

In 1998 2.2 million couples married and 1.1 million divorced.

In 2000, 58 million couples were married yet separated and another 21 million couples were divorced. We now have the lowest percentage of married adults (58 percent) in America’s history.

Co-habitation has increased by 443 percent since 1970.

More people are in their 2nd marriage than 1st. Second marriages are at greater risk of ending in divorce than first marriages.

People between the ages of 25 to 39 account for 60% of all divorces.

75% of women and 80% of men remarry within 5 years after divorce

Over 1 million children are affected by divorce each year.

Being a Christian doesnft seem to make a difference!

According to a 2001 study by George Barna of the Barna research institute; Overall, 33% of all born again individuals who have been married have gone through a divorce, which is statistically identical to the 34% incidence among non-born again adults.

Our society bases its beliefs about marriage on what they see on TV, soaps and sitcoms, talk showscand what they hear from friends and co-workers, or what theyfve experienced in their immediate family.

The gSeinfeldh TV program once referred to marriage as a prisoncnow why would you willfully want to go to prison?c

The Bible puts marriage in a totally different light than society.

Malachi 2:15

gYou were united to your wife by the Lord. In God’s wise plan, when you married, the two of you became one person in his sight...h

(TLB)

Marriage is more than just a loving relationship between husbands and wives. MARRIAGE IS THE SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION FOR ALL OF SOCIETY, FOR EVERY CULTURE, FOR ALL TIME; it is the cornerstone of how we relate to one another within our community. Male and female; young and old; regardless of your religious persuasion or ethnic background, MARRIAGE AFFECTS US ALL.

How important is the marriage relationship? Spin the hands of time and stop anytime throughout history, and spin the globe and stop anywhere man has lived and you will find a culture that is built upon the marriage relationship between men and women. Cultures may differ on how a couple is joined together in marriage and may even differ on the number of wives a husband could take, but the foundation of all relationships grows out of the marriage relationship.