Good morning:
Have you ever gone to the doctor with a self-diagnosis already in mind. Maybe you googled your symptoms and were convinced that what you needed to feel better fast was a course of strong antibiotics. Did the doctor take your word for it and hand over the prescription, no questions asked? Or did she do an exam and order some tests first? Were you right about the problem or did the doctor identify another source for the sore throat and headache?
No matter how much we google or read, we do well to trust good doctors. They know far more about diseases and their treatment than we do. They have far more experience than we do. Still, at times we second-guess a doctor’s word or ignore the treatment prescribed.
Do we treat God’s Word the same way? Do we go to God with a preconceived idea of what our trouble is and what He should do to help us? Do we second-guess His diagnosis and ignore what He says we need? We’ve probably all done it, but how foolish. No one knows more than God. Peter told Jesus, “Lord, you know all things.”
No one knows what we need more than God. After all, He’s our Maker. He made man and woman holy to live in His amazing creation in perfect harmony with Him and one another. He was there when sin spoiled the perfection. Already then He knew what He was going to do to save sinners from eternal death. He would do the unthinkable and send His Son to suffer the punishment all of us deserved.
Since God has rescued us from Satan’s grasp and given us new living hope in Jesus, we can trust Him for everything else in life too. Whom better to listen to when it comes to marriage and family issues than the One who instituted marriage in the first place? Who knows better what truly makes for happy relationships within the family than the One who became our Brother that we might be children of God and heirs of heaven?
When faced with questions and challenges, don’t try self-diagnosis. Go to the Expert. He knows what we need and has the perfect answers. Tomorrow’s sermon text (Gen. 2:18-24) is the record of God’s institution of marriage and its blessings, gifts which are still part of marriage today.
See you tomorrow,
Pastor
Usual services of 8:00 and 10:45 a.m. The Lord’s Supper will be celebrated in both services.
The public school confirmation class meets at 12:15 p.m.
Bible class thought-starter: What’s your favorite “go-to” Bible passage when you’re stressed?
