Pastor Kevin Reed

Grace Evangelical Free Church

4714 13 Mile Road, Rockford

John 14:1-3:“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am going.”

We believe that heaven is real, and we would probably even agree that we can’t wait to get there, but if asked the question, “How often have you thought about heaven this week?” most of us, if honest, would probably have to admit that we have been so focused on this life that we’ve had little time to meditate on the next. We are so busy that every spare second is filled with something. From work, to taking care of children, to running our children everywhere they need to be, to paying bills, to helping with homework, to fixing all the stuff the children break, and so on and so on, we are busy, and most of the time the things we are busy with aren’t necessarily bad. As a matter of fact, quite often they are necessary. And so we find ourselves so focused on taking care of the responsibilities we have in this world that we fail to ever take time to pull away and focus on the next.

We need perspective if we are going to make it through this world. It’s easy for all the stuff we go through and have to deal with in this world to cause our “hearts to be troubled,” and the only remedy for a troubled heart is to remember the hope and inheritance that awaits us in heaven. C.S Lewis wrote, “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.”

This is crucial to our walk with Jesus. We can’t become bogged down with the things of this world and live effectively for His glory. He knew that, and that is why He encourages his disciples to remember what is awaiting them. It’s the remedy for a troubled heart, it’s the medicine for a worn out body, it’s the perspective that each of us desperately need. Don’t focus so much on this world; instead keep an eternal perspective.

Pastor Kevin Reed

Grace Evangelical Free Church

4714 13 Mile Road, Rockford

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).

With this week being valentines day, and marriage and love is on everyone’s mind, I thought I’d take the time to share some thoughts on Marriage.  No matter how long you’ve been married, we can all use little reminders at times.  Marriage is one of those things that God has called very good, and God has even designed marriage to provide for one of our greatest needs—intimacy. But marriage is also one of those things that if things aren’t going well, it can become one of life’s greatest pains and an incredible source of frustration. How does that happen?  How can something that God designed to bring so much happiness and satisfaction end up bringing so much pain and frustration?

It’s really quite simple; we forget that God has told us we are better together than we are apart. It wasn’t good for the man to be alone, so God made a helper, a counterpart just for him. And only after man and wife were together as one did God call everything that he had made “very good.” God is the one that established that apart we aren’t as good as we are together.

In a marriage, we face countless circumstances that cause conflict and (if we let them) strife. We go through a process of frustration leading to irritation and, ultimately, we make choices that land us in a very bad place in a marriage—isolation. We become angry, we sin against each other, and we end up holding things against each other. With all this conflict comes Satan’s lie, “You’d be better off without him/her,” or “he/she is just holding you back from being everything you cold be.” Over time many people begin to believe these lies and they start making negative choices that eventually result in an affair, a crappy marriage, or even a divorce.

The key to maintaining closeness in marriage is to never forget that you are better together. God has created your spouse just for you. He/she is designed to fulfill your needs in a way that no one else could do. You aren’t better without them, the truth is you need them, and they need you. When was the last time you told your spouse how much “better” they make you? When was the last time you thanked God for his gift to you in your spouse? When was the last time you chose to focus on the “good” about your spouse and not so much on the “bad”? Each day you make the choice to believe what God has said, “you are better together,” instead of the lies that Satan is hoping you’ll fall for.  Make the right choice!

Take the time to think of the ways your spouse “makes you better”.  Plan a time to sit down with them and share your list with them.

Right now, take a moment to thank God for your spouse.  Don’t ask him to change them, praise Him for them!