Most of us eat every day, some of us too much, because yesterday's
food is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do
some of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manner the word of God to keep
us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change all
that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need to live
healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host, author
speaker L. David Harris. Good morning, good morning, good morning.
It is Friday, September one, two twenty three. Hello, my name
is L. David Harris. I am your host, and this is your
Daily Portion where we give you God's word every single day, and today is
no exception. We are continuing in our Lesson study series through the Book of
Ephesians. We are still in Lesson number ten. We're making the transition soon
soon, soon to a new study, but I don't want to rush it.
Oh my goodness, so much more to say here. Our caption for
today is one Flesh Revisited. So we talked about one flesh as a model
for marriage yesterday, and I talk to you fast, almost like an auctioneer,
but there's some stuff that we really need to cover again, and also
to cover that we didn't even touch yesterday. Okay, before we get into
that, let me just say welcome to everyone joining us, especially those joining
for the very first time. Please go over to your Daily Portion dot com
join our online community there. Also, please pick up the Your Daily Portion
book and type into the little box there that says where are you in the
world? Let me know where you are in the world, and that helps
to encourage me to continue. I promise. I've been on this thing for
thousands of consecutive days. You know. We've been together since like really since
twenty fourteen, but in this way since twenty eighteen. Yeah, So it's
encouraging for us to be together in this way, especially when I can know
where you are in the world. Pardon me. Let's go ahead and pray
and then get underway. Father in Heaven, thank you for giving us the
privilege to come together in this manner, For the blessing that you have been
to us, and the privilege we have to examine the ideal for marriage as
sort of a microcosm, a representation of marriage of relationship with you. I
pray that we will get it and live it in Jesus name, I pray
Amen and Amen again. You know, part of the reason some people hate
marriage is because they have not seen the right model. Yeah, or they
feel like the right model is far beyond their grasp. Yeah, it's not
always roses and sunshine. It's not always that music that sounds romantic, the
instrumental and the gentle breeze blowing through your home with the valences or valences and
things just you know, breezing through and perfect everything. And you see people
waking up in those bright white sheets and the perfectly fluffed comforters and the pillows
or whatever else. Right, it is not that, like, it is
not necessarily that God has given us the privilege to come together so we can
see what the ideal from God's perspective is. But it's work for humans.
It's good work. It's good work, but it is work nonetheless, like
unity is no light matter. Thank God for the privilege. And so yesterday
I said so much about how Adam was created, what he was given as
a vocation, and all of that I won't rehash that. I want you
to go back to yesterday's broadcast so that you can hear it for yourselves.
Ah, but I did not talk about just a couple of other things right
in that unity, That one concept there was sexual unity. Can we just
say that right here and right now that if you are married brothers and sisters,
then unity where sexuality is concerned is key. That means that it's one
flesh, not multiple fleshes. And you're like, Dave, that doesn't even
make sense multiple fleshes, ball, But you understand what I'm saying. I
am saying that if you have husband and you have wife, that means husband
plural singular. Look at that, messing with my brain. Husband singular,
wife singular, not multiple partners, not multiple spouses. And you're like,
that's ridiculous, Dave, we don't even do that. Yeah, well,
some places in the world people do that, and they do it legally in
air quotes. Oh and by the way, we don't do that. We're
believers. Yeah. Really was Abraham a believer. Abraham was the father of
the faithful. And guess what Abraham had more than one wife, my namesake,
right, King David, more than one wife. God is saying,
no, you have one spouse, full stop, and that is one flesh
sexual unity, emotional unity. You're like, but that doesn't make sense,
Dave. What does that even mean? Have you ever heard of an emotional
affair some of us, because of whatever we say, is not going perfectly
in our marriages. Some of you may say that your husband is not holy
and he has left you in a position of uncovered ness. Or you may
say, if you are a husband, that she has withheld her body from
you. I'm saying what you say. I don't say that. But if
you say that she's withheld her body from you for some period of time,
and then you say, Okay, well, I'm not going to go out
and have some intercourse with somebody, but I'm just going to have conversations about
it. I'm just gonna have intimate moments by telephone or by some one of
those fancy new social media platforms or some other app that's on the telephone.
Right, I'm just gonna make eyes at this person in church and let them
know that they matter to me. No, no, no, no,
no no no. God is saying that it is our privilege. In fact,
it is a command that we remain emotionally unified with the one spouse that
we have. You'd be better not to get married than to choose on purpose
to become emotionally or sexually detached. Can we talk just a moment about spiritual
unity. God wants us to be spiritually unified. It is our privilege.
It's not just an ideal. It is also a command. Do not be
bound or unequally yoked with unbelievers. And this is not an excuse for anybody
to get a divorce at this moment. I'm talking about people who are planning
to be married. Don't go looking for someone and then when you find the
person that you think you love or like, go to them realizing, oh
wait a minute, we're not on the same page spiritually, but they're so
wonderful in other ways. Oh well, and then go ahead and get married.
No sexual unity, emotional unity, spiritual unity, and these are just
some of the ways that we can become one with our spouses. Now,
I talk to you yesterday very quickly. I was talking so fast, maybe
you missed it. The Bible says that for this reason they leave father and
mother, meaning those who are getting married. Right we're getting married, We
leave father and mother and then cleave to the one spouse that we're getting married
to. You understand, and so there are sometimes disunity in marriage because somebody
neglected to leave. Somebody is bringing mommy and daddy into the relationship. Somebody
is going to daddy, someone is going to mommy or both and complaining about
the spouse. Someone is listening to mommy, someone is listening to Daddy about
how the marriage should go. They're already married. Like, you missed your
opportunity, Mommy and Daddy. If you did not give the guidance to the
child before he or she got married, leave it out now. The only
guidance that you can give is toward God and toward counseling, toward God and
toward coaching. But your mouth should not be in the marriage of people who
are now one. I wish I had the time. You're like, Dave,
that sounds extreme. What if daddy's a counselor what if mommy's a counselor
come on, now, you really want to go there? Yeah, let's
not do that. Let's just say when the Bible says leave and cleave,
it means that we show honor and love to our parents forever until God forbid
they either pass away or until Jesus comes. Right. Yeah, but we
do not bring them into the marriage, because that is no longer one flesh,
that is multiple fleshes, and that is not biblical. Can I just
say that, yep, well I did already. Let me go here and
say that no one should compel the other one to yield to each other's wishes.
We need to be patient and kind and forbearing and considerate and courteous according
to the book ad Ventist home page one hundred eighteen. And of course I
agree. Have a wonderful day, beasts. Thanks for joining us listening.
Friends. Always remember we cannot live by bread alone, but by every word
that comes from the mouth of God. This has been your daily portion with
L. David Harris. Make it a great day.