Universal Life Church Monastery of Massachusetts: December 2013

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

MARRIAGE: Covenant

In the Old Testament, God made a covenant with his people. A covenant is a promise or agreement. God thought it important to make an unbreakable covenant with the Israelites because he loved them and wanted to commit to them and have an intimate relationship with them.

Marriage is founded on the same principle. A marriage covenant exists between two people who have agreed to partner together for life. Marriage is a covenant that allows a couple to become one flesh and is a commitment to love, honors, and serve one another all the days of their lives. (Ephesians 5:31)

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

WORK: Being excellent

I normally take my car to a certain tire repair shop and I’m normally pleased with their services. One day, though, my tire was going flat so I took it to a local store that would patch it while I shopped. The man that took care of my tire was astounding. He was professional, courteous, and very enthusiastic about his job. He won me over and from now on I will take my car to him for any tire needs.

Are you good at what you do? Do you excel or just do enough to get by? Is customer service your number one priority? If your aim is to be excellent at your profession, chances are people will want your services. Excellent customer service sells and you may even find yourself getting promotion after promotion. God tells us that whatever we do, we should do our best for him and not for man. (Colossians 3:23) Make the extra effort and go the extra mile. God is watching.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

MARRIAGE: The role of submission

Peter writes in the New Testament that wives are to submit, or accept the authority of their husbands. He tells them that godly behavior will win over their husbands and be a testimony of God’s love. He also tells husbands to honor their wives and be understanding, stating that the wife may be weaker than the husband, but is an equal partner. (1 Peter 3)

This passage disturbs many women as they feel that it is unfair to be called “weaker” and have to be submissive to their husbands, especially if their husband does not treat them well. The author here is not trying to be hard on women, but laying out a biblical model for marriage. To be submissive does not mean to be weak. Peter is talking about partnership here. No one is better than the other. It is a team effort.
Jesus and God are partners. In Philippians 2:5-7 it states, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men."

Jesus was not trying to be equal or better than God. His heart was to partner with him and serve him. Husbands and wives are to do likewise. Partner together and serve one another.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

WORK: Laziness a curse

If there is one thing I wish I could drill into the youth these days, I would impress upon them the blessings of having excellent work ethics and the curse of laziness. In a world of facebook, television, and video games, it seems much of our younger generation has become less concerned with getting out to “work” and more concerned with their social status.

Proverbs 14:23 states that, “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” It is important that the youth learn that hard work will bring them the necessary means to pay their bills and that too much time doing recreational activities may cause them to be unfruitful. Let’s encourage the younger generation to diligently follow God’s design for productivity and someday they may just thank us.