Chosen Yet Delivered into the Enemy’s Hands

By Jill Krueger Wagner

It’s pretty common knowledge that the Bible says the Jews are God’s Chosen People. The unfortunate thing is that the Jews didn’t understand that God’s choosing didn’t make them better than others. Instead it gave them a sacred trust to live a life worthy of the God they served. Living by the Law set them apart so they might show the rest of the world the difference that walking with God made. They weren’t better, the God they served was better than the “gods” of other nations and His law gave them a better life.

Believing they had a special relationship with God, they assumed that He would allow them to sin without repercussions. They were wrong. The watching world saw how they acted and their sin tarnished God’s reputation. For years God tried to draw them back into a right relationship with Him. He sent them prophets who warned them of impending judgement. They didn’t take kindly to that. They persecuted those prophets. They had forgotten that “The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.”

Their sins were huge. They served other gods along with the one true God. A sin He called adultery. They also offered living sacrifices of their own children to those other gods. Both sins were strictly forbidden in the Law.

When God’s patience reached its limit, God sent violent, cruel countries to invade Israel. Many Jews were killed and others were taken into captivity.

Why am I bringing all of this up? America has also had a special relationship with God. She was founded by Christians who were fleeing persecution in other nations. For a good portion of her existence she was considered a Christian nation – a nation where the Judeo-Christian ethic was honored. Yet in recent years, that ethic has not been honored but instead, disdained. She has turned her back on the Bible and has murdered millions of her own children. Preachers who point this out are ridiculed for being backward.

Can we escape the fate Israel was dealt? Not if God is faithful to his Word. The injustice of murder taints our land and Jehovah is a jealous God who won’t share his throne with any other gods.

Good and Evil in Marriage

By Jill Krueger Wagner

I doubt that anyone would disagree with the statement that there are two opposing forces in the world: forces for good and forces for evil. However, some might argue with the thought that those two forces each have an architect behind them.

There probably isn’t a husband or wife alive who, at one time or another, thought that their spouse was acting just plain evil (or stupid, insensitive, asinine, etc.). Usually when we’ve been hurt or disappointed our mind goes toward the negative and nobody can hurt or disappoint like a spouse.

It would be disturbing to actually think that some evil beings were behind a spouse’s actions that upset us, but that is exactly what the Bible says:

“For our struggle in not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12

Who is pulling the strings of your spouse’s actions? Who gains when spouses fight? The hate-filled one who loves disunity, fighting, and arguing. The thief who wants to steal your happiness, the Devil.

Who loses? Husbands, wives, and God.

If those rulers, authorities, powers, and evil forces can keep you focused on your mate’s behavior, they have a good chance of dividing you.

If, on the other hand, God can get you to “love one another,” “be kind one to another, tenderhearted forgiving one another,” He can bind you together with love. God wins and so do you and your spouse.

You see Jesus said “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 God wants you to have a good marriage.

Remember who your REAL enemy is. Also remember that “a good marriage is made up of two good forgivers.”