Our Anniversary - Heirs Together

 

“You are joint heirs of the grace of life” (1 Peter 3:7).

 

Peter writes that husbands ought to honor their wives, with whom they are joint heirs of the grace of life, “so that your prayers may not be hindered.” There is an alternate reading in the TR for “hindered” which can mean, “cut off” or “cut down” (such as “if your hand offends you, cut it off”) and I find this interesting, for even if our current best manuscripts heavily support the idea of prayers being “hindered,” at some point there were copyists who conveyed the violent image of a husband and wife’s prayers being cutoff or cutdown. Both senses ought to get our attention (the two words are closely related in Greek).

 

1 Peter 3:7 is a picture of Christ and the Church, just as is Ephesians 5:22 – 33 (and just as is Proverbs 31:10 – 31). We are joint heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17, 32; Gal. 4:7; Rev. 21:7) and this is particularly true of us as His Bride – for there is a “unity of person” in marriage…the two become one. This idea of “unity of person” was embedded in English common law and was recognized, at least until recently, in many state laws in the United States. As a real estate broker in Maryland and Virginia this was a critical legal concept when transferring title to real estate, husbands and wives took title as “tenants by the entirety," they took title as “one person.”

 

The Bride becomes one with the Groom in Scripture, this is our calling in Jesus Christ, our destiny is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and a glorious unfolding of His love for us in eternity.

 

Our marriages in Christ are to participate in this glory, in this sacramental union. So much so that husbands and wives receive the grace of God as joint heirs – as one person in Christ. So much so that should there be a breach in the marriage, in communion, in mutually caring for one another, in mutual deference and submission (Eph. 5:21), in forgiveness and forbearance and patience; that the prayers of the spouses will be hindered and possibly cutoff, chopped down, castoff.

 

While all marriages have their particular DNA, if you will, in Christ they have His DNA…whatever else they may bring into the marriage. One of the questions married couples can always ask is, “Where is the Lordship of Jesus in this?”

 

I once asked this question, and only this question, of a couple in a crisis marital situation; they were on the precipice of separating. Our Father gave me a sense that I should do this since they were professing Christians. When they left our home after about two hours, they still had work to do in Jesus, but the threat was over and the direction was sure. No matter what one said about the other, no matter what issue they wanted to bring before me, I kept asking, “Where is the Lordship of Jesus Christ in this?”

 

Many years ago my friend Steve Allsbrook shared the following poem with me, saying, “When I read this I thought of you and Vickie.”

 

The poem has become more precious over the years, as has my wife, as has our marriage, as has our dear Lord Jesus.

 

 

 

The Word

 By John Masefield

 

My friend, my bonny friend, when we are old,

And hand in hand go tottering down the hill,

May we be rich in love's refined gold,

May love's gold coin be current with us still.

 

May love be sweeter for the vanished days,

And your most perfect beauty still as dear

As when your troubled finger stood at gaze

In the dear March of a most sacred year.

 

May what we are be all we might have been,

And that potential, perfect, oh my friend,

And may there still be many sheafs to glean

In our love's acre, comrade, till the end.

 

And may we find, when ended is the page

Death but a tavern on our pilgrimage.

 

"It Just So Happened"

Here is another recent piece by my friend George Bowers, I hope it speaks to you. 

“It Just So Happened"

                                            George Bowers

                                                June 2022

  “It just so happened,” or did it really?

Such a concept is so silly.

If God even numbers our cranium’s hairs,

Surely He arranges all our affairs!

When someone says, “coincidence,”

It was no careless incidence.

Nor some fortuitous fluke of luck,

As though someone was wonderstruck.

No random happenstance at all,

As though it did “perchance” befall.

No accident nor twist of fate,

For God’s not early nor too late. 

Our God’s at work in mighty ways,

At every time through all our days.

Though carried out by unseen hands,

Make no mistake, these are His plans!

So realize His presence here,

Behold His miracles very clear!

Observe and see His marvelous ways,

And for them give Him all your praise! 

 

No Potatoes?

There were leftover potatoes in the fridge – earmarked for this morning’s breakfast…for me. I was going to have potatoes, eggs, a slice of pumpernickel bread, and fake meat – it was going to be good. Vickie was going to have fruit and a bagel. Breakfast on the deck was going to be good.

When Vickie called me into the kitchen to get my plate and take it outside she said, “There are no potatoes. When I was taking them out of the refrigerator I dropped them and the top of the container popped off and the potatoes fell on the floor, so I threw them away.”

“You threw them away? We could have washed them off.”

“I am not going to have you eat potatoes that have been on the floor.”

As we were eating on the deck I opened a jar of pumpkin butter so I could spread some on my pumpernickel. After spreading some on my bread the top of the lid caught my eye, it had mold growing on it. Yes, yes, the jar had been opened for quite a while, it isn’t as if I eat breakfast at home often and when I do it isn’t as if I use pumpkin butter all of the time. As I pondered the mold Vickie caught my expression, asked me what was going on, and when I told her she said, “I’ll get you another slice of toast.”

“No,” I replied, “I’ll just scrape this off.”.

“Ok, if you scrape it off that should be fine.”

At least I salvaged my toast. I did have to throw the jar of pumpkin butter away. Maybe I should have sent the lid to NIH, might have been a cure for some malady growing right in our own refrigerator.

Still though…no potatoes.

Poison Ivy and Sin

Yesterday Vickie and I were working in our vegetable garden. As I was weeding raised beds in preparation for planting Vickie said, "Before I go let me show you something." At first I was mildly irritated that I had to stop what I was doing and walk over to where she was - I was just getting into my work groove and when I get like that I don't want to stop...but hey...she's Eve and I'm Adam and we're in this together so I stopped and went over to the bed where she was standing.

"I wanted to show you this," she said, pointing down to two small plants. "This is poison ivy, I didn't want you to get over here weeding and not see them."

"Thanks," I replied, knowing that if she hadn't pointed them out I would have not have seen them.  I am highly allergic to poison ivy.

Why is it I'm thankful when someone points out poison ivy but not particularly thankful when someone points out sin in my life? Why am I grateful when someone spares me poison-ivy misery but can be resentful when someone suggests I reconsider an attitude or action? 

Only a fool would ignore a poison-ivy warning; the book of Proverbs (in the Bible) teaches again and again that the wise person heeds correction, reproof, and advice and that the foolish person rejects wisdom and correction - going on his or her merry and foolish way. I am aware that some folks are immune to poison ivy, I am also aware that other folks think they are immune from the results of sin - the Bible is clear on that point, "The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). As a Christian there have been times I thought I was immune from sin...what a fool I was. 

As much as I want to avoid poison ivy, I want to avoid sin even more. I want to live in union with God in Jesus Christ, in harmony with His people, and I want to be a blessing to all those around me. I can hardly do that if the poison of sin has infected my life.

"But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one anther, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." [1 John 1:7 - 9].

This Was for You

Friday night Vickie and I want to Anna’s for dinner – she had a Greek salad and I had an eggplant pasta dish. Both were great, both overflowed their plate. I could have easily eaten one-half and taken the other half home – I was aware of this when I first saw the plate, I was aware of this as I was eating, I was keenly aware of this as I approached the halfway point on the plate.

As I approached the halfway point I was getting full, in fact I was getting quite full. But, I reasoned that it tasted so good and I had eaten so wisely during the week…and then there was Vickie. She was lagging behind in eating her salad and what was I to do? It wouldn’t be right for me to stop eating and watch her. Oh, I guess I could have stopped eating and talked a bit more – but would she have wanted to hear a monologue on history or theology? No, I could not do that to her. So I ate.

When I arrived at the three-quarter point of my dinner plate I thought about saving that last section, of taking it home, of having it for lunch on Saturday. But then, I was getting close to finishing it, and was there really enough for lunch? It seemed a small thing to just go ahead and finish it – after all, it was so good, so tasty…and I had eaten wisely during the week.

On the way home I complained of being full. After we arrived home I complained of being full. I also questioned my wife’s love for me, surely if she loved me she would not have let me eat the whole thing – why hadn’t she intervened?

The next morning (Saturday) I lamented that I had eaten so much. (Do you get the picture?)

This morning (Sunday), as we left the church parking lot Vickie said to me, “That message was for you.”

I looked at her, “Really, oh that’s great.”

“Yes,” she said, “I was thinking about you during the sermon.”

“Well, I was thinking about me too and about Friday night. But still, you really think the sermon was for me?”

She replied, “Well, you’ve been talking about it.”

The sermon was on a subject I’ve not ever heard preached after almost five decades of following Jesus. It was masterful, well done, and thought provoking. I’ll be thinking about the facets of the message for some time to come. For sure the next time I’m at Anna’s and order a dinner that is large enough for two meals I’ll think of this message.

The message is part of a series focused on the Seven Deadly Sins; today’s sermon title was Gluttony. It’s great having a wife who will just get it out in the open by saying, “The sermon was for you.”

Well, she said it in love, she said it somewhat amusingly…and in fact she said what I was thinking. Just another reason why Adam needs Eve.

Why Adam needs Eve

I’m a tea man myself; oh sure I might have a mug of java at the office but my early morning routine is to brew a pot of tea. Occasionally on weekends I’ll make French Press coffee just to get wild and crazy, but usually it’s tea.

This morning as Vickie was fixing breakfast I decided that French Press was a good idea. Just as Vickie was putting the food on the table I went over to the French Press to depress the plunger – it wouldn’t move. I pressed it again…still no movement. I figured maybe it would help if I just lifted the lip a wee bit and then pushed down on the plunger…have you ever seen Old Faithful erupt? Better yet, what about Mount Vesuvius? Volcanic ash (make that coffee grounds) came out of that carafe along with piping hot coffee and engulfed the counter, the wall, the canister set, the crock on the counter with kitchen utensils, the window and windowsill, and my right hand and arm. Whooo-eeee!!! My my my – what did I do?!!!

The good news, the really good news, is that the dogs were outside and Vickie was on the other side of the kitchen.

“Go sit down and let’s have breakfast and I’ll clean up,” she said.

“No, I’ll clean.”

“No,” she said, "let’s have breakfast and I’ll clean up.”

After taking a few wipes of the countertop and the windowsill to make some attempt at amends I sat down and we had breakfast.

When it comes to messes Vickie and I have a pretty good thing going, if I make a mess she cleans it up and if she makes a mess I clean it up. I guess we both figure that the one who made the mess is so stressed that the least the other can do is to have the other go chill and then take care of the mess. We still talk about the time when she dropped a huge bowl of pasta sauce – I rang up the credits on that clean up – it was almost like cleaning up after the Exxon Valdez.

A bit later in the day I decided I wanted to go back to the Zuck Homestead and move some raised beds over to our new garden – yes I knew we’d had rain and snow for a few straight days, yes I knew the ground might be muddy – but hey, yesterday it didn’t rain so things were probably ok at the garden. Did I mention that Eve said this wasn’t a good idea? But look, I have few days off, it’s too dark to work outside by the time I get off and I need to get this stuff done.

So I drove our little Ford Ranger pickup over to the garden. I tried backing into the garden to get close to the raised beds…the wheels started spinning. Oh, oh, not good. I managed to pull out of the garden, got out of the truck, and inspected the ground surrounding the garden. After a thorough inspection I decided that I could drive around the back of the garden and approach the raised beds from another direction.

Things were looking pretty good as I drove around one side of the garden, made the turn up the back of the garden, and then wheeled the truck and prepared to backup alongside the raised beds…the wheels started spinning…oh, oh, not good. But hey, I had extricated myself from the front of the garden, I could do it again. As I engaged in that old time truck’n rock and roll to propel the truck out of the rut there wasn’t much rock’n or roll’n but there sure was a lot of spin’n.

Ok, I can do this, I can get out of here. I put some branches and brush beneath the wheels – here we go!!! Nope, nothing…this is not looking good.

I called Vickie, “It’s me. I’m stuck in the garden and I just wanted to make sure you were still in the house in case I have to call you back to come and get me. I wanted to make sure you weren’t outside doing yard work. I’m sure I can get out, I’ll call you back in a few minutes.”

More brush under the wheels. More attempts at rock n’ roll…more spinning – the muffler was getting closer to the ground; oh, oh, not good.

I called Vickie back, “Can you please come and get me?”

After she arrived and inspected the situation and we were walking back to her car I headed to the driver’s side for the trip home. “Oh no,” she said, “I’ll drive.”

“You don’t trust my driving today?”

“No I don’t. You just sit in the passenger’s seat and when you get home find somewhere to sit and don’t move the rest of the day.”

Figuring that I should be thankful that she even came to get me I went along with the program. Tomorrow David will get his tractor and pull the truck out of the mud.

Well – that’s how my day went.

Now you know one of the many reasons Adam needs Eve.