Coffee Stains: Marriage Proposals

How many of you ladies would like a wedding proposal like this? He drops to one knee, looks tenderly into your eyes and whispers, “Darling, you’re the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me.” (In the background nightingales warble, or whatever they do. Violins play. Crooners croon).

This is starting out good, isn’t it? Hang on. ‘I want you to be my wife for now and eternity. I’ll be faithful to you. I’ll never again go out with other women–not more than once or twice a month anyway. I’ll take care of you. I’ll work steadily two weeks out of four each month. ‘I’ll help you with the kids, if I don’t have anything else to do. I expect you, for your part, to be 100% faithful to me. You’re to cook my meals, have my children, clean the house, and after your eight hours of work each day, I expect you to feed the dog and make sure I’ve got some fresh coffee in the pot. Gotta have something to sip on while I watch tv.’

Let me give you some advice: just shove him over on the ground and go find someone who will make you a good husband. He can be as good looking as Tom Cruise but a man (or woman) with that attitude will make your life miserable. I wonder though. We come to the Lord with joy. ‘I accept You, Lord Jesus, as my Savior. I accept forgiveness of sins. I want to start a (mostly) new life with You. ‘I’m going to serve you. I’ll read Your Word each day (that I’m not too tired or otherwise busy). I’ll be faithful to get together with others who love You to worship and learn of You (when it’s convenient for me or I don’t have something else to do or I’m not too tired or it isn’t raining). ‘I’m going to serve You by serving my neighbor in need (just as soon as I finish worrying about my own problems). I’ll tell others of You (if I’m in a situation where they won’t laugh or think I’m a fanatic or something).

‘Lord, on the other hand, for your part, I expect You to answer all my prayers just as quickly as I pray them. Don’t lollygag. Keep me out of tough times, even if they come as a result of my stupidity. Make my life easy and take me on Your little cloud and float me to heaven without problems.’ I can tell, this is going to be a great marriage. When we come to the Lord, it’s to receive eternal life and forgiveness of sins but it’s much, much more than that. We enter into a relationship with Him, very much like a marriage. I don’t know about you but I’m pretty quick to clamor for my ‘rights’ in this relationship but I’m not as prompt to obey when He tells me to do something. God wants us to give ourselves wholly to Him, because He gives Himself wholly to us. It’s not fair for one partner to demand 100% of the other without giving 100% of himself.

‘In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.’ Luke 14:33 ‘`People of Israel, you have only one Lord and God. You must love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.’ The second most important commandment says: `Love others as much as you love yourself.’ No other commandment is more important than these.” (Mark 12:29-31, CEV)

Let’s love Him. Let’s serve Him with everything we have.