Thursday March 7

Read: Matthew 5:31-32, Matthew 19:7-9

According to a 1999 study done by the Australian Institute of Family Studies about a fifth (20.1%) of divorces occur due to marital infidelity or an affair. If that wasn’t enough, more than 443,000 Australians are actively seeking an affair online using just one website. That means that 1 in 25 married people are currently looking to have an affair.

 

It is interesting to consider these statistics after reading today’s passage from Matthew 5. Jesus clearly establishes that marital unfaithfulness is a valid, Biblical grounds for divorce. Imagine if all of these marriages divorced. That would potentially be 443,000 divorces! That is nearly 10 times the number of divorces which were granted in 2011! The toll of such a large number of divorces would be massive.

 

In order to properly understand how Jesus’ provision for marital infidelity should be applied, we must remember that marriage is instituted by God and is therefore very important. We should never undervalue marriage. Whilst Jesus does allow a provision for marital unfaithfulness in divorce it is not a command. This means, difficult as it may be,  we must fight for our marriages as much as possible. If there is marital unfaithfulness in the marriage a divorce should never be the first resort of default solution.

 

Instead we should work our hardest to restore the marriage and to bring the forgiveness of Jesus to bear on the situation. This will often be costly and difficult but is no less important. If you have been the victim of an affair I encourage you to pray that God would help you to forgive and that you would seek to reconcile with your spouse.

 

If you aren’t in that situation have a think about some of the things that you can do to protect yourself and your spouse (or future spouse) from having an affair. Everyone is a sinner and everyone is potentially vulnerable to this type of sin. No one is exempt. Considering this, what are some of the things that you can put into practice now to protect your marriage? How can you be radical and costly in seeking to prevent an affair? (Matthew 5:29-30)

 

Prayer:

Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.

 

Adoration:

 

Confession:

 

Thanks:

 

Supplication:

¥ Pray for the 443,000 Australians who are currently seeking an affair online. Pray that the Holy Spirit would convict them of their sin and that if they don’t know Jesus that they would come to a relationship with Him. Pray that they would seek to heal and grow their marriages and that God would work in the hearts of their spouses.

¥ Pray for the South Toowoomba Presbyterian Church as they do not currently have a full time Senior Minister. Pray that God would raise up a minister to be called to the church and to minister to God’s people there. Pray that the congregation would be challenged to be generous and to actively and passionately seek to share the Gospel with the lost.

 

My Additional Prayer Points.

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2/.

 

 

Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. Do you think it is possible to reconcile a marriage after an affair? Why or why not?

2. How could you support a couple who is working through the consequences of an affair?

3. What can you do to protect your marriage from unfaithfulness?