Putting Away Pagan Practices

Good evening sisters!
Tonight we find ourselves in another drizzly, rainy night but that's typical spring weather here!  Brother Jim is working late on the house tonight and I just finished taking care of some long overdue business paperwork.  I get to do some painting tomorrow to follow after what Jim's been repairing; some minor repairs and freshening up is all.  

I was only able to get a short time of walking in this evening before the rain started but I snapped this picture and added the verse...

Amen!

We must keep reminding ourselves of what has been done for us and what's ahead because it's easy to get swept away in the normal activities of life and be pulled away from the peace and joy that we can have even in the midst of trials.

I wanted to share a story wtih you...

Back, many years ago as we were babes in Christ we were walking alone with nobody to help guide us along in our walk so sometimes things took longer for us to see and know in the Word.  What we learned we did right away but there was one particular thing that escaped us for a while.

I remember this day well, I was sitting at our table and brother Jim was just coming out of the bedroom.  I recall saying to him that there's something not right about our wedding rings.  If jewelry is adornment and adornment is sinful then should we be wearing wedding rings?  Not only that but they come from the pagans and God clearly doesn't want His people doing pagan practices.

Jim said 'You're right we need to get rid of them'.  He then took his off and started walking away.

I was like 'But wait!!!!  How is anyone going to know we're married?"  

I don't recall exactly what he said and I knew it was right not to wear them but I really didn't like the way he just yanked his off and could care less about it.  It kinda hurt my feelings because in my mind it made me think that's what he thought of our marriage. Of course he didn't but it was a stark realization for me that we really do follow the traditions of man in some areas that we don't realize and we put hope and trust in things even like rings.



It hurt to take mine off but I did it right away because I knew it was right.  Well, Jim went off to work without his (pagan) wedding ring on and I went into the bedroom to cry about it....for a short time until I realized I was crying over something pagan! 

By the end of the day I was forgetting them and the next day I pretty much forgot that we even used to wear them.

I hope that encourages you sisters to realize that we are not married because of a ceremony, we're not married because of a ring or a piece of paper.  It's the committment between you and your husband.

Look at the hype the world makes over 'engagement' rings and how a woman's worth is judged by the size of diamond in hers.  Then they have to have the matching wedding rings and a great big ceremony.  All filled with worldliness, carnality, lust of the eyes, idolatry, drunkeness, immodesty, envy, strife etc.

Biblical Christians make a committment to one another, under God and they are married.  Pretty simple isn't it?  It goes along with the simplicity in Christ, shedding the ways of the world and being set free from all that. 2 Corinthians 11:3

Let it go sisters and move on in the things of God.


I hope that encouarges at least one of you!  :-)

Love in Christ,
Sister Deb

The biblical gospel...