From the Cross: Broken Marriages

by David Chadwick

Broken marriages are plaguing people both inside and outside of the church. Divorce statistics are staggering, even among those who call themselves Christians. There is no greater pain in the hearts of Christians than a marriage that falls apart. No one walks down the aisle on their wedding day and thinks to themselves, “One day, we will end up divorced.” Most every couple truly believes that they will remain together “until death do us part.”

Unfortunately, we live in a broken world with broken people who have broken wills and desires. Divorce, though hated by God (Malachi 2:16), is an unfortunate reality in our world. Let me see if I can tenderly share some reminders for those of you who have experienced a broken marriage.

First, let me quickly interject here that your first step in being able to move forward after a divorce is to remember that while God hates divorce, he does not hate divorcees. He loves you deeply! In fact, the Bible calls us to rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15). God is a God of compassion and I can promise you that he hurts with you and for you in your pain! As do I!

Secondly, please know that divorce is not the unpardonable sin. God knew it would happen in this broken world. His loving, forgiving grace is available to all. Remember that because of Jesus, God sees you as a new creation. He puts your past in the past. He draws near and heals the brokenhearted, binds the wounds of those who are hurting, and gives new hope to all who trust in him.

Third, learn what you need to learn from your divorce. What did you do wrong? What could you have done better? Then, as you are walking out some of the pain from your own loss, find a way to give your life away. Healing will come as you give your life away (Isaiah 58:10). Maybe you will even figure out a way to take what you have learned and help others walking through divorce (2 Corinthians 1:4).

Finally, learn what it takes to “divorce proof” your marriage. How? State your vows to one another regularly. Spend time together. Become one another’s best friend. When you do, you’ll find that while it is easy to leave your spouse, it’s impossible to leave your best friend. In fact, the divorce statistics for couples who practice these disciplines is practically nil!

Remember, God brought you together. Work hard to stay together! And as many of you have heard me say, always keep the back door locked from the outside!

From the Cross: Prodigal Sons and Daughters

by David Chadwick

One of the greatest heartaches that I hear from congregants is concern for their wayward children. Many people have prodigal sons and daughters who either don’t know Jesus or have run far from God. Parents fear for their children’s eternal salvation.

A wandering child who has rejected the faith leaves a believing parent in so much angst.

If this is your story, what should you do?

First, keep believing! Keep praying for the salvation of your prodigal son or daughter! There is something extraordinarily powerful about a parent’s prayers for a child. Remember, you are connected to them by a covenant. 1 Corinthians 7:14 speaks to the mysterious grace that comes to a home with a believing spouse. Because of your faith in Jesus, you should have every expectation that God is chasing down your children as much as you long for them to be chased down.

As I have jokingly said from time to time to those wandering in the faith, “If you have a praying and believing mom, you might as well go ahead and give up. You’re toast! You can either choose to believe in Jesus now or it will inevitably happen down the road.”

Secondly, keep modeling your faith to your children. Let them know how important Jesus is to you in both your words and actions. It could be that you send them a Bible verse from time to time or let them know you are praying for them. Or it may be that you let them see how you serve others or give your money or life away. It could even come through a warm cup of coffee you share with them when possible. I always say that faith is more often caught than taught, especially by children. Let them see Jesus in and through you.

Finally, don’t give up. Remember what Yogi Berra said, “It’s not over til it’s over.” Your job is to keep scattering seeds of faith. Keep praying. Keep persevering. Keep modeling your faith to them.

And keep believing that one day Jesus will arrest their hearts so you can spend eternity with them. After all, you’re in sales and God’s in management. Trust him with the outcome and in the meantime, keep practicing the art of faith! After all, faith is the atmosphere of heaven!

And true faith always leads to freedom.

From the Cross: Future Uncertainty

by David Chadwick

No one knows the future except God. He controls all (Psalm 24:1). The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness of it all! Genesis 1:1 reminds us that with one word, he created the world and began to write his story! And one day he will end his story (Revelation 22).

One day, all of time will be fulfilled and God will make his new heaven and new earth, a home without sin or blemish.

This is God’s world. He created it. He controls it. He knows everything…including the future! Uncertainty of the future is another sin pattern that hangs people up. Many in our congregation nailed this to the cross right before Easter, 2025.

I believe Jesus knew this would be hard for people, which is why he taught his disciples to pray like this, “Give us today our daily bread.” He knew that there was no point in worrying about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34). Tomorrow would have enough worries of its own and wisdom would call us to simply ask the Lord to meet us day by day.

We must trust God for all that we may need today. He will provide it! He promised that he would!

Developing this confidence in the Lord and learning how to trust him with our future should leave us confident in the most uncertain circumstances… yes, even death!

Some psychological analysts have estimated that 90% of all problems are rooted in fear, especially the fear of death. But death holds no power in the life of a believer in Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:55-58). When our lives are in Christ, what happens to him happens to us! Because he died and was raised to a new life, we, too, will be raised to a new life!

As someone once said, “We don’t know what the future holds, but we do know who holds the future.” Our lives are in the Father’s hands. He holds every second of our lives in his majestic, celestial hands. In him alone we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).

Therefore, we need to fear nothing…especially the future!

Now enjoy today to the full!