Spirit in Their Union

But you say, "Why does he not?" Because the LORD was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. -Mal 2:14-15

This verse jumped out at me as speaking to the mystery of marriage, of how the two become one. The phrase "a portion of the Spirit in their union" is interesting to me. What exactly does it mean? It's as though the "union" is an entity in itself, which shouldn't be terribly surprising. We use the word "marriage" to describe this frequently, but I think it goes beyond our common use of the term.

I think it is more like the legal aspect of forming a corporation. As far as the government is concerned, a corporation is its own legal entity, almost as though a new person was born under the auspice of that corporation. The corporation pays taxes like a person, can be sued like a person, can even die like a person. But most importantly, the reason the government allows and encourages corporations to form is because they can help society more than individuals can. The teamwork, cooperation, and common goals of the individuals within that corporation achieve much more than those same individuals could possibly do individually.

A marriage is the same way. If both the husband and the wife are working toward the same goal of a productive marriage, it will achieve much more than they could possibly achieve individually. Unfortunately most marriages are based on helping each other seek their individual achievements rather than seeking the achievements of the collective. It's a subtle, yet huge, difference that I'm sure others could elaborate on much more eloquently.

So where was I going with this? God has put a portion of his spirit in our marriages. My marriage is more than just a union between my wife and me. It is that union plus God's Spirit. My marriage is not just a word to describe our relationship. My marriage is a living breathing entity, a creation of God, meant to do his work.

Every Man Against His Neighbor

For before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for beast, neither was there any safety from the foe for him who went out or came in, for I set every man against his neighbor. -Zec 8:10

Today's verse greatly challenges my understanding of God. I believe the 21st century church paints God to be so loving and patient and kind and gentle that there is little room for a jealous and wrathful God. I struggle with how God can set every man against his neighbor, and still be the God of love. I understand we are under a different covenant now, but it is still the same God who administers this new covenant. It is the same God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Oh it is good for me to be reminded that God is not a pansy, sitting on a cloud taking a bubble bath, just waiting to give everybody a big hug (not too big though, wouldn't want to hurt anybody). Yes, God is love. But he is also jealous for our love and obedience. He is wrathful toward those who are disobedient. He will have vengeance on his enemies. He disciplines those he loves. He drowned the Egyptians in the Red Sea. He raises up armies to defeat his chosen people for punishment. He exiled his own people. He is a big God that cannot possibly be wholly contained in a three word sentence like "God is love."

Wedding Garments

Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.' And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. "But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen."
-Mat 22:8-14

What does this parable mean? It is one of those parables that I just wonder--is it supposed to be clear to me, or is Jesus just trying to be vague and confusing?

My understanding of it is this: The wedding hall represents the collection of people we commonly refer to as the church, the people who attend and participate in a local church. The wedding garment is Christ. So this parable is about non-saved people who are active in local churches. They have no idea that they're not dressed appropriately and that God is not pleased with them.

What application must come from this?

1. I need to be gathering people, good and bad, to join me in the local church.
2. I need to help those within the church (myself included) to test themselves and verify their faith is really genuine.
   

Yet I Will Rejoice in the Lord

Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. -Hab 3:17-18

This verse jumped at me today because I feel this describes my situation right now. Having a house that won't sell, I feel cut off from the fold with no church home, I don't have my usual network of friends to gain strength and encouragement.....it's a challenging time in my life. Yet I will rejoice in the LORD. It's hard, and it's an act of faith that I have to talk myself into, but I will rejoice.

Please pray for both my heart to continue to rejoice during trials and for the trials to end, primarily for our house to sell.

Fear of Death

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
-Heb 2:14-15

Fear of death is the foundation of lifelong slavery. I wonder how much fear of death still affects my life. I am not talking about being responsible to prevent death by wearing seat belts, looking both ways before crossing streets, and eating properly. I'm talking fear here. Are there things that I wouldn't do for the Lord because of fear of death? Like becoming a missionary in Liberia? Truthfully, I have trouble even thinking of situations where fear of death kicks in because I never get that far because I'm so scared of man. You usually have to make quite a few people angry with your preaching before it gets to the point of death.

Patience

For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end--it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. -Hab 2:3

This is not really talking about God selling my house...but it indirectly reminds me that God understands our timeline. He doesn't follow our timeline, but he knows that we are anxious people. He knows his timeline often seems slow to us. God is not ignorant of our perception.

Of course I don't need to worry--God will provide for me in his time. What I need is faith to trust both his provision and his timing. He often provides in ways that are different from how we want him to provide. He might not sell my house for the amount I want...but he might provide renters, or free housing in relatives' vacant homes, or just enough money to buy a new home despite a loss on the current one. He is God and knows better than I do.

Please pray that God would provide for our house...and that I would have the faith to trust his provision.

Cycling Safety

Thought this was a great point at http://www.bicyclinglife.com/PracticalCycling/VCIntro.htm

"Nobody ever died from not knowing how to play flag football. Yet we spend tax money teaching kids its nuances in gym classes, while bicycle safety is still foreign to most school curriculums." Don Cuerdon

Christ's Perfection

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. -Heb 2:10

This verse is challenging to me. It begs the question, "Wasn't Jesus perfect before he suffered?" How does this fit into my theology? I don't want to be guilty of making the Bible say what my theology says it should say. I want to believe what it truly says and force my theology to follow the Scriptures. And this is why it's nice to have an electronic Bible (my plug for e-sword)--so I can look up commentaries and see what the Greek is...


The Greek word translated "through" is:

G1223
διά
dia
dee-ah'
A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through (in very wide applications, local, causal or occasional). In composition it retains the same general import: - after, always, among, at, to avoid, because of (that), briefly, by, for (cause) . . . fore, from, in, by occasion of, of, by reason of, for sake, that, thereby, therefore, X though, through (-out), to, wherefore, with (-in). In composition it retains the same
general import.

So the verse could mean "make the founder of their faith perfect _____ suffering."

1. for - the suffering is the reason he is perfect, but not the cause
2. from - the suffering is the cause of his perfection
3. therefore - the suffering is the result of perfection
4. throughout - his perfection is not dimineshed by suffering
5. with - he had perfect suffering

Wow. I'm glad translators have done this work for us and we rarely have to really dig in like this.

The Gill commentary says

and he is made "perfect through sufferings"; he suffered all that the law and justice of God could require; and hereby he became perfectly acquainted with the sufferings of his people, and a perfect Saviour of them; and in this way went to glory himself: and it "became" God the Father, the first cause, and last end of all things, since he had a design to bring all his adopted sons to glory, that his own Son should perfectly suffer for them; this was agreeable to, and becoming the perfections of his nature, his wisdom, his veracity, his justice, grace, and mercy.

JFB commentary:

to make ... perfect — "to consummate"; to bring to consummated glory through sufferings, as the appointed avenue to it. "He who suffers for another, not only benefits him, but becomes himself the brighter and more perfect" [Chrysostom]. Bringing to the end of troubles, and to the goal full of glory: a metaphor from the contests in the public games. Compare "It is finished," Luk_24:26; Joh_19:30. I prefer, with Calvin, understanding, "to make perfect as a completed
sacrifice": legal and official, not moral, perfection is meant: "to consecrate" (so the same Greek is translated Heb_7:28; compare Margin) by the finished expiation of His death, as our perfect High Priest, and so our "Captain of salvation" (Luk_13:32). This agrees with Heb_2:11, "He that sanctifieth," that is, consecrates them by Himself being made a consecrated offering for them. So Heb_10:14, Heb_10:29; Joh_17:19 : by the perfecting of His consecration for them in His death, He perfects their consecration, and so throws open access to glory (Heb_10:19-21; Heb_5:9; Heb_9:9 accord with this sense).

I'm going to lean toward the second commentary and agree with Calvin: "'to make perfect as a completed sacrifice': legal and official, not moral, perfection is meant."

Broken Rim

I can now offer a comprehensive review of my new airfree tires. I think the title of this post says most of it...they broke my rim!

Performance....
I went for a 12 mile ride over lunch Monday. The first thing I noticed was that they felt soft. I wasn't feeling every little bump in the road like I normally do. Since these tires were "120PSI" I would expect them to ride even stiffer than the 105PSI that I normally ride at. So that was the one good thing about the tires--they were a little easier on my arms and rear. Of course, I could just deflate my tires to 50 PSI and get the same effect. That would probably explain why when I looked at my speedometer I was going at least 3mph slower than I felt. I was working hard but only going 14mph. Granted, there was a pretty good head wind...but over the course of the ride, going both into and with the wind, up and down hill, my average speed was 2.5 mph lower than what I've been riding at...and I was working much harder than usual.

And then there's the broken rim. My old conventional tires have given me about 4000 miles with no problems besides a couple flats. Now I hit a bump that shouldn't have been a problem (a typical railroad track I believe) and end up with a cracked rim. Yes, conventional tires probably would have done the same thing if I rode them at 50 PSI. But I have an air pump and can increase the pressure on conventional tires.

Customer Service...
Airfree tires has the worst customer service of any company I have ever dealt with. That's a strong statement, but sadly true. I wish they would place me on hold so I could eventually talk to a person, but no, I have to leave a voice mail only to never get called back. They don't return emails or respond to messages left using their web site. I doubt I will ever be able to get my money back despite their 90 day guarantee...but I will bug them incessantly until they want to give me my money back.

Conclusion...
Do NOT buy tires from airfree. If you really want to get airless tires, go straight to the manufacturer Nu-Teck. And don't get the standard pressures, bump the pressure way up. I'm guessing that the 170 PSI version might start to ride more like a regular road tire...but I wouldn't give them money to try it out.