A Year at Home
This morning as I was reading my passage in Deuteronomy for my "On Mission Group," I came across a verse that struck me several years ago. I was not familiar with it when I was married, but since then, I noticed it. The verse is Deuteronomy 24:5. It is simply an instruction for the first year of marriage. In Israel a man was to be exempt from military duties for the first year of marriage, so he could stay home with his wife. Pretty interesting concept, huh? I think it is very wise, and I have a good reason for thinking that way.
Chris's grandmother was a good Christian lady. She gave Chris a Bible when she was a teenager. She did a lot of sharing about Jesus with her, too. Then, when we married, she made a deal with us. She told us that she would go ahead and give Chris her inheritance, if she would promise not to work for the first year of our marriage. I believe she knew this verse, and she was using this truth to help us bond together. We agreed, and she gave us $1,000. In 1974 that was a lot more money than it is now, but I was only making $40 a week as a part-time youth minister while going to college. Therefore, we had to watch our nickels and dimes, but we did it. We lived on about $3,000 that first year. My father was taking care of the college expenses, and of course, we received gifts of money from time to time, too. However, it allowed us to get to know each other and to express our love for each other without the stress of Chris working. I believe it made a huge difference for us in the long run.
God's truth is amazing. If we will just follow His commands and principles, it can make a great impact on our lives for the better.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 56-58 and II Thessalonians 2.
Chris's grandmother was a good Christian lady. She gave Chris a Bible when she was a teenager. She did a lot of sharing about Jesus with her, too. Then, when we married, she made a deal with us. She told us that she would go ahead and give Chris her inheritance, if she would promise not to work for the first year of our marriage. I believe she knew this verse, and she was using this truth to help us bond together. We agreed, and she gave us $1,000. In 1974 that was a lot more money than it is now, but I was only making $40 a week as a part-time youth minister while going to college. Therefore, we had to watch our nickels and dimes, but we did it. We lived on about $3,000 that first year. My father was taking care of the college expenses, and of course, we received gifts of money from time to time, too. However, it allowed us to get to know each other and to express our love for each other without the stress of Chris working. I believe it made a huge difference for us in the long run.
God's truth is amazing. If we will just follow His commands and principles, it can make a great impact on our lives for the better.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 56-58 and II Thessalonians 2.