SUPPORT OTHERS’ COMMITMENTS
Jenna Worsham
Today’s Scripture: “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” Hebrews 13:4, ESV
Theme: Honor marriages: don’t cheat on your spouse or with someone else’s spouse. You can’t control your partner or someone else’s, but you can control yourself.
LOVE YOUR SIBLINGS
Commitment matters. We show that by keeping our own commitments and respecting others’ commitments. Hebrews 13 lists many “sacrifices pleasing to God” including respecting marriages (verse 4). The first sacrifice listed is “Let brotherly love continue” (Hebrews 13:1, ESV), which I believe is the overall description of each sacrifice following. We show brotherly love by showing hospitality (verse 2), remembering those in prison (verse 3), and being content, not materialistic (verse 5). We also love our “brothers” by supporting, celebrating, and respecting the commitments they have made in marriage.
THE CODE
When I was in college, there was a sort of unspoken code that if a friend had dated someone, you wouldn’t subsequently date that person, especially if they had a hard breakup. And especially if you were super close. Is that still a thing? Nobody was married here. We were all friends and I found myself in the position of having just broken up with a boyfriend while my roommate wanted to date him. She asked. I agreed. It was a little weird still getting flowers at our apartment that were now for her, but it was fine. Neither of us married him, by the way. It saddens me that we don’t always see the same respect for ongoing marriage relationships or for those who are currently separated.
I used to travel regularly for work in a secular industry. It was common then for people to cheat while on trips or refer to someone they traveled with as their “work husband” or “work wife.” The practice was unsettling to me, and I tried to steer clear of those jokes while remaining friendly and professional. There is nothing I can do to repair other people’s practices. What I can do is keep myself from defiling my own or anybody else’s marriage. I can refuse to joke about it and refuse to enable it.
CONTROL YOURSELF
We are all one wrong decision away from error. Joseph found himself in a similar situation. “And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, ‘Lie with me’” (Genesis 39:7, ESV). Joseph refused, adamantly, and it cost him his prestigious position. Sin is hard to avoid; I am not immune to sin. In other areas, I don’t honor my own or others’ commitments. But I try.
Understanding when married people need to prioritize each other, honoring your parents, your stepparents, or siblings who are married, including and embracing the spouses of those you love – all these actions show your support of the commitment married people have made. And of course, refusing to cheat with someone else’s spouse (like Joseph refused) also shows that support.
Make It Personal: How can you support others’ commitments and so honor God? This isn’t just about marriage; it’s also about supporting the commitments our fellow believers have made because of their love for God.
Pray: God, thank You for allowing us to support and care for each other. Please give me the wisdom and strength to support the commitments my family members and friends have made. Help me to control my own behavior and honor You with my words, thoughts, and actions. Let my actions be sacrifices that please You, as much as possible. Thank You for sending Jesus to rescue and save me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Read: Hebrews 13:1-21; Genesis 39:7-9
Weekly Memory Verse: “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” 1 Corinthians 13:7-8a, ESV