What version are you?

Beloved,

Are you a Matthew 19:8 Christian or a Matthew 19:9 version?

Matthew 19:8-9
8 He said to them,

Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

9 And I say to you:

whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.

Are you fundamentally oriented toward God or self?  Are you looking to honor God or protect self?  Are you more concerned about any potential “hardness of heart” in yourself OR are you more concerned about confirming desires toward divorce by establishing the exact parameters of the “exception clause”?

These questions matter.  Most people (shamefully myself included) are spring loaded to protect self…to pursue self…to seek to justify the (supposed) happiness of self.  How about you?  Are you looking for any reason to justify your reflex response toward self-preservation, self-protection, and self-fulfillment…OR…are you immediately and continually concerned to please God and root out any “hardness of heart” in your own soul?

Another way to ask this question is this?  Is your lousy spouse your greatest enemy…OR…is your soul the greatest threat to lasting joy?  Is suffering the greatest evil in the room or your own unbelief?  God forbid your spouse would commit adultery.  Adultery is wicked.  Adultery is against God and against people.  Adultery is truly terrible… but your spouse’s adultery cannot keep you from God…

…but your unbelief, your hardness of heart will…

Hebrews 3:12
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

My greatest enemy…your greatest enemy is…WITHIN…

May God grant us eyes to see where the war will be won or lost.

10,000 Blessings in The Wonderful Counselor,

Jim