December 
                16                   
                               
                Jer 21 - 23 
                INFORM YOUR PASTOR
                 
                MEMORISE: 
                  ‘Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude 
                  of counselors there is safety?. (Prov 11:14)
                   
                  READ: 
                  1 Corinthians 14: 32- 40
                Some Christians feel they should be the only 
                  ones to have a say in their marriage. They do not see any use 
                  for the rules relating to marriage that the church has laid 
                  down. But Scripture says all things should be done decently 
                  and in orderly fashion. God is not the author of confusion. 
                  His rules are there for the good of all concerned.
                If you have prayed earnestly about your intended 
                  spouse, and have received confirmation from the Holy Spirit 
                  that your choice is the correct one, do not go to him or her. 
                  Make an appointment with your pastor first and inform him. You 
                  could save yourself potential embarrassment and shame. Your 
                  pastor has a file where he records names, dates and times of 
                  brothers who claim that the Lord had pointed out their marriage 
                  partner to them. The pastor will record your information and 
                  ask you to come back later.
                In the meantime, he will consult his file to 
                  find out what the status is of the person whom you want to marry. 
                  It could be that there are other brothers who have shown interest 
                  in that particular sister, so the pastor may ask you to go back 
                  and pray some more, and he will pray with you.
                It may also turn out that your potential partner 
                  is already involved in a courtship with someone else and will 
                  soon be married to that person. It is better to hear this from 
                  your pastor. But if you approach your passport directly, and 
                  she tells you that she will be marrying someone else in the 
                  near future, you will be embarrassed.
                God is not the author of confusion. A situation 
                  where six brothers claim to have been led by God to the same 
                  sister, is not of him. It shows that five of them, or all six, 
                  are choosing on the strength of earthly considerations. Yield 
                  to God completely.
                ACTION 
                  POINT
                  If you are single, ask God to keep your motives for marriage 
                  pure,
                  so that you may fulfill your destiny.