Jesus Christ: A Living Stone

by: Rev. Leon Aguilera

        I Peter 2:1-8 Therefore laying aside all malice and all guile, and hypocrisy and envy and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby, if so it be that ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Coming to Him as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, ye also as living stones are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture: “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious; and he that believeth in Him shall not be confounded.” Unto you therefore who believe, He is precious; but unto those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,” and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,” even to those who stumble at the Word, being disobedient, unto which also they were appointed.”

Jesus Christ is the Rock of Scripture, “a living stone” which cannot be overlooked. He is a tried and true Stone, “a sure foundation” which can never be moved. We see Christ from three differing perspectives in our text, each one related to His characterization as a stone.

First, we see Him from unbelieving man’s perspective as “a stone of stumbling” (v. 8).

Men stumble over Christ in this world because they love “darkness rather than light” (Jn. 3:19). He is the Stone which the builders have rejected (v. 7) and have substituted a stone of their own making, a stone which discards as old-fashioned the blood of Christ and substitutes in its place the supposed goodness of man. To modern man, the preaching of the Cross is “foolish” and offensive (v. 8), yet it is the “power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth” (Rom. 1:16).

Second, we see Him from God’s perspective as “a chief corner stone” (v. 6).

Christ was chosen by God to be the author and finisher of our salvation. The work of salvation has been accomplished and the foundation has already been laid. He is the cornerstone, upon Him rests the superstructure of His body, the church. He is precious to the Father and so are we because of our relationship to Christ as Savior and Lord.

Third, we see Him from the believer’s perspective as “a precious stone” (vv. 4,7).

We found Him to be precious the moment we received Him as our Savior and since that time He has proved Himself to be precious over and over and over again. To every believer Jesus Christ is the precious Son of God and only Savior. We have no reason to be ashamed of our testimony of Christ, but rather we have every reason in heaven and earth to render unto Him our continual praise. Praise Him for salvation; praise Him for His goodness and grace. In this way we will be encouraged to remember that “he is precious.”

As believers we are partakers of His grace, and have thereby received Jesus Christ the Living Stone. Because “He lives,” now we are “lively stones” (v. 5) and have a ministry as believer-priests, “…To offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” As a “spiritual house,” let us put off the deeds of the flesh, and let us put on Christ that we may “shew forth the praises of him who hath called…” [US] out of darkness into his marvelous light” (v. 9). May we not neglect so high a calling.

Ye Are the Salt of the Earth

by: Rev. Leon Aguilera

Matthew 5:13 “Ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be trodden under foot of men.”

Jesus addressed a great multitude from the mountain in a sermon we commonly refer to as “The Sermon on the Mount.” In this discourse to the masses, Jesus described in detail the way of true blessedness, but his exhortation to his disciples was a bit different. He addressed them as “the Salt of the Earth.” Jesus told those who were closest to Him that they were “salty Christians.” These men had left their occupations to follow the Lord, demonstrating a level of commitment much higher than the large crowd who gathered there. A great sense of privilege and responsibility came with this title.

In the early Roman empire salt was hard to come by and was used as a payment for labor. The root “sal” is a Latin word from which we get the word “salary,” so this is clearly a compliment expressing their worth. In essence, Jesus was saying that they were “worth their salt.” God’s value of a home is not based on the price of the building, but in the saltiness of its inhabitants. God’s value of a business is not in the amount of revenue it generates, but in the saltiness of its employees. God’s value of a church is not determined by the size of the congregation, but by the saltiness of its members. God’s value of a nation is not decided by its wealth or power, but by the saltiness of its citizens. But what does it mean to be “salty?” Notice three common uses for salt that describe ways we should be useful, providing service to the lost world in which we live:

Salt is valuable as a preservative.  Animals naturally decay when they die, but salt can be used to preserve food for a length of time. The British attacked the U.S. salt supply during the War of 1812, knowing that this would affect their food supply, thereby threatening their survival. In a spiritually dead world, Christians ought to be the preservative from decay. It takes a much smaller amount of salt than of food to keep it from decay. It only takes a few salty Christians in number to make a difference in a corrupt and decaying society. We need to get away from the majority, leave the salt-shaker of our comfort zone, and be the salt of the earth!

Genesis 19 illustrates the value of salt in the death of Lot’s wife. God made her in her death what she should have been during her life: a pillar of salt! Because of her attachment to the stuff in her house, she looked back. As a result of her covetousness, she failed to make a positive difference in her world. Abraham understood the value of salt as he interceded on behalf of the city of Sodom, where Lot and his wife lived. God said that he would spare it if there were but fifty righteous living there. But there weren’t fifty to be found. There weren’t forty, and there weren’t even twenty-five. In fact, there weren’t even ten. If Lot and his wife would have made an impact on just one individual, their city would have been spared. God only found nine, and He destroyed it with fire and brimstone. Why? Salt preserves from decay, and salty Christians will preserve a society from moral decay. More salt always equals less spoilage and less decay. In society more salt always equals less crime and less sin. Does your life preserve the people you are in contact with regularly?

Salt provides a savor. Foods that are bland or plain are enhanced with a little salt. Even the bitterest foods are made delightful by simply adding salt. There is a type of chocolate that is unsweetened and has a very bitter taste. By adding salt to it, it becomes tasty and enjoyable to eat. Broccoli without salt is somewhat bitter, but with salt it is sweet. As Christians, we should create a desirable savor that takes off the bitter edge and makes our Christianity sweet. This sweetness should come out of our language according to Colossians 4:6. “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with SALT, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” Does the fountain of your words send forth sweet water or bitter? If you are a salty Christian, the answer is obvious. Bitter words do not provide a good flavor any more than bitter food without salt. People need to see Christians, families, and churches that edify one another with their words so they will be attracted to the Savior we represent. For that reason our misrepresented Savior admonished us to “have SALT in yourselves, and have peace one with another” (Mark 9:50).

Salt creates thirst. Salt is essential to the body. Salt balances the fluid in the body, keeps our muscles taunt and our heart beating. We all have salt in our bloodstream, but thirst is created when our salt level gets too high. This rise in saltiness can affect you mentally, physically, and emotionally. Lack of salt can make us weak and can be extremely deadly. Salty Christians are essential to the health of a society. These Christians were born again, but it was possible for them to lose their savor. Their example teaches us that it is much different to be a disciple than merely saved.

What was it about these disciples that made them salty?

They were industrious. Jesus did not call lazy men to this enormous task of getting the gospel to the world. He called diligent men with character and a strong work ethic. They were cooperative. They were in business with their own father when Jesus called them. By this Jesus knew that they could work well under authority. He wanted men who could work well on a team and take orders without being offended. They were multi-taskers. They kept fishing while they heard Jesus speaking to them. There is a great lesson here. We cannot separate the secular from the sacred. They didn’t completely stop their duties to hear from God. They learned how to work and communicate at the same time. They were thorough. They were mending their nets, which showed their thorough attention to detail.

If Jesus initiated a conversation with you today, would he begin by addressing you as the “Salt of the Earth?” Is your world a better place because of your saltiness? Is your family preserved from decay because of your testimony? Do your words and your conversation add a godly flavor to your Christianity? Are people thirsty for the water of life after being around you? Do they wonder what is different about you? Have you told them? We should pray for one another that we might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing” (Colossians 1:10). People should never have to wonder if we are “worth our salt” because our life leaves no room for question. Our Lord should never have to wonder if we were “worth his blood” being shed for us. He should be able to say to every one of us without exception: “Ye are the Salt of the Earth!”

How To Renew Your Mind

The Right Place to Cure a Bitter Root

by: Rev. Leon Aguilera

          Hebrews 12:22-24 “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.”

One of the most destructive sins to every believer is the sin of bitterness. Families are destroyed when the poison of bitterness enters in through sometimes only one family member. Churches are polluted when members spread bitter words and bitter attitudes among each other. Relationships suffer when bitterness goes unnoticed. Bitterness must be recognized before it can be properly dealt with, but it must be dealt with at the right place. The mistake so often made when facing bitter roots is the mistake of going to the wrong place to find a remedy. Where are you going to find the cure for bitterness? We already know that Mount Sinai is the wrong place to find a cure, so where is the right place to cure a bitter root?

Mount Sion is the right place to find His grace to overcome bitterness in our lives.

In our text in Hebrews 12, Mount Sion is associated with the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem, angels, the church, God, the spirits of just men made perfect, and Jesus. At Sion, we will find grace to repent, to forgive, and to be forgiven. At Sion, we will find grace to properly respond to difficult assignments given to us by God. But what is so special about Mount Sion? What exactly is it that makes this the right place to go when bitterness has entered our life or the life of someone we care for? Notice three important actions that take place at Mount Sion:

Mount Sion is a place of sacrifice.

It was at this mountain that Abraham willingly took his only son, Isaac, to offer him as a sacrifice out of his obedience to God. Though it was called Mount Moriah, it was at the same location as Mount Sion. This was a prophetical picture of God’s future offering of His only begotten Son for our sins. This was perhaps the most trying time of Abraham’s life. How could God require such a sacrifice of him? Abraham could have justified becoming bitter over this unreasonable request, but he submitted and made the sacrifice. God often asks us to sacrifice things that are precious to us, and often it doesn’t make sense. The testimony of Abraham teaches us, that, rather than becoming bitter when God chooses to take things away, we should submit to God’s providence for us. What has God taken away that causes feelings of loss or emptiness? Bitter roots can be uprooted as we allow God to fill the void created by sacrifices He asks us to make. 

Mount Sion is a place of worship.

            The city of Jerusalem, or Zion, as it is sometimes called in the Bible, became the center of worship to the faithful Israelites and the earthly picture of what Hebrews 12:22 calls, “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.” The heroic men and women of Hebrews chapter eleven saw beyond the earthly city to a heavenly city. It was said of Abraham that “he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10). The Israelites looked ahead to a place of worship instead of looking back to where they came from. “And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned” (Hebrews 11:13). Bitter experiences of the past, when focused upon, prevent us from expressing a genuine worship of God. If we will focus our attention upon the glorious attributes of the One we were created to worship, our past memories, though once embittering, can be forgotten forever.

Mount Sion is a place of reconciliation and grace.

A visit to Mount Sinai condemns us for our wickedness. However, on another mountain, Mount Sion, stands a cross that represents our reconciliation with a just and holy God. Grace and mercy is found at the foot of that old rugged cross. Jesus came to this earth, lived a sinless life, allowed Himself to be crucified on a cross for our sins, and rose again from the dead. It is His shed blood that covers our sin-stained lives and grants us the right to claim God’s grace (God’s work in our behalf). The Christ of Calvary is the person through Whom we may find the grace we need to live free from the fruit of a bitter root.

Sion is also known as “Zion” in the Scriptures. Zion was a mountain located in the city of Jerusalem, but Zion is sometimes used to describe the city of Jerusalem itself. But history reveals to us that when the book of Hebrews speaks of going to a place called Mount Sion, it is pointing us to Calvary, the cross of Christ Jesus! If we are appropriately positioned at Calvary with our eyes fixed on Jesus, the root of bitterness will never take up residence in our heart. Friend, will you come to Mount Zion? Zion is a place of grace! Here you will meet the one Jesus who will give you all the grace that you need to live free of the horrid fruit of bitterness. A personal and developing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ will eradicate every bitter root and choke it of its devastating fruit. In Him, we all find our place of great grace!

Where God Guides – God Provides

by: Rev. Leon Aguilera

            Once again I’d like to discuss where God guides He provides.  When helping others in a time when basic needs are unmet, one must understand three aspects in effectively targeting solutions to this dilemma.  These include; assumptions that must be made, actions that must be taken, and analogies that must be understood.  First, we will deal with the assumptions that must be made when leading others at a time when they lack certain basic needs.

We all have basic human needs.  These include things like food, water, or raiment (clothing).  At times, we may lack even these basic needs and think, “This shouldn’t happen to someone whose life belongs to the Lord!”  This can be a dilemma in which we find ourselves wondering why the Lord neglected to provide for us, or contemplating where we went wrong with the Lord, causing Him to punish us in this way.

In Exodus, we see the Israelites in a similar situation.  They lacked water upon their arrival in Rephidim, after a trek through the arid, desert wilderness.  Here, God used Moses to fulfill this need.  This Biblical account is pertinent even today, as there are economic tsunamis taking place all around the country.  For instance, as Christian Law Association recently reported, the 2 major issues they currently deal with are; bankruptcy and embezzlement. So, how shall we respond when basic needs are unmet?  Let’s look at what assumptions must be made.

There are three assumptions that must be made when responding to this problem. 

First, we see that obedience to God’s commandments may lead to extreme need.  In Exodus, we see that the Israelites’ lack of water was a result of their obedience.  The Bible says, “…according to the commandment of the Lord.”  God clearly led them to Rephidim, using a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day.  This was visual evidence displaying how God, at times, allows His children to suffer despite their obedience.  Our natural response is to look at a situation and draw an extraneous solution.  We assume that if they were following God’s will, He wouldn’t have led them to a place where they lacked a basic need.  Never assume that God leads you to a place of security and stability where all is provided.  It doesn’t work that way.  Satan would like us to believe that when God allows pressure in our lives, He’s not Who we thought He was or doesn’t really care for us.

The second assumption that must be made is that similar or different problems will eventually occur in our journey through life.  This isn’t the first water problem the Jews experienced.  Previously, in the wilderness, the Jews came across bitter water and subsequently, no water at all.  Just when you think you have a problem solved, another one comes your way.  If we are going to be effective believers, or be led when a basic need is unmet, we have to assume that obedience to God’s commandments may lead to a position of extreme need.  If it were easier to follow the Lord than not to follow Him, our testimonies would be poor and as a result, not glorify the Lord.  He is a Lord of faith, love, and commitment.  God wants you to follow Him, not for what He’s “handing out” to you, but because you love Him.  Love is shown by remaining loyal to Him, despite any negative circumstance faced.

In Exodus 17, it shows how the Israelites received water from the rock, fulfilling a need, followed by involvement in a war with an enemy. (This is a great prophecy lesson, indeed!) They seemed to encounter problems around every corner.  We must accept the problems we face and praise the Lord whenever we don’t have a problem as one is likely just around the corner.  We should not judge one’s love for God on the basis of the presence or absence of problems in his/her life.

The third assumption is that we are not supposed to know what God is doing at any given time.

God doesn’t tell us everything that is going on.  For instance we see in Exodus1:1, the Jews travelled from the wilderness of sin to Rephidim.  However, in Number 33:12, it says, “And they took their journey out of the wilderness of sin and encamped in Dophka…encamped in Alush…encamped in Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.”  Some would say that God’s word has errors in it.   However, God is in the business of telling you what you need to know, when you need to know it.

In conclusion, we need to have complete dependence on the Lord by making certain assumptions.  First, we will have needs that won’t be met, which will strengthen our faith in Christ.  Second, we will encounter many different problems throughout our life.  Third, we must understand that we’ll not know all that the Lord is doing; however, it will be done for the glory of God.  When the Israelites griped, chided, and murmured against Moses, they failed to lay their burdens before the Lord.  They lacked faith.  The Lord requires that we live by faith, not by explanation.  Remember, where God guides-God provides!

Great Needs Are Met by Faith

by: Rev. Leon Aguilera

Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. (Exodus 17:2-6 KJV)

What do you do when you and those you are helping encounter a time when basic needs are unmet? Whether we lead or follow others, complete dependence on the Lord is essential. Recently, we discussed the assumptions that must be made when leading or helping others in stressful times like these. This time we will deal with the actions which must be taken to effectively lead others during this situation. These actions include: passing responsibility on to God; reminding others of how God perceives a situation and how it’s up to Him to respond to it; and crying out to God for guidance.

In Exodus 17, we see Moses in Rephadim, with the Israelites, at a time when they lacked water. Moses responded to their remarks against him saying, “Why chide ye with me?” He simply passed responsibility on to God. The Jews, at this time, were still young believers and didn’t fully understand that Moses wouldn’t be the source of water. Often, we place a false dependence on the person, in our lives, that strongly influences us for the Lord, instead of properly depending on God. Moses passed the buck! Remember, God had brought them there, not Moses. Effective leaders bring God into the equation and do not make excuses for following Him, nor the direction of His leading.

Why do we blame others? One never wants to be accused of chiding (contending/quarreling) with God. However, we often pick out the human leader representing God and chide with him/her.

Next, Moses reminded the people of how God felt about the situation, as well as how God was responding to it. Immaturity often surfaces as one focuses attention on the placement of blame. The Jews were reminded that God was being tempted by their provocation. Moses said that God was becoming upset with their actions, as out of desperation they thought of stoning him. What provoked God was the fact that the Israelites neglected to rely on Him and come to Him first. Despite this, Moses cried out to God. God can lead others to meet our needs even if they are not privy to the specifics.

The last action in effectively leading others is to cry out to the Lord. In Exodus 17:4, “Moses cried unto the Lord saying, “What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.” He could have said, “Why didn’t you just let me continue to be a shepherd? Moses, however, was much more mature than that. He was a problem solver. He said, “Lord, what can I do? How can I help this situation?” In your life, when you see a problem, do you merely complain or are you one to find a solution. Moses was a mature Christian. He didn’t ask how or why, but what he could do to solve the problem. When he was put under pressure, he didn’t complain. He went to the Lord, and implemented God’s instruction. Moses had a clear responsibility to identify the need and act on it. It wasn’t enough to just pray, he had to demonstrate biblical faith.

It took a lot of faith to strike the rock with his staff at Horeb. We knew water would come out, but Moses didn’t. He had to exercise extreme faith. God told Moses to go before the people and take the elders of Israel. God understood that the older people would be a great influence on the youth. The Lord wanted people to witness the water spewing from the rock. Those that would witness this would be great spokesmen for God with respect to trusting and following Him. People in old Hebrew society had great respect for the elders. God wanted Moses to get these elders on board so they may get the “followship” of the other people. It’s important that the people with responsibility are eye witnesses to the miraculous hand of God. Even today, this is what hinders churches. The members fail to see the supernatural hand of God personally. As a result, they often lose the zeal and commitment needed to be effective in Christ.

As important as it is for me to see the hand of God providing, it’s of utmost importance for the young generation to be put to the test and experience supernatural provision for themselves. We will stagnate when we lose a generation of people committed to living by faith and seeing the hand of God in action.

Finally, we need faithful obedience, unto the Lord. To accomplish this effectively, we need to take action. We must pass responsibility on to God, remind others of God’s perception of a particular situation, and cry out for His guidance. Following this plan of action in your life, just as at the rock, you will see that great needs are met by faith.

FROM RESOLUTION TO RESTORATION

by: Rev. Leon Aguilera

This is the time of the year resolutions are made. There is nothing wrong with resolutions. It is always good to make a firm decision to do right. I want to encourage you to go past the resolution to restoration, become one with whom you are, the person God made you to be. I received my challenge from Ruth 4:15, “And He shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born Him.” Naomi is promised through Boaz and Ruth to have a kinsmen redeemer. Even as Boaz championed Ruth and Naomi’s cause, the offspring of this union will be the Restorer of mankind and God through the Kinsmen Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. The word I want to emphasize in this passage is “restorer.” It is also found in Psalm 51:12, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” The Hebrew lexicon defines “restoration” thusly, “to recover to build, to turn back, but not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point.” 

I see something that I hope you see as well; it means to build, but not meaning you go back to the starting point but you start where you are. In many instances you don’t want to go to a chaotic starting point; you need a fresh vision for today. We need a new step for a new day. God is into starting anew: “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19).  God wants to do something that is better than the beginning.

1. Let us be restored in reality with Jesus 

Jesus said to Simon Peter, “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:31,32). Convert means to turn about. Earlier Jesus asked His disciples whom people thought He was. They replied some thought He was John the Baptist come back to life or Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.  But then our Lord said, “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?”(Matthew 16:15). Our Lord wanted to know what His disciples thought of Him, almost to say, “Am I real to you for who I am?”

Christ only becomes real to those who humble themselves before Him.  Isaiah 57:15 says, “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” In a city in Scandinavia is a famous statue of our Lord, looking down with His arms outstretched. One day a visitor standing before it was very disappointed, and he didn't hesitate to share his feelings with an attendant. "I can't see the face of Christ," he complained. The attendant replied, "Sir, if you want to see His face, you must kneel at His feet." The visitor knelt and he saw!

2. Let us be restored from ruins in relationships.

Joel 2:25 promises, “And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.” This is a promise to Israel in general and Judah specifically. Go to Athens and the tour guides will show you the ruins of a once mighty civilization where the likes of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Philipp of Macedon and Alexander the Great once walked. Take a trip to Rome and they will show you the ruins of the society that once conquered the world and built magnificent temples--now in ruins. God said to Judah, I will bring you back from ruins. That’s the way He deals with His people.

Do you look at any of your relationships in the ruins? Your marriage? Your children? your job? Charles Allen said the saddest word in the English language is the word “hopeless.” I agree with him. Too many of God’s people look at some broken relationships as irrevocably irrecoverable. The Word of God is resplendent with examples to the contrary. The Bible records, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52).  “And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men” (I Sam. 2:26). God is interested in the early formative years of a child’s life that they learn to get along with each other. Once Jacob got right with God after wrestling with the Angel of the Lord all night, God declared a name change, “And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed” (Genesis 32:28). Jacob was promised power with God and man. When we obtain power with God, we simultaneously obtain power with man!

The Lord wants us to take the initiative in getting along with each other, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18). Husbands are to take the lead in keeping relationship intact with their wife. “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered” (I Peter 3:7). God also said John the Baptist would bring parents and their children together. “And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:6). When we walk with God in the light of His Word, we tap into this promise: “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man” (Proverbs 3:1-4).