HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 213
page A211
How do I deal with the bitterness I feel from divorce?
• H E B R E W S 1 2 :1 5 | Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you,
corrupting many.
If you have been divorced, you have probably been hurt badly, treated unjustly, and even
humiliated. But if you allow your bitterness to fester and grow, it will overshadow all you
do and render you useless for effectively serving God. You must let your bitterness go
and forgive so that God’s Holy Spirit can continue to work in your life and help you start
anew.
Will God forgive me if I do get divorced?
• PSA L M 1 0 3 :3 | He forgives all my sins.
• 1 J O H N 1 :9 | But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
• E PH E SI A NS 3 :1 8 | And may you have the power to understand . . . how wide, how long,
how high, and how deep his love is.
No sin is beyond God’s forgiveness, and nothing others do against us can separate us
from God’s unconditional love. No matter what happens to you, let God restore you to
wholeness.
(See note on page 855.)
God sees divorce as wrong because it breaks a binding commitment. One or both spouses
have made a conscious decision to be unfaithful to that commitment.
• MAT T H E W 1 9 :3 | Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him . . . “Should a man be
allowed to divorce his wife for just any reason?” (See note on page 881.)
There is a wide range of interpretation concerning this passage, with wide application to
specific situations. The Old Testament provided specific rules concerning divorce and
limited remarriage in special cases (Deuteronomy 24:1-4), while at the same time making it
clear that divorce is not God’s intention (Malachi 2:14-16). The New Testament also makes
it clear that divorce is wrong (Matthew 5:31-32; 1 Corinthians 7:10-11), while allowing for
limited exceptions as Jesus mentions in this passage.
How can I love again?
• 1 T H E S S A L O NI A NS 3 :1 2 | And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all
people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.
• 1 T H E S S A L O NI A NS 4 :9 | But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving
each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another.
After divorce occurs and trust is broken, it may be hard to allow yourself to love again. But
God is love, and his Spirit still lives in you. Allow God’s healing love to wash over you. When
you have basked in his unconditional love for some time, you will heal enough to love again.
The more you appreciate and understand just how much he still loves you, regardless of
what you have done or others have done to you, the more his love in you will overflow to
others.
PROMISE FROM GOD
• E PH E SI A NS 5 :3 1 | “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the
two are united into one.”
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• MA L A C H I 2 :1 4 -1 6 | You cry out, “Why doesn’t the Lord accept my worship?” I’ll tell you
why! Because the Lord witnessed the vows you and your wife made when you were young.
But you have been unfaithful. . . . Didn’t the Lord make you one . . . ? In body and spirit
you are his. . . . So guard your heart; remain loyal. . . . “For I hate divorce!” says the Lord.
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What does the Bible say about divorce?