“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” ( Hebrews 13:5-6 )

I went through a period in life where I was obsessed with material possession. I worked a lot and spent everything I had on clothes, shoes and purses. While it is not wrong to own nice things, trouble arises when our focus switches from heavenly things to materialism. After a while I realized that this was not the path for me, so I wrote this verse on a notecard and put it in my wallet. Every time I opened it to purchase something I had to come face to face with this truth, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” ( Hebrews 13:5 ).

This worked for me. Sometimes I would re-evaluate whether I really needed it or just wanted it. Sometimes, I would remember that there were more important things to spend my time and money on. But mostly, it would make me angry because I wanted to continue shopping and buying things. However, through this process I always had to acknowledge this simple truth, and it continued to make an impact.

God has promised to never leave us. The Amplified Bible records it this way, “Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God]  Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]” ( Hebrews 13:5 Amp) . Pay special attention to the the fact that He says three times, “I will not, I will not, I will not!” In the passage, three negatives precede the verb, this is added so that we can understand God’s resolve in this matter. He will not in any circumstance leave us helpless or let us down.

So what should our response be? The writer of Hebrews gives us the answer in the next verse, “So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?” ( Hebrews 13:6 Amp ).  We use the truth of God’s unfailing love and grace to combat the desires for worldly possessions.

Wealth is not a bad thing as long as we have a healthy godly perspective of it. We are to keep our lives free from the love of money, always realizing that it is God who takes care of us and provides for our needs. Knowing this will gives us the right perspective concerning money. We are to use it not to love it. We are God’s stewards of it and through us He can use it to bless and care for others which is greater by far than any worldly possession.

“Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral” ( Hebrews 13:4 )

God created marriage. In fact, marriage existed in the perfect paradise of the garden. It was instituted from the very beginning to bless us. Paul gives further insight into this wonderful covenant in the book of Ephesians. The main point for his encouragement on marriage is to illustrate the type of relationship that we have with Christ as His bride. He uses the relationship between a husband and wife so we can understand the intimacy that we can experience with the Lord.

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. ( Ephesians 5:31-31 ).

When we are united with Christ we become one with him. We are his bride, we are his wife. We belong to Him. This truly is a profound mystery! Which is why we must continually honor our earthly marriages as well, because they are also holy unions. It is a covenant relationship which means that God blesses it and puts His stamp of approval on it. We are to take this commitment very seriously and honor it above all. We should remain faithful to our spouses in both word and deed.

God considers marriage especially dear and holds it in high esteem which is why He blesses this union with children through intimacy. So we too must consider this relationship worthy of great price and continually honor and nurture it. Next to our relationship with God we must honor our marriage above all.

Paul gives further insight on how to do this, “However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband” ( Ephesians 5:33 ). Love and respect is the secret to experiencing a happy marriage. Amazingly this attitude will also overflow and bless your union with the Lord as well. Marriage is a great illustration of our relationship with the Lord which is why it is to be greatly honored above all else.