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A cord of three strands is not easily torn apart. This quote from Ecclesiastes 4:12 appeared on my wedding invitation many years ago. It is something that my wife and I have clung to over the many years of our marriage. It comforts us because we know we are not alone and God will not forsake us. It reassures us because we have chosen to build our house on the rock of God. The entire passage from Chapter 4 of Ecclesiastes is pertinent to marriage in general. It makes the argument for two instead of one. If you have another you will be warmer, and labor less. If you should fall, there is someone there to pick you up. But woven throughout the passage is the call to always maintain your relationship with God our Father. It also predicts the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The last line tells us, "Guard your step when you go to the house of God. Let your approach be obedience, rather than the fools' offering of sacrifice; for they know not how to keep from doing evil." Obedience is a really tough pill to swallow. I think it may be harder for Americans. We are so used to coming to the rescue of others. Is there anything as a nation that we think we cannot accomplish? It is in our spirit to discover a solution to life's toughest puzzles. But God calls us to obedience. In that obedience, He promises to carry us through life. It sounds so simple yet we are constantly torn by this idea. I am trying to approach God in obedience this Lent in the hopes that it will become my habit even after we celebrate the resurrection of the sacrificial Lamb on Easter Sunday.

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