Devotion
All In
Chipo Biti
Marriage is meant to be one of the earthly representations of love. When a man and woman decide to come together as one, as one unit, one flesh, one family, and they decide to take on the world together. The best marriages are the marriages that are rooted in the love of God. Couples who choose to make Christ the center of their relationship make the journey slightly easier for themselves. Marriage is an illustration of God's relationship with the church - we are the church.
Patience and forgiveness are major parts of marriage. Without them, no marriage is able to survive. You need to understand that there will be times where your spouse will disappoint you and you will disappoint your spouse. You will discover things about each other that will require a lot of adjusting. There are times where you will share opposing points-of-view. Instead of burning the house down with words of anger, you will have to work out your issues in love. Love is more than a feeling. It is more than the butterflies or sweet sensations you experience in your stomach. Love is a choice. Every day, you make the decision to love you partner and work with them as a team.
Love means that you are well aware of your partner's flaws and shortcomings but you choose to see the better parts of them. Marriage is a joint effort at becoming better people. You challenge each other. You cheer each other one. When one of you is down, the other one pulls them up and vice-versa. Marriage is not 50/50. It is not about splitting the effort in half. Marriage is 100/100 - you both have to be all in all the time.
Prayer
You can't walk out of your marriage when the going gets tough and come back when things appear to be easier. You have to be all in - the same way God is all in with you.
Night Prayer
The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.
Inspiration
When a king rules with fairness and justice, his kingdom will flourish. If the same king accepts gifts or bribes, his kingdom will fall. We've all observed a person in a leadership position who acted wrongfully. Perhaps a boss did not discipline employees fairly, or a political leader accepted kickbacks for legislation decisions. These corrupt actions lead to their demise. Scripture advises leaders to maintain justice with fair decision-making. As leaders, we must reflect on the mercy and grace God shows to us and lead others in the same fashion.
Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for coaching us in our leadership endeavors. We have faith in Your Words and will lead Your people accordingly. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Devotion
The Widow of Naim
Frances Taylor
This story of Jesus' raising the son of the widow of Naim gives us some information that lets us know just how important it was for this widow. At that time, women had no way to earn a living. They were property of their parents until they became property of their husbands, and actually moved into the home of the husband. Now that this widow's son had died, she had no one to take care of her. The compassion that Jesus showed meant life to that widow. I'm sure the leaders weren't too happy that the power of God to raise someone from the dead rested in Jesus. There must also have been those who were saying, "Why her and not me?" We all will die and we will all lose someone we love including those of us who have and will lose children. We can easily read this passage and question. It can be difficult to understand God's plan for us, even though we keep trying. It is better to concentrate on the positive than the negative. A priest I once knew lost ...
