'Marriage' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning…” vss. 29-30a 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Paul had spent about 18 months working and teaching in Corinth and was well acquainted with the people who were a part of the congregation there. So later on, when he hears reports from there, he writes them letters…
Daily Devotions
If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.” vs. 15 Matthew 18:15-17 Because life in our world is both good and broken, humans have had to deal with the matter of forgiveness from the beginning. Certainly it was at the center of Jesus’ ministry and he regularly offered unconditional forgiveness to the sinners that crowded…
Daily Devotions
And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” vs. 11 John 17:6-11 We know that a sense of unity is integral to any successful marriage. Not only is it scriptural, but references to the importance of “two becoming one” are also heard at secular or…
Daily Devotions
And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” vs. 3 John 17:1-5 It’s not unusual for believers to think of eternal life as the new life that awaits them after death. And sometimes they then wonder what they’ll be doing with all that time on their hands. After all, singing in a great heavenly chorus could be fun for a while, but imagine doing it for all…
Daily Devotions
But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” vs. 32 Matthew 5:27-37 As Jesus eliminates the loopholes that were a part of the law of Moses, he doesn’t deal with peripheral items. Instead he tackles the biggies: adultery, divorce, and truth-telling. And if those topics were important in the first century, they are at the core of the…
Daily Devotions
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.” vss.1-2 John 2:1-5 The opening prayer in the Lutheran marriage service begins with these words, “Eternal God, as you gladdened the wedding in Cana of Galilee with the presence of your son, so by his presence now bring your joy to this wedding.” What it doesn’t say is that Jesus…
Daily Devotions
Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.’” vs. 18 Genesis 2:18-24 The second of the two Hebrew creation stories paints a picture of God that is dear to our hearts. Here we see the Divine Presence, not as the transcendent creator of all things, but as a down-to-earth God who gives to humanity the breath of life. And more than that, those ancient…
Daily Devotions
I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none…For the present form of this world is passing away.” vss. 29, 31b 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Paul, an unmarried man, had no shortage of advice for the Corinthians about marriage. He admits he’s giving his own opinions, and then goes on to say that it’s far better to be unmarried than married, especially if we’re…
Daily Devotions
Jeremiah 31:31-34 … “It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord.” vs. 32 Jeremiah compares the covenant between the Lord and the House of Israel to a marriage, one established by the Lord when their ancestors came out of Egypt. This covenant, sealed by the promises made…
Daily Devotions: May 17, 2019
May 17, 2019 For full passage click: Revelation 21:1-6 …“And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” vs. 2 In the final sequence of his vision, John speaks of a glorious future, not one in which humans go to heaven to be with God, but one in which God comes to dwell with us. Quite simply, “the dwelling place of God is with mortals”—…
Daily Devotions: October 6, 2018
October 6, 2018 Mark 10:2-12 …“He said to them, ‘Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.’” vss. 11-12 When this text is read in our worship services it often triggers feelings of guilt. Many followers of Jesus have been divorced and struggle to align their experience with his teachings. Even those who were in abusive relationships wonder if they should have simply endured. Others…
Daily Devotions: October 2, 2018
October 2, 2018 Genesis 2:21-24 …“Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.” vs. 24 This little verse, found in three different places in our scriptures, has become foundational in our understanding of the marriage relationship. Obviously, marriage practices have changed through the years and there are certainly different cultural standards, but strong marriage bonds are the key to a stable and healthy society. In this ancient creation story,…