Tag: Couples Devotional

Your Destiny is Determined

There is a trail I ride that is called the hidden trail. It’s not really hidden, but there is a big dip at the start of it that scares off most riders. There were several times I looked at it and turned back. I didn’t want to get injured and be a burden to my family or miss time from work. Once I finally committed, it ended up being the most enjoyable trail on the mountain. People treat a relationship with Jesus the same way. They don’t want to commit at first, but once they do, they never regret it. Your destiny is determined.

‭‭John‬ ‭17:3‬

“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

The seventeenth chapter of John is Jesus’ prayer for the disciples after the Last Supper. He starts off praying that they (and the church after them) know that eternal life is only found in God through His Son Jesus. Part of this was prophetic because ever since then, humans have been trying to enlarge the opening to heaven by saying that all roads there. Jesus also wanted the Disciples to be sure of their eternal destiny because of their assurance of salvation. They knew this, and this ensured their entrance through the pearly gates.

Crowning Moment

The coronation of a king or queen is filled with rich tradition and great fanfare. When they bow down, and the crown is placed on their head, the whole cathedral recognizes power transition. That crown represents the position that they are now in. As they sit on the throne, they assume the responsibility that comes with their crown. Did you know that there will be twenty-four elders in heaven who will have crowns and who will sit on thrones around Jesus’? It will be a crowning moment.

Revelation‬ ‭4:4

“Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.”
‭‭
Heaven is going to be an amazing place. At the center will be the throne room where Jesus will be sitting. Around Him will be twenty-four thrones on which the elders will be seated. They will be wearing white garments, which represent how they have been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. There is a lot of debate about who these twenty-four will be but suffice it to say it will take the twelve Apostles, including Paul. Their primary focus will be to cast their crowns and worship the Lord.

Get Back on Track

My brother lifted his truck when we were younger. It looked like it was an off-road vehicle, and he liked to drive it where it wasn’t meant to go. Unfortunately, he was always getting towed out of the sand by someone who had a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Christians have a propensity to get off the path God has for them and then need to be brought back. Hosea shows us how to get back on track.

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭12:6

“Therefore, return to your God, Observe kindness and justice, And wait for your God continually.”

After all of the dire prophecy and indictments to Israel, Hosea tells them how to get back on track in their walk with the Lord. As with most instructions in the Bible, they are simple to understand but challenging to implement. First, they have to return to God. This means first recognizing their sins and then turning from them (repentance). You will never get back on track with the Lord unless you acknowledge you are a sinner and there is sin in your life that needs to be made right. No one gets around this. It doesn’t matter how good you think you are or how many good deeds you have done to needy people. Your sin separates you from the presence of God. Take the time to get right with Him.

It’s Hard to Say Goodbye

Goodbyes are tough. You have to say them to people close to you, and the thought of being apart can seem unbearable. You look forward to the next time you see them, and when that happens, your heart is filled with joy. Jesus had to say goodbye to the Disciples right before He went to the cross, and He knew that it would cause grief, but He promised to see them again, and it would be much better. It’s hard to say goodbye.

‭‭John‬ ‭16:22‬

“Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.”

That Last Supper was more than just a dinner. Jesus used that time to give final instructions and prepare the Disciples for life after He left earth. He also said goodbye, and the Disciples were filled with grief. Grief is that feeling of sorrow and that things would never be the same. It was okay for them to feel this way, but Jesus knew it would get better. He was going to see them again, and their hearts would be filled with joy. After the resurrection, He appeared to them multiple times, and He knew He would see them again in eternity.

Open the Door of Your Heart

Anyone who has raised teenagers will tell you that they use the door to their room to assert their growing independence. They want to be left alone to figure out life. Often, what was once a healthy, loving relationship with their parents grows lukewarm. Parents are often left standing at their door, knocking to see if they can come in. Jesus does the same with you. He stands knocking, asking if you will open the door of your heart.

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3:20

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”

This verse is written to the church in Laodecia, otherwise known as the lukewarm church. They got that tag because the water from the hot springs that flowed downhill from Heiropolis to Laodecia was lukewarm. People would spit it out of their mouths after drinking it. Jesus compares the church to the city’s water. They were neither hot nor cold in their faith. They had shut Jesus out of their lives. So, Jesus was standing at the door, knocking to see if they would open up. He wanted to come in and dine with them. That meant He wanted a close relationship.

Time for a Wake Up Call

There are a lot of people walking around today that look alive and successful on the outside but are dead on the inside. Many of them have lives that others would die for, but to them, it means nothing. They need to wake up before it’s too late. It’s time for a wake-up call for many in the church. They have been sleepwalking through life.

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3:5

“He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.”

Through the church of Sardis, Jesus is telling us that those who overcome this world will spend eternity with Him. This is a big deal to that church because it has the appearance of being alive and full of good works, but it is dead on the inside. Jesus tells them to wake up and strengthen what remains because they are not complete in God’s sight. That is not a good judgment from Jesus but is something that we could easily fall into. We want to be alive on the inside, so wake up.

No Greater Love

People do some crazy things to express their love for one another. Most of the time, it is someone trying to become Instagram famous by their marriage proposal. The internet is littered with videos of these attempts and failures. Most have some entertainment value, but almost all reflect a sad state of what people think is love. Jesus says, “No great love than this, that one lays down his life for his friends.

‭‭John‬ ‭15:13

“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

In John 15, Jesus changes the second greatest commandment from “Love your neighbor as yourself” to “Love one another.” It may seem like a subtle shift but going from neighbor to one another meant that love had to be more personal and applied to everyone. Then Jesus says that the greatest form of love is to lay down your life for your friends. He will model this shortly after by dying on the cross. While you won’t be asked to die on a cross for your loved ones, the principle remains.

Abiding in the Vine

I am surrounded by vineyards where I live. Very few things are more beautiful than driving the highways seeing all the rows of vines as they sprout their green leaves. Jesus used the analogy of the vine to talk about the importance of Christians abiding in the vine. When a branch abides in the vine…

Have You Abandoned the Love?

Do you need a particular date to tell those you care about that you love them? Do you go about your business the rest of the days of the year doing your own thing? If you truly love someone, it flows out of your heart, and you express it with words and gifts. Somehow, people think it is natural and okay to tell Jesus they love Him once or twice a year. John asks us in Revelation, “Have you abandoned the love?”

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭2:4

But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.

In the book of Revelation, John writes seven letters to seven different churches. They were all in Asia, which we know as modern-day Turkey. Ephesus was the central city, and the other six formed a postal route around it. The first letter in the series is to the church in Ephesus. They are a busy church fighting wrong doctrine and doing good deeds, but their hearts have grown cold for Jesus, and they have left their first love. From the outside, it looked like a thriving church, but on the inside, it was slowly dying.

Reaping Kindness When You Don’t Deserve It

The danger for every Christian is letting their hearts grow cold and hard due to sin. When that happens, they become insensitive and uncaring. Only a reversal of their heart, led by the Holy Spirit, will bring about change. When it happens, it’s like we are reaping kindness when you don’t deserve it. That is what God is telling Israel He will do.

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭10:12

“Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with kindness; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD Until He comes to rain righteousness on you.”

Hosea keeps the theme of sowing and reaping by telling the people to sow righteousness, and you will reap kindness. Another translation says mercy. Israel had been sowing sin, and they were about to reap judgment, but even at the last moment, God was telling them if they sowed doing the right thing, He would extend mercy to them. What a gracious God! Who would overlook generations of sinfulness and extend mercy? The only one would be the God we serve.