Protecting and restoring from spiritual dullness and indifference

Protecting and restoring from spiritual dullness and indifference
S- Hebrews 6
 11 Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. 12 Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.

O-  This letter to the church in Jerusalem is a word of encouragement and exhortation to the young church because God knows what it means to walk this walk here on earth, it comes with trials and distractions, if not spiritual attacks even.   The advice is to keep on loving others,  it will help fend off becoming spiritually dull and indifferent.   We are to follow the example of those like Paul who knew both great rich's and success and great trials and defeats, yet ran the race in such a way as to win.

A -  The application for me is to recognize, that I made it through the 21 mile wall in this marathon called life.   I was at the point of breaking and wanting to quite, and hung on to the promises God had been planting in my heart over the last ten years.   The word of exhortation for me today is to keep loving others, and in areas were relationship had been tested and tried through the "wall" go back and inject love in order to restore resilence and life to what may be only barely surviving.

P - Dear Lord, thank you for your daily restoration of what has been a long season of dryness.  I am feeling refreshed and energized as I begin the process of plowing my heart, loosening the hard soil in my heart,  and preparing it for the seeds of righteousness you want to plant and cause to grow.   I pray that you help me with restoration and investment in my relationship with my wife.  She has sacrificed so much for me in this past season, and I know we need you to help restore her spirit, and our relationship to the point it is overflowing with you love.  I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

The absolute covenant of marriage

The absolute covenant of marriage
S - Mark 10
¹⁰ In the house the disciples began questioning Him about this again. ¹¹ And He *said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; ¹² and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery.”


O - This second statement by Jesus regarding marriage came after the scribes and pharisee's where questioning him regarding marriage.  Jesus had explained the law of Moses was put out because of the people's hard hearts, but that God's truth is that he joins man and woman in marriage and they become of one flesh, and since God joins them, no man should have the choice to separate them.   Even the disciples found this confusing because they had grown up so long in a culture where divorce was acceptable, even by the religious law.  But Jesus clearly states here that it is sin to divorce our spouses.   We must be careful though not to confuse those who don't know what sin is and what sin's result and resolution is.  You sin, we all today fall short and still sin, turn away from God and His commands.  The result is a certain spiritual death if it not for Jesus paying the full price of our sin.  Through repentance and turning toward God we are saved by His grace from our deserved penalty.  The sin from adultery is no different than the sin of dishonoring our mother and father, or committing murder, it has a consequence, and it does still occur even amongst saved Christians, but the path is clear for repentance and restoration.


A - The application for me is to understand how I may defend my stance and belief's that marriage is a lifelong institution, confirmed by God's joining of a man and a woman to one flesh. We must do all we can to maintain this sacred covenant sacred.  Whenever there is a deviation from it sin resides, and repentance is required.  I believe I will run across couples who divorce and remarry in my life.  My role is to lead them back to the truth.  The truth is if in a marriage that is breaking, repentance back to God likely needs to occur,  on one party's or both party's part.  If divorce has already occurred, repentance still needs to occur, so that they may reconcile themselves with God.   For me personally, I feel I am reconciled to a lifelong convenant with my wife, however I know there will be moments I must repent and turn back to God to help maintain and restore my marriage to the fullness of God's design.


P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's lesson, may it be sealed to my life.  I pray Lord that you would be the third cord that binds my marriage.  I repent Lord for the things I have done that have not honored this convenant and ask for forgiveness and full restoration so that Abby and I may live fully in your promises.  I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.

A love that is warm and inviting, not noisy and distant

S -  1 Cor 13
¹ If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.


O - The Lord just whispered this verse into my heart in regard to my speaking to my wife and even my children.   Paul speaks of this to the Corinthian people out of the teaching and correction of the congregation that he helped grow that was growing with some of the challenges all growing churches, families, and people have.   Out of the love they enter a relationship, but out of time and circumstances their behavior degrades into something less that true love.   Out of routine they may use the same words, but the same words without the truth of the heart behind them sound noisy and cold and distant, instead of soft, warm, and inviting. 


A - The application for me is to understand that as I try to foster my love relationship with my wife,  and grow my children up to love God and love others, I must example the kind of love that Paul writes of.  Not one that uses all the write Christian words at the right time, but has no heart or love behind them, because the girls can read through that and they do not receive this Agape love that Paul writes of.  I know for me I have to press in and show them the warm, inviting, love,


P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's lesson, may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord that you would help me to transform my love for my wife and daughters into your Agape love.  I pray all this in Jesus Christ name, Amen.

Corrected by our wife's behavior

Corrected by our wife's behavior
S - 1 Pet 3:1-2,7 (NASB)
1In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives,
2as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.
...
7You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as withsomeone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

O - I am convicted today by this verse, that my wife is a godly woman who lives by this very verse, and that when I deviate from my call as a husband to love and lead her well that I ignore her submissive and respectful behavior but rather look to conflict as the thing that causes me to repent and change my ways.

A - The application for me is to recognize that when I am pressing toward conflict with my wife I must reflect on her submissive and respectful behavior toward me as a reminder of my very deviation from God's word on my role as a husband to show her understanding and honor.

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's devotion, may it be sealed to my heart. I pray Lord for true transformation in this area of my life, help me to be a biblical husband, obedient to your word, and your design for my marriage. I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.