Daily Devotionals

Mix Tape Week 1 Monday

He knew their thoughts, so he said, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart. Luke 11:17

I am no professional planner, but I understand the importance of knowing what you want or having a picture of what you would like your end result to be. This is especially important when considering who we want to spend our lives with. When people know what they are looking for in a dating and eventual marriage relationship, they can make more intentional, wise decisions and know their purpose in dating and eventually marriage. 

As Jesus was teaching a crowd of people one day, He said to them, “A kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart” (Luke 11:17). What causes feuding and division? A lack of common goals and understanding. When people are in a relationship such as a dating or marriage relationship, and are operating on different or separate agendas without a common goal, then there is bound to be conflict. On the flip side, when those in a dating or marriage relationship have discussed common goals, their relationship is set up for success. They will not be divided. Because of this, we must look for common goals if we want to have strong relationships. It is critical for those dating to know what we are looking for in our dating and eventual marriage relationships. We must have intentional, common goals with our spouse if we are married. When we do these things, we can ensure that we are on the same page as our spouse or the person we are dating.

 It is true, “a family splintered by feuding will fall apart.” However, we need to know exactly what we are looking for in relationships, especially marriage relationships. After all, if “a family splintered by feuding will fall apart,” then a family with common goals and dreams is strengthened and can weather the most difficult storms.

Moving Toward Action

Having common goals with our spouse is vital. For those dating and who want to be married one day, this means looking for people who are also pursuing God. Make a list right now of the characteristics and traits you are looking for in a spouse to guide you as you look for a spouse. Next, make a list of the goals you would hope to share with your future spouse. Finally, for those who are married, commit to having an intentional conversation today with your spouse about the direction you want to move toward and how you want to honor Christ in your marriage.

Going Deeper

Luke 11:14-28 (NLT)

One day Jesus cast out a demon from a man who couldn’t speak, and when the demon was gone, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed, but some of them said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons.” Others, trying to test Jesus, demanded that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.

He knew their thoughts, so he said, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart. You say I am empowered by Satan. But if Satan is divided and fighting against himself, how can his kingdom survive? And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said. But if I am casting out demons by the power of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. For when a strong man is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe—until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings.

“Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.

“When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.”

As he was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, “God bless your mother—the womb from which you came, and the breasts that nursed you!”

Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”