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Daily Inspirational Devotionals
A Faithful Spouse So guard yourself; always remain loyal to your wife. (Malachi 2:15) A bitter wife once stormed into a minister’s office, seething with resentment toward her husband. She immediately began telling him of her plans to divorce her unfaithful partner. But her wrath didn’t end there. “I not only want to get rid of him,” she said, “I want to get even! Before I divorce him, I want to hurt him as much as he has me!” The wise minister thought before responding, then came up with an ingenious plan. “Go home and act as if you really loved your husband,” he began. “Tell him how much he means to you. Praise him for every decent trait. Go out of your way to be kind, considerate, and as generous as possible. Spare no efforts to please him, to enjoy him. Make him believe you love him. After you’ve convinced him of your undying love and that you cannot live without him, then drop the bomb. Tell him that you’re getting a divorce. That will really hurt him.” The wife smiled widely with thoughts of revenge exploding from her eyes. It was the perfect plan. “Beautiful,” she said. “Will he ever be surprised!” The minister waited over two months to hear back from the woman, but she never returned. Curiosity finally got the best of him, so he called her and asked, “Are you ready now to go through with the divorce?” “Divorce!” she exclaimed. “Never! I discovered that I really do love him.” The wise minister understood an important principle of relationships. Feelings almost always follow actions. Love and loyalty are traits that we learn through practice and intention. We love through what we do, and eventually love becomes genuine. “Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife?” the Lord asks the Israelites. “In body and spirit you are his …. So guard yourself; always remain loyal to your wife” (Malachi 2:15). God knows that loyalty leads to even greater love and loyalty. That if couples will remain true to each other, it will lead to happiness and a more fulfilling life. His disdain for divorce reveals the priority he puts on faithfulness. And his admonition to remain loyal is a command, not a suggestion. Marriage is a sacred covenant in the eyes of God, and it should remain so in ours as well.
Today’s Reading Malachi 2:15 Reflection Do you treat your spouse with the love and respect that he or she needs? How would God rate your loyalty in light of your actions?
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The best-selling Left Behind series has captured the attention of millions of readers, and it has changed lives. It has brought millions of believers the motivation to examine their hearts. Are you ready to embrace eternity? Live each moment as if it could be your last? Your future is more important than your past. Where you are going matters more than where you have been. What you do from this day forward means much more than what you have already done. You may be affected by your past, but you are not defined by it. Not in the eyes of God. What does it mean to embrace eternity? It means grasping each breath as if it could be your last, living life moment by precious moment with your feet planted firmly on earth but your heart aimed squarely at heaven. It means learning to embrace the role of dual citizenship—living in one world while belonging to another. It is a lifestyle of living like there’s no tomorrow and then dying so that your real life can finally begin! This 365-day devotional explores the themes introduced in the Left Behind series—themes of salvation, grace, obedience, and faith. New believers as well as mature believers will find a message of faith that will inspire and motivate daily.
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