Daily Devotionals

Are We There Yet? Week 3 Wednesday

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 and having a picture of what you would like your end result to be. This is important when considering who we want to spend our lives with, and it is also an important principle for the children in our lives to understand. When a person knows what they are looking for in a dating and eventual marriage relationship, they can make more intentional, wise decisions and know exactly what their purpose in dating and eventually marriage is. 

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. You see, when people in relationship together, especially a dating or marriage relationship, are operating on different, 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 talked about common goals, then 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 of us who are dating to know what we are looking for in our dating relationships and eventual marriage relationships. We must have intentional, common goals with our spouse if we are married. We must also teach the children in our lives the importance of knowing what their goal in dating and marriage is. When they know their purpose in a dating relationship, they can be sure that they find someone with compatible goals so that their relationship will be set up for success. They can also have conversations early on to ensure that the person they are potentially dating has common goals, purposes, and dreams. 

It is true, “a family splintered by feuding will fall apart.” This message is essential for all of us, even the children in our lives. If we want to see our children lead God-honoring, successful marriages, we must teach them this early on so that they treat dating seriously. We must teach them to know exactly what they are looking for in marriage. 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

If you are single, take some time to think about what you are looking for in a dating relationship and eventual marriage. Write these things down. If you are married, sit down with your spouse and talk about your marriage. What do you want in your marriage? What are your goals for your marriage? Make a specific list of what you want God to do for your marriage and pray over your marriage together. Ask God to use you to be an example for the children in your life.

Going Deeper

Read 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.”