November 24

Ezekiel 47:1-48:35, 1 Peter 2:11-3:7, Psalm 119:49-64, Proverbs 28:12-13

Pray: Lord, You are the author of all that is good. You give us Your word to encourage and instruct us. Father, open our hearts today to receive Your word. Give us new eyes and new ears for Your glory. 

Read: (1 Peter 3:7) "In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered."

Edify: Whether married or single, the Bible gives us clear instruction on how to treat one another in a covenant of marriage between a woman and a man. If you are single with the intention of one day being married, this gives you a glimpse of what kind of spouse to look for. If you are married, this gives you instruction on how to love and care for one another. It seems so old fashioned to get relationship advice from the Bible, but look around at our culture. It seems we need direction in relationships from the God who invented them. The New Testament is revolutionary in its view of women both in relationships and in the church. We see Paul in Ephesians charging husbands to "love your wives just as Christ loved the church. He gave up His life for her." From Paul's letter to the Ephesians and here in Peter's letter to Christians in Asia minor we see them both giving direction in relationships and marriage that are not aligned with culture. Culture without God's influence and direction will always lean towards oppression. Leaders like Peter and Paul knew that God's way leads to freedom not oppression. They also knew Christians could have an impact on their surroundings and culture. 

Practice: Write out how our culture views relationships and marriage. Now write out how the Bible views them. If you're not sure how the Bible defines certain things, read scripture and study those verses with an open mind and heart. Once you define the culture's view versus the Biblical view - a choice has to be made. God wants freedom for us and our culture. It will take Christians living out their faith in those relationships to influence the culture.