S. O. A. P.

Here’s Your 90 second AM Devotional!

S-cripture:

Deuteronomy 24:5

If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married.

O-bservation:

This was the law of Moses. It said that after an Israeli couple was married, the young man couldn’t be sent to battle for “ONE YEAR.” Even beyond that, it said NO extra burden could be laid on that young man except to stay home and nurture his young bride with loving care and kindness.

A-pplication:

One of my blessings as a Pastor is to counsel and then perform the marriage ceremonies for young couples. That’s the happy part. The sad part is that sometimes I am asked to arbitrate a very difficult challenge encountered by a young couple. I often remember this verse and wonder how different it would have been if at the beginning of their marriage they could have had a One Year Honeymoon, free from the pressures and stress of modern day life. I guess you could call it “The Newlywed’s One Year Pass.” Remember, this was done with the help, support, and blessing of everyone in the community. Can you imagine learning to be “Best Friends” for ONE WHOLE YEAR? If anyone asked, “What are you doing today?” the answer would be, “Absolutely nothing but hanging out with my wife!” Of course this answer would be followed by applause from the asker. No wonder the Jewish community as a whole has endured such hardship and grown such marvelous families through the years. We have taken stress to a whole new level in our society. As a result, marriages and families have suffered immeasurably. Maybe it’s time to give marriage a BREAK before it Breaks.

P-rayer:

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for reminding me that Your original plan for marriage was to develop tremendous friendship in the marriage bond. Help me to love young couples and encourage them in their marriage in place of finding more stuff they should be doing. Amen