Daily Devotional for May 5, 2022

Walt and Doris are two of my all-time favorite people.  Seeing their smiling faces on Sunday morning makes my day because they stay awake during my sermons.
 
This past Sunday, our congregation celebrated Walt and Doris’ sixty-eighth wedding anniversary.
 
Doris told me she had done well with all the wedding vows, but she never obeyed.  I am pretty sure Walt does.
 
Sunday afternoon, as I thought about the longevity of Walt and Doris’ blessed marriage, I turned to Shannon and said, “Hopefully, someday we will celebrate our sixty-eighth wedding anniversary.”  A look of panic washed across her face.  I wondered what that was about.
 
This got me thinking.
 
What makes a good marriage is easy to define but not necessarily easy to do.
 
When a bride and groom stand before an altar and make promises to love, honor, and cherish each other for the rest of their lives, they truly mean it.  At that moment, they are all in.  It’s a time of excitement and joy.  But as the days, weeks, months, and years go by, the grind of life can take its toll.
 
A marriage works when both the husband and wife fulfill the promise made at their wedding to stick it out in good times as well as bad.  
 
Take Shannon for instance.  While I am always a peach, there are times when she can be a little difficult – I love her anyways.  I promised.  That’s why our marriage works.
 
Did you know Jesus has also made a promise to you?
 
No matter where you go or what you do, Jesus has promised to always walk with you.  You will never be alone as you face the harsh realities of life. 
 
Jesus’ last words in the gospel of Matthew encapsulate his unbreakable, never-ending promise, “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:20b)
 
This morning, put your hand in God’s hand and let him walk you through eternity.  God will never let you down.
 
Prayer:  Dear Gracious Heavenly God, I cannot do this without you.  Please guide my steps, thoughts, and words.  Thank you for never leaving me.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.
 
You matter to God and God will never let you go.  God has promised.
 
Also, now that I’ve had a few minutes to think about my marriage, I have concluded the other reason Shannon stays married to me is my good looks.  That’s got to be it.
 
My humility has always been my greatest asset.
 
I pray your day is filled with joy and laughter.
Tom Robbins