Prayer is for Relationship

Eric Thompson •
July 7, 2026

2 Minute Read
Focus Verse: Matthew 6:6
"But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
There is a moment many people recognize - standing in a circle, someone asks you to pray out loud, and your first thought is not about God at all. It is about the people listening. What will they think? Will your words sound right? Jesus saw this exact impulse in the religious leaders of his day, and he named it plainly: praying to be seen by others is a performance, not a prayer.
God is not grading your vocabulary. He is not impressed by polished phrases or lengthy sentences. He is your heavenly Father, and he is looking for you - the real you, behind the closed door, with nothing to prove. True prayer is intimate conversation, not a public demonstration. You can come to him without a script, without the right words, and without fear. He already knows your heart. What he wants is your honest presence.
Today's Challenge: Find a quiet moment today, close the door, and speak to God in plain, honest language - exactly as you would talk to someone who knows and loves you completely.
Prayer: Father, I confess that I have sometimes been more concerned with how I sound than with actually reaching you. Teach me to come to you as I am, without performance or pretense. Let my prayer today be real.
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From this Author: Eric Thompson
August 12, 2026 • 8 Minute Read
Kids Discipleship
Honestly, even as a pastor, I struggled to disciple my kids because discipling from toddler to adult requires a different Bible for every new season of growth. So the question is, what is the best Bible for them at that stage, and there are so many choices? Then there is what you teach and what approach or method you use at each stage of life. Throughout the years, I have researched these questions many times. A few times I found things that were helpful; most of the time I became frustrated. Frustrated because there were so many choices and no clear answers or pathways I could follow. So I would put it aside and end up coming back to it again and again without ever really starting discipleship training with my kids. Yes, I overthink things. Yes, I do better with a clear plan laid out. Yes, I'm a pastor, and yes, I have struggled with this. Maybe you are facing the same challenges as me along with the same frustrations. You love your kids. You want them to grow up and learn to love God and love others. You want them to live for Jesus, experience His love, mercy, and grace, and ultimately spend eternity with Him. But you don’t know what Bible to buy, and you don’t know where to start. You don’t know what to teach or even what should be taught at the different stages of growth. So you put it off, and you put it off, and before you know it, they have grown up. But we can change things starting today because God designed the home to be the first and most powerful classroom of faith. I am working to put together a family resource of Bibles and catechism materials, articles, etc. In the meantime, here are a few resources that I hope you will find helpful. ✝️ Catechism 0–5 Years Old (Early Childhood & Preschool) At this stage, catechism focuses on foundational concepts of God’s love, creation, and grace through simple Q&A, songs, and storybooks rather than heavy memory work. The Kid's Catechism(Holy Joys / Wesleyan Tradition) Focus: Simplified Questions & Answers for ages 2–5. Highlights: Designed specifically as the entry level for young toddlers, answering essential questions about God, creation, and Jesus in short, memorable sentences (e.g., "Who made you? God made me."). Our Faith for Little Ones / Nazarene Early Childhood Discipleship Focus: Pre-K foundational truths of grace and God's love. Highlights: Uses story-based lessons and basic catechism questions emphasizing prevenient grace—the idea that God loves and pursues us even before we know Him. 6–9 Years Old (Early Elementary) In this age range, children are ready for structured Q&A formats that introduce core doctrines, the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and Wesleyan understandings of grace. The Young Disciples' Catechism(Holy Joys / Arminian-Wesleyan) Focus: 81 Questions & Weekly Memory Verses for ages 6–12. Highlights: Specifically crafted from a Wesleyan-Arminian framework. It structures catechism questions around God's character, salvation, holy living, and joyful obedience, making it ideal for family devotions or Sunday school. My Faith: A Catechism for Kids (Foundry Publishing / Church of the Nazarene) Focus: Interactive Student Workbook & Catechism Guide. Highlights: Covers essential Christian doctrines and the 16 Articles of Faith through engaging activity sheets, Q&A memory work, and age-appropriate discussions on sanctification and Christian living. Garden of Grace Curriculum (The KidMin Creatives) Focus: 16-Week Catechetical Teaching on the Articles of Faith. Highlights: Breaks down core Wesleyan beliefs (grace, repentance, holiness, the sacraments) using child-friendly illustrations, games, and weekly memory prompts. 7–12 Years Old (Older Elementary & Preteens) Preteens can handle deeper theological concepts, historical creeds, confirmation prep, and understanding the means of grace (prayer, Scripture, communion, baptism). A Catechism of Christian Faith and Doctrine(Seedbed / Global Methodist Church) Focus: 77 Questions and Answers on Historic & Wesleyan Beliefs. Highlights: Concise and robust catechism published by Seedbed.Designed for upper elementary, youth, and family grounding in the Apostles' Creed, Means of Grace, Articles of Religion, and the Lord's Prayer. Confirm / Wesleyan Confirmation & Catechism (Cokesbury / United Methodist / Global Methodist) Focus: Preteen Confirmation & Catechesis (Ages 10–12+). Highlights: A complete curriculum guiding preteens through the story of Scripture, Christian doctrine, Wesleyan history (John Wesley’s rule of life), and personal commitment to Christ. A Wesleyan Catechism (Ten Commandments, Articles of Religion, Lord's Prayer) Focus: Classical Wesleyan Q&A based on John Wesley's writings. Highlights: Focuses on the primary texts Wesley emphasized: the Ten Commandments (duty to God and neighbor), the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Sacraments. High-level preteens (ages 10–12) can study these alongside parent/teacher guides. 13+ Years Old (Teens & Young Adults) A Catechism of Christian Faith and Doctrine(Seedbed / Global Methodist / Wesleyan) Focus: 77 Questions and Answers on Core & Wesleyan Doctrine Highlights: Concise yet doctrinally rich, this guide works exceptionally well for teens. It covers the Apostles' Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Wesleyan understanding of grace (prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying). Absolute Basics of the Wesleyan Way (Seedbed - Phil Tallon & Justus Hunter) Focus: Interactive Teen & Student Catechism Course Highlights: Designed specifically for youth and young adults, this small-group and individual guide uses videos, short readings, and Q&A formats to break down core Christian beliefs through a distinctly Wesleyan lens. The Class Meeting / Small Group Discipleship Guides (Kevin M. Watson) Focus: Wesleyan Small Group Discipleship & Accountability Highlights: Moves beyond simple Q&A head-knowledge into heart transformation. Grounded in John Wesley's classic "class meetings," it helps teens learn how to watch over one another in love and track where God is working in their daily lives. 📖 Recommended Bibles 0–5 Years Old (Early Childhood & Preschool) At this stage, children benefit most from storybook and devotional Bibles that present essential themes through clear visuals and short, simple narratives. My First Hands-On Bible(NLT) Format: Storybook / Activity Bible Highlights: Designed specifically for ages 3–6, this book uses simplified NLT text alongside interactive prompts (hand motions, questions, simple crafts) that engage energetic toddlers and preschoolers during reading. The Jesus Storybook Bible(Storybook) Format: Illustrated Storybook Bible Highlights: While not a word-for-word translation, it is published alongside standard NIV/NLT resources as a primary recommendation for preschoolers. It focuses on how every story throughout the Old and New Testaments points to Jesus. NIV Little Kids' Big Story Bible(NIV) Format: Storybook Bible Highlights: Features short, simple retellings of 30+ key stories using easy-to-understand language and vibrant artwork crafted specifically to keep young attention spans engaged. 6–9 Years Old (Early Elementary & Early Readers) Children in this group are transitioning into independent reading and can begin moving from storybooks to full-text Bibles with engaging supplemental features. Hands-On Bible(NLT) Format: Full-Text Activity Bible Highlights: Uses the full NLT text packed with graphics, fun facts, "do-it" activities, science experiments, and crafts that help kinesthetic learners understand and apply biblical concepts. NIV Adventure Bible(NIV) (One of my favorites) Format: Full-Text Study Bible Highlights: Widely considered the gold standard for elementary-aged readers. It includes full-color feature pages like Life in Bible Times, Words to Treasure (for verse memory), and People in Bible Times profiles. NIV Boys/Girls Big Dreams, Big Prayers Bible(NIV) Format: Devotional / Full-Text Bible Highlights: Combines the complete NIV Scripture text with short daily devotions and prayer prompts that help early readers begin developing a daily Bible-reading habit. 7–12 Years Old (Older Elementary & Preteens) Preteens benefit from study tools that answer deeper questions, provide historical context, and foster personal reflection. NIV Kids' Visual Study Bible(NIV) Format: Illustrated Study Bible Highlights: Ideal for visual learners, this full-text NIV Bible is loaded with over 700 infographics, photos, maps, and study notes directly alongside the verses. NLT Student Life Application Study Bible(NLT) Format: Full-Text Study Bible Highlights: A great bridge for upper-elementary kids and preteens (ages 10+) stepping into deeper study. It provides application notes, character profiles, and real-world Q&As grounded in the accessible NLT text. NIV Investigator's Holy Bible(NIV) Format: Full-Text Interactive Study Bible Highlights: Uses a detective-and-discovery theme with "evidence files," Q&As, and background context to help preteens explore the historical truth of the Bible for themselves. Beautiful Word Coloring Bible for Girls (NIV, Leathersoft, Teal) Focus: Creative Engagement & Scripture Memorization through Visual Art for Preteens (Ages 8–12). Highlights: Combines the full NIV text with over 500 ready-to-color verse illustrations, thick white paper, and wide margins, encouraging girls to reflect on and memorize God's Word through art. 13+ Years Old (Teens & Young Adults) NLT Teen Life Application Study Bible(NLT) Format: Full-Text Teen Study Bible Highlights: Widely recognized as one of the best life-application Bibles for teenagers. It dives deep into real-world issues (mental health, peer pressure, identity, relationships) while offering clear verse-by-verse commentary grounded in the accessible NLT translation. NIV Student Bible(NIV) Format: Full-Text Guided Study Bible Highlights: Edited by Philip Yancey and Tim Stafford, this Bible includes the 3-Track Reading Plan, book introductions, "Highlights" that explain tricky passages, and historical backgrounds designed to build independent, lifelong study habits. The Jesus Bible(NIV) Format: Theological / Devotional Study Bible Highlights: Excellent for high schoolers and college students looking for deep narrative study. It features extensive essays, study notes, and journaling margins that reveal how Christ is woven throughout both the Old and New Testaments. Article with Graphic for Each Age Group Practical Ways to Teach Your Children about God at Every Age,” Woman of Noble Character, May 1, 2019. Download the article here.

Eric Thompson

August 12, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
The Face of God Your Child Needs
Focus Verse: Psalm 23:1 "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." One of the most freeing insights a parent can receive is this: you do not have to teach your child everything about God all at once. God is love, and love has many faces. The image of God that resonates with a four-year-old who needs safety and comfort is different from the image that speaks to a teenager navigating relationships for the first time. Matching the face of God to the need of your child at a given stage is not watering down the faith - it is wisdom. A young child who is anxious or afraid does not need a lecture on systematic theology. That child needs to hear about the Good Shepherd who knows his sheep by name, who searches for the one who is lost, and who lays down his life for those in his care. That image - concrete, warm, and full of protection - lands in a young heart in ways that abstract doctrine cannot. As children grow and their questions deepen, other faces of God become available to them: the True Vine who sustains them when sin threatens to cut them off, the Bridegroom whose love is faithful and covenant-bound. Watch your child. Pray and ask God which face of his love they need to see right now. Today's Challenge: Think about the child or young person closest to you. Identify one need they are carrying this week - a fear, a question, a longing - and find one image of God from Scripture that speaks directly to that need. Prayer: Father, I ask for wisdom to see my child the way you see them. Show me which face of your love they need most right now, and give me the words to present you in a way that reaches their heart.

Eric Thompson

August 11, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
Hearing That Leads to Obeying
Focus Verse: Luke 6:46 "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" There is a difference between hearing words and truly receiving them. In ancient Hebrew culture, to hear God's word was to obey it - the two actions were inseparable. You could not claim to have heard something you refused to act upon. That understanding cuts straight through the comfortable distance many of us keep between what we know and how we live. Jesus pressed this same point. He did not ask why people failed to call him Lord. He asked why they called him Lord but then lived as though he were not. The title without the surrender is an empty sound. This applies to every area of life, but it lands with particular weight when it comes to raising children. You can know every verse in Deuteronomy 6 and still never sit down with your child and open a Bible together. Knowledge without action is not really knowledge at all, not in the Hebrew sense, and not in Jesus's sense either. The good news is that the gap between knowing and doing can be closed today. One small act of obedience is worth more than years of intention. Today's Challenge: Ask yourself honestly: is there one thing God has already shown you about discipling the people in your home that you have heard but not yet done? Write it down and take one step toward it before the day ends. Prayer: Father, I do not want to be someone who calls you Lord only with words. I ask you to move what I know from my head into my hands and feet. Give me the courage to do the thing I have been putting off.

Eric Thompson

August 10, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
The Home as Holy Ground
Focus Verse: Deuteronomy 6:6-7 "These words that I am commanding you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up." You may not think of your kitchen table or your morning commute as sacred space, but God does. Long before Israel had temples and priests, God handed parents a commission: make the ordinary moments of daily life into classrooms of faith. The breakfast table, the car ride to school, the quiet moment before lights go out - these are not interruptions to spiritual formation; they are the primary location of it. This is not a calling reserved for pastors or Sunday school teachers. It is yours. God placed those children in your home precisely because you are the right person for this mission. The word translated "diligently" carries the sense of sharpening, of pressing something in with intention. God is not asking for occasional conversations about faith. He is describing a way of life where his word saturates everything. You do not need to be a theologian to begin. You simply need to begin. Today's Challenge: Identify one ordinary moment in your daily routine - a car ride, a meal, a bedtime - and decide right now that starting today it will include one sentence of Scripture or one question about God. Prayer: Father, I confess I have let ordinary moments pass without pointing my family toward you. I ask you to open my eyes to the sacred opportunities already built into my day. Help me to start today, not tomorrow.

Eric Thompson

August 3, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
Contentment Before the Ring
Focus Verse: Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." There is a quiet anxiety that settles into a single person's life when the world keeps asking, "So when are you getting married?" Maybe you have felt it — the low hum of pressure that makes you wonder if your life is somehow on hold until another person arrives. The Apostle Paul saw this same tendency in the Corinthians, and his counsel was simple and countercultural: cultivate contentment right where you are. Contentment is not resignation. It is not pretending that longing does not exist. It is the decision to stop putting your spiritual life on pause while waiting for circumstances to change. Paul observed something remarkable — that many people who stopped making a mate their consuming pursuit and instead poured themselves into knowing God and serving his kingdom found that God had a way of ordering everything else in their lives. Seek the kingdom first. That is not a spiritual platitude; it is a sequence with a promise attached to it. Today's Challenge: Write down one way you have been waiting for a different season of life before fully investing in your relationship with God, and then take one concrete step today to invest now instead. Prayer: Father, I confess that I sometimes treat contentment as something I will feel once my circumstances change. Teach me to seek your kingdom as my first priority today, not someday. I trust that you hold everything else in your hands.

Eric Thompson

August 3, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
Guarding Against Worldly Distraction
Focus Verse: 1 Corinthians 7:31 "And those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away." Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 7 are not only addressed to single people. He is speaking to everyone about the danger of letting temporal concerns crowd out eternal ones. He describes people who weep, rejoice, buy, and use the things of the world — and his point is not that those activities are wrong, but that none of them should be allowed to consume you, because this world in its current form is passing away. Think about how much of your mental and emotional energy is occupied each day by things that will not last. A news cycle, a financial worry, a social comparison, a scroll through a screen that leaves you more anxious than when you started. Paul is not asking you to disengage from life. He is asking you to hold the things of this world loosely, with open hands, while keeping your grip firm on what is eternal. Whether you are single and tempted to let loneliness drive you toward distraction, or married and tempted to let the busyness of family life quietly push God to the margins, the call is the same. Refocus on what endures. Your devotion to the Lord is not a category of your life — it is the center from which every other category draws its meaning. Today's Challenge: Identify one habit of consuming news, social media, or entertainment that has been feeding anxiety rather than faith, and replace thirty minutes of that habit today with prayer, Scripture, or worship music. Prayer: Father, I acknowledge that I have let the worries of this world take up more space than they deserve. Reorder my attention today. Help me hold temporal things loosely and invest my energy in what will last forever.

Eric Thompson

August 3, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
Singleness Is a Gift, Not a Gap
Focus Verse: 1 Corinthians 7:32 "I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord." It is possible to sit in a church service and feel invisible. If you are single, you may have experienced exactly that — the assumption that your real life begins at the altar, that you are simply in a waiting room until marriage makes you complete. Paul dismantles that assumption entirely. He does not describe singleness as an incomplete state. He describes it as a season with a particular kind of freedom and focus. When you do not have a spouse or children depending on you, you carry fewer of the divided interests that come with family life. That is not a consolation prize. It is a genuine gift. The freedom you have right now to give your full attention to the things of the Lord — to serve without negotiating a family calendar, to respond to a need without asking how it affects a household — is something a married person may actually envy. Paul is not putting marriage down. He is lifting singleness up to its proper dignity. You are not less whole because you are single. You are not a smaller part of the body of Christ. You are someone with a unique capacity for undivided devotion, and that capacity matters deeply to God and to his church. Today's Challenge: Identify one ministry opportunity, community need, or act of service that your current season of life actually makes easier to pursue, and take a step toward it this week. Prayer: Father, I receive my current season as a gift from your hand, even when it does not feel like one. Show me the specific ways you want to use my time and freedom for your kingdom right now. I want to live fully today, not just wait for tomorrow.

Eric Thompson

August 3, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
Marriage Calls for Selfless Focus
Focus Verse: 1 Corinthians 7:33-34 "But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband." Paul makes a statement in this passage that is easy to miss because it is tucked inside a larger argument about singleness and marriage. He says the married man's concern should be how to please his wife, and the married woman's concern should be how to please her husband. That is not a throwaway line. In a culture that tells everyone to put their own needs first, this is a revolutionary instruction. Marriage in God's design is not primarily about having your needs met. It is about becoming the kind of person who is genuinely occupied with meeting someone else's needs. When both people in a marriage are oriented this way — each one asking what the other needs rather than cataloguing what they themselves are not receiving — something remarkable happens. Resentment loses its foothold. Bitterness does not get the room it needs to grow. This principle applies whether you are newly married or have been married for decades. The question is not whether your spouse is meeting your needs. The question Paul presses you toward is this: are you genuinely concerned about theirs? Today's Challenge: If you are married, spend five minutes today thinking carefully and specifically about one practical way you can please or serve your spouse, and then do it without announcing that you are doing it. Prayer: Father, forgive me for the moments when I have entered my marriage focused on what I am receiving rather than what I am giving. Soften my heart toward my spouse today. Make me someone who is genuinely concerned with their flourishing.

Eric Thompson

August 3, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
Belonging Wholeheartedly to the Lord
Focus Verse: 1 Corinthians 7:35 "I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord." Every instruction Paul has given throughout this chapter points toward a single destination: undivided devotion to the Lord. That phrase is the summary of everything. Whether you are single or married, young or old, in a season of contentment or a season of longing, the goal of your life is belonging wholeheartedly to Jesus. Not belonging to a relationship status. Not belonging to a version of your life that has not arrived yet. Belonging to him, now, completely. Christian freedom — which is what Paul says he is protecting throughout this passage — is not freedom from commitment. It is freedom for full commitment to the One who made you and redeemed you. Trusting him with your relationships means submitting those decisions to his will rather than reacting to social pressure or unchecked impulse. Enjoying his fellowship means filling the quiet spaces of your life — especially the lonely ones — with his presence rather than with noise. And finding yourself useful, in whatever state you are in, means believing that God has something for you to do today, in this season, with the specific time and gifts and freedom that are yours right now. You are not waiting to become someone God can use. You already are. Today's Challenge: Write out this phrase somewhere you will see it today: "I belong wholeheartedly to the Lord, in this season, right now." Let that declaration shape one decision you make before the day ends. Prayer: Father, I want to belong to you without reservation. I release my grip on the version of life I have been planning and I open my hands to whatever you have for me today. Make me useful for your kingdom in this exact season of my life.

Eric Thompson

July 31, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
A Testimony Worth Telling
Focus Verse: Ephesians 5:31-32 "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church." Paul calls it a profound mystery, and it is. The idea that two fully formed, deeply different human beings can be knit together into something that functions as one is not a human achievement. It is a divine one. And when it actually happens, when a husband loves sacrificially and a wife honors faithfully and the two genuinely move toward each other rather than away, it becomes a testimony that the watching world cannot easily explain away. Your marriage is not a private arrangement. It is a public picture of something eternal. Every time you choose forgiveness when you have every right to be bitter, every time you serve your spouse when you feel empty, every time you stay when everything in you wants to withdraw, you are painting a portrait of Christ and the church for anyone close enough to see it. That is not pressure; it is purpose. God did not put you together simply so that you would be happy, though he does want that for you. He put you together so that your union would declare his glory. A marriage built on covenant, on leaving and cleaving, on self-sacrifice and mutual honor, is one of the most powerful sermons your community will ever witness. Ask God today to make your marriage that kind of testimony. Today's Challenge: Write down one specific way your marriage, right now in its current season, is reflecting the love of Christ to the people around you, and pray over that testimony with gratitude. Prayer: Father, I want my marriage to be more than a personal comfort. I want it to be a picture of your love for your church. Remove every barrier, heal every wound, and make us one in a way that only you can accomplish, so that others see you in us.

Eric Thompson

July 30, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
Celebrating Differences, Choosing Unity
Focus Verse: Romans 15:5 "May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus." God did not wire you and your spouse the same way, and that was entirely on purpose. One of you is a spender, the other is a saver. One of you fills up by being around people while the other fills up by being alone. One of you is driven by tasks while the other is driven by relationships. Left unaddressed, those differences will slowly build a wall between you. But surrendered to God, those same differences become the very places where you learn to need each other. Harmony is not sameness. An orchestra produces something beautiful precisely because it contains instruments that are nothing alike. The goal of your marriage is not for you to become a copy of each other. The goal is for two genuinely different people to be bound together by a love strong enough to hold the differences without being destroyed by them. That requires choosing, on an ordinary Tuesday, to look at the thing about your spouse that frustrates you most and say, "That is part of who God made them." Unity is not the absence of tension. It is the daily decision to keep turning toward each other rather than away from each other, and it is the kind of decision that only grace makes possible. Today's Challenge: Name one difference between you and your spouse that you have allowed to become a source of frustration, and spend a few minutes today asking God to help you see that difference as a gift rather than a burden. Prayer: Father, I confess that I have let what makes my spouse different from me become a source of resentment rather than a reason for gratitude. Grant us harmony today, not because we are the same, but because your love is holding us together in our differences.

Eric Thompson

July 29, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
The Power of a Covenant
Focus Verse: Malachi 2:14 "But you say, 'Why does he not?' Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant." There is a word that changes everything when it comes to marriage, and that word is covenant. A commitment says, "I will stay as long as this works." A covenant says, "I will stay because I made an oath before God." When you stood at that altar, God was not simply a guest at the ceremony. He was the witness to what was promised, and that changes the nature of what you made. Our culture is fluent in contracts. We negotiate terms, protect our interests, and build in exit clauses. Many people carry that same contract mentality into marriage without ever realizing it. But a contract is between two parties, and a covenant involves three. God himself stands as witness to what you spoke over each other on your wedding day. That is not a weight to burden you; it is a foundation to steady you. When the feelings are thin and the effort feels thankless, the covenant is still holding. God's faithfulness to his own word is what gives you the strength to be faithful to yours. You are not holding your marriage together by sheer willpower. You are leaning on the one who witnessed the promise and is still present in it. Today's Challenge: Set aside five minutes today to pray over your marriage as a covenant, thanking God specifically that he was a witness to your vows and asking him to be active in your union. Prayer: Father, I thank you that my marriage did not begin and end with two people. You were there, and you are still here. Remind me today that I am not keeping my covenant alone, and give me the grace to honor what was promised in your presence.

Eric Thompson