Married For A Purpose—Devotions For CouplesSample

Concentrate Your Attention on God’s Intention 

Ever get tired of to-do lists? If so, you’ll love this simple truth: God’s purpose for your marriage isn’t another thing you need to do; it’s a celebration of who you are. God created every one of us on purpose and for a purpose, and the same holds true for our marriages. But in order for us to live God’s purpose, we need to create godly habits that foster life and welcome His purpose into our everyday living. 

Part of welcoming God’s purpose means that we stop focusing on our problems and concentrate our attention on God’s intention. We experience a higher way of living when we choose to look past our hardships and instead look for­ward and upward to live God’s design, a practice George Washington Carver embraced. 

George Washington Carver, a man born into slavery, certainly faced a lot of hardships. But he didn’t allow those hardships to stop him from using his gifts as a botanist and inventor. Instead, Carver went into his private time of study and lifting a peanut toward heaven, prayed, “Lord, we have so many of these. Help me discover the purpose for this peanut.” 

And guess what? God did. 

God revealed three hundred purposes for the peanut. Wow. Think about it. If God can reveal three hundred purposes for something as seemingly insignificant as a peanut, surely He holds a purpose for your marriage.

• Read Ephesians 2:10 together. 
• Discuss how it applies to you as a couple. Ask each other "What do we care about? Who do we care about? How can we use our gifts and talents together for God’s purpose?"
• Pray and ask God to reveal His purpose for your marriage. 

Father, reveal Your purpose for our marriage. Show us how we can serve You and each other, right where we are, every day.