Team Mates

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Ephesians 5:21 NIV

The devotional today tells a story of a married couple, who are arguing on a Friday evening over their plans for their Saturday afternoon. They are a blended family, and they have all their kids for the weekend. He wants to go a movie that he knows his kids will love, and she wants to the river, which she knows her daughter will love. The husband eventually concedes, but they were both still mad at one another. As the wife is getting into bed, she chokes out how she is sorry for the way she acted, she talks about how her loyalty to her daughter sometimes gets in the way. He apologizes also, and agrees that his loyalty to his kids gets in the way to. They talk about how complicated the blended family thing is, but they agree that it is worth worth. They believe that God brought them together, ALL of them together, and that they just have to remember that they are on the same team.

I don't have a blended family. My husband and I are both on our second marriage, but neither one of us has children from our previous marriage. However, these same disagreements happen in our marriage also. Sometimes I get overly protective of my kids, and sometimes he feels that I am a little to harsh. We have many moments when we don't agree about things. We are still working our way through it, and I think we still have a long way to go. I have learned over the last 11 years that marriage is a job. It takes a lot of work, by both parties every day. And I think as long as both parties are committed to working on it every day, then you are on the same team, even when it sometimes doesn't feel like it.

Steps of Faith:
Lord, show me how to reach out to blended families who may be struggling. Remind me to pray for them regularly.

Deeper Walk:
Philippians 2: 1-18 NAS
Joy in Serving, Be like Christ

Therefore if ther is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfisness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interest of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and pervese generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.