From: April 21, 2026
“Jesus said to them, ‘The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage.’” (Luke 20:34–35 ESV).
In Luke, Jesus responded to the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection and attempted to trap Him with a question about marriage. Speaking to this group, Jesus contrasted “this age” with “that age.” He explained that marriage belongs to the present age, where life is marked by mortality and the need for procreation. In the age to come, however, those who share in the resurrection will no longer marry. His teaching revealed that resurrection life is not merely a continuation of earthly patterns, but a transformed existence. When read alongside Ephesians 5, marriage is shown to be a sign that points beyond itself to the greater reality of Christ’s union with His Church. Therefore, Jesus was not diminishing marriage but placing it within God’s larger redemptive purpose.
Those of us who have experienced the deep joy of marriage can be troubled by this teaching. We may wonder if something precious will be lost. Yet Jesus invites us to see that marriage is not erased in the resurrection but fulfilled. What we experience now is real, but it is also partial. In that age, the love we share will not diminish but be perfected. The threats that burden marriage now, such as death, sin, separation, and misunderstanding, will be gone. We will still know and love one another, yet our love will be purified and perfected in the presence of Christ. The sign will give way to the reality. Therefore, we hold our marriages with gratitude today while looking forward with hope to an even greater joy. We trust that what God has begun in love will reach its fullest expression in His eternal kingdom.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we thank You for the gift of marriage and the love we have known in this life. When we feel uncertainty about the future, remind us that Your plans are greater than we can imagine. Help us to trust that the love we share will not be lost but perfected in Your presence. Teach us to cherish our relationships now while hoping in the resurrection to come. Fix our hearts on Christ, the fulfillment of every promise. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: April 21, 2025
“Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.” (Luke 20:38 ESV).
The Sadducees, who denied the resurrection and only accepted the five books of Moses, came to Jesus presenting a question that they thought would make the idea of the resurrection seem ridiculous. However, Christ’s response made their question seem ridiculous instead. After dismissing their multiple wives premise in only a few words, He used the burning bush story from the book of Exodus (one of the few books they accepted) to show them proof of the resurrection; namely, that God identified Himself as the “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” Jesus demolished their anti-resurrection argument and left them silent.
But Jesus wasn’t finished. He backed up His words with action, becoming the firstborn from among the dead and guaranteeing the resurrection of all those who believe when He was raised on the third day. “He is risen just as He said” (Matt. 28:6).
The resurrection of Jesus is the most profound fact in history and the foundation of Christianity. Christ is alive and those who place their faith in Him have been made alive with Him.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank you for Your amazing grace and mercy, that You would defeat sin, death and the grave for us. You have replaced our fear and dread of death with hope and eternal life. We worship You with all of our heart this day! In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: April 21, 2024
“And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed” (Joshua 23:14 ESV).
Joshua, sensing that he was at the end of his days, called all the Israelite leaders from every tribe together to hear his final words. He and Caleb were the last of those who remembered their slavery in Egypt. He had witnessed the ten plagues. He knew the meaning of Passover first hand. He had crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. His thirst had been quenched with water from the Rock and his hunger satisfied for 40 years with a daily provision of manna from heaven. Some in their midst may have been children during those days, but Joshua and Caleb alone had experienced it as grown men.
Joshua had been faithful as a servant to Moses, faithful to spy out the land and give a good report, and faithful to lead Israel after Moses’ death. Now Joshua was faithfully preparing to take the next step in his journey, he was going the “way of all the earth,” namely, he was about to die. Yet, his final words were to encourage his people to remain faithful to the Lord, just as the Lord had been faithful to them.
Joshua is an example to all who would be faithful to the end. His last words were like the first words that the Lord had given him as Israel’s new leader, “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). Joshua finished well with God. Will you finish well?
PRAYER: Dear Father, we give You thanks for our salvation and for Your Spirit. Strengthen us this day to walk according to Your will. Help us as we grow older to finish well for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: April 21, 2023
“No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said. I have sworn an oath to David, and in my holiness I cannot lie: His dynasty will go on forever; his kingdom will endure as the sun” (Psalms 89:34-36 NLT).
Men may break their covenants, but God never will. He is a promise-making and a promise-keeping God. The covenant spoken of here is not the one made at Sinai, but the one made through Jesus, the Son of David, the Son of God. This is an unconditional covenant of grace, based on God’s sworn testimony by His own holiness. Therefore, not only will He not break it, He will not alter it in any way, neither adding nor subtracting, nor failing to keep even one detail of it.
We who have trusted Jesus as our Lord and Savior have entered into this new covenant. As Jesus told His disciples as the sat together at the last supper, “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matt. 26:28). This new covenant is based on Christ’s holiness, not ours. At the cross Christ took our sin and offers His righteousness. He took our death and offers His eternal life. He took our separation from the Father and offers His sonship.
What is our part? To trust in Jesus, the Mediator of God’s new covenant. For it is His Kingdom that will go on forever. When we trust in Him, know this: God will not ever break His covenant with us. It is based on His holiness, not ours.
PRAYER: Dear Father, centuries before our birth, You prepared a way for our salvation through Jesus. We are amazed! Thank You for this great and wonderful new covenant. We are weak and we often break our own word, but You never break Your Word. Therefore we rely on Your Word and Your new covenant in Jesus for our salvation. We rest in this promise from You, knowing that You will always keep it and us, forever. In Jesus’ name, amen.