Dating: Dating couples devotional

NIV Devotions for Couples - Week of Oct. 15

Giving With Grace

Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.

— Deuteronomy 15:10

Years ago I said something that still bothers me when I think about it. I had led a young couple to faith in Jesus. The husband earned a good living in his hairstyling salon. In the basement of their home he kept the barber’s chair that his deceased father had once used in a shop in another town.

His father’s chair was more than an item of nostalgia, however. My friend used the chair in his basement two evenings and part of Saturday each week to seat customers who couldn’t afford to see him in his shop. In this homey room my friend clipped and snipped the hair of the poor. Some, like me, he charged a nominal fee; others he waved out the door with a smile.

After one splendid haircut, I pulled out my wallet and handed him a note that was twice what he normally charged me. It was my smallest note, but he had no change. “Just keep it,” I said. “Next time I won’t have to pay anything.”

Indeed, as I stepped out of the chair after my next grooming session and reached for my wallet, my friend said, “Wait! You’ve already paid for this one!”

It was then that I said some horrible words: “If you had remembered that earlier,” I teased, “you wouldn’t have done such a good job, would you?”

A slight grimace furrowed my friend’s brow before he caught himself and laughed. He was a generous man, and I had treated his kindness flippantly by joking that mercenary demons drove his heart.

It seems like materialism is all around us, and it is not uncommon for people to be driven by need and greed. During the lean years that many of us experience. we can become selfish and cheap. Those attitudes can stick, even when resources grow and demands diminish.

God built safeguards into Israelite society so that debt wouldn’t dehumanize those who became trapped in it. But God also knew that some people would try to manipulate handouts and bailouts and other kinds of welfare for their own cunning ends. So he asked his people to be generous to the poor, even if the poor appeared to be abusing the gifts.

Generosity and graciousness are learned qualities. They must be caught from the example of bighearted souls. Like God. Like the widow who gave two very small copper coins—all she had to live on (see Mark 12:41–44). Like the disciples who shared their lunch with a crowd (see Matthew 15:32–39). Like my barber.

We must practice giving so that generosity becomes an essential part of who we are. And when we give, we’ll find that our generosity is rewarded by God, who will “throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it” (Malachi 3:10).

—Wayne Brouwer

Let’s Talk

• In what ways has God blessed us? In what ways are we tightfisted about sharing what we have? How can we make our spending and giving reflect our values?

• Who are some generous people who have helped us along the way? What have we learned from them? How are we becoming like them?

• What did we learn about money and generosity from our parents? Were these good or bad lessons? What will our children learn from us?

This devotion is from the Couples' Devotional Bible by Zondervan. Used with permission .

Moments with You Couples Devotional 10/17

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise. EPHESIANS 5:15

I've often wondered why more people don't get hurt by foul balls that are hit into the stands during a baseball game. You'd think it would happen almost every time, especially those line drives that carom through an entire seating section. But even on those occasions when a stray ball does leave a lump or a bruise, you can hardly blame the batter, can you? I mean, he's not out to intentionally harm anyone. It's just what happens in the flow of the game, right?

That's probably not the way Baltimore Orioles' Jay Gibbons felt not long ago when he fouled a pitch straight back over the screen. That's because this time, his wayward swing didn't threaten a nine-year-old sitting there with his cap and glove or a hot-dog vendor walking the steps or a pair of buddies taking in a game together.

No, Jay's foul ball hit his own wife right in the ribcage.

He didn't mean to. It wasn't intentional.

This story reminded me of those sarcastic remarks we sometimes let slip. Or those little unkind things we foul off. Or those grunts we utter when we think the magazine article we're reading is much more interesting and important than what the wife is saying.

A foul ball can hurt as much as a direct hit. A fairly insignificant slight or accusation—especially when it's allowed to fester and accumulate and build on the last one—can bruise your relationship. That's why you must guard against minor, offhand offenses. Stop occasionally and go see if your words are hurting anyone—your spouse, a child or a friend.

Careless words. A lapse in judgment. Foul balls. And foul words. But whether intended or not, they can still carom with enough speed to wound and injure the ones you love the most.

Dating Devotional: How to Know if He's the One (And Dating Checkcards to Hand Out to All the Single Ladies and Teens)

I recently did this devotional with the teen girls in the youth group where we attend. I really wanted them to understand the importance of dating, what dating leads to, and why it's so important to look for very specific characteristics in their guys throughout the dating process. If your looking for some material for doing a devotional on marrying a Christian or the dating process, this might help you out!

Here's mine. I give a lot of credit to the book Headed to the Office by Glenn Colley for helping me create the dating checkcards and get the complete list of things to look for in a Christian husband.

Before You Say "I Do": A Marriage Preparation Manual for Couples Paperback – January 1, 1997

Would you like to have a successful, joyful marriage? Do you want to know more about your loved one's dreams and goals for your union? Before You Say "I Do" provides the perfect opportunity to gain greater insights into your future mate's expectations and time-tested principles for a satisfying lifelong partnership.

Through interactive surveys, thoughtful questions, and real-life examples, your relationship will deepen as you uncover areas of harmony and potential areas of discord. You will explore ways to--

adjust to differences in personality and background

clarify role expectations

develop spiritual intimacy

establish a positive sexual relationship

handle finances

build healthy in-law relationships

and much more!

Drawn from years of marriage preparation and enrichment seminars, this handbook delivers solid information on how you and your partner can make your marriage all that it is meant to be. As you discover the role Jesus Christ plays in marriage, you'll find the principles and strength of creating a lasting union.

Mike's Sharebook

Those precious moments after you’ve hooked up with a guy are sacred-the afterglow, the cute pillow talk…well, unless you mutter any of these one-liners, that is. Mood killers!

1. “Can I have my money now?”

2. “Done already?…I barely felt a thing!”

3. “I’ve had better sex with my dog.”

4. “I hope my parents don’t notice someone was in their bed.”

5. “I fell asleep for a minute.”

6. “Oh shit, I forgot to take my birth control.”

7. “I’m sorry I gave you herpes.”

8. “Get ready! Now it’s my turn to put something in you!”

9. “Why are you crying?”

10. “I’m all for dirty talk, but why’d you yell out “MOMMY”?”

Sure, the missionary or girl on top positions gets the job done (usually!) but if you want to take your sex life to the next level, you’ve got to switch things up-literally, and here’s some inspiration! New positions might feel a bit silly or awkward at first, but we’re pretty sure you won’t be going back to missionary any time soon after giving these a try! Thanks to the Kama Sutra and Cosmo. we’ve found a few sex positions we can’t wait to break out in the bedroom…which ones are on your radar?

Whenever I’ve mentioned to a friend that I’m seeing someone casually or going over to their house late at night for a hook-up session, they automatically assume that it is the sexiest thing ever. I think they picture it like it’s straight out of a movie with flower petals and that we’ll be dripping candle wax all over each other and melting chocolate all over one anothers bodies.

Not so much.

Sometimes we have pizza and watch a movie. Other times we have sex on top of a bunch of dirty clothes. Bottom line? Casual dating isn’t always as sexy or thrilling as it seems. If you feel like you’ve fallen into a bit of rut, shake things up-here’s how.

Signing up online for a casual dating site is one thing, but actually talking to someone is another. You want to be witty, playful and sexy so they’ll stop talking to anyone else and ask you out, right? Of course. Here’s how to do it.

Once you begin chatting with someone, things can escalate from pretty hot to on fire fairly quickly. Sexual attraction is crucial when it comes to casual dating of course-I mean, who wants to hook up with someone they find repulsive? Not I! However, sometimes it’s better to reign in the sexy talk and photos before you meet-not only will it keep the anticipation alive, but it protects you from sending your naughty photos to someone hiding behind a computer screen. Trust me, you don’t want those to end up on the internet one day.

2. Ask tricky questions

What do these questions all have in common? “What do you do for fun?” “Do you play any sports?” “Who is your favorite music group?”

UMMM…they’re boring! If you’re an online dater, chances are you’ve heard these questions literally hundreds of times and you have an answer ready to go, just like a good robot. You’ve got to make yourself stand out by asking questions that are a bit off center, that make the other person stop and think. Let’s be honest, it might seem like you are super interested in them but in reality it’s all about setting yourself apart, and above, the crowd.

3. Don’t be too available

You can have phone sex until you’re blue in the face (literally?) but if your end goal is a real roll in the hay, eventually you’ve got to turn off the technology and meet face to face. If you’re always talking to the other person online or on the phone, there is no reason for them to want things to go further, or no urgency for them to make a move-and this is when you get stuck in a computer or phone relationship. If you’re busy and not too available all the time, they will want to grab a minute of your time-and feel oh so lucky when they do!

As they should. We all know that falling head over heels in love with a bad boy doesn’t usually tend to end well…unless your definition of “well” is heartbreak city. But what about casually dating a bad boy? A no strings relationship seemed like the perfect answer, right? Not to mention insanely sexy.

The biggest problem with bad boys isn’t how fast they drive or how much they drink, it’s the attitude with which they approach the world. A casual relationship doesn’t demand much-but, mutual respect and communication are key-and these are sometimes lacking when it comes to the rebels without a cause. Consider this-if they approach the world with complete disregard, why would they treat you any differently?

Let’s get one thing straight, loves-Yes, sex is often more exciting when it comes to a guy who seems like a ruthless bastard…don’t ask me why, but let me just say-it IS sexy, in the moment…but when he won’t return your calls or cancels dates at the last minute, it stops being sexy very fast. There is nothing attractive about feeling used, no matter how serious of a relationship you’re looking for.

Dating

Wednesday 19 March 2014

Dating couples devotional

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