June 17 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

First Peter spoke about husbands who were not converted when their wives became Christians (3:1). But here is a much happier situation. In this case both husband and wife are heirs of God's promises. They are both Christians. And since they are joined in marriage, he calls them "joint heirs of the grace of life."

"Live considerately with your wives." Perhaps it was the rude back­ground of these recent converts that made the warning necessary. Peter means that husbands must show tenderness and understanding. Peter himself was married.

Joint heirs have joint prayers. Biblically speaking, it is unthinkable that two Christians who are married to each other should not pray together. Yet every now and then I meet an older Christian couple who have not learned to pray together. And now they find it too awkward to get started. But they must do it! It's not yet too late to bring in some of the treasures they almost missed.

However, when the tender harmony of a married couple is broken, the prayers are "hindered" or "blocked."

The apostle could have mentioned other bad results of marital disre­spect. Marital troubles have a host of bad consequences. But he mentions the worst: it will block the flow of grace.

Notice carefully what Peter is saying. He does not make the comment you probably have often heard: "If you have problems, you should pray together." He says: "Don't cause problems; otherwise you cannot pray together."

The Bible does not regard prayer as a last resort for human beings, an effort to get done with God's help what they could not manage on their own. Prayer is the door through which we receive God's grace. And without grace we simply have no life.

Therefore, husbands and wives must live in such a way that they can always pray together.

REFLECTIONS

What do you think of the perspective this reading gives to marital troubles? How does the reading relate to your own prayer life? Do the principles dis­cussed in this reading apply to other relationships as well as marriage?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.