God Makes All Things New [A New Home] Devotions Day 3

The Marriage Covenant

Devotional
When Jesus shared the cup with His disciples at the Last Supper, He was doing something profoundly intimate. In Jewish culture, sharing a cup was part of the marriage covenant ceremony. When a man offered a cup to a woman and she drank from it, she was saying "yes" to his proposal of marriage. Jesus was essentially proposing to His disciples... and to us. He was asking, "Will you enter into this covenant with me?" The cup represented His blood, the ultimate sacrifice that would seal this covenant between God and His people. This isn't just about forgiveness of sins, though that's incredibly important. This is about relationship, intimacy, and belonging. Jesus didn't just die to save us from something; He died to save us for something... a relationship with Him that will last for eternity. When we accept Jesus, we're not just getting a ticket to heaven. We're entering into the most intimate relationship possible with the Creator of the universe. We're saying "yes" to His proposal, accepting His love, and committing to a covenant that death cannot break. Every time we take communion, we're remembering this covenant and renewing our "yes" to Jesus. We're celebrating not just what He's saved us from, but what He's saved us for... eternal life with Him.

Bible Verse
And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. - Matthew 26:27-28

Reflection Question
How does understanding your relationship with Jesus compared to a marriage covenant change the way you think about your commitment to Him?

Quote
When Jesus took the cup and explained how it represents his blood confirms the covenant between God and his people. He offers it to each of them and he asks them to drink of it. When the disciples would have heard this, what they would have heard was, will you enter into this covenant with me like a bride would with her bridegroom?

Prayer
Jesus, thank You for offering me this incredible covenant relationship. Help me to live as Your beloved, faithful to the commitment I've made to You, and grateful for the covenant love You've shown me. Amen.