There is something beautiful about beginnings.
We celebrate them. A wedding day. A graduation.
The birth of a child. A new job. A new home.
Those moments deserve to be celebrated because
they mark the beginning of something new. But
here's what life teaches us. The celebration
lasts for a day. The journey lasts for years.
And that's exactly what happened in my father's
story. The moment the man stepped through the
door, His journey wasn't over. It had only just
begun. I sometimes think we put too much emphasis
on saying yes, and not enough emphasis on living
the yes. A wedding is beautiful, but a wedding
doesn't build a marriage. It begins one. Standing
before a pastor and exchanging vows doesn't instantly
teach a man how to become a husband. It doesn't
instantly teach a woman how to become a wife.
Those lessons are learned one ordinary day at
a time. Marriage is not built at the altar. It
is built around the dinner table, in difficult
conversations, in moments of forgiveness, in
shared prayers, in quiet sacrifices that no one
else ever sees. The covenant is established in
a moment. The relationship is built over a lifetime.
The same is true with Christ. Sometimes people
think salvation is the finish line, as if accepting
Jesus is the end of the story. The Bible teaches
something very different. Salvation is the doorway.
Discipleship is the journey. The day you receive
Christ, He declares you His, but then begins
the lifelong work of making you more like him.
The apostle Paul writes in Philippians, he who
began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Notice
those words, he began and he will complete. God
never intended salvation to be a single moment.
He intended it to become a lifelong relationship.
That's why I believe marriage is one of God's
greatest classrooms. Not because marriage is
easy, but because marriage reveals us. Before
marriage, it's easy to believe you're patient.
Then life happens. Before marriage, it's easy
to believe you've mastered forgiveness. Then
someone hurts you deeply. Before marriage, it's
easy to say you know how to love. Then love asks
you to sacrifice. To listen when you're tired.
To apologize when your pride wants to defend
itself. To choose unity when your emotions pull
you apart. Marriage has a way of exposing the
parts of us that still need God's transforming
grace. And perhaps, that's one of God's purposes
all along. Not simply to give us a companion,
but to shape our character. Think about it. Jesus
is constantly teaching us to forgive. Marriage
gives us opportunities to practice forgiveness.
Jesus teaches humility. Marriage gives us opportunities
to humble ourselves. Jesus teaches patience.
Marriage teaches patience. Jesus teaches servant
-hearted love. Marriage gives us daily opportunities
to serve someone before ourselves. The lessons
of Christ. become the practices of marriage,
and the practices of marriage slowly form the
character of Christ within us. I don't believe
God designed marriage simply to make us happy.
Happiness is a beautiful gift, but happiness
comes and goes. God designed marriage to make
us holy, to shape two imperfect people. into
two people who increasingly resemble Jesus. That
doesn't happen in one anniversary. It doesn't
happen in five years. It doesn't happen because
two people never disagree. It happens because
they continue saying yes to God, long after they
first said yes to each other. Every day, they
choose forgiveness again, patience again, kindness
again, faithfulness again, love again. That's
covenant not a single decision but thousands
of faithful decisions and Isn't that exactly
how we walk with Christ Jesus never asked his
disciples to follow him for one afternoon He
said if anyone would come after me let him deny
himself take up his cross daily and follow me
Did you notice that word? daily every day another
yes Every morning, another surrender. Every season,
another opportunity to trust Him. That's discipleship.
Just as marriage isn't sustained by one wedding
day, our relationship with Christ isn't sustained
by one moment at an altar. It grows through daily
fellowship, daily obedience, daily dependence
upon His grace. The first yes opens the door.
Every yes afterward. keeps us walking with him.
Perhaps that's the lesson hidden inside the house.
The man entered because he admired what he saw.
But if he remained there, he would soon discover
something even greater. A covenant isn't sustained
by admiration. It's sustained by commitment.
Feelings may introduce you to covenant, but faithfulness
keeps covenant alive. And that's true whether
you're speaking about marriage or your relationship
with Jesus Christ. The most beautiful Christian
lives are not those that began with the most
dramatic testimonies. They are often the lives
of men and women who simply kept saying yes,
year after year, through victories and disappointments,
through celebrations and tears, through seasons
of abundance. and seasons of waiting. They kept
walking. They kept trusting. They kept loving.
And over time, they became more like Christ.
The visitor has now crossed the threshold. The
decision has been made. The covenant has begun.
But as he settles into the house, he notices
something unexpected, something he never anticipated.
The house, is warmer than he imagined. And perhaps
that warmth is the first lesson that every covenant
must eventually learn. As we come to the end
of this conversation, I can't help but wonder
how many people are listening today, standing
exactly where that man once stood. You've walked
through your own forest. You've experienced seasons
of preparation. You've seen enough of God's goodness
to know that he is real. You've admired what
he has done in the lives of others. You've watched
marriages restored. You've watched lives transformed.
You've watched people find peace where there
was once chaos. Hope where there was once despair.
Joy where there was once emptiness. Like the
man in my father's story, you found the house.
The question is no longer, does it exist? The
question is, will you enter? Maybe for some of
you, God is preparing you for the covenant of
marriage. Perhaps you've been praying for the
right person, waiting on God's timing, trusting
him through the preparation. If that's you, Don't
become discouraged by the forest. God never wastes
preparation. The house is always more valuable
because of the journey that leads to it. But
I also know there are others listening today.
And this conversation was never primarily about
marriage. It was about a greater invitation.
Jesus Christ has been knocking on the door of
your heart. not demanding entrance, not forcing
himself upon you, simply inviting you, patiently,
faithfully, lovingly, maybe you've admired him
for years, you've respected his teachings, you've
believed he is the son of God, you've even attended
church, but admiration is not covenant, knowledge
is not relationship, standing outside the house
is not the same as living inside it. There comes
a moment when every person must answer God's
invitation not tomorrow Not when life becomes
easier Not when every question has been answered,
but by faith Because no one enters covenant knowing
everything We enter because we trust the one
who is calling us if today You sense the Holy
Spirit speaking to your heart Don't ignore his
voice Your greatest breakthrough may not be another
blessing. It may simply be your willingness to
say, yes, Lord. Yes, I trust you. Yes, I surrender
my life to you. Yes, I will follow you wherever
you lead me. One yes changed Abraham's future.
One yes placed Mary in the story of redemption.
One yes. caused fishermen to leave their nets
and become apostles. One yes transformed Saul
the persecutor into Paul the apostle. And one
yes to Jesus Christ still changes lives today.
Perhaps heaven is waiting, not for your perfection,
but for your surrender. Not for your strength,
but for your trust. Not for all the answers,
but for one faithful response. Because every
covenant begins with a willing heart. As we leave
this house today, remember this. The forest prepared
the man. The house invited him. But only his
decision changed his life. The same is true for
every one of us. Preparation is God's work. The
invitation is God's grace. The response is ours.
May you never be content standing outside admiring
what God offers when He is inviting you to live
inside His promises. In our next conversation,
the door has closed, the covenant has begun,
everything appears peaceful until the visitor
notices something unexpected. The house is warm,
warmer than he imagined. Why? We'll discover
together in our next conversation. Until then.
Keep walking with Christ. Keep trusting His word.
And remember, every covenant begins with one
yes. But it is faithfulness that turns that yes
into a legacy.