A Nurturing Parent
Scripture Reading: Genesis 21:1-21
“God heard the voice of the lad, and the angel of God called unto Hagar out of heaven and said unto her, ‘What aileth thee, Hagar? Fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, Lift up the lad and hold him in thine hand, for I will make him a great nation’ ” (Genesis 21:17-18).
This story so tenders my heart, I can hardly read it. Long before Christ drew a woman to a well, God drew a well to a woman. God’s heart broke at the sight of this mother and son confronting the frightening prospect of death. The mother’s heart was so broken that she distanced herself from her only child because she was afraid he would die before she did—a mother’s biggest fear.
The boy must have been very weak; his mother “put” him under a bush, and he made no attempt to follow her. Probably, she positioned him carefully under a thorn bush to keep the wild animals from preying on his dying body. Then the mother began to sob. Doubtless her wails were heard by the boy “nearby,” because Scripture records that he remained under the bush and cried as well. Then God unleashed His loving kindness. He refreshed and restored both mother and child; in the place of an absent father, God vowed to abide with the boy as he grew.
As we reflect on the encounter between God and Hagar, it seems we witness not only the compassion and sympathy of God, but also the empathy of God. He could relate to her pain and need, so He responded to Hagar as a loving God and as a fellow parent.
Might this have been the response of a Father who knew one day He also would face the intense pain of separation? Did God anticipate the torment of watching His only Son suffer…the agony of knowing He’d turn His back on His child as He died? This was a Father who proudly proclaimed, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17)! He was also a Father about whom Christ would say, “for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24) and moments later cry, “Abba, Father…Take away this cup from me” (Mark 14:36) and hours later, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46).
Surely the physical pain paled in comparison to the agony of two broken hearts. As I consider it, I am again overwhelmed at my unworthiness for such a cost. No, I do not believe the Father simply responded to Hagar as God, although that would have been enough. He responded as a divine parent with the power to intervene. Too tender was His heart to stand by passively.
God knows the intense pain of intense love. If you are a parent, you have already experienced fear, vulnerability, and pain. And the Father hasn’t missed one second of your parenthood. If you have a child who is rejected by his peers, God knows how you feel. If you have a child who is not beautiful to look upon, He knows how you feel (see Isa. 53). If you have a child who has been betrayed by her friends, He knows how you feel. If you have a child who has begged you to fix something you could not fix, He knows how you feel. If you have a child who is suffering, He knows how you feel. If you have a child who is dying, He knows how you feel. If you’ve buried a child, He knows how you feel. He’s been there, too. However, there is one big difference. He could have changed every bit of it. But He didn’t. For you and me.
If you’re a hurting parent right now, allow God to open your eyes as He did Hagar’s so long ago. Let Him refresh you at the well of Living Water. Like Hagar, your child may be totally restored to you. Or, like the trusting, but brokenhearted mother named Mary, you may have to let your child go. God loved no mother on earth more than the one He chose for His Son. Yet she was unable to hold Him in her grasp for as long as she wished. You who are richly loved, do not give up. Once you’ve had a true glimpse of God’s tender heart, you will begin to understand that if the Savior says “no” to a crying parent, it is because He’s saying “yes” to eternal kingdom profit.
My Father, I praise You for being the nurturing parent that You are. You are not unmoved by the suffering of Your children. Thank You for your compassion and tenderness. Please refresh me at the well of Living Water. Help me to have peace and to understand Your heart when I don’t understand Your ways. In the Savior’s name, Amen.
Adapted from Living Beyond Yourself, by Beth Moore
Friday, May 22, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
The Importance of Praise and Worship
Scripture 1) “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Psalm 100:4
Scripture 2) “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praise of Israel.” Psalm 22:3
Recently I did a search for a devotional that dealt with praise and worship. I scanned website after website for a word on the praise and worship of God’s people today. What I found was a startling wake up call. I found NOTHING. I was flabbergasted at the fact that even in our devotional time we have gotten away from something most needful if we wish to move the heart of God.
I looked up the definition of “inhabit”. According to Webster it means “to live in as a house or country.” Then I started meditating on why praise was so important to God. Why would it be so important that it would cause the creator of the universe to come and dwell within a few words or a song that I might sing to him? Then it hit me……..well.........God hit me. It’s not about the song. It’s not in the words, or the lifting of the hands. Praise and worship is a place that you go, just like a prayer closet! Wow what an exciting thought! I had never thought about praise and worship like this before. We go into a place in our hearts and minds to truly offer perfect praise unto the Lord, just as if we are going into a prayer closet and shutting the door.
To offer praise unto God requires more than just speaking a few words. Anyone can say “praise the Lord”. I just typed it and it has no meaning what so ever. But when we set our hearts toward God, and go into that deep place of worshiping him, then we have the power to truly touch the heart of God! He wants more from us than just a few words, or a song half sung on Sunday morning. God wants us to love him. He wants genuine love and affection. That is why were not programmed to love him but rather we are given the choice. To choose to praise and worship him just because you love him thrills his heart. Especially when we have no reason to praise him. You may be going through the hottest fiery trial you’ve ever experienced. Lifting your hands and thanking him for your pain and suffering may be the last thing on your mind. But to sacrifice and praise him anyway not only shows him that we love him, but it shows that we trust him. More importantly, it shows him that we have faith in him, and faith is what will move our mountains for us and quench the fires of our trials.
My brothers and sisters, even if it means sacrificing, we need to learn the art of real praise and worship again. We need to put it back into our churches, our prayer meetings, even our devotionals and our daily routines. Praise him because you got up this morning. Praise him because you aren’t hungry. And if you are, praise him because you know you won’t be for long. Can’t think of anything to praise him for? Do it because he sacrificed his only begotten, Jesus Christ for you, and you’ve been forgiven. No matter the situation or circumstance you are in praise him because he is worthy.
Father, I praise you and thank you for this day. Thank you for each and every circumstance and situation I am in because I know that all things work together for good to them that love you and are called according to your purpose. I know that you love me and even with nothing to my name, I am blessed beyond measure. Help me to always remember to worship you, to praise you, even in my hottest trial, for you are in control. In Jesus name.
Scripture 1) “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Psalm 100:4
Scripture 2) “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praise of Israel.” Psalm 22:3
Recently I did a search for a devotional that dealt with praise and worship. I scanned website after website for a word on the praise and worship of God’s people today. What I found was a startling wake up call. I found NOTHING. I was flabbergasted at the fact that even in our devotional time we have gotten away from something most needful if we wish to move the heart of God.
I looked up the definition of “inhabit”. According to Webster it means “to live in as a house or country.” Then I started meditating on why praise was so important to God. Why would it be so important that it would cause the creator of the universe to come and dwell within a few words or a song that I might sing to him? Then it hit me……..well.........God hit me. It’s not about the song. It’s not in the words, or the lifting of the hands. Praise and worship is a place that you go, just like a prayer closet! Wow what an exciting thought! I had never thought about praise and worship like this before. We go into a place in our hearts and minds to truly offer perfect praise unto the Lord, just as if we are going into a prayer closet and shutting the door.
To offer praise unto God requires more than just speaking a few words. Anyone can say “praise the Lord”. I just typed it and it has no meaning what so ever. But when we set our hearts toward God, and go into that deep place of worshiping him, then we have the power to truly touch the heart of God! He wants more from us than just a few words, or a song half sung on Sunday morning. God wants us to love him. He wants genuine love and affection. That is why were not programmed to love him but rather we are given the choice. To choose to praise and worship him just because you love him thrills his heart. Especially when we have no reason to praise him. You may be going through the hottest fiery trial you’ve ever experienced. Lifting your hands and thanking him for your pain and suffering may be the last thing on your mind. But to sacrifice and praise him anyway not only shows him that we love him, but it shows that we trust him. More importantly, it shows him that we have faith in him, and faith is what will move our mountains for us and quench the fires of our trials.
My brothers and sisters, even if it means sacrificing, we need to learn the art of real praise and worship again. We need to put it back into our churches, our prayer meetings, even our devotionals and our daily routines. Praise him because you got up this morning. Praise him because you aren’t hungry. And if you are, praise him because you know you won’t be for long. Can’t think of anything to praise him for? Do it because he sacrificed his only begotten, Jesus Christ for you, and you’ve been forgiven. No matter the situation or circumstance you are in praise him because he is worthy.
Father, I praise you and thank you for this day. Thank you for each and every circumstance and situation I am in because I know that all things work together for good to them that love you and are called according to your purpose. I know that you love me and even with nothing to my name, I am blessed beyond measure. Help me to always remember to worship you, to praise you, even in my hottest trial, for you are in control. In Jesus name.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
THE ETERNAL GOAL
"By Myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing . . . that in blessing I will bless thee. . . ." Genesis 22:15-19
Abraham has reached the place where he is in touch with the very nature of God, he understands now the Reality of God.
"My goal is God Himself . . .At any cost, dear Lord, by any road."
"At any cost, by any road" means nothing self-chosen in the way God brings us to the goal.
There is no possibility of questioning when God speaks if He speaks to His own nature in me; prompt obedience is the only result. When Jesus says - "Come," I simply come; when He says - "Let go," I let go; when He says - "Trust in God in this matter," I do trust. The whole working out is the evidence that the nature of God is in me.
God's revelation of Himself to me is determined by my character, not by God's character.
"'Tis because I am mean,Thy ways so oft look mean to me."
By the discipline of obedience I get to the place where Abraham was and I see Who God is. I never have a real God until I have come face to face with Him in Jesus Christ, then I know that "in all the world, my God, there is none but Thee, there is none but Thee." The promises of God are of no value to us until by obedience we understand the nature of God. We read some things in the Bible three hundred and sixty-five times and they mean nothing to us, then all of a sudden we see what God means, because in some particular we have obeyed God, and instantly His nature is opened up. "All the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen." The "yea" must be born of obedience; when by the obedience of our lives we say "Amen" to a promise, then that promise is ours.
Written by: Oswald Chambers
"By Myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing . . . that in blessing I will bless thee. . . ." Genesis 22:15-19
Abraham has reached the place where he is in touch with the very nature of God, he understands now the Reality of God.
"My goal is God Himself . . .At any cost, dear Lord, by any road."
"At any cost, by any road" means nothing self-chosen in the way God brings us to the goal.
There is no possibility of questioning when God speaks if He speaks to His own nature in me; prompt obedience is the only result. When Jesus says - "Come," I simply come; when He says - "Let go," I let go; when He says - "Trust in God in this matter," I do trust. The whole working out is the evidence that the nature of God is in me.
God's revelation of Himself to me is determined by my character, not by God's character.
"'Tis because I am mean,Thy ways so oft look mean to me."
By the discipline of obedience I get to the place where Abraham was and I see Who God is. I never have a real God until I have come face to face with Him in Jesus Christ, then I know that "in all the world, my God, there is none but Thee, there is none but Thee." The promises of God are of no value to us until by obedience we understand the nature of God. We read some things in the Bible three hundred and sixty-five times and they mean nothing to us, then all of a sudden we see what God means, because in some particular we have obeyed God, and instantly His nature is opened up. "All the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen." The "yea" must be born of obedience; when by the obedience of our lives we say "Amen" to a promise, then that promise is ours.
Written by: Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Deep Forgiveness
Scripture Reading: Luke 7:36-50
“Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little” (Luke 7:47).
Luke 7 invites us to dine at the table of contrast. We witness Christ in relation to two people, both equally loved by the One who sent His Son to dinner that night.
First we sit across from the Pharisee. Try to avoid stereotyping him. Many Pharisees were devoutly righteous men of God. Some were hypocrites, but others were genuine, striving desperately to keep the law. The Pharisee who invited Christ to dinner possessed volumes of scriptural knowledge. He could have recited literally hundreds of verses. He could have debated every Old Testament subject with intelligence and confidence. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he was a good man—and probably a curious man.
The host and his guest scarcely had time to greet each other and get comfortable before an intruder walked through the door. The host was appalled that a woman of the streets would enter his home. Imagine his embarrassment when the uninvited guest got down on her knees, wept at Christ’s feet, and anointed them with perfume!
After delivering a mental verdict of “guilty” over her, the Pharisee placed Christ on the stand as well. He judged, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner” (Luke 7:39).
I wonder if just once the Pharisee had ever used the term to describe himself. You see, to a man who had lived a righteous life, the word never applied to him—always to someone else. The Pharisee could not comprehend the sinful woman’s actions because he could not comprehend the depth of her love. He had everything to offer Christ that evening: a spotless record, knowledge, stimulating conversation—but he had no love. She had nothing to offer Christ that evening but a terrible record. She was almost assuredly illiterate, and she couldn’t talk for crying. But she had love.
We could interpret this encounter to mean the more we sin, the more we’ll love Jesus. It seems to support depraved living as the key to deep loving. Not so! The woman’s deep love did not flow from deep sin. It flowed from deep forgiveness. The level of intimacy her repentance required plummeted her to a depth of love. The Pharisee was also a sinner, but he was blinded by pride and strangled by self-righteousness. God’s mercy does not make sin tolerable; it makes sin forgivable. The proud and the depraved alike must kneel at the same feet for mercy. For those willing, God turns sin’s empty cistern into a deep wellspring overflowing with love.
Do you have something in your life for which you feel God cannot forgive you? Perhaps you cannot forgive yourself. Open you heart to God’s forgiving, redeeming love. He can forgive you—and He will—if you ask Him. His Word declares it.
Jesus, I have found myself at different times in the shoes of the Pharisee and in those of the sinful woman. Thank You for inviting both the proud and the depraved to Your cross to receive forgiveness. Take the broken cistern of sin in my heart and make it into a deep wellspring overflowing with love for You. In Your
holy name and by Your redeeming blood, Amen.
Written By: Beth Moore
Scripture Reading: Luke 7:36-50
“Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little” (Luke 7:47).
Luke 7 invites us to dine at the table of contrast. We witness Christ in relation to two people, both equally loved by the One who sent His Son to dinner that night.
First we sit across from the Pharisee. Try to avoid stereotyping him. Many Pharisees were devoutly righteous men of God. Some were hypocrites, but others were genuine, striving desperately to keep the law. The Pharisee who invited Christ to dinner possessed volumes of scriptural knowledge. He could have recited literally hundreds of verses. He could have debated every Old Testament subject with intelligence and confidence. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he was a good man—and probably a curious man.
The host and his guest scarcely had time to greet each other and get comfortable before an intruder walked through the door. The host was appalled that a woman of the streets would enter his home. Imagine his embarrassment when the uninvited guest got down on her knees, wept at Christ’s feet, and anointed them with perfume!
After delivering a mental verdict of “guilty” over her, the Pharisee placed Christ on the stand as well. He judged, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner” (Luke 7:39).
I wonder if just once the Pharisee had ever used the term to describe himself. You see, to a man who had lived a righteous life, the word never applied to him—always to someone else. The Pharisee could not comprehend the sinful woman’s actions because he could not comprehend the depth of her love. He had everything to offer Christ that evening: a spotless record, knowledge, stimulating conversation—but he had no love. She had nothing to offer Christ that evening but a terrible record. She was almost assuredly illiterate, and she couldn’t talk for crying. But she had love.
We could interpret this encounter to mean the more we sin, the more we’ll love Jesus. It seems to support depraved living as the key to deep loving. Not so! The woman’s deep love did not flow from deep sin. It flowed from deep forgiveness. The level of intimacy her repentance required plummeted her to a depth of love. The Pharisee was also a sinner, but he was blinded by pride and strangled by self-righteousness. God’s mercy does not make sin tolerable; it makes sin forgivable. The proud and the depraved alike must kneel at the same feet for mercy. For those willing, God turns sin’s empty cistern into a deep wellspring overflowing with love.
Do you have something in your life for which you feel God cannot forgive you? Perhaps you cannot forgive yourself. Open you heart to God’s forgiving, redeeming love. He can forgive you—and He will—if you ask Him. His Word declares it.
Jesus, I have found myself at different times in the shoes of the Pharisee and in those of the sinful woman. Thank You for inviting both the proud and the depraved to Your cross to receive forgiveness. Take the broken cistern of sin in my heart and make it into a deep wellspring overflowing with love for You. In Your
holy name and by Your redeeming blood, Amen.
Written By: Beth Moore
Monday, May 18, 2009
"OUT OF THE WRECK I RISE"
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" Romans 8:35
God does not keep a man immune from trouble; He says - "I will be with him in trouble." It does not matter what actual troubles in the most extreme form get hold of a man's life, not one of them can separate him from his relationship to God. We are "more than conquerors in all these things." Paul is not talking of imaginary things, but of things that are desperately actual; and he says we are super-victors in the midst of them, not by our ingenuity, or by our courage, or by anything other than the fact that not one of them affects our relationship to God in Jesus Christ. Rightly or wrongly, we are where we are, exactly in the condition we are in. I am sorry for the Christian who has not something in his circumstances he wishes was not there.
"Shall tribulation . . . ?" Tribulation is never a noble thing; but let tribulation be what it may - exhausting, galling, fatiguing, it is not able to separate us from the love of God. Never let cares or tribulations separate you from the fact that God loves you.
"Shall anguish . . . ?" - can God's love hold when everything says that His love is a lie, and that there is no such thing as justice?
"Shall famine . . . ?" - can we not only believe in the love of God but be more than conquerors, even while we are being starved?
Either Jesus Christ is a deceiver and Paul is deluded, or some extraordinary thing happens to a man who holds on to the love of God when the odds are all against God's character. Logic is silenced in the face of every one of these things. Only one thing can account for it - the love of God in Christ Jesus. "Out of the wreck I rise" every time.
Written by: Oswald Chambers
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" Romans 8:35
God does not keep a man immune from trouble; He says - "I will be with him in trouble." It does not matter what actual troubles in the most extreme form get hold of a man's life, not one of them can separate him from his relationship to God. We are "more than conquerors in all these things." Paul is not talking of imaginary things, but of things that are desperately actual; and he says we are super-victors in the midst of them, not by our ingenuity, or by our courage, or by anything other than the fact that not one of them affects our relationship to God in Jesus Christ. Rightly or wrongly, we are where we are, exactly in the condition we are in. I am sorry for the Christian who has not something in his circumstances he wishes was not there.
"Shall tribulation . . . ?" Tribulation is never a noble thing; but let tribulation be what it may - exhausting, galling, fatiguing, it is not able to separate us from the love of God. Never let cares or tribulations separate you from the fact that God loves you.
"Shall anguish . . . ?" - can God's love hold when everything says that His love is a lie, and that there is no such thing as justice?
"Shall famine . . . ?" - can we not only believe in the love of God but be more than conquerors, even while we are being starved?
Either Jesus Christ is a deceiver and Paul is deluded, or some extraordinary thing happens to a man who holds on to the love of God when the odds are all against God's character. Logic is silenced in the face of every one of these things. Only one thing can account for it - the love of God in Christ Jesus. "Out of the wreck I rise" every time.
Written by: Oswald Chambers
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