After Moses fled Egypt and saved the Midianite women from the jerks at the well he settled down and had children and lived a simple life as a farmer/shepherd. Meanwhile the rest of the Israelites were groaning in their captivity in Egypt and their cry rose up to God and he took pity on them (Exodus 2:23-25). God was then ready to call up Moses out of the wilderness so that he can carry out God’s plan.
Exodus 3:10-15
10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”
13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”
15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’
“This is my name forever,
the name you shall call me
from generation to generation.”
It is very interesting that Moses had to ask God about his name. In the eyes of the Israelites God had abandoned them when they were enslaved in Egypt, and they had mostly wandered away from God since then and had taken on the gods of the Egyptians. It was the mindset of the Israelites that God had forsaken his promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and Moses was basically asking if God was wanting to start over in his relationship with the Israelites and form new covenants. God emphatically states that he is to be known to his people as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, to remind them that those promises still stand, and will stand for eternity. It is helpful to remember God in terms of what he has done for you or your loved ones, which is why God instructs the people to remember him as the God of Abraham so they will remember the stories that have been passed down of God’s faithfulness to their ancestors.
We need to be reminded of the fact that God does not change his mind like we do. God does not forget a promise. Just because things have changed in our lives and we are having doubts doesn’t mean that God is no longer the one who created the foundations of the earth. If we have sinned, or walked away from God for a time, or had a traumatic event in our lives it doesn’t change the fact that God IS, and that the blood of His Son Jesus can still cover our sins.
-Chris Mattison
(Originally posted for SeekGrowLove on Oct 3, 2018)
Reflection Questions
What do we learn about Moses in the first 3 chapters of Exodus?
How did the first 40 years of his life, spent in Egypt in the Pharaoh’s house, help prepare him for the job God selected him to do when he was 80? How did his years in Midian help prepare him? What talents, characteristics, knowledge, wisdom, connections, experiences, failures and accomplishments are in your past and present that could be useful for a future task God is preparing you for?
What examples of God’s faithfulness would you do well to remember and pass on to the next generation so they can remember, too?
What does it mean to you that God wants to be known by this same name forever? What does it tell us about God? What does it tell us about the past, present and future?
Next to the greatest story ever told, the story of Joseph is by far my favorite Bible story. There are so many valuable lessons one can learn from reading it. Some lessons that stand out to me are the sovereignty of God, the importance of trusting God even in the midst of tragedy and suffering, and the beauty and power of forgiveness.
I have often asked myself if I would have had Joseph’s attitude in the midst of a seemingly unending chain of absolutely horrific events. In spite of the terrible hand that he continued to be dealt, we don’t see him being consumed by anger, self-pity or a quest for vengeance. There’s something very powerful about Joseph’s unwavering faith in God that inspires me. He seems to possess a quiet assurance that everything is ultimately going to be okay.
In this 45th chapter of Genesis, we see Joseph revealing his true identity to his brothers. We know he had risen to a very prominent position of power as second in command of Egypt. The stage could have been set for him to get the “perfect revenge” against his brothers. We read in verse 5 right after Joseph reveals his identity to his brother: “And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.” I find it especially poignant that not only does Joseph not want to exact revenge in this situation, he actually chooses to comfort his brothers in this moment rather than “giving them what for.” We know from earlier scriptures that Joseph was clearly hurt by their previous actions, but he wants to spare them the hurt of being angry with themselves or beating themselves up because of their actions. He points them to an understanding of God’s sovereignty and that they were players in God’s plan.
How differently that 45th chapter of Genesis could have played out if Joseph had been bent on vengeance. Instead, we see the true beauty and power of forgiveness and a reminder that God is in control even in the midst of our darkest hours.
If we choose to be consumed with anger or self-pity, we miss the important lessons God is trying to teach us. We read in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Perhaps the answer in those dark times is to focus on loving God even more deeply and purposely than ever before.
-Kristy Cisneros
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
1) When you encounter hardships and tragedies, does your attitude reflect one of unwavering faith in God? If not, how can you further nurture and strengthen that faith so that it is at the ready when life’s storms come your way?
2) What action can help us love God more deeply and purposely than ever before?
3) What other lessons can you learn from the story of Joseph?
(originally posted for SeekGrowLove on February 6, 2020)
In the beginning of Genesis 39, Joseph has just been sold to a new master named Potiphar. During the course of the chapter, Joseph is falsely accused and thrown into prison. The chapter ends as Joseph goes from being a slave to being a prisoner. Sounds pretty bad, right? Strangely enough, the chapter starts out by saying of Joseph the slave, “The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.” The chapter ends by saying of Joseph the prisoner, “The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.” So God was with Joseph and gave him success and prosperity even as a slave and a prisoner. Sounds very strange to me. It would seem to me that success would be not being a slave and not being a prisoner. But Joseph understood some things that many of us never understand.
We can learn a lot of good things from Joseph. Whatever happened in his life, he kept on trying to live for God. He continued to have a good attitude and he continued to work hard. He didn’t pout, become discouraged, depressed or cry out, “Why me?”
How about you? When you go through tough times, do you continue to seek God and discover His will? Do you try to keep a positive attitude? Would you keep working hard if you were in Joseph’s shoes? We will soon see how God’s plan unfolded in Joseph’s life. Feel free to read ahead in the Bible on this story of Joseph. It is way more interesting than a TV show.
-Jason Turner
(Originally posted for SeekGrowLove on October 23, 2018)
Reflection Questions
How about you? When you go through tough times, do you continue to seek God and discover His will? Do you try to keep a positive attitude? Would you keep working hard if you were in Joseph’s shoes?
What do you think about the phrase, “God was with Joseph”? What might that look like to others? What might that feel like to Joseph? What does it cause Joseph to do?
Do you feel like you can say the same thing about “God was with (your name)” during your hardest trial thus far? Can you say it today? What might that look like to others? How does it make you feel? What does it make you do?
Husbands – don’t always listen to your wife – she doesn’t always know. Younger sisters – don’t always listen to your big sister – she doesn’t always know. What trouble we can get into when we follow the advice and direction of those who are trying to solve matters on their own without patiently relying on God’s perfect way and timing. Our reading today of Genesis 16-19 both opens and closes with women deciding how to take matters into their own hands (or into their maidservant’s hands) when they felt there were no other options available to get what they wanted – a child to carry on the family line and receive the family inheritance. Perhaps Sarai figured God needed her help to fulfill the promise God made that Abram would have a son. Maybe she thought she was wiser and knew the best way to get to the desired end result on her timetable. I don’t even want to guess about Lot’s daughters.
At the same time, I realize I am sometimes quick to judge and point fingers, when I sometimes don’t know the whole story and I am not chosen by God to be the judge and jury. For example, Lot’s willingness to offer up his virgin daughters to the lewd and dangerous mob at the door has always bothered me greatly. And maybe it should. And yet…in his second letter Peter writes that God, “rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard)” (2 Peter 2:7.8). Peter is giving Lot a bit (or a lot) more credit than I would have. And then I just read a study note in my ESV Archaeology Study Bible that “Lot may have been attempting to bring down the law on the heads of the culprits” (p39) as in many cultures of that day the punishment was death for a man caught lying with a betrothed virgin. I certainly hadn’t considered that possibility before.
Perhaps sometimes I am not as smart as I thought I was. Perhaps sometimes I work a little too hard to find a bad guy in the story? And yet, I DO need to try to be discerning. I do need to read God’s word to know more and more about who God is and who He wants me to be. So, what are some take aways that can help me know God and who He wants me to be?
Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed as an example of what happens to the ungodly. (Peter says that, too, in 2 Peter 2). Don’t be Ungodly. There is a right way and a wrong way to live and there are consequences for both which God will bring about in His time and His way.
Humble Hospitality is Huge. Old man Abram is running to get dinner prepared with the finest ingredients for the visitors and then stands while they eat (your guests might think that part is weird – you can sit). Lot won’t take no for an answer and brings the visitors to his home to spend the night and is prepared to protect them with all he’s got. How can you practice some humble hospitality?
Our God is a God who sees. Hagar is right. God not only sees her and hears her but He speaks to her, He encourages her and He shows mercy and care for her AND for her unborn child. I do find it interesting it is not recorded that He tells Sarai what she did wrong (like I did) but there are several verses here devoted to making sure we know that God saw, heard, encouraged, directed and cared for Hagar and her child. Maybe the lesson for myself is don’t be so busy finding the wrong that you don’t do the right. Who does God want me to see so I can encourage, care for and point them in the right direction?
God’s promise to Abram which we talked about yesterday continues to grow – now it is added that from Abram will come nations and kings, and even better, God will be their God and also Sarah (notice the little name change) will be blessed and from her will come her very own son and nations and kings. There is also that part about circumcision and Abraham walking faithfully, and being blameless and chosen to command his children and household to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice. These are tied to God’s promises to His people. What does God want you to do to show that you are His?
Perhaps MOST importantly in these chapters and in our lives is the realization and understanding that there is NOTHING too hard for the Lord! In this case they are talking about 90 year old Sarah having a child with 100 year old Abraham. It seems impossible, because normally it is, but our God is not a human, He is not normal. He specializes in the impossible! Your needs are not too big for Him. Your case is also not too insignificant for Him. He is the God who sees and the God who has never and will never run into a project too hard for Him.
– Marcia Railton
Reflection Questions
When have you felt seen by God? When did He show that nothing is too hard for Him? What problems are created when we don’t believe God sees or God can?
What does God want you to do to show that you are His? What does He promise to do for you?
Who does God want me to see so I can encourage, care for and point them in the right direction?
The first 9 verses of Genesis 12 hold SO much promise! In fact, we’ve all heard of a lie that starts out small but just grows and grows – that’s bad. But, what about a TRUE promise from the Lord Almighty that starts out in verse one and just grows and grows and becomes one of the largest and very best promises in the world? Sometimes this is referred to as the Abrahamic Covenant.
In Genesis 12:1 the Lord calls Abram (whose name will be changed to Abraham in chapter 17) to leave his country and father’s house and family to go to a land that God himself will show to Abram. God is telling Abram to leave the known and comfortable and so much of what has been important to him thus far. But God says when Abram does this, God Himself will show Abram the land that God has already picked out and reserved for Abram. In the next two verses we see 7 promises given to Abram:
I will make of you a great nation
I will bless you
And make your name great
So you will be a blessing
I will bless those who bless you
And him who dishonors you I will curse
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:2-3 ESV)
That’s a lot of promising promises! He is going to bless Abram in some big ways so that Abram can be a blessing to others, even to all the families of the earth! And God’s not done – He’s got even more good news for Abram. But first, Abram has to get moving. He has to believe the promise enough to start acting on it.
And he does. 75 year old Abram leaves his comfortable couch in Haran and starts out, not knowing where he is going or what the land will look like or when he will get there or what he will have to pass through to get there, but believing that when the Almighty gives His Word He is good for it and good will come of it. So, he moves out in search of the land God will show to him. I love that part! Sometimes decision making is hard and we find ourselves overthinking or second guessing so we don’t move at all. But God told Abram you get moving and I will show you the land! Maybe that means you go through some lands that aren’t the right fit and isn’t what God is saving up for you, maybe you try some ministries that give you more experience and empathy but aren’t where God is going to plant you. It is okay. It is part of the journey. You keep moving. You keep trusting your faithful God to show you when THIS is the land He chose for you.
Can you imagine all the feelings old, childless Abram who got moving and has just travelled about 550 miles from Haran and was now passing through the land of Canaan would experience in verse 7? “The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ’To your OFFSPRING I will give THIS land.’” The promise just exploded and got so much larger! Not only was he now SEEING the land God had said He would show him, but now he also heard that he would somehow, someway yet have offspring?!? Abram’s response – he built an altar to worship the Lord, which also acts as a witness to others.
Sometimes we question God’s timing of the fulfillment of His promises. Is it now, God? When God showed Abram that this was WHERE, the question became WHEN. It wasn’t time for him to settle there, yet. But it was then also promised to his offspring, yet another great part of the promise.
It is good news for us that God does not take back his promise from Abram when Abram is less than perfect (telling less than the truth to try to protect himself in Egypt). In fact, it is after this that the promise has yet another amazing addition with some incredible implications for you and I. Genesis 13:14-16 (ESV) says: “The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, ‘Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted.’” Did you catch the NEW piece of the promise? It’s a little 7 letter word that never ends! This land would be given to Abram and his (as of yet non-existent) offspring that would become as numerous as the dust of the earth FOREVER! Abram’s response – he builds an altar to worship and witness and he settles into the land that God had promised and God had shown!
As beautiful as those chapters are – don’t miss chapter 15. Abram is having some doubts. How could all this be? Sure, it sounds great, but he still doesn’t have any offspring! How long God until your promise is fulfilled? The word of the Lord comes to Abram and it is the first recorded time the beautiful, comforting, often repeated phrase, “FEAR NOT!” appears in the Bible. Why do we fear not? Because God tells us HE is our shield and our very great reward! HE has given a very great promise and He is working out the details. He has chosen the land and He will show it to those who believe enough to get moving and in His perfect timing we will settle there and in His perfect timing we will see and cherish our offspring as numerous as the stars. Verse 16 is quoted 3 times in the New Testament: “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” He believed. It doesn’t say he understood. He didn’t have to engineer the plan. He had to believe, and move, and let God show him the land.
Dear Lord, thank you for your promises that are always true and that just keep getting bigger and bigger. Please show me the land You have chosen for me to settle in – both now and when Jesus returns to set up Your Kingdom on this land. Help me get moving in the direction You have laid out. Thank you for the offspring you have blessed me with, help me also see and care for the spiritual offspring you have given. Help me worship You and be a witness to all You have already done and all You have yet to do. Thank you for being my shield and very great reward! Help me remember this so I do not fear but always believe in you and Your great Son. Thank you for your Word, and for keeping it FOREVER!
-Marcia Railton
Reflection Questions
1.When was the last time you made a covenant, a promise, or gave your word? Can your word be trusted? Can God’s word be trusted? How do you know? (Notice that God gave an example in Gen 15 of how trustworthy His word would be when he foretold the 400 years in Egypt and the exodus. Who do you think God included this information for?)
2. In what ways has God blessed you so that you can bless others?
3. What might have happened if Abram would have declined God’s offer and promise to show him a new land? Maybe he was just too comfortable in Ur, and then Haran? Maybe he had a project he wanted to finish? What if he loved his family too much to leave? What might be holding us back from setting out to find the land (or purpose or ministry or Kingdom) God has reserved for us? What might we miss out on if we stay where we are known and comfortable?
4. What similarities and differences can you find between God calling Abram which begins the Abrahamic Covenant and 2,000 years later Jesus calling the disciples at the start of the New Covenant? How are the two covenants connected? Now, 2,000 years after Jesus’ call, what do you feel you are being called to do? What part(s) of the Abrahamic and New Covenants are still being worked out by a faithful God? What land has God already shown you and what land are you waiting for your shield and very great reward to show you?
While there are many who find their religion in removing Christmas decor before the New Year, no such tradition exists in our home. Oftentimes, Christmas decorations linger well into January (or even February) before finding their way back into totes and closets. With these symbols close by, we try to cling to the lingering sentiments of the season. Unfortunately, there is a sobering of one’s mind from the blinding joy of Christmas spirit as we return to work and school, say goodbye to family and friends, and begin to eat our vegetables again. In this in-between season, we must wrestle with more desperate realities; we are still in the thick of things in the present evil age. Grief, illness, relational discord, anxiety, and stagnation find footholds to beckon or challenge us with a candid question: “Jesus, where are you now?”
If we say this, we are not unlike the captive Israelites of the Old Testament crying out. We are not unlike the apostles or those we have witnessed fall asleep in faith in our lifetime, all holding onto the promise of a soon-coming Savior. This week, as we transition our calendar from one year to another, our study and prayer echo the words of a three-century-old classic Christmas hymn, “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.” The first of these reminders, as we commingle a season of great joy with that of longing heart, is that Jesus was born to set God’s people free.
Looking at today’s reading, we start with the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi. This book addresses Israel’s increasing spiritual despondency. No doubt, we can connect this to some season we are currently weathering—whether it be the day on the calendar, within our own walk with Christ, or the physical location and time we find ourselves. Malachi begins with the Lord God responding to the question, “How have you loved us?” Spurgeon states in his sermon, “God’s Love Shamefully Questioned,” that the gratitude we give to God is similar to a hog who eats acorns which have fallen from a tree, yet never once lifts its head to bless the tree that has provided the food. The Sovereign God promised a Messiah and delivered, born on the other side of the Silent Years (the time between Malachi and Jesus). His love was demonstrated in the fact that while Israel, and truly each one of us, acted as pigs in our incompetence, lackluster faith, misplaced priorities, broken offerings, accumulation of sin, and running away, He still miraculously gave us Christ to set us free (Rom. 5:8).
We may know this truth, but honestly, it may show that we carry our concerns closer than our Christ when we ask for Jesus to show up in our prescribed time and location, much like Thomas. We request to put our hands on His scars, or some other litmus test, as proof of His message, so we can freely live in faith. Jesus replies to this skepticism, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). While there may be times of confirmation that the hand of Jesus is in our life, it is impossible for us to see, to hold, or to understand the preparations that have been made for our future hope.
In this way, our response of faith does not require more evidence of God’s faithfulness to us; we are already redeemed. Instead, we should declare the joy and triumph that is found in the daily redemption that comes through the advent of Christ. Singing a new song and bringing a sacrifice of praise equally remind us of the promises of God, how He has loved us through redemption in His Messiah, and draw us closer to Him. The very words of God we use to sing give voice to the silence as we wait for an answer, an intercession, or the coming of our Lord Jesus. Our present circumstance may tempt us to despair, but the act of praising God rekindles our faith and recenters our thoughts on the saving power of our Heavenly Father.
The challenges we may face in this coming season may have us crying daily, “Come, thou long expected Savior,” but know that God’s plan set you free long ago. Jesus is now interceding, preparing, and indeed, residing in our hearts as we carry our cross. We have yet to see our faith made complete in the second advent, but we can pray that our next year is the first within eternity. Until then, let our pining become our praise because God so loved us, He sent His Son.
-Aaron Winner
Reflection Questions
How have you acted as a hog eating the acorns and never giving thanks? What can you do to change hog-like behavior?
What are you waiting for? What is your relationship with God and His Son Jesus right now?
How would you answer the question, “How has God loved you?”
The Gospel of John, chapters 7-12, have been happening in conjunction with our Old Testament readings these past two weeks. In the gospel of John, Jesus does not perform miracles per se. At least, John doesn’t call them miracles. Instead, John calls them signs. There are seven signs. These signs work with John’s overall mission. In John 20:31, we read “These are written so that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life in his name.” “These things” that are written are the teachings of Jesus, but also the signs that show that he is the Messiah.
If you see the signs, you should recognize that Jesus is the Messiah.
That’s the point.
I really need to drive that home because I want to focus on a part of John 12 that has always bothered me deeply. It was not today’s reading but yesterday’s. Let’s look at verse 9-10 again: “The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead. But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also; because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus.”
The seventh miraculous sign Jesus performed was the raising of Lazarus from the dead. It shows the power Jesus has been granted from the Father over the grave, and that Jesus himself is the resurrection and the life.
And the chief priests plan to kill Lazarus. They plan to take the one benefitted by the sign and put him down. They are so focused on preserving the comfortable way of life they have that they don’t realize they are destroying the good, the truth, the life of what is coming. A better way Jesus came to make. Maybe some of them knew Jesus really was the Messiah. It is even worse for them because they are knowingly attacking the resurrection and the life. The one who is the only way to the Father. They are doing so by denying his sign.
As you go through this advent, as you share the message of Jesus, the hope, peace, joy, and love he brings, don’t be surprised that there are those who cannot or do not want to hear the truth of that message; there were those in the time of Jesus who wanted to kill a man who Jesus raised from the dead. There will always be malcontents who cannot bear to experience joy and life.
What you are called to do is to love them, but never become like them.
May you be full of joy and life, this day and every day.
May you hear the voice of Jesus and jump for joy.
May you be raised by Jesus when he comes in his kingdom. Amen.
-Jake Ballard
Reflection Questions
In the account of the raising of Lazarus, where do you see yourself? Place yourself in the scene and imagine – what would be your thoughts, feelings, words, actions?
In what ways have you heard the voice of Jesus? What is your response to Jesus?
What is your response to those who reject the message and signs of Jesus that say he is the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God?
Jake Ballard is pastor at Timberland Bible Church. If you’d like to hear more from him, you can find Timberland on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TimberlandBibleChurch/ ) and on Instagram (https://instagram.com/timberlandbiblechurch?igshid=t52xoq9esc7e ). The church streams the Worship Gathering every Sunday at 10:30. Besides studying and teaching God’s word, he is raising three beautiful children with the love of his life, plays board games and RPGs, and is currently learning how to speak Klingon. If you’d like to reach out to talk Bible, talk faith, or talk about whether Kirk or Picard were the better captains (though, of course, each were necessary in their own time), look Jacob Ballard up on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/jacob.ballard.336) or email him at jakea.ballard@yahoo.com.
Have you ever felt crushed by the world? I joke sometimes that that’s basically adulthood – being stressed, harassed, crushed, overcome, squeezed by life. Sad way to look at it, really. Some days it just feels like everyone around me is trying to suck out every last bit of patience, gentleness, joy, and peace that I have. They aren’t, of course. But sometimes I just feel so … done. Have you ever felt that way? Then you just have to take a deep breath, request a refill from God, and get back to living, serving, and loving, right? It sounds easier than it is, sometimes, but John here is basically telling us just that.
1 John 5:2-6 says “This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
Who overcomes the world? The one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. I love that. It reminds me of John 16:33, one of my favorite passages. Jesus is talking to his disciples, describing how the world will hate them, but to remember that it hated him first. And he warns them that they will grieve, but promises that their grief will turn to great joy. And before he prays over them and over all believers, he says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
We believe in the savior given by God our perfect father. And he was hated and crushed and persecuted by the world. But he followed God’s commands, and found that in those commands he overcame the world. In 1 John 5:19, John says, “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.”
That explains the frequent crushing feeling, then. Of course we sometimes feel overwhelmed and under fire. We are children of God in a world that is under the enemy’s control. But John follows by saying, “We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.”
There is a lot in the world we could easily give in to. When crushed, we could give in. We could turn to sinful comforts. We could allow our frustrations and complaints to turn to bitterness, unkindness, pride, gossip, and the like. We could give our attention to worldly things and idols to distract ourselves from our trials.
But God’s commands are not burdensome. In fact, they are freeing. It’s very difficult to succumb to sinful nature when I’m in God’s word, or when I’m worshiping, or when I’m serving or loving others. When I’m doing something God commands of me, my heart and my thoughts are protected and the world cannot touch it. I’m no longer in the world’s control.
Reflection Questions:
How is the world controlling you right now? How is it affecting your attitude, your actions, and the way you speak to others? How is it affecting your heart? Are you bitter? Are you angry? Are you envious?
What are some of God’s commands that you aren’t giving enough attention to that could help you overcome this worldly influence? Could you be spending more time communicating with God, rather than gossiping or complaining to others? Could you spend more time in gratitude rather than in frustration? Are you spending enough time in God’s word or is most of your time devoted to entertainment? Maybe put more worship into your life, rather than secular music?
What could you be praying over right now, rather than complaining over? Take some time now to ask God to help you overcome the frustrations of the world.
My beloved friends and fellow children of God, I hope you choose God’s commands every day and that those commands lift you and free you. The world should not be holding that kind of power over you and your heart. God gave you his son, so take heart! He has overcome the world, and so will you!
I want to jump back to Isaiah today. Chapter 40 was actually the scheduled reading from yesterday, but it ends with some of my favorite verses – Isaiah 40:28-31
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
I don’t have much of a devotion for you, but here is my suggestion.
Read these verses again. Let the amazingness, goodness, incredibleness of God wash over you. Be in awe of Him. And lean into the reminder that those who hope in Him will have their strength renewed.
Sometimes, we read large chunks of chapters or verses, and for me at least, I fall into a traditionally schooled trained pattern of just trying to absorb information to be able to answer questions. But the wonder can pass me by when I do this.
So stop. Read this small section, and be amazed by the Creator.
~Stephanie Fletcher
Reflection Questions
Do you know that the Lord your God is the Creator of the world? What does that mean to you? What does it mean to you that He is everlasting?
What can you not fathom about the Lord God’s understanding? When has He given you strength when you were weary? How would you use His strength today? Pray for it. Thank God for it.
Where do you put your hope?
How many times can you read this passage today? Whatever number you said, can you read it 5-10 additional times beyond what you thought you could.
By faith, everything is made better. Faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen that were promised or spoken of by God. By faith, the people of old gained approval by God.
Throughout scripture, we have examples of God’s people who lived by faith, fulfilling their role in the covenant that God made with them, because they believed that God was faithful to fulfil his promises. There were some promises that were fulfilled in their time, according to the specific covenant God made with them (e.g., the Abrahamic covenant, the creation covenant, covenants of blessings, or children, or land, etc..), but all the faithful examples listed in this chapter died in faith, without receiving the promises of the New Covenant, but having seen and welcomed them from a distance.
They were people who knew that this world (the current age) is not their home. They knew they were strangers, looking for a better home, a heavenly one (that will come down to earth), whose maker was God.
By faith, Abraham offered up Isaac. He knew his God was faithful to his promise that through Isaac, the promised seed (Jesus) would be born. That can’t happen if his son is dead. So Abraham had faith that God was able to raise people from the dead.
By faith, Moses chose to suffer with his people, rather than to indulge in the temporary pleasures of sin that came with the territory of being a grandson to a rich Pharoah. He considered the shame of Messiah greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking to the reward.
There are so many examples of faithful people of God mentioned in this chapter. If you’re lacking in faith, read about them, you won’t be disappointed! The point in reminding the Hebrew readers of this I believe, was to teach them, or to remind them, that the people of old were faithful to the end of their lives, to a God they believed was faithful in keeping his promises—even the ones they had not yet received prior to dying, and thus became pleasing to God. They were chosen because of their faith, enduring until their end.
Yet, God wasn’t willing to establish his kingdom with them in their time, because he wanted them to be with the Hebrews in this letter. By extension, he wanted them to be with us. He didn’t want them without also having you! That’s the God you chose to serve!
The promise of a better hope, the one obtained now through the New Covenant, spoken of in the law and the prophets of old, is for those pleasing to God – the faithful; the chosen. It’s for those who have gained approval through their faith (their obedience to whatever covenant God made with them because they believed he was faithful), who are made perfect with those of us who chose to enter the New Covenant with God through Jesus. The better promises are all through Jesus, and they’re available for everyone who seeks God through him, choosing God back through their faith.
“6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is (exists) and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
-Juliet Taylor
Reflection Questions
1. It is common for people to say, “Have faith,” but I don’t think people should have faith in something that God never promised them. The examples in this chapter seem to reflect that. What do you think?
2. Whose faith recorded in this chapter do you admire most, and why?
3. We are to have faith in promises not yet received in this age too. How will you keep your faith until the end?
Seek Grow Love 