Weekly Devotion 5.30.2011

Remembering Those Who Made a Difference

Genesis 23.17-20

17So Abraham bought the plot of land belonging to Ephron at Machpelah, near Mamre. This included the field itself, the cave that was in it, and all the surrounding trees. 18It was transferred to Abraham as his permanent possession in the presence of the Hittite elders at the city gate. 19Then Abraham buried his wife, Sarah, there in Canaan, in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre (also called Hebron). 20So the field and the cave were transferred from the Hittites to Abraham for use as a permanent burial place.

One of my favorite passages of scripture is the burial of Sarah.  Why?  Because it emphasizes God's care for all those who make a difference in the world, regardless of their social status.  Contrary to popular notions, the wife of a patriarch such as Abraham was held with incredibly high value.  Not only was she responsible for continuing the family line, but the nurture of her children and husband was paramount to the ancient middle eastern territories.  It is no surprise, then, that Abraham takes such care in burying his beloved.  He buys "the field itself, the cave that was in it, and all the surrounding trees."  Sarah's burial place was not merely a tomb, but a memorial likely similar to a garden planted in remembrance of a loved one.  

Memorial Day, similarly, involves cherishing those who have made a difference in the world, specifically our military men and women.  Millions of Americans have given their lives over the past 200 years to protect the precious concept of freedom we hold near to us.  Genesis confirms that God wishes us to honor such people who have made an impact on the world.  Today, as we remember the many who have given their blood that we might have freedom running through ours, let us hold with sacred blessing the same attitude of which Abraham held in regards to Sarah.  Thank the Lord for all those who have made a difference in the world!

Weekly Devotion 5.22.2011

God has a Plan

Deu 2:2-7 NLT - [2] "Then at last the LORD said to me, [3] 'You have been wandering around in this hill country long enough; turn to the north. [4] Give these orders to the people: "You will pass through the country belonging to your relatives the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. The Edomites will feel threatened, so be careful. [5] Do not bother them, for I have given them all the hill country around Mount Seir as their property, and I will not give you even one square foot of their land. [6] If you need food to eat or water to drink, pay them for it. [7] For the LORD your God has blessed you in everything you have done. He has watched your every step through this great wilderness. During these forty years, the LORD your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing."'

If one were to spend forty years wandering in a desert, he would be ill inclined to believe  the one guiding him had any sort of reasonable plan.  What faith it would take to trust God during all those years!  And yet that is exactly what God asks Moses and Joshua to  do.  Alas, God tells them that they "have been wandering around in this hill country long enough; turn to the north."  God didn't forget.  He is always faithful to keep His promises.  I've never known the Lord to turn back on His word.  His direction is clear and firm:  "turn to the north."  He tells the Israelites to pass through the land of the Edomites, heading north towards the Promised Land.  This would mark the end of the wandering and the beginning of a series of campaigns the Israelites would undertake to take the land God promised them.  

Regardless of how long God commands us to wander, if we follow Him, He will direct us.  He told the Israelites that "during these forty years, the LORD your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing."  God promises to lead His children and provide for them.  Remember that whatever plan God has for your life, it has a clear purpose and direction, and you will have all the resources you need to accomplish His purposes.    As He led the Israelites, so will He lead you.  Listen and obey!  He will lead you to the Promised Land!

Weekly Devotion 5.15.2011

God Has a Plan During Destruction

Amos 3.7

"Indeed, the Sovereign LORD never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets."

Jer 29:10-14 NLT - [10] This is what the LORD says: "You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. [11] For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. [12] In those days when you pray, I will listen. [13] If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. [14] I will be found by you," says the LORD. "I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land."

I drove through Concord, AL yesterday and today.  The most devastating horror of the entire scene is not merely the destruction, but the fear of the unknown.  What is next?  How will the state and Southeast rebuild?  The loss of familiarity haunts man the most.  Times of uncertainty are certainly the most painful and trying spans of our lives.  I think of the Israelites and all they went through when I consider times of great destruction and distress.  Here in Jeremiah the Israelites have lost everything.  They had been exiled to Babylon with no hope of returning to their homeland.  Much of their family had been killed, their homes wiped out, their possessions plundered.  Uncertainty loomed in their minds.  And yet, through all of this, God did not forsake His children.  He writes in Amos, in the prophecies of the destruction of Jerusalem, that "the Sovereign LORD never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets."  

Refreshing!  God's plans are always well-thought and well-executed.  His allowance of this storm to destroy lives and homes ultimately had a purpose drawn out in the midst of the wreckage.  Like a Picasso painting viewed close up, we cannot perceive any meaningful semblance, but after we are drawn back from it a moment, the image is clear.  Driving through the disaster area, little order aside from the government and charity efforts is visible.  Yet years from now, when hearts have learned to heal, when homes have been rebuilt, when order is restored, we will step back and recognize some wonderful, blindingly obvious facet of God's plan that He had all along.  Trust in Him.  I promise from experience in a situation such as this, He has wonderful things planned!  
  

Weeky Devotion 5.8.2011

The Honor of a Mother

I Kings 2.19

When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat down on his throne. He had a throne brought for the king's mother, and she sat down at his right hand.

On Mother's Day we honor those who have given birth and brought up each one of us.  While generally conceived as a western convention, the honor of the mother is widely held throughout the world, and is especially evident in the Bible.  Solomon and Christ are two figures widely seen to hold great love and admiration for their mothers.  In I Kings we read that, "When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat on his throne."  Solomon honored his mother by lavishing on her the gifts worthy only of the kingship, and in this notable act we see him regarding his mother as higher even than himself by bowing down to her and "[having] a throne brought for [his] mother."  

Solomon's act teaches us something fundamental concerning mothers:  that God has charged us with honoring, respecting, and loving them.  In some pagan religions, the woman is seen as superior to the man, as is evident by the incredible power and honor bestowed on the goddesses.  This is because the woman is seen as the giver of life--she who births and protects all the world.  

God has provided all of us, me especially, with wonderful mothers.  They deserve their own thrones, and we should honor them every day.  Have you thanked your mother today for all that she does?