2010 – October 19 – Knowing One’s True Father

Study from God’s Word… Matthew 1: 1 – 17; Luke 3: 23 - 38 … Passage for Reflection: Luke 3: 23 … NIV Now Jesus Himself was about 30 years old when He began His ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli, …

My Journal for Today: Today I’m led to continue my trek into the New Testament for this year by reviewing the two genealogies of Jesus, carefully documented by Matthew and Luke. And these listings are important for a Jewish reader, as well as for us Gentile believers, because they carefully and accurately record the kingly lineage of Jesus, from both genealogies, through the line of King David, where the lineage of The Messiah had been prophesied by several of God’s Old Testament prophets. And then Luke’s listing, which was more for all mankind than just directed to the Jews, went all the way back to Adam, documenting Jesus’ human line, … since God was sired by the seed of God’s Spirit rather than the human seed of Joseph. And so, that little phrase, ”so it was thought,” which I’ve edited in bold above from today’s text, so briefly – but aptly – points out that the people of the day assumed that Jesus was born of Joseph; but we now know differently, with the help of the Gospel accounts; … i.e., that our Messiah was given human life by the seed of none other than God, Himself.

Yes, our feelings about our earthly father are significant, aren’t they? Some people reflect fondly on their biological fathers. Others do not. But how we think about our fathers often – if not most of the time – has a lot to do with how we think about God. But HIS-tory and God’s word tells us that we can all have a Heavenly Father who loves us and cares for us with infinite love when we choose to become a son or daughter in Christ, becoming, by our faith and God’s gift of salvation, part of the spiritual lineage of God Himself. Dr. Smith, who daily has a question to lead his readers to ponder his daily devotional and the section of God’s word which we’ve read for the day, asks today, Who has been the greater influence in my life, … my biological father or my heavenly father?”

And that is an important question to ponder; because if we’re letting our attitude of our earthly father deflect or detract from our relationship with our Heavenly Father, God is not preeminent in our life; and we need focus our earthly relationship – and most certainly our eternal relationship – on Jesus, making Him the focus of our lineage, both now and forevermore. When you received salvation from your faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross to save you from your sins (and prayerfully you have!), your spiritual lineage was established with an eternal, Heavenly Father, Who has made you a son or daughter of His forever. And we’ll read later how Jesus wants us to focus now – and forever – on that relationship so that He can guide us through this life and into the next.

Again, we must declare, HALLELUJAH, which I think we’re going to be doing repeatedly as we go through the New Testament as we close out the year, 2010.

My Prayer for Today: Praise You Lord [!], for bringing me into the line of the King of kings and giving me Fatherhood from Heaven. Amen

2010 – May 2 – The Compassion of Human Frailty

Study from God’s Word… Psalms 103, 104, 113, 114, and 117 … Passage for Reflection: Psalm 103: 13 – 14 … NIV 8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever; 10 He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him; 14 for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.

My Journal for Today: As God’s timing would have it this morning, here on the Little Red River in Arkansas where our men’s group has come for a weekend fellowship retreat, my Sunday morning quiet time with God has me, as often is the case, listening to Christian music on my Ipod; and the song which just came through my headphones to hear is a wonderful song by Phillips, Craig, and Dean, I Want to Be Just Like You, which depicts a father standing over his little boy in bed at night and praying to God that he (the earthly father) can be like his Heavenly Father because his little son wants to be just like his earthly father. And then I realized how closely that song fits in with the Psalm King David wrote and sung so many centuries before and the Scripture I was asked on to focus on this morning [Psalm 103].

And now the next song I listen to by these three contemporary Christian singers is He’ll Do Whatever It Takes, which is about the patient love of God and how the Lord will follow us through life with His compassion and caring until He (God) completes in us what He desires for me to become as His son. I hope I never lose the awe of God’s timing in these moments I invest with Him each day as He matches so perfectly, “by coincidence,” what my mind/heart have been given from His Holy Word with what I’ve chosen to listen to that morning (like this morning) on my Ipod, trying to go deep with my time with my Lord in God’s word as well as with praise music which worships Him.

And now back to the words from God through David in Psalm 103: 8 – 14 is such a simple song but so deep that I can’t really comprehend its depth. And that is the way, as Dr. Smith points out in his devotional book this morning, many of the paradoxes of the Bible present. How can the human mind fully grasp the compassion of God being as far as the east is from the west? I grab onto it; and I cling to its truth; but I don’t think, this side of glory, I’ll ever be able to completely receive this truth in its height, depth, and extension. But I accept the truth of it; and I trust in its implication for my soul. As base as I have been and how sinful I remain, God forgives me and His compassion continues to shape me into the image of God, The Son.

And this morning David’s song and those from Phillips, Craig, and Dean are telling me that I can receive God’s compassion and the extent of His forgiveness unto salvation; and then I can go forth and choose to forgive others and extend my human compassion, as far as I’m able, so that the love of God moves out from my heart, from God, the Father, and is offered – and prayerfully received – by others.

May it be so?

My Prayer for Today: Lord, may it be so … that I can be a reflection of Your compassion and love in my walk through this life? Amen