(I am the writer for a weekly devotion that goes to the email list of a local ministry. This is this weeks devotion about God’s Divine Love”)
“…Divine love surpasses the love of my parents who sacrificed much for me. It surpasses the love of my husband who knows me and accepts me just the way I am! It surpasses my own love for my four kids who I willingly laid down my wants, my desires, and my plans in order to see them excel and succeed…”
What’s inside of us will always come out… It will be displayed in our words, our actions, even the way we present ourselves to others — our body language.
We were meant to display or bear the image of God. When we come to God and allow Him to pour Himself into us, His image of peace, joy, and love will reflect everywhere we go. But if we are full of sin and selfishness that image of death, darkness, and destruction will be reflected everywhere we go as well.
God’s desire is for our lives to reflect Him. This is why He tests our hearts.
”The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.“ Proverbs 17:3 NIV
Things we go through can be unpleasant at times. Sometimes they are downright hard, but God does not waste anything in our lives. He uses our circumstances to purify us as silver is purified. The heat will remove the impurities so the silversmith can see his reflection in the silver. Our reactions to our circumstances are opportunities to have what is not of God, sin, repented of and cleansed from us so we can display the image of our Divine Silversmith, God. His image reflected in us is always for our good. Because He alone is goodness!
“Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD…” Exodus 5:2
“Who is the Lord that I should obey Him?” This is the disposition of heart that many have. It springs from the truth Pharaoh spoke about himself, “I do not know the Lord.” Simply put… Pharaoh did not fear the Lord. Many in our time do not fear the Lord as well.
There is much said in Proverbs about the fear of the Lord. Today’s Proverb talks about why it is so important.
”Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death.“ Proverbs 14:26-27 NIV
The fear of the Lord is a “secure fortress… a refuge…a fountain of life.”
When we fear the Lord, we have a reverential awe of Him. This comes from a just view of Him. We see Him rightly. If we truly see Him for who He is, we will love Him. Then we will hate sin and aim for perfect obedience. We will not want anything to separate us from such a great and awesome God. (Websters 1828 Dictionary)
When we see God rightly, we know that we are secure in Him. He is our fortress. We know that our God is the place we can hide away and can experience His protection and provision because He is the greatest love. He is always working for our good!
As we shun evil or love God/Hate sin, we will know Him as the “fountain of life.” Because sin destroys and causes nothing but death, darkness, and destruction in our lives.
Pharaoh missed so much because he refused to know God for who He is and worship Him. We will miss so much as well if we refuse Him.
To Know God Is to Love God Is to Trust God Is to Obey God
May we come to a greater understanding of what it is to fear the Lord and to walk in His ways!
I can remember my Dad telling me how much he loved the word integrity and how important it was to be a person of integrity. Proverbs has much to say about being that person.
To walk in integrity is to walk in moral soundness or purity; incorruptness; uprightness; honesty. (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary) Today’s Proverb tells us that integrity guides the upright.
”The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.“ Proverbs 11:3 NIV
It is when we deal crookedly that we are destroyed. We cannot enjoy abundant lives if we live a life of duplicity trying to follow God’s righteous ways and wanting to have our own way at the same time. God want us to be “all in” as we follow after Him!
Another word that describes a person who lives their spiritual life with duplicity is unfaithfulness. Believing and then not believing is a trap coming from our “evil desires” (verse 6). We are warned to not live this way. This is a perverse heart that is obstinate and stubborn. God detests that kind of heart because it separated us far away from Him and His love. (Verse 20)
A person who has a heart of integrity is the one who is in wholehearted pursuit of God and His ways. This is the only way to abundant life!
Folly calls out. She invites the simple and the ones who lack sense to come into her house. But who is she? Folly is sinful acts, living contrary to God’s laws. Solomon warns his son that her guests are “deep in the realm of the dead.” In other words, sin is always calling out to us and enticing us. When we follow after sin, we are foolish because sin ALWAYS ends in death, darkness, and destruction.
But there is a different path that leads to a life of abundance. It is Wisdom’s path of “the fear of the Lord.”
For years I looked at the phrase of “the fear of the Lord” in a negative light. But in truth it is the most positive way to live. To fear the Lord is to see God rightly— He is Holy, Just, All Powerful, All Knowing, Everywhere. He is also perfect Love. He loved us first so that we could love Him and He desires for us to be what He intended for us all along — His image bearers. Seeing Him as such leads us to desire to hate/ shun evil and to aim to obey Him perfectly.
When we come to God with desire to totally obey, totally submit, and totally depend on Him, He empowers us to live lives free of sin, free of folly.
We do not have to go down the path to folly’s house.
There is something about a newborn baby being held upon your chest— the sweet smell, the warm cuddles, the tiny cries. The experience of holding your own is like none other.
At Christmas we celebrate the arrival of Jesus the newly born King and the experience of Him as He walked upon the earth 2000 — miraculous touch upon those He healed, the sound of His voice speaking the truth on a hillside, His laughter, His compassionate tears. Yes, Jesus was God’s invitation for us to experience Him!
Even in Jesus’s death we were invited to experience God — a voice crying it is finished, darkness, the earth shook, the temple veil torn. Then Jesus defeats death by His resurrection and once again the disciples were invited to experience Him.
“While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”“ Luke 24:36-39 NIV
Look at me, touch me, and see! Experience Me as the Risen King!
Jesus is still inviting us to experience God! This is the very essence of the story of Jesus we read in the Bible. It is what we celebrate at Christmas, Jesus our Emmanuel — God with us!
His invitation has been sent to us — Come, see, feel my touch, experience and know Me!
I’ve been an adult long enough that I forget at times what it was like to be a little child. I believe that’s why God gave me Grandkids. When they come to visit, their mom unbuckles then from their seat belt and helps them into the house. They may be hungry so I fix them Granny’s special, waffles. They know they need to listen and obey what we tell them. They ask for what they need and enjoy spending time being held and loved on. They don’t worry about who will be the next president or how much money their parents have in the bank. They know they will be taken care of.
In today’s chapter Jesus talks about little children. He said the Kingdom of God belongs to “such as these.” He goes on to say:
”Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”“ Luke 18:17 NIV
It is important that we are like a little child in relating to God. It is the only way we can receive the Kingdom of God. As a little child totally depends on his parents, we must totally depend on God. As a little child totally obeys his parents, we must totally obey God. As a little child totally submits himself to his parents, we must totally submit ourselves to God. When we do, we will live in security, free of the cares of this world. Because we know our Heavenly Father loves us!
”Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
Luke 15:1-2 NIV
Jesus loves the lost and broken. He rejoices over the rebel who returns home. He “welcomes sinners.”
What comfort to know this is true! Because I have easily fit into each of those categories. I have been the lost sheep who intentionally wandered. I have been the lost coin that the angels of God rejoiced over when I finally repented and was found. I have been the prodigal who demanded my way and ended up eating “pig slop” instead of the spiritual food that God generously provides to those who dwell in Him as His child.
Indeed, Jesus “welcomes sinners!” And I am grateful. He welcomed me!
Treasure- something very much valued. (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary)
What do we value most? Jesus speaks of this often in this chapter. He talks about being “rich towards God” (verse 21), seeking His Kingdom first (verse 31), and having our treasure— what we value most— in heaven, God’s dwelling. What we value most, treasure, shows us where are hearts are.
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:34).
Our hearts are the most important thing about us. It is where we experience the love, relationship, and intimacy of God.
We cannot experience this if our treasure, what we value most, isn’t God. We cannot experience the life of God if our hearts are far from Him. It is important to ask God, “What do I value most? What is my treasure? God and His ways? Myself and my own ways?”
What we treasure is very important if we want to be close to God and to know Him.
Busyness… This chapter gives accounts of the disciples going out proclaiming the Kingdom of God and healing the sick in all the towns and places Jesus was about to go. AND the account of Jesus spending time at Mary and Martha’s house. Martha was so busy cleaning and cooking as Mary sat at Jesus feet listening to Him.
In all the effort and work that went on in this chapter, two things were pointed out to be the MOST important:
1. Your names are written and Heaven.
2. Sitting at Jesus feet listening to what He says.
Those two things are still the most important for us.
To have our names written in Heaven is to belong to Jesus, to have our names written in the book of life. (Revelations 20:15).
To know Jesus is to be near to Him and listen to what He says — have an intimate relationship with Him. It is knowing Him, His word, and spending time in prayer.
We can accomplish much in this life that will only burn up and be gone. May we choose what will be eternal — Jesus Himself.
Your Love 