Promises!

May 6, 2024 AdminLeave a comment

1 Kings 8:56

“Not one word has failed of all the good promises He gave through His servant Moses”

What an amazing portion of scripture that reassures us in our moments of doubt and confusion, those difficult times when we don’t understand what is happening in our lives! Many people in the throes of disillusionment have exclaimed “Promises! Promises!” despairing that they might ever rely on anyone’s word again. Yet here it is – over generations of time, God’s reputation is secure, solid, unchanging!

What promise comes most often to your mind? There are so many that God has made, recorded for us in His Word. They cover every possible situation and circumstance. For example:

He has promised to supply every need we have
God promises His grace is sufficient
He promises temptation will not overpower us
God promises His children victory over death

However, we do need to start with the promise of primary importance. Which one is that? Perhaps it is one we are most familiar with “For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him will not perish but have eternal life!” (John 3:16). Then there is another one reminding us “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). However, as we journey through life we know that sin is continually knocking at the door, so we need to remember that “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

These promises pertain to our very life as believers. They establish the foundation upon which all other promises rest, since as God’s children we are privileged to come into His presence and to ask for anything we perceive as needs. Our perceptions are directed as we yield our wills to the power of the Holy Spirit, the person of the Godhead who dwells within. “Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you received from God” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

We can attest to the reality of our own experience with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit who prove God’s faithfulness to His promise: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified …. For the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6, repeated in Hebrews 13:5).

Reflection:

Consider why you favour some promises over others, which is certainly not wrong, and why.

How helpful is this for your responsibility to the Kingdom of God?

What do you hear from the heart of God in the promises you read in scripture?

by Marilyn Daniels (MarilynDaniels.net)

Devotional

An Old Testament Saint

March 20, 2024 AdminLeave a comment

1 Kings 15:9-15

After King David died, his son Solomon, famous for his wisdom, became king of Israel. Sadly upon his death the kingdom was divided, 10 tribes to the north separated from 2 in the south. Judah, where Jerusalem is located and Benjamin, remained as the southern kingdom. Several kings later we read the story of Asa, king of Judah. Asa’s mother was named, as were the mothers of many of the kings. It would make an interesting study to research who these women were and what they were like, but mention is made here of Asa’s grandmother….we’ll deal with that later.

The key verse tells us “Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all of his life” (15:14). He set the standard for his people and even for us today. His faith was one of words and deeds. He “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” (15:11).

Asa began by expelling “male shrine prostitutes from the land and, [he] got rid of all the idols his fathers had made” (15:12). Think of the courage it took for a young man to destroy the centers of worship and other things people had been worshiping for many years. Did his people even remember the Lord God of Israel? The law required Israel to “be careful to obey so that it will go well with you” (Deuteronomy 6:3). Moses called them to “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). However, for years they had been worshiping a plethora of heathen gods.

Asa even “deposed his grandmother from her position as queen mother because she had made a repulsive Asherah pole” (1 Kings 15:13). The Hebrew word used here for queen may indicate that she had special authority, perhaps as a religious leader. Coming from such a background, wouldn’t you like to know what caused Asa to turn to the Lord God of his ancestor David. We are not told, but if actions speak louder than words, this man’s name is certainly written in God’s book of life!

The Asherah pole was a tribute to the Canaanite goddess, Asherah. According to Canaanite mythology, this mother goddess created several gods in the Canaanite pantheon, with the other creator god, El. It is significant, therefore, that King Asa burned his grandmother’s Asherah pole, in the Kidron valley.

We are given a few more details of Asa’s reign in 2 Chronicles 14. His leadership was spiritually strong. “He commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers and to obey His laws and commands” (14:4). The Lord gave him and his people peace….”so they built and prospered” (14:7b). Even when the Cushites marched against them with a mighty army, God answered Asa’s prayer: “Lord there is no one like You, to help the powerless against the mighty…we rely on You and in Your name we have come against this vast army” (14:11). The Cushites were defeated and fled. As a result “the terror of the Lord” fell upon all the surrounding villages.

Reflection:

What lessons might we learn from Asa’s life? He revered the Lord God and followed His commands. He destroyed anything that might lead the hearts of his people away from God, and restored worship by bringing the consecrated gold and silver vessels back into the temple (15:15). As a result, God brought peace to the people and routed their enemies. We need to revere the Lord our God by destroying any idols we have been worshiping in our hearts, if we ever hope to enjoy true peace.

by Marilyn Daniels (MarilynDaniels.net)

Uncategorized

Reclothe Us

September 12, 2023 AdminLeave a comment

1 Kings 19:11-18

Often as I begin my devotions each morning the words of a hymn forms the basis of that devotion. Today it was the words of John Greenleaf Whittier, words taken from a longer poem which he wrote in 1872. The country was just recovering from the American Civil war of 1861-1865. He describes hearts longing for peace.

Drop Thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.

Solomon said there is nothing new under the sun, and history has proven him to be right. The same attitudes exist around the world today, causing hatred and bloodshed between nations and even dividing families. This hymn might be a prayer that God would reclothe us in our rightful minds, even today.

Apparently the words of this hymn came from a much longer poem “The Brewing of the Soma” describing Vedic priests brewing and drinking Soma in an attempt to experience divinity. Whittier’s intention was to compare this to the use some Christians made of “music, incense, vigils…trance……all in vain – it is mere intoxication” (Wikipedia).

Raised as a Quaker, he knew the true way of seeking God’s will. Silence and selflessness enable us to hear the “still small voice” described in the Bible (1 Kings 19:11-13). The voice of God was not heard in earthquake, wind or fire, but rather in a soft, gentle whisper which followed the dramatic events of God’s power. But first we must seek God’s forgiveness. The lyrics go on – “Forgive our foolish ways. Reclothe us in our rightful minds, in purer lives Thy service find”.

As an advocate for justice, the moral and spiritual values of his up-bringing impacted his writings and earned him the title of “America’s finest religious poet”. Many of his poems are still sung in churches today. One phrase captured my particular attention as I thought about our worship “…in deeper reverence, praise!” His poem goes on to talk about “simple trust” with which early Christians rose up and followed Jesus when they heard “the gracious calling of the Lord”.

Jesus calls His disciples, whether in the midst of a Civil War, or in the business of twenty-first century living: “Come unto Me all you who are weary and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Whittier captured the essence of that rest: “Oh Sabbath rest by Galilee….where Jesus knelt to share with Thee [God his Father], the silence of eternity interpreted by love”. The depth of that statement alone is cause for hours of reflection!

Reflection:

However, it is the last verse which provokes even deeper thought. What do the heats of our desires look like today? Do we need God’s coolness and His balm? Oh that we might enjoy His “still small voice of calm”! Then we would be ready to serve, to bless others with God’s love and peace.

Breathe through the heats of our desire Thy coolness and Thy balm;
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire; Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small voice of calm.

by Marilyn Daniels (MarilynDaniels.net)