Judge of the Earth

 

Today’s Reading: Psalm 94:2; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 Timothy 4:8

 

Judge.  When you do a quick Google search of the word judge you are presented with many of the household names that we have become accustomed with: Judy Sheindlin ( Judge Judy), Joseph Wapner (The People’s Court) , Joe Brown(Judge Joe Brown), Greg Mathis (Judge Mathis) , Marilyn Millian ( The People’s Court).   These are actual judges that have completed their requires studies to practice law and have created names that are synonymous with high ratings and explosive courtroom drama.   Webster has five definitions of the word as a noun and six definitions as a verb.  Each of the definitions has their origins in the Anglo-French: jus- right,law ; dicere- to decide .

Judge of the Earth.  This is a major component of God that we sometimes take for granted and not fully realize the true complexity of this trait of God.  It is a trait that we would rather not speak of or acknowledge.  This is the characteristic of God the Father.   This is where we are fully aware of the consequences of our actions: both positive and negative.  This is a difficult aspect because we all will ultimately face the judgment of our actions and deeds.  This can be truly frightening and daunting at times.  We can become consumed with worry and guilt that would leave us incapacitated. But when we fully understand Him and His will for us then this calms the fears.

Over the past couple of decades, I have requested that God would show up to me in all areas of my life.  I made a true commitment and allowed Him to direct my path and I have diligently sought Him.   I have found how to place another’s welfare above my own when I married Jillian.  I have found out to love unconditionally when we became parents with Oliver, Ruby, and Nadya. But in the midst of these relationships He has given me a glimpse into His heart and how he loves me and everyone else.  Yes, He is almighty and all-powerful and can bestow judgment on everyone, but it will be a judgment that has the most compassion that it is not imaginable. There will be a judgment in the last days, but I believe it would be similar to the judgment I try to give my children.  Just recently, I had to give a negative consequence to our children: No screen time for X minutes or something like that.  But Jillian and I have agreed to give the consequence and also let the children know the reason for the consequence and let them know that we still love the person, but not he behavior.

God is just and God is Love.  The nature of God of to love us no matter what we have done. There is evil that exist and that is the absence of love.  But God wants us to accept Him and love him.  There will always be exceptions to the ones that Love God.  He understands that and is compassionate to us all.  Jesus tell us throughout the scriptures that there will be separation of those who love him and not.  There will be some that are ready with their lamps and some without. This what we are certain, but Jesus also tells us that not matter what part of your life you in in you will be able to be with him if you confess and acknowledge His power.   In the readings of Today, there are many references into the full extent of the judgment that God gives, but I also wanted to share this passage to conclude the day.

Matthew 20: 8 – 16

 

And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’[b] 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”

No matter where we are in life: birth or just before death, God is able to accept you as his child and grace you into the compassionate judgment of a Loving and Caring Father.

Jesus

Where did your name come from?  Is there a story behind your name? Are you named after a family member?  Or is your name a name that your parents thought was a good fit?  I remember the excitement in naming my 3 children.  

My first born was a boy and we had many names picked out.  One day when I was about 4 months pregnant and getting my hair done, a mother walked in the salon with her adorable baby boy.  His name was Jackson and I knew from that moment I would name my boy the same name.  We did choose his middle name to be a family name, the same as his Dads.  Then the same with my 2 girls that followed.  I chose their first names Emmerson and Carson because I wanted to  follow with the “son” endings.  We also used family names for their middle names.  Emmerson is June after my husband’s grandma and Carson is Caroline after both of my grandmothers.  Their middle names are emotionally connected for both my husband and I.  

I wonder if Mary thought of baby names when she was pregnant with Jesus?  I imagine she did, but that had to be a huge burden to name the child she was carrying.  Maybe she and Joseph had a list of names?  If they had their own ideas, they would be thrown out after the angel appeared to Mary.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:21

Why did the angel tell Mary and Joseph to name the baby “Jesus”?  Is there some significance to the name Jesus?  No, these letters and sounds are different in every language that the name is translated.  It is a fairly common Jewish name and is still used today.  

Jesus’ name means Yahweh saves.  It is the same name as Joshua in the Old Testament.  The name of Jesus is significant because of who it represents.  It means “God our Savior.”  Jesus Christ is Immanuel, “God with us”.

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:  “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”  (which means “God with us”).

Matthew 1:22&23

Jesus came to earth as a man in order to die in our place and become our Savior.  This is why the angel said, “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

The name of Jesus reminds us about the amazing humility of the Son of God when he came as a man to die.  As his followers, we must also strive to show the same selfless humility that Jesus demonstrated while on earth.

Jesus’ name is to be glorified far above every other name.

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:9-11

Praise the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, our awesome Savior!

Jealous

In an era plagued by consumerism, personal gain, and comparison of self, experiencing jealously seems like second nature to a lot of us. I find myself having thoughts like this all the time before realizing it: spotting a nice new car on the road, or viewing a friend’s new house; experiencing the knowledge and expertise of a coworker or being flooded with the talents and gifts of people on social media and wanting that for myself. I hear a lot of people dealing with similar feelings, stemming from an uncountable number of all sorts of little things. It pushes people around me to resent each other, feel inadequate about themselves, and helpless at their own lot in life. Honestly, it’s exhausting to endure the jealousy that 21st century life feels to be relentlessly trying to push onto us.

Which is what makes it initially jarring to read passages like Exodus 34:14: “for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” I feel so conditioned to think about jealousy from the perspective of my own selfish & flawed human nature, to think about God experiencing anything similar seems… odd. Well, yes, that is a very wrong way to think about His jealousy. We know God acts on our behalf (Isaiah 64:4), out of true kindness and selflessness. We know God wants us to share in His eternal life, but our sin removes us from His sanctified presence (Romans 6:23). Which it reasons would lead to a just, righteous jealousy when God sees us, His precious beloved people, choosing to devote our worship to the idols of our own design.

This distinction between righteous and unrighteous jealousy is exemplified earlier in Exodus, in chapter 20 when God gives His commandments to Moses. In Exodus 20:4-5, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

Compare this to just a bit later in Exodus 20:17: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” God describes two very different types of jealousy here: the former, one desperate for that which is good and holy to be upheld, and one pursuing selfish ambition and personal gain.

God can absolutely be called jealous, and for that we should be thankful. We are His children, and it is only natural that God would want what is rightfully His. For He loves us and pursues us in our iniquity; as our hearts wander away from Him and build idols of yearning out of the possessions of those around us, He wants us to share in His ultimately more fulfilling love. When we can’t help but yearn for things of this world, our God knows only things not of this world will satisfy. In His jealous and relentless chase of us amidst our sinful meandering, He proves that He will never leave nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). How will you respond to your own unrighteous jealousy when it suddenly appears? Will you let your heart idolize the things of this world you see and want, or will you focus your mind on the God who brings satisfaction and contentment? Praise be to God that He would so jealously want to bring His children into eternal life with Him.

Invisible

“To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.”

1 Timothy 1:17

Our word today to describe God is invisible.

For most of us it can be concerning that God sees and knows EVERYTHING we think and do. Yes, there are good things we all do that we want credit for from God and others. For many, their top love language is “words of affirmation,” so they want to be told good job by their spouse, parents, boss, or friends, and the idea of God saying when they meet him in Heaven, “Well done, my good and faithful servant..” may bring tears to their eyes. But, for every good thing each one of us have done, there are likely more thoughts, words and actions we just assume no one ever knows about…including God. However, Proverbs 15:3 reads, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on evil and the good.” Job 34:21 also says, “For his eyes are upon the ways of a man, And he sees all his steps…” He’s omnipresent and knows and sees all.

Unfortunately, this can cause many to struggle to come to Christ and believe their past wrongdoings cannot be forgiven. They believe past sins of theft/fraud, adultery, pornography, an abortion, drug use, being a poor parent, killing someone whether on accident or on purpose, or even just really bad words said to a family member or friend are just too much for God to look past. Even believers have a hard time coming to grips with this and letting go of past sins they know an invisible God has seen. Many are still holding on to that one sin they just can’t fully come to believe God has FULLY forgiven when they can’t even forgive themselves.

To me, that’s one of the many unbelievably cool things about God…He gives us so many examples in His Word that any and all sins can be and are forgiven through the cross and belief in Jesus, and not only that, but that He can then use those sinners to do amazing things for His glory and a great purpose. In fact, the author of 1 Timothy, Paul, formerly known as Saul, had persecuted and killed those that believed in Jesus. Just a few verses earlier he says in 1 Timothy 15-16, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I receive mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” Moses who led the Israelites out of Egypt, wrote the book of Genesis, and first received the Ten Commandments killed a man. David was of the direct lineage of Jesus, wrote most of the Psalms, and who God called, “a man after his own heart,” was an adulterer and had his good friend killed over a woman. His disciple and New Testament author Matthew was a tax collector who likely cheated people out of money. Rahab was a prostitute but was used by God to help protect two Israelite spies so they could win the battle of Jericho and then later was also part of the blood line of Jesus. The list could go on and on.

Paul also says in Romans 8:37-39…

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The fact that God is invisible causes us to have a healthy fear and reverence for God to do the right thing, yet thankfully His life, death, and resurrection let us know that because we won’t always do the right thing and will make mistakes (some really bad)…He loves and forgives us no matter what.

Check out this powerful song by Ryan Stephenson, and please…share it with a friend you think may need to hear these words today. It may not just change their day…it may change their life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It_xQ4NYtDQ

My Intercessor

 

 

Job 16:20-21, Is 53:12, Rom 8:26

Has the definition of what you need changed in the past month? Are you seeing that some of the things you thought were most important in life are less so after living without them for over a month? Have your priorities changed with less activity and busyness filling your time?

I have been thinking a lot lately about what is important to me. I have had a more honest look at how I spend my time with less on my schedule. This length of time with life changed so drastically has put a magnifying glass on my choices. I’d love to report that all is well and that my priorities are well defined by now, but I’m still smack dab in the mire of the process. God is gently showing me that some of the things I was telling myself were important to me, are actually not. Some of this new truth is freeing. Projects that I had previously been telling myself I wanted to do if only I had the time aren’t getting done. I am finding that time was never the issue. I just don’t really WANT to do them. It’s good to get to the truth on these things so there is less weighing on my mind. I can let them go, knowing that they really are not that high on my priority list. But there are other issues, when the truth is revealed that honestly are making me sad. I’m disappointed that my prayer time hasn’t increased drastically with more free time. There isn’t much that I would name more valuable in life than time spending with God. Before this SAH order, I would have told you that I would spend more time in prayer if I had it, and now I see that while my number of days in prayer per week have increased, the amount of time I spend in prayer hasn’t grown like I thought it would. I am disappointed with the truth that I have failed to fulfill my own expectations.

I am realizing that I don’t know my heart as well as I thought I did. I am able to lie to myself and make myself believe my own lies. This scares me. I need real truth. I need someone who knows perfect truth about every detail of me to bring that truth to my conscious mind. Prayer, petition or entreaty in favor of another… this is the definition of “intercessor”, earnest or humble request on my behalf. This is one of God’s characteristics, a name He calls Himself. Romans tells us that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. He prays for us when we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. When we are unable to see the truth about ourselves. When our hearts are earnest in prayer but aiming at the wrong thing, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. God knows we need help. He knows how little of Him we are able to comprehend, He knows how weak we are and how far we will miss the mark trying to live like Him in this world. He loves us so deeply that He is willing to help us when we can’t even articulate what we need.

Intercession becomes even more meaningful when we remember that God knows us completely and intimately. He says in the Psalms that He knit us together in our mother’s wombs. He knows everything about us like when we sit and when we stand, when we travel or when we are at home. He knows our thoughts and everything we do. He knows the number of hairs on our heads. He knows each of us personally and the Holy Sprit is petitioning in our favor. He is on our side, working for our best interest. He knows everything about us, our situations, and our circumstances. He is personally making humble requests on our behalf.  Job tells us that he pours out his tears to God knowing that he needs someone to mediate between God and himself. He recognized his need for intercession before the Holy Spirit had been given to people. I’m amazed at his self-awareness and the concepts he was able to verbalize because of the circumstances in his life. We have the privilege and gift of the Holy Spirit at any second in time and don’t have to wish for a mediator or intercessor like Job did.

 

So what is God revealing to you in this time? Are you giving God the chance to show you truth?

Their Inheritance

Have you ever received something that you really didn’t deserve? An inheritance is where you acquire something because it was passed onto you; somebody in your life decided to grant you a sum of money or materials solely because it was passed down to you. What I am trying to get at is that you don’t do anything specific to get this gift, it is a gift that is just given to you?

Personally, I received an inheritance when my grandmother passed away. My grandmother cared for us deeply and always provided for us. She never let us leave without making sure that we had more than enough to eat! When my Grandma passed away, we all missed her deeply and mourned her. I still think about her often to this day. She left an imprint on this world. One of the strangest parts of her passing away was that my parents and brothers received an allotted amount of money. I was about eighteen at the time, so I knew the concept of an inheritance, but it seemed very strange to me.  There was nothing specifically I did that was a reason for me to receive this money, except for my Grandma wanting to provide for her family even after passing away. The gift meant a lot not because of the monetary value, but because I knew that she still was providing for me after her death.

Much like the gift that my Grandma gave to me, God gives an inheritance to all of us who believe in Him. His gift is similar to the one that I described above, we do absolutely nothing to deserve it. The passage of scripture that guides us to what our inheritance is in Ezekiel 44:28:

“This shall be their inheritance: I am their inheritance: and you shall give them no possession in Israel; I am their possession”.

In this short exert in Ezekiel, God tells us what our inheritance will be…to be with Him. The gift we are getting is to be with God. Why is that significant? Isn’t God always with us?

God’s original plan was to not only create us and then leave us forever on our own. He intended to always be with us every day. We broke that plan through our relatives, Adam and Eve. God promised Adam and Eve to be with them forever, as long as they didn’t eat of the “tree of knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:17). However, in Genesis chapter 3, we see that man committed the first sin, and ate of the tree that God told Adam and Eve not to. That is how sin entered the world and separated us from God.

We are all born with a sinful nature. We don’t seek good but seek evil. In the Old Testament, there are multiple ways that the chosen people of God, Israel, try to redeem themselves after every time they give up on God, sin against God, and/or leave Him. The only way for them to be redeemed was through an animal sacrifice. God intended to be with His people, but time after time, they always sinned against Him. However, God still provided through the miracles, prophets, kings, judges, etc. Yet there still wasn’t a way for God’s people to be fully connected with God without having to sacrifice something.

As seen in Ezekiel, we know that God wants His people to be with Him always! That is exactly why there had to be an ultimate sacrifice that would atone for the sins of everyone. I truly do believe that this prophetic word in Ezekiel is pointing to a promise that God upheld through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus. Jesus died on the cross to redeem us all. Through Jesus we are able to be with God. 1 John 4:9-10, is a passage that describes how much this inheritance is all because of the love God has for us and the desire to be with us always.

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sings”.

Jesus died on the cross so that we can be with Him always. He paid the price for ALL of our sins, so that way we can be him forever. For without Christ we are still separated from God and His inheritance. In Romans 8: 12-17 Paul says,

“So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, the heirs-heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him”.

Paul is saying that we are heirs with Christ through his sacrifice. In Christ we have an inheritance! There is nothing besides our faith in Him, that we receive this inheritance from God.

Therefore, our inheritance is to be with God eternally. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”. Praise God for his great inheritance that we get to be with Him forever!

 

A Good Father

One of the most unknown figures of the Bible, is Jesus’ father Joseph. Even though little is known about his life, he was a man whose strong belief and conviction to do the “right thing” will live in infamy.

Joseph had immeasurable impact on the world. Even though he was last mentioned in the Bible when Jesus was 12 years old, we can take away solid lessons from how Joseph lived his life.

When confronted with the news that Mary, his wife-to-be, was pregnant, the Bible says Joseph was going to quietly break off the engagement. Joseph and Mary had not consummated their marriage and Joseph knew he was not the baby’s “father.” The New King James Version of the Bible in Matthew 1:19 said “being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.” Even though Joseph was likely devastated, hurt, embarrassed, and terribly disappointed, he was going to act in manner that showed dignity towards Mary. Tradition, at the time, could have allowed for Joseph to rebuke Mary and have her stoned.

When confronted with embarrassing situations, when we are disappointed by our circumstances or how it will “look to other people,” how do we react? Many times when we are hurt, we lash out with words or emotions, seeking revenge on the other person. Sometimes our emotions and vindictive minds get the best of us. The feeling of embarrassment drives us to revenge, seeking to hurt the other person more than they have hurt us. We react before we think and we are at our worst. Maybe that is just me.

Matthew 1:20 tells us that an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him “do not be afraid to take you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Verse 23 says “Behold the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, “God with us.”

Thankfully, Joseph listened to God’s command. Rather than allow his earthly emotions to influence his actions, he followed the Lord’s guidance. That was a decision that we should forever be grateful for. It is hard to imagine the impact on Jesus’ life if Joseph would not have married Mary, and left her to be a single mother.

There are so many great things about Joseph and his decision. Here are a few traits that I admire about Joseph.

1. Obedience – He followed God’s word even though he knew he would face negative consequences.
2. Compassion – He was there for Mary with the birth of Jesus and took on the role of his legal and earthly father.
3. Integrity – He fulfilled his commitment to wed Mary and raised Jesus with good spiritual training.
4. Faith – Regardless of the earthly shame, he believed in God’s word.

Life brings tough decisions. Emotions are powerful. Our thoughts drive our actions. The control of our thoughts and reactions are what we turn to God for. He will guide us and lead us. We need to trust Him.

If you are in a time of need, and need to make tough decisions, turn to Jesus. He will be your guiding light.

Lord God, please wash over me with your loving grace and help me navigate my life. Please provide me clarity and understanding. Please clear my head of the stress and anxiety and wash over me with your divine presence. I trust you Lord. I know you love me and want what is best for me. Thank you for all you have done for me and I praise your Holy Name. Amen.

God With Us

Taking us back a few decades to Dances With Wolves and the Native American named Stands With A Fist. I’ve always loved that movie, and wondered, if we had literal names, what would they be? Ask your family, see what they come up with as your name. Get ready for some laughs!

    • Laughs Too Hard
    • Drinks All The Coffee

I looked up some names from the Sioux tribe and loved some of these!

    • Wears A Red Shirt
    • Friend to Everyone
    • Chief When Child

Can you imagine calling your son for supper, “Hey, WEARS A RED SHIRT, TIME TO EAT!”

And that’s exactly what was happening in Jesus’s day. It was foretold in Isaiah that the virgin will bear a son and he will be called Immanuel, which literally means “God With Us”. While this type of literal naming was common then, I wonder what the friends and family of Jesus thought of calling him God With Us. So there’s God the creator, and this is God With Us. We picture this a lot of times at the birth of Jesus, and it leaves me thinking of his early life beyond birth – was he directly called God With Us, as a name?

It’s pretty amazing that God knows exactly what his people needed – and he provides for them. God created community. We are made in his image to desire community. He provided God in the flesh to walk with us, give us an example, show us how to avoid temptation, turn the other cheek, and so many other life lessons. But then after leaving his glory in heaven, spending time on earth, he became a sacrifice for us – so we can be reunited with God the Father! And it doesn’t end there. He defeats the grave and because of his resurrection we have life! And if Jesus is God With Us, then I like to think of the Holy Spirit as God In Us. God sent us a helper to literally live inside of us, guide us, comfort us.

My prayer for each one of us is that we will feel God with us – the Holy Spirit living inside of us. He isn’t a distant God, but a God that walks with us, guides us, and brings peace by His presence. Take a moment and jot down where you experienced God with you this week.

Two days ago, my kids and I were on a run (gotta love E-learning PE!) and a downpour seemed to come out of nowhere. And shortly after, the most vibrant, complete rainbow appeared. I couldn’t think of a better example for my kids to see his faithfulness in that moment. We were soaked, ready to be home, and then, WOW, such a beautiful surprise and reminder. We have storms in this life – and He will always be with us through them. His promises are true and he is good.

(photo credit, Sharon O’Shea)

This weekend, how can we recognize his closeness? Is there time we can carve out to hear the God Inside Us? Are there some areas of our heart we can clear and make room?

 

The God of our ancestors

Think of the goods or brands that were introduced to you at an early age that bring good memories and/or influence your decisions today. Along with this, think of the people whom you associate with these brands and reasons why. Some examples for me:

  • Cashews, Michigan football, Titleist and Windex are all products/brands I associate with my dad. Ok, Windex might seem strange but he is a big proponent of clean windows and passed that appreciation on to me.
  • Rare beef, Yum Yums cookies (they were like Girl Scout “Samoas”), Pillsbury chocolate chip cookie dough, and Kitchenaid remind me of my mom. Definitely a food theme here but we were (and are) a fun food family! My mom inspired my love for culinary creativity, going beyond recipes and enjoying the process as well as the result.
  • Vernors soda, Orange Fanta, and anything Pepperidge Farm remind me of my grandparents.

Those are some of the products, brands, or memories of my ancestors.

Going Deeper

Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. (Deuteronomy 26:7)

Who is the God of your ancestors? What are the spiritual traditions or values of your family or dear friends from growing up? Whether Protestant, Jewish, Catholic, Hindu, Atheist or Agnostic, we’ve all been in shaped or influenced in some capacity.

For our family, my mom has been our spiritual rock. Her faith in God has been firm for as long as I can remember. You’ve probably not seen her baptizing anyone or speaking in front of big crowds, but if you’ve met her, you know without a doubt that she loves the Lord and her faith is pure. She’s a one on one or small group prayer warrior, always making the most of every opportunity.

From my mom’s witness she has influenced my father, my sisters, me, and countless other people. This influence has become exponential as my siblings and I have Christian spouses and are doing our best to raise our children with Christ at the center of our home as well as to witness the name of Jesus to others. Prayerfully I write to you today (thank you for reading) with the hope that the words on this page provide some enrichment to your spiritual journey pointing to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

The Israelites knew the “God of their ancestors” as the stories, values and traditions of the one true living God had been passed on from generation to generation. While they (and us still today) sinned and turned away from God, He was (and is) still God.

Notice in the aforementioned verse that they trusted to cry out to him, and he was as faithful then as as he is now to hear and see our misery, toil and oppression. And he is not just one who sees and hears, we learn in the next verse that he acts:

So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. (Deuteronomy 26:7)

Father God, we cry out to you today. Thank you for being a God who sees, listens and acts. You know our pain, you know our hearts, you know our weaknesses, you know our sins. Forgive us, have mercy on us. Rescue us. Bring us out of our metaphorical Egypt. Open our hearts and minds to see you in not just our struggles but in our joy. Thank you for this day, thank you for your word in the Bible, thank you for peace that comes as we slow down and take shelter. Thank you for being our true shelter. You are the God of our ancestors, may we put you in your rightful place today and every day. In the name of your son Jesus. Amen.

Husband

For your Maker is your husband—
    the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
    he is called the God of all the earth (Isaiah 54:5).

The attribute of God we are studying today is husband.  I’ll admit, my husband of 25 1/2 years is generally pretty great.  But to think of God as my husband is a little weird (A little weird from my perspective at least…B.J. and my kids like to think he is the “boss of me” most of the time, so it probably isn’t so weird for them).  To really get what the Bible means when it refers to God as a husband, I found it insightful to review a few attributes of a godly husband, then consider how they reflect the character of God.

As I was preparing for today’s post, I came across an article from Charisma magazine that described attributes of a godly husband, with accompanying scripture references, in a catchy acrostic format.  Let’s dig into these a little more:

H – Honesty

The righteous hates falsehood, but the wicked brings shame and disgrace (Proverbs 13:5).

Honesty is foundational for a trust relationship. Without it, no marriage can survive.  But when I think about attributes of God, honesty doesn’t really come to mind.  Not because God wasn’t honest, but because describing God in this way just doesn’t seem adequate.  God is greater than just honest or truthful actions, he is truth itself.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).

U – Understanding

…so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10).

Growing in the knowledge of God leads to understanding. When we put our trust in God, he will direct our paths.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).

S – Security

Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (1 Timothy 5:8).

In 1 Timothy, husbands are called upon to provide for their family’s needs. In the same way, God provides for the needs of his followers.

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

B – Blameless

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation” (Philippians 2:14-15).

The only way for humans to be blameless is to be covered by Jesus’ blood.  Though he was without sin (blameless), he took our sins upon himself so that through his death/burial/resurrection, they could be washed away presenting us worthy in God’s sight.

A – Authority

For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior (Ephesians 5:23).

This verse isn’t really about “being the boss”, it is more about protection. Husbands are to protect their wives as Jesus protects the church, those for whom he died.

N – Nourish (to cherish and to tend to)

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25).

Husbands are to love and invest in their wives’ well-being.  Jesus not only invested in our well-being, he gave his life as a sacrifice so we could have eternal life.

D – Devoted

…and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:2).

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John15:15).

After considering the character of God through the lens of a godly husband, I see how it fits.  As great as my husband is, God is better.  He can be by my side 100% of the time – he never sleeps, is never traveling, and is never pre-occupied with something else.  I can always count on him to be there.

“I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).