Discover His heart: He blesses those who will serve Him today and every day

I’m sorry to bring this up, but it’s been 31 days since we made our New Year’s Resolutions, our big plans to make big changes for the New Year.  How’s it going? Sometimes our intentions are great, but our resolve, not so much. Joshua has thrown down the gauntlet for us today – we have been challenged!  Today, whom will we serve?

“So the Lord gave to Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there.  And the Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the Lord helped them conquer all their enemies. Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.” (21:43-45)  The Lord knows how to keep a commitment, but the question is, do we?

@ Joshua 24
Joshua, now 110 years old, called all the leadership of the tribes of Israel to Shechem to present one last challenge to God’s people.  After a brief history of the faithfulness of God, Joshua presented his challenge, “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve…But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” (14-15)  There, he said it!  The line has been drawn, the die has been cast, the gauntlet has been thrown.

In this scripture, the term serve means to admire or follow someone worshipfully.  Just like the Israelites who affirmed that they would serve the Lord Jehovah, our intentions every day are to serve the Lord.  I heard a television pastor ask his congregation one Sunday morning as he got up to speak, “Did you serve the Lord this week?”  The large congregation responded “yes” with enthusiasm.  The pastor quickly asked, “Well, what did you do?”  Dead silence filled the sanctuary.

“Choose today whom you will serve.”  We can’t rest on yesterday’s resolve to serve the Lord because today is a new day with new challenges.  The idols we are tempted to serve may be different than those of Joshua’s day, but they consume our thoughts and time just the same, leaving little room for worshiping the Lord and reading His Word.  They come in many shapes and sizes:  our job, our children – yes, possibly even our children – pleasures, sleep, community involvement, etc.  Of course, these are not bad things, they just aren’t God.

If the words to the old Bob Dylan song are correct, and I think they are, then “you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed. You’re gonna have to serve somebody.”  Joshua has challenged us to choose today and reaffirm each and every day, in the daily routines of life, the one who will receive our admiration and worship.  Choose today whom you will serve.

Moving Forward:  I accept Joshua’s challenge – as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord!

Tomorrow @ Psalms 12-14

© Phyllis Benigas & phyllis@dailydevotions, 2010-2012.  All rights reserved.

Discover His heart: He is God Almighty, the God who is enough

A little over 40 years ago I changed my name.  It wasn’t that I didn’t like my name, but I felt it was time for a change.  I had considered a few other names, but none of them really measured up to the one I chose.  In addition to all the normal changes that come like new identification, driver’s license, social security card, this change affected my life in a dramatic way.  People no longer knew me by my old name and actually treated me differently; in fact, I thought of myself differently.  Yes, the day I changed my name to Benigas was monumental in my life, but I never would have done it had I not known the one who gave me the name.

@ Genesis 17
“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am El-Shaddai—God Almighty.’”(1)  Even though Abram and the Lord had already met, Abram knew Him only as Jehovah, the true God, but he was about to know Him in a whole new way.  El Shaddai!  God Almighty who was all-sufficient, the God who was all Abram would ever need.  The God who was able to provide all the descendants that Abram could ever want.  Ishmael never would have been an issue had Abram first known El Shaddai – the God who is enough!

“At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, ‘This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations!  What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.” (3-5)   First God told who He was by revealing a new name for Himself, and then God informed Abram who he really was by changing his name from revered father to what He saw him to be, Abraham, father of many nations.

When we were introduced to the Lord as our Savior, we may not have understood completely that we were putting in for some changes – a new nature (2 Corinthians 2:17), a new name (Revelation 2:17) and a new life (John 4:14).  As a new creation in Christ, we were adopted by God into this great family of Abraham’s descendants to forever bear His name.  At the very least our name is Redeemed.

Throughout the Bible, we have many examples of how God changed the names of His people to how He saw them to be – Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Peter, Paul.  What is His name for us, how does God see us and are we living up to that name?  Have we changed our identification?  Do others see us differently? Do we see ourselves differently?

Do we know El Shaddai, God Almighty, the One whose name we bear?  In the challenges we face today, do we understand that we are in covenant with the all-sufficient God?  After an encounter with El Shaddai, we have no need to panic or take matters into our own hands when problems arise because we know the God who is enough!

Moving Forward:  I’m challenged today to live the way God sees me, answering to my new name and trusting the God who is enough.  After all, my Father is El-Shaddai!

Tomorrow @ Joshua 21-24

© Phyllis Benigas & phyllis@dailydevotions, 2010-2012.  All rights reserved.

Discover His heart: He saves us through our acceptance of the risen Lord

The other day I was speeding down the busy aisles of the grocery store, trying to accomplish too much in a short period of time as usual.  The store was crowded because it was during those magic hours when teachers and employees flood the grocery stores on the way home from work.  I try to avoid the store and Starbucks during this timeframe whenever possible, but there I was in the mix!

I was down to one last needed item and made the turn down the aisle to find a major traffic jam.  Boxes of pasta had fallen into the aisle and busy shoppers were either trying to turn their carts around to go another way or trying to go around them.  I slipped through the maze, picked up the boxes, shoved them on the shelves and happy shoppers sailed through.  To me, it’s just better to deal with the obstacle in the road when possible rather than trying to avoid it.  Unfortunately, the Jews in Paul’s day didn’t see it this way.

@ Romans 9
“My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters…They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children. God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises.” (2-4)  Paul was grieving over the lost people of Israel, people of promise, people of covenant, who failed to deal with the Rock in their path.

“The people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded.  Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in Him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path.” (31-32)  Of course, this great rock was Jesus.  The people of Israel were so focused on their traditions and law about who the Messiah was that when He came in the flesh, right in the middle of their world, they stumbled their way around Him.  When they finally dealt with Him, rather than accepting Him, they crucified Him.

@ Romans 10
This response is not relegated only to Jews.  Everyone at one time or another will deal with the great rock in their path.  Many have their own set of traditions and laws about God’s acceptance  – do good, go to church, serve their country and community.  But just like the people of Israel, they stumble over the One who truly makes us acceptable to God.

The message of acceptance is uniquely simple, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (9)  However, just like the people of Israel, individuals today find this message difficult to accept because it requires humility, giving Jesus the position of Lord in their lives, and it requires faith that Jesus, whom they have never seen, is the Son of God and rose from the dead.  They may stumble over these requirements, but eventually all will deal with this Rock.  Of course, this opportunity to accept the Lord is a mute point if they have never heard the message.

“But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” (14-15)  The condition of our world and its lost souls often cause those who love the Lord to grieve just like Paul, but Paul didn’t sit around grieving.  He went, he wrote and he preached the good news of Jesus whether he was in church, in the marketplace or in prison.  We don’t know a lot about Paul’s physical features, but we do know that he surely had beautiful feet.

Moving Forward:  I pray for beautiful feet today that will take me to tell someone about the Rock.

Tomorrow @ Genesis 16-19

© Phyllis Benigas & phyllis@dailydevotions, 2010-2012.  All rights reserved.

Discover His heart: He is the healer!

Nothing stirs up faith in me like reading Matthew, Chapters 8 through10 – I think of them as the Miracle Chapters.  Matthew shares one example after another of the miraculous healing and delivering power of our Lord.  I’ve heard it said several times that if we don’t have faith to believe for healing or for a miracle, we won’t be healed.  It’s all about our faith. I’m just not sure that Jesus would concur with that statement.

Matthew’s examples include the story of healing for a man with Great Faith – “A Roman officer came and pleaded with [Jesus], ‘Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.’ Jesus said, ‘I will come and heal him.’ But the officer said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed’…[Jesus} said, ‘I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!’”(8:8-10) The Gentile Roman soldier was a man of Great Faith.

Matthew included illustrations of Faith that brought healing:  “A woman who had suffered for twelve years…touched the fringe of his robe…when he saw her he said, ‘Daughter, be encouraged!  Your faith has made you well.’ And the woman was healed at that moment.” (9:20-22)  Then Matthew told the story of the two blind men who shouted to Jesus, “Son of David, have mercy on us!’…Jesus asked them, ‘Do you believe I can make you see?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ they told him, ‘we do.’  Then he touched their eyes and said, ‘Because of your faith, it will happen.’” (27-29)  Without a doubt, we know how Jesus felt about faith and healing.

But then, Jesus also performed a miracle for those with Little Faith: When in the storm-tossed sea, the disciples cried out to Jesus, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’ Jesus responded, ‘Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!’ Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.” (8:25-26)

Jesus saved and healed a man with Borrowed Faith: “Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, ‘Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven’…And the man jumped up and went home!” (9:2,7)  One time I was in a desperate need of healing for body, soul and spirit, and I seemed to have no faith to believe for a miracle.  My husband and two others, all full of faith, touched God on my behalf, and I was made completely whole.  Borrowed faith.

Jesus even performed a miracle for a man with No Faith: “A demon-possessed man who couldn’t speak was brought to Jesus. So Jesus cast out the demon, and then the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed.”  Full of the devil, this man was set free by Jesus who performs His miracles for reasons we may not even understand – the crowds were amazed.

These illustrations are not intended to minimize our need for faith to believe for miracles, quite the opposite, but I believe we put God in a box when we say that someone is not healed because of their lack of faith. We just don’t know all the purposes God has for the trials we face, but we do know we must stay connected to the One who does.

I believe that Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord that Heals, that Jesus, the Great Physician, will perform miracles on our behalf.  As we learned from the Roman soldier, our faith blesses the Lord, and who doesn’t want to bless the Lord?  From the other healings, we know that faith gets the Lord’s attention.  Who doesn’t want the Lord’s attention?  Our faith brings healing.  Who doesn’t want healing?  Bottom Line: Jesus is the healer. Whether we believe or not, Jesus is the healer.  It’s all about Him.

Moving Forward:  I’m thankful that His miracles are not exclusive to my measure of faith, but I’m equally thankful that He responds to my faith with healing and blessing.

Tomorrow @ Romans 9-10

© Phyllis Benigas & phyllis@dailydevotions, 2010-2012.  All rights reserved.

Discover His heart: He is our help in the time of storm, worthy of our trust

Florida is a beautiful place to live with its dramatic coastlines and lush greenery.  Fresh year-round fruits and vegetables and seafood only add to its appeal.  Yes, Florida is a great place to live, except for those pesky hurricanes, and they definitely keep us on our toes.

Generally, Floridians respond to an approaching hurricane in one of two ways:  Stock up on water, lots of water, and on non-perishable foods, fill the grill with gas, tape windows, put away lawn furniture/play equipment and secure plants.  In other words, they batten down the hatches.  Or, they call some friends to come on over, turn up the music to drown out the wind and throw a big party to ride out the storm.  I am more of the batten down the hatches crew combined with some very serious prayer for protection.  When Israel faced utter destruction, they trusted in their weapons and stockpiles and chose to party on.  They failed to pray.

@ Isaiah 22
“You run to the armory for your weapons.  You inspect the breaks in the walls of Jerusalem.  You store up water in the lower pool.  You survey the houses and tear some down for stone to strengthen the walls…But you never ask for help from the One who did all this. You never considered the One who planned this long ago.” (8-11)  I can’t imagine facing possible annihilation without turning to God for help and protection.  We can reinforce our structures and stock up on water, and this is wise, but God is the one who is able to cover us with His protection or even turn the storm out to sea.  Isaiah warned of Israel’s fate through his vision, but once again he was ignored.  The God of the Exodus, the Red Sea and miraculous victory after victory was not called upon for help in the face of the storm.

In the face of sickness, loss or any kind of storm, we should do all that we can to strengthen ourselves through doctors and those who are trained to help us.  But when we fail to pray, we have put our trust in everything other the One who controls all things.

“At that time the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, called you to weep and mourn… But instead, you dance and play; you slaughter cattle and kill sheep.  You feast on meat and drink wine.  You say, ‘Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!’”(12-13)  And die they did.  Believe me, I’m always ready for a party, but if God calls for fasting and weeping, I’m going to fast and weep.

As Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:4, “For everything there is a season…A time to cry and a time to laugh.  A time to grieve and a time to dance.”   It wasn’t time to party.  Israel had lost their faith and trust in God along the way; and not only did they fail to pray because of it, they approached the coming storm with a fatalistic attitude.  Feast, drink, tomorrow we die.  Many in our world share this attitude, not only because of personal storms, but because of the condition that the world is in.  If for no other reason, this should give us cause to fast and weep when our hearts are stirred to do so, and then He will never need to question why we never asked for help.

Moving Forward:  I’m going to prepare for life’s storm as best I can and pray for His help.  I know where my help comes from – the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, and in Him have I placed my trust.  With victory assured, I will celebrate!

Tomorrow @ Matthew 8-10

Discover His heart: Through His attention to our lives, He makes us more like Him

When I was a child, little did I appreciate the luxury of lying on the grass for an hour or two, drinking in all the Vitamin D I would need for the day and observing the cloud formations overhead.  I saw ships, alligators, clowns and whatever my imagination could conjure up and then think of all the adventures they held.  Over the minutes, I’d watch each image slowly dissipate into vapor, the story ended and the image forever gone.  I’ve wondered how a video game could possibly compete with that, but I guess that’s just me.  Job had watched a few cloud formations in his day; in fact, he felt that he was one.

@ Job 7
“O God, remember that my life is but a breath, and I will never again feel happiness.  You see me now, but not for long.  You will look for me, but I will be gone.  Just as a cloud dissipates and vanishes, those who die will not come back.  They are gone forever from their home—never to be seen again.” (7-10)  Clearly, Job’s reflection on clouds did not hold for him the same happy thoughts that my memories give to me.  Yes, this life is fleeting, as James concurs with Job in James 4:14, “For what is your life?  It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” (NKJV)  Nevertheless, while we are living, we have adventures and stories to live out, but Job didn’t care much for his adventure, and I can’t really blame him.

Early in history, God-fearing individuals had little knowledge or understanding of eternal life.  Job wanted God to know that time was running out for Him to bring justice to his situation in life or at least to bring an explanation.  He would die, and Job would be no more.  Later in the book, Job uttered a brave hope of a life after death, but without the revealed truths from God’s Word that we have, he had no assurance of a better day. With the Bible as the vanguard directing our lives, we have the understanding that regardless of the trials we face during this brief vapor of life, eternal life is in our future.

Reading Job’s cry for help is difficult to say the least, but the real stab to my heart comes in verse 16, “I hate my life and don’t want to go on living.”  His words make me think of the all too many times I’ve heard individuals, young and old alike, utter these words in despair. Words of comfort often fall useless to the ground, but it’s then that I pray for a revelation of eternity from God to flood their hearts and minds.  Life with its pain and disappointment is short, eternity is a very long time.

“What are people, that you should make so much of us, that you should think of us so often?  For you examine us every morning and test us every moment.  Why won’t you leave me alone, at least long enough for me to swallow!…Why make me your target?” (17-20)  Or in today’s urban lingo, “Why you all up in my business?”  No matter how it’s said, Job’s response to God in the midst of his trial is opposite to the response of what we read yesterday.

Yesterday we read that David found God’s constant watch over him comforting, but Job found it annoying at best. Job felt God had made him His target, which was true in a sense, and over the course of his affliction, Job would correct the very area where God was aiming.  Imagine that!  When we’re going through a rough patch in our journey, we may be tempted to consider ourselves God’s target for pain and agony, especially when things are not resolved quickly.  Just as God was perfecting Job through his pain, He uses our trials to perfect us and make us more like Him.  In the process, we may mutter, “Why you all up in my business?” but then, isn’t that really where we want Him to be?  Watching over us, protecting, avenging and perfecting.

Moving Forward:  I surrender my business to the Lord today.  I’m so thankful that He is mindful of my brief stint on earth, and my cry is “Don’t leave me alone!”   Someday, our eternal life with Him will make it worth it all.

Tomorrow @ Isaiah 18-22

© Phyllis Benigas & phyllis@dailydevotions, 2010-2012.  All rights reserved.

Discover His heart:  From His Holy Temple, He observes both the righteous and wicked alike – the righteous will see His face

Head for the hills! Cut and run! Turn tail!  Take to the woods!  Fly the coop!  Skedaddle! Hightail it!  There are a lot of ways to put it, but they all mean pretty much the same thing – retreat, run from the battle.  While sometimes we feel we have to pick our battles, we really aren’t comfortable admitting retreat, even though the situation may call for it.  As a warrior, David faced this dilemma over and over again.

@ Psalm 11
“I trust in the Lord for protection.  So why do you say to me, ‘Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!’” (1)  David sounded insulted that his advisers would suggest that he retreat.  Did he back down from Goliath? Did he not send the Philistines to flight?  Why would he fly to the mountains for safety?  David put his trust in the Lord for protection.  David was not afraid.

We understand from scripture, however, that David did retreat from battle on occasion.  Did he not trust the Lord during those moments?  I’m sure David must have had moments of apprehension, but he was a brave warrior who knew what battles to pick.  He would have been put in a position of kill or be killed had he come face to face with Saul, the anointed king of Israel, or with his own son Absalom, so David chose to hide from them.  Can you imagine looking into the eyes of your own son and facing the decision to kill or be killed?  I would retreat as well.

Sometimes we find we have an enemy that should not be an enemy at all, but aggressive and hurtful things have been said and done to us.  We’re ready for an all-out attack, no running for the hills, we’re ready to rumble!  While victory may feel good for the moment, an altercation could possibly destroy that person in one way or another forever.  Do we really want to be responsible for that?  Better to have the heart of David.

Just as David was a warrior, we suit up every day in our battle dress from Ephesians 6 to fight the devil.  We are not afraid!  But we, too, have to pick our battles and be led by the Spirit when it comes to those individuals who oppose us.  When it’s all said and done, no one ever really gets away with anything, “But the Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord still rules from heaven.  He watches everyone closely, examining every person on earth. The Lord examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates those who love violence. He will rain down blazing coals and burning sulfur on the wicked.” (4-5)  For the wicked, the future does not look good. However, for those who trust in the Lord for protection and live a virtuous life, it’s all good! “For the righteous Lord loves justice. The virtuous will see his face.” (7)

Moving Forward:  I’ll trust the Lord to protect me whether in battle or not; and with His help, I’ll live a righteous life so that I may see His face.

Tomorrow @ Job 7-8

© Phyllis Benigas & phyllis@dailydevotions, 2010-2012.  All rights reserved.

Discover His heart: He expects us to possess the land He has given to us

Generally speaking, individuals approach a difficult task in one of three ways:  A) Tackle the project head on, get it done and move on to easier tasks.  B)  Walk the dog, munch on snacks, shuffle papers, check email, ponder the existence of dust and finally, when it’s truly unavoidable, get it done.  C)  Do all of point B, add a few other unnecessary tasks and finally…save it for another day.  After all, why should we do today what we can put off until tomorrow?

As a student, I was a Type A – did the homework first thing, before television, before the phone and before dinner, leaving the evening free to do anything I wanted to do.  Having just taken down my Christmas decorations two days ago, I think I have digressed.  Procrastination plagues all of us from time to time.  The more difficult or undesirable the task, the easier it is to save it for another day, and attempting to motivate a procrastinator to get the job done is like pulling teeth. Joshua had seven tribes of procrastinators to deal with.  Ugh.

@ Joshua 18
The walls of Jericho had fallen and the Israelites filled the land of Canaan.  Many of the tribes had already conquered and possessed their assigned territories, and the Canaanites had lost a great deal of control and were weakened through the advancement of these tribes.  But a large portion of the land was still in the hands of the Canaanites because seven tribes appeared to be Type C individuals.  Joshua gave them a little pep talk, “How long are you going to wait before taking possession of the remaining land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given to you?” (3)  In some circles, this would be called a guilt trip.

The Bible doesn’t record their answer as to why they had waited to take possession of their land.  After 40-plus years in the making to get to this point, they did not take the final step to conquer and possess the land.  Perhaps they didn’t have an answer that would justify their behavior other than why do today what we can put off until tomorrow.

Many factors could have caused their procrastination.  The seven tribes may have been just a little too comfortable in their present situation and the motivation wasn’t there to move forward.  Possibly fear of an unknown territory and the dangers they would face from the enemy paralyzed them to no action.  After a difficult journey, perhaps the challenge of rebuilding, repairing and replanting in this new land seemed overwhelming or maybe they were too lazy to do the work.  It’s even possible they were waiting for the perfect moment in time, perfect weather, everyone healthy and strong, Jupiter aligned with Mars. However, Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 11:4, “Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest,” and this probably applies to soldiers as well.  Well, we don’t know the reason, but we know they were not getting the job done.

If we are moving forward at all in this life, God has put before us a task to gain new ground or claim a promise He has given.  It may be gaining spiritual ground, new heights in the Spirit; it may be a mission, new souls for the kingdom; or it may be a personal achievement, more fit in body and soul.  When we neglect the task to possess the land, we put ourselves in a vulnerable position, as James wrote, “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.”(4:17)  Not good.

Whatever our task, whatever our assignment, whatever our promise, we can be stirred to action by Joshua’s probing question, “How long are you going to wait before taking possession of the remaining land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given to you?”

Moving Forward:  I’m not waiting for better weather or the right mood, I’m moving forward today towards all He has promised, faithful in all my tasks

Tomorrow @ Psalms 9-11

© Phyllis Benigas & phyllis@dailydevotions, 2010-2012.  All rights reserved.

Discover His heart: He communes with us at our altar of dedication

Last year Tom and I took up residence at a new location.  It’s not a place we expected to live, but through God’s leading, we knew it was exactly the right place for us. The Lord provided it for us through one of His servants whose generous heart made it affordable, and although we don’t own this place, it is home to us.  Before the very first night we slept under the roof of our new home, we built an altar – no, it wasn’t a literal altar for sacrificing animals, followed by a visit from the local Fire Marshall.  It was an altar of prayer, straight from our hearts, where we thanked God for His provision, and it was an altar of dedication, calling on Him to bless and protect our dwelling.  We learn from our reading today that the patriarch Abraham knew plenty about pitching a tent and building an altar.

@ Genesis 12
“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others’… So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed.”(1-2,4)

This obedience to the Lord by Abram was monumental on many counts.  1) Abram worshipped many gods when God called him (Joshua 24:2), so to be obedient to this voice of one and make this challenging transition was huge.  2) Abram was a wealthy landowner, and it was a risky proposition. The nomadic lifestyle in that day was assigned to those without a land or inheritance. 3) This move wasn’t just a matter of packing up the family and pulling a trailer to a new location.  Abram moved everything – livestock, valuables, servants and their families.  4) Abram knew nothing about the land he was moving to.

We can conclude that hearing this word from the Lord created faith in Abram’s heart, and a belief that this God, Yahweh, was the true God worthy of his obedience.  In our times of transition, it is often the Word of God that reinforces our determination to follow the One who is Yahweh, the true God who is worthy of our obedience.

The first stop of significance for Abraham was Shechem, “Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh…Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘I will give this land to your descendants.’  And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him.” (7)  Second stop, “After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshiped the Lord.” (8) I’m beginning to see a pattern here – pitch a tent, build an altar.

@ Genesis 13
Abram experienced a brief and difficult sojourn to Egypt where no tent was set up, nor altar built, but now he was back on track, “So Abram left Egypt and traveled north into the Negev…From the Negev, they continued traveling by stages toward Bethel, and they pitched their tents between Bethel and Ai, where they had camped before. This was the same place where Abram had built the altar, and there he worshiped the Lord again.” (1-5)  Then, finally after a long and tedious journey from his home in Haran, Abram settled in Hebron, “So Abram moved his camp to Hebron and settled near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. There he built another altar to the Lord.” (18)

Wherever Abram set up his tent, he built an altar to God – the pattern of one who follows God’s plan in obedience.  No matter where Abram was on his journey, God was going to be honored, worshiped and called upon by him.  Communication would continue, not only in the process, but also in the promise.

What we learn from Abraham’s walk with God is that no matter whether we are on the way to our next dwelling or living in the promise, wherever we pitch our tent, we should build an altar, a place of reverence to Him.  Whether it is a new home, a new job or a new marriage, we would do well to build an altar in our hearts to honor and worship the Lord, to call upon Him and to commune with Him.

Moving Forward:  My tent is pitched today and the altar is built where I worship and commune with my God.

Tomorrow @ Joshua 16-20

© Phyllis Benigas & phyllis@dailydevotions, 2010-2012.  All rights reserved.

Discover His heart: He has adopted us as His very own

Back in the ’70’s, America was singing and dancing to “We are family…I got all my sisters with me.  We are family…get up ev’ry body and sing.” (Rodgers/Edwards, 1979)  Our post Viet Nam/ Watergate nation was looking for kinship and trust in somebody.  As the family has broken down over the past few decades, we find teenagers in a similar search for family.  Symbols and colors have separated youth into alternative families that hold their loyalties and commitment.  Aside from the occasional hermit, most everyone longs to be part of a family, something bigger than themselves, a place of belonging.  When God created the family unit back in the Garden, this desire of connection and belonging became a part of us.  When Jesus came along to redeem us, He sealed the deal with his blood, and we were adopted into God’s family.  We are family!

@ Romans 8
“You received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.  Now we call him, ‘Abba Father.’  For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.” (15-16)  Our family has a daddy, and we have inherited His spiritual DNA.  Paul really stepped out on a limb when he addressed God in this familiar way because this Aramaic word “Abba” was not used to reference God in Paul’s day.  Paul wanted us to understand that the Father is our Father, our loving, approachable dad.

“All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God… And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory.” (14,17)  We have siblings!  And although it may be difficult to understand, we adopted siblings are blood relatives thanks to the sacrifice of our elder brother, Jesus, whose blood covers our sin.  “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” (Ephesians 1:5)

Just like all families, sometimes we siblings fight and don’t get along, but we would do well to remember of what family we are a part.  Our family is to be known to the world by our love for each other (John 13:35), and some of His “house rules,” help us to behave like His family should, “You must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3:12-14)   Those rules alone should keep us too busy to fuss at each other.

I love our family gatherings, on Sundays or whenever, with the Father and our older brother.  We often talk about the great family reunion we all will attend one day.  There’s no worry about being left out or being disinherited because, unless we choose to leave it, we are blood relatives forever.  This is all because Dad loves us.  “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (38-39)  We are family – forever!

Moving Forward:  I’m so thankful today that I’m one of His kids, with no fear of abandonment or rejection, so thrilled to be part of His amazing family.

Tomorrow @ Genesis 12-17

© Phyllis Benigas & phyllis@dailydevotions, 2010-2012.  All rights reserved.