Archive for Pictures of God

God Born Among Us

2015-12-24 Devotional with Hymn, Pictures of God No comments

from the devotional book, PICTURES OF GOD

Isaiah 8:19 – 9:7

Isaiah 8:19-22 describes the fate of those who ignore God. When times get tough and they face the ultimate issues of life, they will know only distress, despair, and darkness.

But what a contrast in the verses that follow, Isaiah 9:1-5! Isaiah strains to adequately communicate wonderful, unbelievable blessings that will come to the neediest of God’s people – blessings that are far beyond their experience and imagination. These blessings will be like:

  • A Great Light where there had been only gloom and darkness (vv.1-2)
  • A gladness and joy as at a bountiful harvest, or as when they receive a financial windfall (v.3)
  • A sense of complete freedom as when we’ve finally been released from a long and difficult oppression (v.4)
  • A deep and permanent peace as when war has ended forever (v.5)

What will bring these indescribable, unimaginable blessings? The birth of a child – a child who will become a great, eternal, magnificent, and righteous King.

In the Bible, names often signify who a person truly is – that person’s character, purpose, and importance. A name is more than a label for someone. It is the person’s identity. And if names could describe this magnificent King, what would His names be?

  • Wonder of a Counselor
  • God of Might
  • Father of Eternity
  • Prince of Peace 

He will rule forever with perfect justice and righteousness. He and His decisions will always be just and right as God Himself is just and right. The peace, harmony, and complete well-being of His Kingdom will grow and grow forever.

How can we be sure that these incredible promises will actually be fulfilled? Because the burning, unquenchable love of the Unchanging God, I AM WHO I AM, Lord of All the Heavenly Armies, guarantees it!

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Isaiah 9
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His Treasured Possession

2015-12-17 Devotional, Pictures of God No comments

from the devotional book, PICTURES OF GOD

Read Deuteronomy 7:6-11; 14:1-2; 26:16-19

God makes clear throughout scripture that He wants us to fear Him. That is, He wants us to believe that He is all He says He is, and to respond to Him accordingly. He is our Creator. He is holy, almighty, and all-wise. He is transcendent and sovereign, unbounded by matter, space, or time. How can we not trust, obey, and worship such a God?

But He also wants us to know how much He cares for us and how much He values us. He longs for us to glimpse how wonderful it will be for Him to be truly, fully with us.

“You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself. Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:4-6, NASB)

The word translated above as “own possession” is a fascinating and meaningful one. Generally, it refers to personal property.

It can also be translated “special treasure”. For example, it is sometimes used to refer to the vast personal treasures of a king. Ecclesiastes 2:8 says that accumulating such treasures is sheer vanity.

But God repeatedly states that His people are “His special treasure” (see Deuteronomy 7:6; 14:2; 26:18; Psalm 135:4). In Malachi 3:16-18, He says that those who fear Him become His personal possession, His special treasure, and He will never forget them.

These passages are the original inspiration behind several familiar New Testament scriptures:

[Christ] gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. (Titus 2:14, NASB)

You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9, NASB)

When we trace this term, the inescapable truth is this: the greatest wealth is not anything we possess. It is being possessed by God.

Walk with God

2015-12-10 Devotional, Pictures of God No comments

from the devotional book, PICTURES OF GOD

Read Genesis 5:21-24; 24:40; 48:15; Malachi 2:6

In the Garden of Eden, before God’s open, natural fellowship with us was destroyed by sin, it apparently was God’s practice to walk with Adam and Eve in the garden in the cool of the day.

Now read the brief account of Enoch in Genesis 5:21-24. According to this list, Enoch was the seventh generation of Adam’s line. Twice in four verses we’re told that Enoch walked with God (vv.22, 24). As a result, Enoch did not die as most other men did and do. God was so pleased with Enoch that He took him directly to Himself.

But Enoch was not the only person who walked with God:

  • The Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be blameless.” (Genesis 17:1, NASB)
  • When Abraham was nearing death, he summarized his life by saying that he had walked before God (Genesis 24:40).
  • Just before Jacob’s death, as he was blessing Joseph, he said that his fathers Abraham and Isaac had walked before God, and that God had been his shepherd all his life (Genesis 48:15).
  • God’s priests were to walk with Him in peace and uprightness (Malachi 2:6).
  • The prophet Micah summed up our whole obligation to God this way:

He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8, NASB)

All these people from various ages and times were to please God by walking with Him or walking before Him. Such walking suggests something done regularly, repetitively, continually, day after day. It suggests living in God’s presence, in ongoing fellowship with Him, in contact with Him and in response to Him.

What a beautiful way to live! Many have experienced it, and God wants it for you and with you.

Single-minded Devotion

2015-12-03 Devotional with Hymn, Pictures of God No comments

from the devotional book, PICTURES OF GOD

Read Hosea 4:7-13; Matthew 16:1-4

Since God views His relationship with His people as a marriage, He considers it adultery when we chase other “gods”, other loves. In the Old Testament, when Israel worshipped other gods, God accused her of playing the harlot. For example:

My people consult their wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand informs them;
For a spirit of harlotry has led them astray,
And they have played the harlot, departing from their God. (Hosea 4:12, NASB)

Jesus took the same view. When the Jewish leaders saw Jesus’ miracles and heard His words, yet still demanded other proofs of who He was, He called them “an evil and adulterous generation” (Matthew 16:4, NASB). Their hearts weren’t satisfied with Him or with their God. They were putting their love and trust elsewhere.

As believers, we need to guard our hearts against the same danger, against the same unfaithfulness to our Bridegroom. In writing to the church in Corinth, Paul expressed his concern for them this way:

I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:2-3, NASB)

Since Jesus is the Bridegroom, we believers are engaged to Him. What is expected of us as we approach our marriage to Him?

  • Like any bride-to-be, we are to keep ourselves pure, devoted to Him alone. In our hearts and in our lives, we cannot chase other loves. We are His. We are to love Him alone. All our loves for anyone and anything must flow from our one love of Him. He is now the center of all our relationships and all our desires.
  • The word in 2 Corinthians 11:3 translated as “simplicity” is particularly meaningful. It has a variety of shades of meaning, depending on its context: simplicity…sincerity…generosity. But the one word that seems to sum it up is “single-mindedness”. Our groom, our husband-to-be expects us to be single-mindedly devoted to Him.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: The Only Good Is Jesus
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Everyone is Invited

2015-11-26 Devotional, Pictures of God No comments

from the devotional book, PICTURES OF GOD

Read Matthew 22:1-14

Jesus often described the Kingdom of God by telling stories, or parables. Two of those parables talk about the Kingdom of God as being like a wedding feast, and in both, Jesus casts Himself as the Bridegroom. Both parables tell us something about our relationship to the Bridegroom, and both contain a surprising, even shocking, twist.

The first parable is recorded in Matthew 22:1-14. In it, a king had planned a wedding feast for his son. When all was prepared, those honored by an invitation from the king were unwilling to come. They all claimed to have something more important to do. They all treated the king and his servants with total indifference and disrespect…even to the point of violence. The king responded appropriately.

But he was still intent on filling his banquet hall. How could he celebrate the wedding of his son without guests? His honored, invited guests had proven themselves unworthy of his generosity. So here comes the shocking twist: since the honored guests had disqualified themselves, EVERYONE was invited. The king’s slaves were ordered to go throughout the whole city and urge everyone, high and low, good and bad, to come to the wedding celebration. Everyone could come and feast with the king!

But here comes another twist: one guest is thrown out for being inappropriately dressed. He hadn’t even bothered to dress in his best clean clothes, in a way fitting for such an event. Like those originally invited, he had treated his king and his king’s invitation with indifference and disrespect, so he too was excluded.

So what is the point of the parable? It is summarized in v.14: Many are called, but few are chosen. (NASB)

God’s wedding invitation goes out to all. All may joyfully, freely celebrate with Him and enjoy His abundance. But not all are “chosen” – that is, not all will actually be allowed to taste the feast. Those who insult their King and arrogantly spurn His hospitality will never taste His provision.

The King’s invitation is free, but it carries conditions. We must realize that we have received an invitation from our Sovereign King, and respond with the respect due Him.

Ezekiel 16

2015-11-19 Devotional, Pictures of God No comments

from the devotional book, PICTURES OF GOD

Unclean. I was unclean to my very core – thoroughly, completely unlovely.
I had no hope or thought of ever being anything else.

You came to me and saw me for exactly what I was, yet You loved me.
You loved me because of who You were, not because of who I was.
There was not a scrap of worth or attractiveness in me.
You loved me because You are loving, not because I was lovable.

You tenderly, thoroughly cleansed me, and I was clean.
You began to share Yourself with me.
Because You loved me, something of You came to life in me.
You made me something other, something more than I had been in myself.
Your life, Your beauty, Your purity began to glow in me,
though before You, I had not a breath of any of these things.
Because You loved me, I grew lovely,
though the loveliness was Yours, not mine.

You proposed marriage. Such wonderful promises You made!
You promised to envelop me in Your love,
to love me deeply, completely, and forever.
You promised to make me more in You than I could ever be on my own.
You asked only that I be faithful to You—
that I give myself completely and exclusively to You.
You lavished more and more of all Your best on me—
all that You had and all that You were.

Sometimes I forgot that my loveliness was actually Your loveliness, and
I took what You had given me, what You had made me,
and used it selfishly, proudly to serve myself.
Though You were faithful, I was not.
Sometimes You had to let me taste the bitter fruit of the choices I made.

But Your love never gave up on me.
You forgave me, and You drew me back to Yourself.

My Lord, my Love, You are still drawing me closer,
and I am still discovering how Your love can change me, cleanse me, and renew me.

I love You, my Lord!
I am Yours, completely and forever!

Undying Love

2015-11-12 Devotional with Hymn, Pictures of God No comments

from the devotional book, PICTURES OF GOD

Read Isaiah 54:1-10

The Old Testament prophets frequently talk about God’s relationship with His people as a marriage. Out of love, each makes promises to the other. They make a covenant, a contract, an agreement – not only a legal contract, but a contract of two hearts. They promise to honor, love, and be forever faithful. But Israel made promises that she could not keep and did not keep. What happened to the marriage then?

One of the most striking things about the Old Testament prophecies is their frequent pairing of horrific judgment with wonderful renewal. Israel sinned, repeatedly, grievously, over a long period of time, with total indifference toward their God. As a result, God was forced to let her reap what she had sown. But He would no more get the fierce words of judgment out of His mouth than He would be forgiving her, comforting her, wooing her to Himself.

He is a lover, a husband, whose love for His unfaithful wife simply will not die.

Love is as strong as death…
Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor will rivers overflow it. (Song of Solomon 8:6-7, NASB)

Read Isaiah 54:1-10. Israel’s sin and God’s judgment have been deep and severe. Israel has flaunted her prolonged unfaithfulness to her Husband. For a time, she has been so devastated that she seemed like a widow, left completely and helplessly alone. But now how does God speak to her?

  • He cannot stay angry with her (v.9).
  • He shows her compassion, though she deserves none. Though she has wronged Him, His concern is for her (v.7).
  • He reaffirms His everlasting, never-dying love for her (vv.8, 10).
  • He takes away all her shame, all her disgrace. Imagine the deep shame of having been unfaithful to your spouse, then imagine the spouse removing it, completely and forever. What forgiveness! What renewal! (vv.4, 6)
  • He tells her again that He, the Creator of all, the Lord of all the heavenly armies, the Redeemer, is her loving husband (v.5).
  • He joyfully says she should make more room in their tent, for children are coming – lots of children! New life will be born from their love (vv.1-3).

Father, thank You for Your passionate, undying, life-giving love for us!

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Give Thanks to God
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Psalm 45: The Bride

2015-11-05 Devotional, Pictures of God No comments

from the devotional book, PICTURES OF GOD

Read Psalm 45:10-17

Let’s imagine that Psalm 45 was written for the wedding of the ultimate King, Jesus Christ, and His bride, the people of God. The wedding song has begun with a description of the magnificence of the Bridegroom. Now what does the psalmist say to the Bride-to-be, to God’s people, the Church?

  • Don’t cling to your past (v.10). Don’t look longingly at what you’re leaving behind. Your future is infinitely better! Turn forever from what was and rejoice in what is about to be!
  • The King is deeply in love with you. You are stunningly beautiful in His eyes. Honor Him as your Lord now. Give yourself completely to Him (v.11).
  • Even the rich and powerful will honor you because you are the King’s bride. Your King and Husband is so important that you will be important as well simply because of your relationship with Him (v.12).
  • You are about to experience what it means to be the bride of the Great King. You will be adorned with all His finest, with clothing interwoven with gold and artistic embroidery. You will have your own train of attendants, and you will all be led into the King’s palace, with cheering crowds all around you. His entire realm will rejoice at your wedding (vv.13-15).

Christ…loved the church and gave Himself up for her…that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory…that she would be holy and blameless. (Ephesians 5:25-27, NASB)

This wedding song ends with a look ahead. What does the future hold for the King?

  • Sons. Fruitfulness. New life (v.16).
  • Honor and glory that will never fade (v.17a).
  • The peoples will give thanks for You forever and ever (v.17b).

What an honor, what a joy to be loved by the King as His chosen bride! What a glorious future we have in Him!

Ruth: Kinsman-Redeemer

2015-10-29 Devotional with Hymn, Pictures of God No comments

from the devotional book, PICTURES OF GOD

Read Leviticus 25:23-28, 48-55

As we read the story of Ruth in the book that bears her name, let’s take a few minutes to take a closer look at the term “kinsman-redeemer” in Ruth 2:20. It refers to a relative who redeems his kin from difficulty or danger. Then, as now, family was an important part of God’s gracious provision for our needs.

The duties and privileges of a kinsman-redeemer included:

  • Repurchasing lost property that a family member had sold in time of need (Leviticus 25:23-28)
  • Freeing a relative who had sold himself into slavery in a time of need (Leviticus 25:48-55)
  • Avenging the life of a murdered relative. In that society, the kinsman-redeemer had the responsibility of killing the murderer of his murdered relative, exacting a life for a life, in essence “buying back” that life (Numbers 35:6-34).

A separate Old Testament law (Deuteronomy 25:5-10) says that when brothers are living together, a childless widow of one brother should be taken as a wife by her late husband’s brother. That brother should then give her children in the name of his late brother, in order to insure the family succession. This marriage law became tied up with the kinsman-redeemer laws in the story of Ruth.

Thus the kinsman-redeemer was one who put his own life and property on the line for a needy relative. Throughout the Psalms and the prophets, God speaks of Himself as such a Redeemer for His people. When we are in need, He steps into the gap to deliver, avenge, and provide for us. God as our Redeemer becomes fully personified in Jesus Christ. When we were helpless, He came to earth to redeem us, to buy us back from slavery, to vindicate and provide for us, to claim us as His own family, and indeed, to take us as His own bride.

Job spoke for all God’s people when, in the grip of his many trials, he proclaimed his faith that God would act as his Redeemer and deliver him from death:

I know that my Redeemer lives,
And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.
Even after my skin is destroyed,
Yet from my flesh I shall see God. (Job 19:25-26, NASB)

Listen and sing:
Hymn: I Know That My Redeemer Lives
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The Lord’s Prayer

2015-10-22 Devotional with Hymn, Pictures of God No comments

from the devotional book, PICTURES OF GOD

Read Matthew 6:5-15

Tucked away in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount is the Lord’s Prayer. It has enriched my relationship with God in uncounted ways. But for our purposes here, let’s look at the Lord’s Prayer and focus on just one question: How does having God as our Father change the way we pray?

1.       When you talk to your Father, be simple. Be direct. Be honest. You don’t need to beg Him or badger Him into submission or bury Him in words. He already knows what you need before you ask. Just ask, then trust that He will give you what is best. He is your loving Father. Simple faith requires only simple prayer.

2.       Since your Father is perfect in power, wisdom, and love, what we need is always and only His best. The key to prayer is wanting only what God wants, and that should be the focus of every prayer. Pray for His glory, His kingdom, and His will. That should always be the deep cry of your heart.

3.       As you trust your Father, your usual needs and worries are boiled down into one request: Give us this day our daily bread (Matthew 6:11, NASB). Remember His promise:

“Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things [the necessities of life] will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33, NASB)

4.       Weak and imperfect creatures like us cannot live in intimate relationship with our holy Father without confession and dependence:

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
(Matthew 6:12-13, NASB)

Admit your neediness to live as He wants. Without Him, sin is a debt we cannot pay and a trap we cannot avoid. But rely on Him:

God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13, NASB)

Jesus’ simple prayer models the naturalness of living in the presence of a holy God when He is our loving Father.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Our Father in Heaven
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