December 05, 2005
Scripture Discoveries
(You will notice that the photos have nothing to do with the text. I just wanted an excuse to post some of my favorite pictures I’ve taken recently.)
I would like to share a Bible verse with you that simply jumped off of the page for me in my devotions this morning. It is Genesis 18:19, "For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him."
What a great verse for parents! Since my passion in ministry is primarily to encourage moms, I was especially excited to discover this verse. The first few words are utterly overflowing with encouragement. "For I have chosen him." The Lord is talking about Abraham, whose name has just been changed in the previous chapter to reflect His primary calling as Father of Many Nations.
It is not a stretch to insert your name as mother or father of your own little tribe of children. Do you believe that you have been chosen by God specifically to be your children’s parent? It is not an accident that you have the children you have. God didn’t make a mistake when He gave them you as a mom or dad. Of all the people in the world, He thinks you are the perfect person to raise your children. He chose you!
In some translations the word "chose" is interpreted as "known." Both words are equally valid and I love both of them. "For I have chosen or known him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord." This verse tells me that it is out of an intimate, personal relationship with the Lord that I will be able to train my children in the ways of the Lord.
I guess we could teach our children God's ways but this verse goes on to say that it is by doing righteousness and justice, that we will pass on a godly heritage. We can't fake it. We model God to our children. We must know God intimately and allow Him to shine through us in such a way that our children see His reflection in us so much that they long to touch the real thing.
What is the result of us, as parents, being chosen by God and knowing him intimately? Listen to the last part of the verse for the answer. "So that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has promised him." Our children will receive the covenant blessings of the Lord, when we, as their chosen parents, know God intimately, and teach them God's ways through our words, but more importantly our actions. What a great promise.
Another verse that recently jumped off the page for me is, James 5:11, "Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful."
I only recently discovered this verse while having my daily devotions during a particularly rough season. I was struggling with faith that God would ultimately make everything work out alright. I knew that nothing was too difficult for God, but I couldn’t see any evidence of my circumstances changing anytime in the near future.
This verse first caught my attention because, through it, I felt like the Lord was encouraging me not to waver in my faith but to steadfastly trust Him and he would ultimately bless me for it.
But it was the last part of the verse that changed my whole perspective. “You have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the 
Lord is compassionate and merciful.” God didn’t need to show me how this was all going to work out and He didn’t need to tell me the reason I was going through this challenging time. It doesn’t matter. His character never changes.
My peace will be found in trusting His compassionate and merciful character. With my eyes fixed on His unchanging goodness I can, like Job, steadfastly trust Him for what is waiting for me on the other side of this trial – his blessing, probably even a double blessing.
Posted by weblion at 02:53 PM
