 Isaiah 43:1-3 But now, this is what the Lord says- He Who created you, O Jacob, He Who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…. Since you are precious and honored in My sight, and because I love you.
Throughout the Old Testament offering up sacrifices by fire was the way the Lord commanded His people to honor Him. Thank offerings, sin offerings, etc., were offered up through burning on the altar. In our lives, we have passed through the refining fires many times. The fires were of loss, illness and failed dreams. We don’t always understand the whys of it all. We do, however, have the option of offering up to the Lord the times spent in the fire. We learn much from passing through the fire. Our priorities change a lot when we allow the Lord to open our eyes to what has true value. Recently, I have been watching a program about forging knives and weapons from raw materials into strong and enduring articles. In one episode, they were given an old truck. They were to take from it, the needed material to make a long knife. Rusted and dented metal became a strong shining knife of great strength and sharpness. Its usefulness on the truck was negligible. However, when it was taken from the truck and passed through the refining fires, it became new again, the old had passed away. The metal was pressed and reformed. It changed from useless to powerful and of great value and beauty. Perhaps when we are being passed through the refining fires, we can look up and offer to the Lord the process of being refined. We can ask Him to take our tribulations and trials as a sacrifice of love to Him. We know that He is in the fire with us. Ask Him to accept our gift of submission to His will as a love offering. When we have passed from being weary and worn out to becoming strong and useful and beautiful again, we can see His love for us. The process is painful but the benefits are eternal.
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 Ps 65:1-3 Praise awaits you, O God, in Zion; to You our vows will be fulfilled. O You Who hear prayer, to You all men will come. When we were overwhelmed by sins, You atoned for our transgressions.
Ps 66:5, 8,9 16-20 Come and see what God has done, how awesome His works in man’s behalf! Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of His praise be heard; He has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping. Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what He has done for me. I cried out to Him with my mouth; His praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God, Who has not rejected my prayer or withheld His love from me. Read Ps 65 and 66. Seeking God and His love begins with praise and worship. There is a reason our church services begin this way. God’s word tells us He inhabits our praise. He encourages us to enter His courts with praise. He tells us to sing to Him a new song. He rejoices in us and loves to hear our gratitude for all He has done for us. David had his army led by a praise and worship team so that God would know that David wanted God to receive all the honor and glory. He may put us through the refining fires, He may allow us to struggle with the burdens He lays on us, but He walks with us. He rules us justly and with righteousness. He sees our sins and failings but He loves us with an undying love. He sees us, not as we are but as we will be. He allows us to choose our path and guides us if we will listen for His voice. He won’t desert us or reject us if we seek Him. When we begin with praise and worship, we remind ourselves Who we are talking to. We change our focus from our wants and needs to the One Who created us. Beginning with praise to the Holy One of Israel reminds us who we are and Who He is. He has done great and mighty works for us, His anointed ones. We acknowledge His authority and majesty when we bow down and lift Him up.  Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that He should lie, nor son of man that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?
1Sam 15:29 He Who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man, that He should change His mind. Heb 6:17, 18 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. Titus 1:2 a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God Who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time. If God can’t lie, does that mean that I must believe in everything He says of me? When I read the words He has said about me, I am required to believe them or I am calling my God and King a liar. I don’t think that He is happy with me when He tells me He loves me and I question whether that is true or not. Ps 18: 19 says that He delights in us. I love the idea that when God hears my name, He smiles. Ps 56:8 tells us that He records our tears. He knows the hurts and sorrows that we feel and grieves with us. Ps 17:8 reminds us He sees us as the apple of His eye. Zeph 3:17 The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. He hears our prayers even when we feel they are bouncing off the ceiling. He has a plan for us that will prosper us even though we may have to go through a very deep valley to get there. Never doubt that He means what He says. Whether it is about our enemies whom He will destroy, or about us with whom He desires to spend eternity, believe His Word. He believes in you, believe in Him. He is trustworthy and faithful. He loves you.  Ecc 3:1, 11, 14 There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the sun. He has made everything beautiful in its time. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere Him.
Our serving the Lord is like the seasons of nature or the seasons of our lives. Some of us are in the springtime of life. Some enjoy the season of summer or the beauty of fall colors. Some of us are facing the winter season of rest. So too, is our seasons of serving. We toil in the spring to break up fallow ground. We plant, water, and weed so that our crops will be bountiful. We protect the tender plants from sudden frost. Spring is when we see the bursting of new life. In our Christian service, we see the same thing. We experience the pain of the Lord breaking up our fallow lives. We keep others and ourselves in prayer as our newfound faith springs up and grows. We may see a period when frost or drought or storms try to destroy that faith but the Lord covers us with grace and mercy. We will have times of winter when there seems to be no growth, times when we feel as if we are sitting on a shelf of uselessness. The Lord, Himself, took time out to feed His Spirit with communion with His Father. He took time apart from His ministry to refuel. Perhaps when the Lord puts us on a shelf, it is so that we too can be refueled. Some plants must be pulled from the earth to rest so that when replanted in the spring they will burst forth with strength and beauty. Trees lose their leaves in late fall. The sap drains back to the roots and the limbs rest from their labors. When spring returns and the warmth of the sun once more triggers growth, they will bring forth new, healthy leaves. When the Son of God once more warms us with a renewal of His ministry, we will be refreshed and ready to spring back into action. Take the winter time of rest to seek the Lord and bask in the warmth of His word. He loves you and delights in you. Delight in Him. Sit at His feet and learn of Him. When it is time to take up His yoke, you will be refreshed and prepared to better serve Him.  Luke 7:44-47 Then He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for My feet, but she wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered has not stopped kissing My feet. You did not put oil on My head, but she has poured perfume on My feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--- for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.
Read Luke 7:34-50 Jesus acknowledges a sinful woman’s sacrifice of her tears and very costly perfume. He knows of her circumstances and the state of her heart. He knows that her gratitude for His forgiveness far outweighs the cost of the perfume. He is aware of her past and why she lived the life she lived. Her love for Him and the message He preached was the reason for her tears. She offered to Him overwhelming gratitude for the forgiveness of her sins. Jesus went to a Pharisee’s house for a meal. Basic hospitality demanded that guests be offered water to wash their feet, a kiss of welcome and sometimes anointing with oil. The Pharisee did none of these things. He, in essence, was giving a subtle insult to Jesus. We are not told why Jesus was invited when it is obvious that the Pharisee had little or no respect for Jesus and His message. Perhaps it was part of the plan to discredit Jesus. What we do know is that a deeply moving lesson was taught, if not received. Jesus showed deep compassion on a woman known to be a ‘sinner’. She made her living as a prostitute. Jesus offered her forgiveness and acceptance. He did not push her away or condemn her for her love offering. He made her an eternal example of gratitude. Many times, we forget the cost of our salvation and what it cost Jesus to forgive our sins. We can use this woman’s worship at Jesus feet to remind us that we, too, have been forgiven much. We, too, should love much. Our countless debts have been forgiven. Offer back to Him overwhelming gratitude for the overwhelming grace He offers us. |
AuthorPlease join us as we grow in Christ through our weekly devotions, written by Catherine Donaldson 
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