TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Hosea 11:1-11
For I am God, and not man—the Holy One among you. - Hosea 11:9
TODAY IN THE WORD
In his Institutes of the Christian Religion, the Protestant Reformer John Calvin asked how we come to know God. In part, he said, God accommodates Himself to us so that we might know something of His character. Calvin likened God's accommodation to a nurse “lisping” to an infant, that is, using “baby talk” with the child. In this way we do gain some understanding of God, yet Calvin clarified that such accommodations do not express exactly what God is, as much as they “accommodate the knowledge of Him to our slight capacity. To do this He must descend far beneath His loftiness.”

In today's passage, we gain a glimpse both of God's use of “baby talk” and His stooping toward us to meet our needs. Hosea was a prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel; his message focused on Israel's breach of relationship with God. Israel is likened both to an unfaithful wife and also to a rebellious child. In turn, God likens Himself to a parent who has loved His child from its youth (v. 1), who gently taught the child to walk (v. 3a), who healed the child when injured (v. 3b), and finally, who “bent down to feed them” (v. 4). Here we are presented with some of the most moving descriptions of God's love and tender care for His people: a God who, like a parent, descended in love to provide for His children's needs.

Yet, despite this parentlike love, God's child chose rebelliously to leave Him (v. 2). And here the metaphor begins to break down, for where a human father might at this point abandon his child in anger, God indicates His great difference: “I will not carry out my fierce anger . . . For I am God, and not man” (v. 9). Moved by compassion for His children, God re-declares His love, promises restoration (vv. 8-11), but also reminds us that the human parent-model is only a limited metaphor. His love goes even deeper. Just when we think we fully know our God, He shatters our understanding by a love unimaginable.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today's passage about God's parental language is His “lisping” to us so we may better understand His character. But remember: God shapes the metaphor, the metaphor does not shape God. We all know imperfect parenthood, but Scripture reminds us that such flawed human love does not represent God's true character. He is the model of the perfect Father, regardless of the broken human examples we know. This first Sunday in Advent, meditate on this truth and let the depth of God's perfect fatherly love transform your heart.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Psalm 139:7-16; Deuteronomy 32:6
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. - Psalm 139:14
TODAY IN THE WORD
In his work Metaphysics, the ancient philosopher Aristotle sought to explain the world around him—its different qualities, quantities, and movements. He concluded that if all things are set in motion by something else, then there must be some original Being which itself is unmoved. Later on, the medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas used a similar idea as a proof for the existence of God. Be-hind the world stands God as the great Unmoved Mover.

For many Christians and non-Christians alike, this notion of God as Unmoved Mover translates into a distorted picture of a distant, powerful, yet impersonal deity behind the world. While “God-behind-it-all” may be an effective apologetic tool in certain situations, it pales in comparison to the God of the Bible. The God of Scripture not only created the world and us, but He also seeks us out and calls us into relationship with Himself as our Father.

Psalm 139 gives us a wonderful description of God's creative power and presence. God, says Scripture, is everywhere. There is no place where we can escape His presence (139:7-12). In fact, as today's passage declares, it was God who made us, who “knit me together in my mother's womb” (v. 13). Nothing is hidden from God's eye, including our very conception and birth (v. 15). Even the very days of our life “were written in your book before one of them came to be” (v. 16). Lest we think we are our own makers, today's psalm reminds us of our true creator and sustainer: God.

The second text for today, from Deuteronomy, reveals something further. The one who “made you and formed you” is deemed not just Creator, but also “Father” (Deut. 32:6). There is an intimate relationship with our creator God whether we realize it or not. He is not just a powerful deity who forms us and steps away. He fashions us and then, astonishingly, calls us into relationship, reminding us that he is our Father as well as Creator.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Advent marks the season when the church meditates on the coming of Christ long ago and also prepares us for His coming again in the future. Make this first week in Advent a time of contemplation on God the Creator-Father who cared enough about His creation to send His only Son into the world for our salvation. Try reading all of Psalm 139 today in light of God's fatherhood, reflecting on how His presence and intimate knowledge of us reflects His care for us as our Father.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Isaiah 66:5-13
As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you. - Isaiah 66:13
TODAY IN THE WORD
Imagine a child at a playground, suddenly surrounded by bullies who terrorize the young boy. After seeing her son being pushed, bruised, and thrown to the ground, the child's mother rescues her son from his oppressors. Taking her crying son into her arms, she tenderly caresses and comforts him. Although still full of sad recollections of his abuse, the child slowly finds peace and comfort in his mother's arms of gentle love.

The southern kingdom of Judah knew the hardship and pain of an oppressive enemy. Because of their own sins and disobedience, they had been taken into exile. They lost their homes, their land, and sometimes even their family members. They were in a foreign place, under harsh rule. Judgment had come. All looked bleak. But out of this picture of despair comes a word of hope and comfort.

For those who fear Him, God promises restoration and renewal which will come suddenly (vv. 7-9). Jerusalem and its temple will be rebuilt; a new nation will arise. This new Jerusalem is then likened to a mother who satisfies and comforts her young. God's new people will “drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance” (v. 11); they will “nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees” (v. 12). But then, surprisingly, the mother metaphor switches to God Himself: “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you” (v. 13). Thus, the cause of rejoic-ing, comfort, and satisfaction for God's people is none other than God Himself. Like a mother who embraces her bruised and injured children, so God, like a mother, embraces us in all of our pain and suffering in this world and promises comfort and restoration.

Although we live in a fallen and broken world, God provides us with a word of hope. Like a protective parent to His children, God promises to come to us, embrace us, and bring us that comforting, tender love of a mother. We are not left to mourn or suffer alone. There is one who knows our suffering and does not turn a blind eye.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Although the biblical metaphors of God as Father outnumber those of God as mother, it is important for us to recognize this aspect of God's character and care for us as His children. No matter what our pain, suffering, or burden might be, Scripture tells us that God's care for us is as tender and loving as a mother's care for her children. Come before our God today with all of life's pain and brokenness and find comfort and joy in our tender God.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Psalm 68:1-18
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. - Psalm 68:5
TODAY IN THE WORD
In 1866, Kathrine Hankey, a devout Christian daughter of a wealthy banker, was struck with a severe illness. During her slow recovery, she wrote a lengthy poem about her need for Jesus and His love. From that poem was derived a famous and well loved hymn whose refrain echoes: “I love to tell the story / ”˜twill be my theme in glory / To tell the old, old story / of Jesus and His love.”

The Psalms are like this as well: hymns that retell the story of God's love and deliverance of His people. In Psalm 68, we find a similar theme. This psalm begins with a call to praise the God who arises and scatters His enemies (vv. 1-6), echoing the same words used when the ark of the covenant would set out before the Israelites (cf. Num. 10:35). This moves the psalmist to recount the grand story of Israel's deliverance and Exodus, their provision in the wilderness, their entry into the Promised Land, and the victorious establishment of God's sanctuary in Zion (vv. 7-18).

The emphasis and contrasts are clear. God, not His enemy, is victorious. God, not foreign deities, is Lord of the earth, who “rides on the clouds” (v. 4). God, not the earthly rulers, is the true king who is showered with gifts, leading captives in His train (v. 18). Interestingly, looking at this very psalm, the apostle Paul suggests that in Christ the action of receiving gifts from men is expanded to an act of generosity when Christ “gave gifts to men” (Eph. 4:8 ). In other words, the great and mighty God of Psalm 68 does not horde His victory and abundance. Rather, He distributes His gifts to each of us.

Why do we receive these gifts and blessings from God? The key lies in verse five. We receive blessing from God not because we are great and deserving, but because God is our Father, a defender of the defenseless. Though we are small, our Father God is king of all. Though we are weak, our defending Father is mighty. Remember: this is our family story!
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
How easy it is to forget our family history, thinking our circumstances are too great for God! But today's psalm reminds us of that “old, old story” of which we are now a part. The mighty king of the universe calls Himself our Father. Perhaps it is no wonder that the psalmist continues with a word of praise. Read Psalm 68:19-20 now as your own personal response of praise to your heavenly Father, thanking Him for His defense and protection in your life.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Luke 13:31-35
How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. - Luke 13:34
TODAY IN THE WORD
The Rev. Richard Fairchild tells the story of the fiery destruction of a friend's hen house on a small farm. Upon sorting through the wreckage, the friend discovered one hen lying dead among the charred wood. Her feathers were badly singed; her neck hung limp. To the friend's surprise, however, out from under the dead hen scurried four young chicks, unharmed by the flames. The sacrifice of the mother hen and her protective wings had saved the small chicks.

A similar image of love and protection is used in today's passage. Having taught and healed in the region of Galilee, Jesus was warned that Herod sought to kill Him. Jesus replied that no threat of death would deter Him from His mission. In fact, Jesus announced that He was heading straight for the thick of danger: Jerusalem itself (vv. 32-33). He then briefly recounted the negative history of this city: a history characterized by hardness of heart and repeat-ed rejection of God's call to repentance. In no uncertain terms, Jesus reminded them that these are the same people who “kill the prophets and stone those sent to you” (v. 34; cf. 2 Chron. 24:20-21; Acts 7:33-53). This very city was Jesus' destination!

Jesus knew this history; He even knew, in fact, that He must die there. Yet note the unexpected response of love and devotion: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings ” (v. 34). Rather than contempt and wrath at their perpetual rejection, Jesus offered astonishing words of comfort and safety. He desires to gather His people, His children, and protect them from coming destruction and harm.

But His words do not end there. Note the appalling response to His desire: “but you were not willing!” (v. 34). For those who turn to Him, there is the protective love of a mother; for those who resist, there is only destruction and desolation (v. 35). How will you respond to His offer of protection?
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Young animals seem to show more wisdom than many people. They know where to find warmth, nurture, and protection. Yet people often foolishly stray from God's love and care. How often can it be said that we “were not willing”? Thank God today for His loving care and protection, recommitting yourself to His presence. Then pray for those you know who refuse God's love, that they may turn from coming destruction and find rest under the shadow of His wings (Ps. 57:1).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Psalm 103
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. - Psalm 103:13
TODAY IN THE WORD
Abraham Lincoln summed up well a Christian view of confession and forgiveness when he proclaimed, “It is the duty of nations as well as of men to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon.”

That assurance of mercy and forgiveness is the fundamental theme of today's psalm. At nearly the center of the psalm, in verse 13, Scripture declares that the Lord is like a father who has compassion on his children. Beware, though, lest these familiar sentiments lose their force. The rest of the psalm places that compassion in its proper context: the reality of sin. If God's compassionate fatherhood stands as the central declaration, the prevailing theme of this psalm is God's forgiveness and love. In other words, if asked what God's fatherly compassion looks like, the psalmist points to forgiveness of sins.

The psalm opens with an invitation to praise the Lord and to “forget not all his benefits” (v. 2). What are those benefits? Healing, redemption, and the satisfaction of “good things” to be sure (vv. 3-5), but the dominating message is of God's forgiveness. He “forgives all your sins” (v. 3); He is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger” (v. 8 ); He “will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever” (v. 9); He “does not treat us as our sins deserve” (v. 10); and He has removed our transgressions from us “as far as the east is from the west” (v. 12). Verse 13 summarizes this rich forgiveness as God's fatherly compassion for His children.

Why does God have compassion on us? Because God knows us. He knows we are frail and vulnerable. He knows that we are like grass blown in the wind (vv. 14-16). In other words, God looks upon us in our weakness and in our sin and is moved not with contempt or rage, but with compassion and love. He is the Lord of all (v. 19), but He is also our compassionate Father. Rest in that knowledge.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
How often do you view God more as an angry parent than as a forgiving Father who knows our weakness and is moved to compassion? Reflect today on the third stanza of H. F. Lyte's hymn, “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven” which was inspired by Psalm 103: “Father-like, He tends and spares us / well our feeble frame He knows / in His hand He gently bears us / rescues us from all our foes. / Alleluia, alleluia! / Widely yet His mercy flows.”

[Def]

Read: Psalm 103
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. - Psalm 103:13
TODAY IN THE WORD
Abraham Lincoln summed up well a Christian view of confession and forgiveness when he proclaimed, “It is the duty of nations as well as of men to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon.”

That assurance of mercy and forgiveness is the fundamental theme of today's psalm. At nearly the center of the psalm, in verse 13, Scripture declares that the Lord is like a father who has compassion on his children. Beware, though, lest these familiar sentiments lose their force. The rest of the psalm places that compassion in its proper context: the reality of sin. If God's compassionate fatherhood stands as the central declaration, the prevailing theme of this psalm is God's forgiveness and love. In other words, if asked what God's fatherly compassion looks like, the psalmist points to forgiveness of sins.

The psalm opens with an invitation to praise the Lord and to “forget not all his benefits” (v. 2). What are those benefits? Healing, redemption, and the satisfaction of “good things” to be sure (vv. 3-5), but the dominating message is of God's forgiveness. He “forgives all your sins” (v. 3); He is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger” (v. 8 ); He “will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever” (v. 9); He “does not treat us as our sins deserve” (v. 10); and He has removed our transgressions from us “as far as the east is from the west” (v. 12). Verse 13 summarizes this rich forgiveness as God's fatherly compassion for His children.

Why does God have compassion on us? Because God knows us. He knows we are frail and vulnerable. He knows that we are like grass blown in the wind (vv. 14-16). In other words, God looks upon us in our weakness and in our sin and is moved not with contempt or rage, but with compassion and love. He is the Lord of all (v. 19), but He is also our compassionate Father. Rest in that knowledge.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
How often do you view God more as an angry parent than as a forgiving Father who knows our weakness and is moved to compassion? Reflect today on the third stanza of H. F. Lyte's hymn, “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven” which was inspired by Psalm 103: “Father-like, He tends and spares us / well our feeble frame He knows / in His hand He gently bears us / rescues us from all our foes. / Alleluia, alleluia! / Widely yet His mercy flows.”

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Isaiah 49:14-16
Can a mother forget the baby at her breast? . . . Though she may forget, I will not forget you! - Isaiah 49:15
TODAY IN THE WORD
A young child goes to the marketplace with her mother. The streets are bustling with shoppers. Merchants are busy haggling and making sales. The mother warns the child not to wander far from her side. But the child becomes increasingly drawn to entertaining street performers and colorful booths full of toys. She turns around to discover that her mother is gone and she is left standing alone surrounded by strangers. In desperate fear of being lost, the child hurries through the streets crying for her mother.

This image of the fear of abandonment reflects the sentiments of the opening verse from today's passage. Having been taken into harsh exile under Babylon, Judah's city Zion cries out “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me” (v. 14). Like a child in the streets, Israel looks around and fears that God has left her.

God directly addresses this fear in verse 15 by drawing upon the metaphor of an unforgetting maternal love. Of all the expressions of human love, a mother's love for her infant is perhaps the strongest we know. A special bond exists between a mother and her child, for it was she who felt the child grow inside her own body, and it was she who labored to bring the child into the world. The thought of a mother forgetting her own child is unimaginable.

Yet, tragic as it is, mothers do forget their children; as humans, they are sinful and sometimes selfish. Anticipating this response, God declares that His is not human, failing love: “Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” (v. 15). In fact, going beyond normal mother-love, God tattoos (literally “cuts”) the names of His people on His palms (v. 16).

Lest we ever think God has forgotten us, today's passage reminds us that we are permanently in God's thoughts. Like a perfect mother, God will not, cannot, forget His children. Those engravings on His palms remain to this day in the hands of Jesus, forever scarred from the cross.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
We all go through periods of doubt and distance from God when we wonder if He has forgotten our suffering. Perhaps we think our sin is too great and God has abandoned us forever. If these are your fears today, or if you know of a loved one who struggles with these fears, pray today that God's unforgetting love would be made real in a new way. Then thank Him that, although every form of human love fails, God's love for us is perfect and never fading.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 6:25-33
I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. - Psalm 81:10
TODAY IN THE WORD
We live in a fast-paced, worry-filled world. Numerous concerns fill our minds every day: travel accidents, paying the bills, getting fired, sending kids to college, or growing old. A quick online search for books on anxiety or worry produced nearly 300,000 results! And recent estimates suggest that roughly twenty-five million Americans suffer from some form of anxiety disorder every year. No doubt we live in an age of extreme stress.

Given our stress-filled culture, it is easy to think that we are the first to experience the pressures of life. A closer look at Jesus' words suggests that we are not alone. Even Jesus' disciples knew about anxieties, and Jesus explicitly commands us not to worry about what we will eat or drink or wear (v. 25). He then suggests that we look at two comparisons: the birds of the air and the flowers of the field (vv. 26-31). Both, says Jesus, receive what they need from God. The bottom line: if God cares for things like birds and flowers, how much more will He care for us?

Yet more is going on here than just forcing ourselves to have a positive outlook on life. Twice Jesus identifies the source of a faithful, worry-free attitude: understanding God as “your heavenly Father” (vv. 26, 32). The unbeliever, too, wrestles with anxiety over the needs of life, but the fundamental difference is in the God we worship. The unbeliever takes his needs to impersonal and ultimately powerless gods. We, however, take our concerns to a God who, according to Jesus, is also “your heavenly Father who knows” those needs (v. 32).

Only when we see God as our all-knowing Father who provides for our needs can we then complete Jesus' command to seek God's “kingdom and His righteousness” (v. 33). The knowledge of God first as “your heavenly Father” enables us to live our lives in response to that knowledge. Life is filled with worries and very real anxieties, but Scripture calls us to counter those worries by embracing God as the heavenly Father that He is.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
How wonderfully refreshing to have a heavenly Father who knows our needs and promises to meet them! But let's not forget our greatest need of all, met already in the sending of Christ: forgiveness and reconciliation with the true God. Today, on this second Sunday in Advent, reflect on that fulfillment of our greatest need. Praise God today for His love for you, even as you use this season to prepare yourself for Christ's return one day to fulfill God's promise of full communion with us.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 7:7-11
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine . . . be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus! - Ephesians 3:20-21
TODAY IN THE WORD
Think of the legendary grandfather who loves to play pranks on his grandchildren. What seems to be a piece of candy turns out to be a frightening explosion when unwrapped. What looks like a friendly handshake turns out to be an electric shock. What appears as an invitation to his favorite chair becomes an embarrassing experience with a whoopie cushion! Perhaps the occasional prank is funny, but if used repeatedly, grandchildren will learn not to trust their grandfather. They learn what kind of man he is.

Do we know what kind of God we pray to? Is He a deceptive God who gives only tricks? Is He a hard-hearted God who gives begrudgingly? Or is He a loving God who gives more than we can ever ask? Today's passage answers the question: God is a Father who gives “good gifts to those who ask him” (v. 11). God is generous in giving; He also gives what is good for us.

We can look to human parents as examples. If a son is hungry, a father does not hand his boy a stone or snake (vv. 9-10), things that may appear as answers to the request but in reality are only deceptions. The point is clear: God is no prankster who delights in fooling us; rather, He is a generous Father who gives us what we need. If even sinful humans know how to provide generously for their children's requests, how much more will our heavenly Father lavish upon us all our needs (v. 11)? Knowing, then, what kind of God we petition brings new light to the first verses of the passage: ask, seek, knock (vv. 7-8)—all ancient metaphors for prayer. If God is a generous Father, then we can take our needs to Him and ask. We can seek Him, confident that He will provide for us. Persistence in prayer on our part is done not in desperation toward a stingy or deceptive God, but in hopeful anticipation that our heavenly Father knows our needs and will generously provide the best for His children.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
How often do we approach God as either a begrudging or trickster God, sure that He will not hear us or afraid of His response? Jesus' words today rebuke us for such an attitude in prayer, and also call us toward a better relationship with God as our heavenly Father. Spend time in prayer today asking forgiveness for any wrong attitudes toward God you may have held. Then bring your needs before Him with joyful confidence as His beloved child for whom He delights to provide.

[Def]

Read: Matthew 6:25-33
I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. - Psalm 81:10
TODAY IN THE WORD
We live in a fast-paced, worry-filled world. Numerous concerns fill our minds every day: travel accidents, paying the bills, getting fired, sending kids to college, or growing old. A quick online search for books on anxiety or worry produced nearly 300,000 results! And recent estimates suggest that roughly twenty-five million Americans suffer from some form of anxiety disorder every year. No doubt we live in an age of extreme stress.

Given our stress-filled culture, it is easy to think that we are the first to experience the pressures of life. A closer look at Jesus' words suggests that we are not alone. Even Jesus' disciples knew about anxieties, and Jesus explicitly commands us not to worry about what we will eat or drink or wear (v. 25). He then suggests that we look at two comparisons: the birds of the air and the flowers of the field (vv. 26-31). Both, says Jesus, receive what they need from God. The bottom line: if God cares for things like birds and flowers, how much more will He care for us?

Yet more is going on here than just forcing ourselves to have a positive outlook on life. Twice Jesus identifies the source of a faithful, worry-free attitude: understanding God as “your heavenly Father” (vv. 26, 32). The unbeliever, too, wrestles with anxiety over the needs of life, but the fundamental difference is in the God we worship. The unbeliever takes his needs to impersonal and ultimately powerless gods. We, however, take our concerns to a God who, according to Jesus, is also “your heavenly Father who knows” those needs (v. 32).

Only when we see God as our all-knowing Father who provides for our needs can we then complete Jesus' command to seek God's “kingdom and His righteousness” (v. 33). The knowledge of God first as “your heavenly Father” enables us to live our lives in response to that knowledge. Life is filled with worries and very real anxieties, but Scripture calls us to counter those worries by embracing God as the heavenly Father that He is.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
How wonderfully refreshing to have a heavenly Father who knows our needs and promises to meet them! But let's not forget our greatest need of all, met already in the sending of Christ: forgiveness and reconciliation with the true God. Today, on this second Sunday in Advent, reflect on that fulfillment of our greatest need. Praise God today for His love for you, even as you use this season to prepare yourself for Christ's return one day to fulfill God's promise of full communion with us.

thank you Pastor Roger
He did bring me out of Egypt
my Egypt was the doctrine that I was born in.
Now  I live by faith. By the grace and mercy of a Loving God and Father.
One day soon i will be with Jesus.that is His promise
I will see God face to face  and I will see His Glory His Goodness..Love in jesus Def.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Jeremiah 31:1-9
I will lead them beside streams of water . . .because I am Israel’s father. - JeremIah 31:9
TODAY IN THE WORD
The history of Israel is not a pretty one. Soon after settling in the promised land, God's people repeatedly fell into disobedience and rebellion. Over time, the political nation itself was divided in two: the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. Despite numerous prophetic calls to repentance, God's people continued in their sin. Eventually, the northern kingdom of Israel was taken into captivity in 722 b.c. and the southern kingdom was conquered in 586 b.c. Divided, disobedient, and exiled: from all appear-ances, it seemed that God's work with His people had ended in failure.

Out of this dark picture comes the bright light of Jeremiah 30-31: a promise not only of restoration, but of reunion. God declares that He will bring back “Israel and Judah” and restore them to the land (30:3). Today's passage, likewise, focuses upon this theme: “I will be the God of all the clans of Israel” (v. 1). And in this promise of restoration comes the declaration of God's faithfulness and goodness to His people: three times He proclaims His love; He promises to rebuild the nation and restore joy to the land; He declares that His restoration will result in great abundance which will attract others; and finally, He indicates that the restoration would be a “great throng” of singing and praise (v. 8 ).

The picture from today's passage is one of great hope and joy for God's people. But do not miss the ending. After all the excitement and jubilation, verse 9 shifts to a quieter mood. There will be weeping and prayer, and then the image of peaceful walking along quiet streams. Notice the tenderness and gentleness depicted here in God's promise, grounded in this singular reason: “because I am Israel's father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son” (v. 9). Though God's people turned away from Him, God had not forgotten them. He is their Father, and as such He is moved with unbounded love for His people to call them back and bring them the joy of restoration and reunion.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Striking parallels exist between the sad his-tory of divided Israel and the church today. We are often characterized by deep-seated divisions and disobedience as well. Jeremiah's words to Israel apply to us today, for we too face beset-ting sins, coldness of heart, refusal to love one another. Reflecting on God's initiative of fatherly love, consider ways today to respond, such as reconciling with an estranged child of God, or confessing a recurring sin to your heavenly Father.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Exodus 4:18-23; Exodus 4:29-31
Then say to Pharaoh, “This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son.” - Exodus 4:22
TODAY IN THE WORD
Every outdoors enthusiast knows that standing between a bear and her cubs is a life-threatening situation. While many bears avoid human contact, a mother bear who feels her cubs are threatened usually displays aggressive and defensive behavior. Every year, hikers and campers are seriously injured or killed by bears, many of whom are protecting their young from perceived danger. The word of wisdom for those entering bear country: do not mess with a sow's cubs!

The headline for today's passage could read: do not mess with the Lord's firstborn son! Israel had been oppressed for many years under Egypt, and God was determined to bring deliverance. To do that, the Lord instructed Moses to demand the people's release. Of course, Moses balked and offered a number of excuses, each of which God answered (see Ex. 3:11-4:17). Ironically, it was the fear of Pharaoh, an inability to speak well, and even the people of Israel themselves that seemed to constrain Moses. Utterly lacking was a fear of the Lord Himself or any genuine understanding of God's zeal for His people.

Despite his fears, what should have bolstered Moses' confidence were God's words to Pharaoh: “This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, ”˜Let my son go, so he may worship me.' But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son” (vv. 22-23). These verses might shock us with their hostility and zeal! God so loves His child Israel that He will enact great violence in order to secure Israel's safety. The naming of Israel as God's “firstborn son” is no mere sentiment; it is a reality that comes with concrete action. Those who would stand between God and His child would know that zeal in the form of plagues, the killing of Egyptian firstborn sons, and the death of an entire army (see Exodus 7-14). Lest we think of God only as a sweet and tender parent, a sort of soft God, today's passage reminds us that His love for His children also entails action and zeal!
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Note the Israelites' response upon hearing of God's concern for them: “they bowed down and worshiped” (v. 31). The God of Moses and Aaron is our God as well. And just as God defeated Israel's enemy, so today God has defeated the ultimate enemy of sin and death by the most violent of actions: the death of His son Jesus on the cross. Take time today to follow the Israelites' response by bowing before your heavenly Father and worshiping Him for His saving action on your behalf.

[Def]

Read: Exodus 4:18-23; Exodus 4:29-31
Then say to Pharaoh, “This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son.” - Exodus 4:22
TODAY IN THE WORD
Every outdoors enthusiast knows that standing between a bear and her cubs is a life-threatening situation. While many bears avoid human contact, a mother bear who feels her cubs are threatened usually displays aggressive and defensive behavior. Every year, hikers and campers are seriously injured or killed by bears, many of whom are protecting their young from perceived danger. The word of wisdom for those entering bear country: do not mess with a sow's cubs!

The headline for today's passage could read: do not mess with the Lord's firstborn son! Israel had been oppressed for many years under Egypt, and God was determined to bring deliverance. To do that, the Lord instructed Moses to demand the people's release. Of course, Moses balked and offered a number of excuses, each of which God answered (see Ex. 3:11-4:17). Ironically, it was the fear of Pharaoh, an inability to speak well, and even the people of Israel themselves that seemed to constrain Moses. Utterly lacking was a fear of the Lord Himself or any genuine understanding of God's zeal for His people.

Despite his fears, what should have bolstered Moses' confidence were God's words to Pharaoh: “This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, ”˜Let my son go, so he may worship me.' But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son” (vv. 22-23). These verses might shock us with their hostility and zeal! God so loves His child Israel that He will enact great violence in order to secure Israel's safety. The naming of Israel as God's “firstborn son” is no mere sentiment; it is a reality that comes with concrete action. Those who would stand between God and His child would know that zeal in the form of plagues, the killing of Egyptian firstborn sons, and the death of an entire army (see Exodus 7-14). Lest we think of God only as a sweet and tender parent, a sort of soft God, today's passage reminds us that His love for His children also entails action and zeal!
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Note the Israelites' response upon hearing of God's concern for them: “they bowed down and worshiped” (v. 31). The God of Moses and Aaron is our God as well. And just as God defeated Israel's enemy, so today God has defeated the ultimate enemy of sin and death by the most violent of actions: the death of His son Jesus on the cross. Take time today to follow the Israelites' response by bowing before your heavenly Father and worshiping Him for His saving action on your behalf.

Good Food .thank you Pastor Roger
.association..meditation.
thank you Pastor Roger  and brother Tom for keeping the chair under my feet...love in Jesus Def

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Deuteronomy 8:1-9
As a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you. - Deuteronomy 8:5
TODAY IN THE WORD
In The Great Divorce, C. S. Lewis envisions a heavenly land in which things are so solid as to be painful for the ill-prepared. Grass cuts their feet, rivers move like glass, and the weight of fruit makes it impossible to carry. But the protagonist soon learns that one can be disciplined for the heavenly life. In one scene, an inhabitant beckons: “Will you come with me to the mountains? It will hurt at first, until your feet are hardened. Reality is harsh to the feet of shadows. But will you come?” This land required physical training before bodies could be accustomed to its joys.

Although the world of The Great Divorce comes from the imagination of Lewis, the idea of discipline for the purpose of training is quite biblical. Particularly today we see the Lord's discipline of His people to prepare them for right living. God describes the Promised Land in vivid detail as a rich and abundant land (vv. 1, 7-9). But between these verses comes the somewhat surprising description of God's preparation of His people for this arrival.The Lord has led them through the wilderness to “humble” and “test” them (v. 2). Verse 3 again identifies God's humbling action as He let Israel feel hunger, then fed them with manna. They wandered for forty years in the desert and yet they were never in want of food, water, or clothing.

Why did God allow Israel to experience such hardship? The answer is provided in our key verse for today. All the hardship experienced by Israel was a demonstration of God's fatherly discipline, meant to train them to trust His goodness and provision when they entered the land. Indeed, such divine discipline was intended not as punishment for doing wrong, but as training for doing right, so that they might learn to “live and increase” in the land (v. 1). We train our bodies through healthy eating and sleeping habits, not to punish ourselves but in order to prepare for the demands of life. Like the feet that needed to be trained to enjoy the heavenly mountains in The Great Divorce, we too need God's training discipline to prepare us for His kingdom.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
As with the Israelites, so today we need God's training discipline. And just as the body can be disciplined with exercise and diet, we can be trained spiritually as well. Consider how “spiritually disciplined” you are, and make a goal this week to work on your own personal disciplines of prayer, fasting, Scripture reading, or corporate worship. Ask God to use His Spirit and Word to train and prepare you for living in His kingdom, not just for a moment or a day, but for eternity.