Showing posts with label Children of God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Children of God. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

A God of Promise


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“He said to Me, "You are My Servant, Israel, In Whom I will show My glory."” – Isaiah 49:3


A father looks at his son or daughter and sees the potential, the promise of who they might become.  In this perspective he has determined the appropriate training, knowledge and experiences that will best serve them in their future.  They are molded, taught and prepared throughout their informative years with those essentials that will benefit them most, should they choose to pursue his plan for their life.  All of this work, this effort and this planning goes out the door quickly though, when the child is no longer a child and determines for themself what their future will hold.  In many cases the years of preparation are going to steer their choice within the same discipline as their father had planned, yet other times they will choose to rebel against their father’s plan and strike out on their own.  Either way, the impact of their training, their experiences and their nurturing will be carried with them throughout their lives, and have an impact on those around them.

God’s children, Israel, were strong in faith, trust and love for their Father.  The Father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; taught them through scripture and through the prophets and priests righteousness and the law.  They awaited the Messiah, to come and deliver them into the peace and riches of the Father.  They endured the hardships of life under the control of other dynasty’s and persevered the enslavement and rule Rome.  Their history bound them together for the greater purpose that had been implanted in them and passed from generation to generation.

Through Isaiah, God chooses to remind Israel that it is through them that the Messiah will come and bring glory and salvation to the world.  Their purpose was defined by the Father and for the Father’s glory.  Their purpose was to serve God and to trust in His word for them.  The Messiah would bring about the salvation, the redemption and end all persecution, in God’s timing.  Israel needed to hear from the Lord that He had not abandoned them, and that His plan was still in process.  His word, through Isaiah, was meant to strengthen their resolve and rekindle the desire deep inside their hearts.  The desire to serve God and to follow Him, just as King David had done, just as Abraham had done.  His promises were for the faithful and His word was true, but required their endurance and patience to see it come to fruition.  His encouraging words, emphasized that His glory was still to be delivered.

Today, God is telling us to hold fast to His promises.  He will return one day and reconcile this world to His righteousness.  We are to serve Him until that day of His glorious return.  Do not lose patience, but endure through the darkness that surrounds you, for the light is coming and the world will be changed forever.

             
© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
For an archive of Daily Thoughts go to: http://www.10minutereader.com

Thursday, July 19, 2012

One on One with the Mirror


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“'I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,' says the Lord Almighty."                    –2 Corinthians 6:18

Walking into the bathroom, eyes barely opened in the darkness around me.  The light penetrates through the darkness as my hand finds the switch on the wall, and for a moment I am blinded as my pupils constrict to adjust to the brightness.  Placing both hands on the edge of the sink I stare into the mirror on the wall.  How did I get here?  Where did those wrinkles come from and man do I need a shower.  For a moment I am captivated by the truth of my reflection.  The truth that this is who I am, this is the real me.  Not the one that everyone in the office sees, all cleaned up, pressed and alert.  No, this is me with the pillow hair all a mess, the tired eyes and the little bits of grey showing up around the temples and chin.  I’m beginning to see the evidence from the genetics of my life taking shape, as I see the features of my Dad looking back at me.  How different we are, but how much more are the similarities becoming visible. 

As children we each could look at different areas of our life and see our parents.  Mannerisms, voice tones, personalities, expressions and even looks.  The amazing thing about genetics though is that through all the similarities, we are each independently unique and designed not in the image of our parents, but in the image of God.  Recall from Genesis 1:27 – “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”  This isn’t a symbolic representation or fairy tale, it’s the truth from God’s own word.  We are created in His image – He is our Father and our likeness needs to look more and more like Him each day.
 
When you look in the mirror, who do you see?  The tired, stressed, worried and overwhelmed face of a man; or the energetic, passionate, strong and confident face of God’s child.  You are a son or a daughter of God Almighty.  As your Father, He has given you many gifts to use for His purpose on this earth, not to be wasted.  When you look in the mirror, see the child that God sees; not the one that your friends or family or neighbors see and criticize.  You have the strength of the Holy Spirit inside of you and the wisdom of the Father of the Universe.  There is truly nothing that could stop you when you fully embrace this role in life.  The problem is that most of us get caught behind the mask of imperfection, sin and unrighteousness and thereby refuse to acknowledge the person God created you to be.  We get caught up in trying to be the person we’ve always wanted to be and forego the original blueprint for our life.

This morning, when you wake – look in the mirror and ask this one question: “God, thank you for making me uniquely beautiful in Your eyes; what do I need to do for You today?”  Your Father in Heaven wants nothing more than to see you succeed at His plan and He will not hide this plan from you.  It isn’t a guessing game, nor a mystery.  He simply wants you to step into it, when you’re ready.  Are you done making excuses for who you really are, and are you ready to become who He created you to be?  Look in the mirror and ask yourself whose plan is best for my life.  When you come to realize that He knows you better than you know yourself – you’ll realize that His plan for you is perfect.




© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
For more Daily Thoughts go to:
http://www.10minutereader.com