Our Father Is Active In Life

The First Article.

Of Creation.

Sunset Silver Mountain, MI

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

What does this mean?--Answer.
I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my limbs, my reason, and all my senses, and still preserves them; in addition thereto, clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and homestead, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my goods; that He provides me richly and daily with all that I need to support this body and life, protects me from all danger, and guards me and preserves me from all evil; and all this out of pure, fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me; for all which I owe it to Him to thank, praise, serve, and obey Him. This is most certainly true.

(http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php)



 

God, our Father and Creator, cares for His whole creation. He loves and cares for us. He has provided us with all that we have.

 

Do you believe this? If we truly believed this then we would, at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to our Father in heaven. If we believed that all that we have, even our ourselves and our family and friends, are gifts from God, then we would take care of them as though they were precious treasures; for indeed they are.

 

God is not just a God of beginnings. He did not just create and then us alone to our devices. He is an active Father providing not just the material things of life; but, spiritual gifts as well.

 

May our Father's love for us, inspire us to love and cherish Him for all that He has done for us. May God help us to love and care for His whole creation.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J 

Mark 12:18-27 - No Marriage In Life After Death

Mark 12:18-27 NIV

Well, here is one tradition that I am glad we do not following: the widow marrying her late husband's brother! My brothers-in-law probably would not appreciate it, either. Not that I don't love them; not that I don't love my husband; but, here in my latter years, I have come to know a love greater than any love that is possible within the hearts of man or woman. It is the unconditional love of God for his children. It is the love of God for His bride, which is the church (all God's people). Isaiah (54:5 NIV) tells us:
"For your Maker is your husband—
    the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
    he is called the God of all the earth."

The Sadducees were concerned about this world and wanted to dispel any notion of eternal life. They wanted to trip Jesus up regarding whether there would be a resurrection or not with a question about marriage after death. Of course, the Sadducees thought that when you're dead, you're dead. Jesus tells them that they are wrong on both counts. There will be no marriages between man and woman in the Kingdom and that there definitely is life after death. He tells them: "Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!” (Mark 12:26-27) Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had been long gone at the time of Moses. Yet, God affirms that He is their God. The dead cannot love or worship anyone. Yet the great "I AM" is their God; therefore, they must be living. Makes absolute sense to me....

God's Peace - Pr. J

Ezekiel 23 - The Tale of Two Cities

The tale of two sisters presents a pretty colorful picture of prostitution and whoredom. It is an allegory that presents idolatry and adultery as one and the same. The two sisters are in actuality the two cities of Samaria, which is the capital of the northern kingdom and Jerusalem, which is the capital of the southern kingdom. Both cities have fallen under condemnation for their idolatrous ways. These have lusted after and played the harlot with foreign men of power. They have prostituted themselves in that they have allied themselves with other cities and countries that do not worship God. They have been unfaithful to their Husband, who is their Creator. (Isa 54:5) Ultimately, they will fall for their unfaithfulness.

How often do we play games with men and/or women of power to get what we desire? Maybe it is for riches or maybe it is for more power and prestige for ourselves. The tale of two sisters or the tale of these two cities should remind us that there is only one God, who is our Maker and Redeemer. He is our all. There can be only one first love and from Him we should not stray.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Ezekiel 16 - Idolatry and Adultery

Yesterday, a dead branch; today the LORD compares Israel to an unfaithful wife. I find it most interesting that these two words seem almost interchangeable in Scripture: Idolatry and Adultery.

God blessed the people. He gave them life. He gave them beautiful gifts even as a husband would give to his beloved wife. Yet, the wife turned to others in a idolatrous relationships that God's refers to as adultery.

One of my favorite verses from the Old Testament is:
"For your Maker is your husband—
    the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;    he is called the God of all the earth." (Isaiah 5:6 NIV)
Think about it, when we put anything before our Creator and Redeemer, be it things or people, including ourselves, we are committing idolatry, and we are being unfaithful to our Maker, who is our husband.

This can be applied to our relationship with others as well. Whenever, we decide that something else is more important than the people we have committed to share our lives with, we are not only committing idolatry with the thing that is more important than our spouses; we are committing adultery, as we are being unfaithful to the commitment that we made in Holy Matrimony.

Included in my explanation to confirmands on the commandment "You shall not commit adultery" and when I meet with couples preparing for marriage, I make every attempt to help them better understand that adultery is not just have a sexual liaison with another person. Adultery includes any time we put our commitment to our spouse behind our false idol; whether that false idol is a sports event, a night out with our friends, addictions, or maybe even our jobs.

Your creator is your husband. May God help us to love Him even as He loves us. May we always be faithful to the God of all the earth.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

P.S. It is so very sad that so many are missing out on the blessings of God, an abundant life lived in Christ, by their idolatrous relationships.

 

Jeremiah 3 - Will The LORD Divorce Us?

^"From our youth shameful gods have consumed
    the fruits of our ancestors’ labor—
their flocks and herds, 
   their sons and daughters." (Jer 3:24 NIV)

Now, if this isn't the truth! Our shameful gods consume the fruits of our labor. How much have you lost in pursuit of false gods? False gods take; while, our Maker, who is our husband (Isa 54:4), gives.

We have turned our backs on God and sought other gods. In this chapter we are compared to unfaithful wives and prostitutes. We have committed adultery and idolatry. As children of our heavenly Father, we have run away from home!

Yet, what do we hear from Him! What good news is this? The LORD will still take us back! He forgives us!

“‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord,
    ‘I will frown on you no longer,
for I am faithful,’ declares the Lord,
    ‘I will not be angry forever. 
“'Return, faithless people;    I will cure you of backsliding.'” (Jer 3:12, 22)

Even while we are unfaithful, the LORD is faithful. The LORD forgives all who repent and believe in (and even desire) His promise of reconciliation with Himself in His Kingdom through Jesus Christ our LORD. Our Maker, our Husband, does not want a divorce from us. He doesn't want a divorce from we who have committed adultery and idolatry against Him. He wants us reconciled to Himself; therefore, He sent His only begotten Son, to be our Savior, to be our peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Isaiah 54 - Your Maker Is Your Husband

Now, here is one for those who find themselves alone a lot. At least I relied on it, a lot, in my younger years, when my husband spent more time away from home than he spent at home. We figured it out once. In 21 years, he was gone at least 3/4's of the time. That is, he was either in the field, on a ship, in training in some other country, or on an 18 month (or longer) deployment somewhere. We didn't even begin to count the overnight duties he pulled. The life of a military spouse (and their children) can get pretty lonely. Fortunately, I had two sons with me. Any other relatives were about a thousand miles away. I turned to the church so that our sons and I would have family. It was by wading (or waddling) through those years, that I have come to believe and know that there is a blood that is thicker than blood. It is the blood of Christ that is shed for you. I believe that it was this alone time that opened up the door to my seeking the LORD on a closer and more personal basis (or maybe it was finally opening the door and letting Him in). It was during one of the loneliest times that I finally came to know Jesus as my Redeemer. It was in preparation for an even lonelier and most desolate time that I finally met the Holy Spirit (face to face, so to speak). I spent a lot of time over the years affirming Isaiah 54:5-8 (NIV) for myself. It brought much comfort and ultimately, it helped me to learn to love and trust in the LORD more fully. Maybe it will help at least one of you, so I share it.

For your Maker is your husband—
    the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
    he is called the God of all the earth.
The Lord will call you back
    as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit—
a wife who married young,
    only to be rejected,” says your God.
“For a brief moment I abandoned you,
    but with deep compassion I will bring you back.
In a surge of anger
    I hid my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness
    I will have compassion on you,”
    says the Lord your Redeemer.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

 

Isaiah 17 - Woe To Those Who Think Too Highly Of The Work of Their Own Hands

"In that day people will look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel. They will not look to the altars, the work of their hands, and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles and the incense altars their fingers have made. (Isa 17:7-8 NIV)

Does is really have to get that bad before people will look to their Maker, the Holy One of Israel? It just amazes me that we have to face destruction, even live through it, before we give up trusting in the work of our own hands, before we turn and trust the LORD. 

Isaiah prophecies that the people will plant and they will grow, yet the harvest will be worthless. The work of their hands will come to nothing. They will be hungry. He prophecies against those who rage like the stormy sea. "In the evening, sudden terror! Before the morning, they are gone! This is the portion of those who loot us, the lot of those who plunder us." (vs 14)

Woe to those who rage against others. Woe to those who plot secretly to destroy them. Do you not know that you will not prevail? Do you not know that you are bringing an end to yourself? Leave off trusting in your own ability to prevail. You are not a god. Leave off trusting in your false gods.

Return to the LORD, look to your Maker, and rejoice for our Father has mercy on all who hear His Word and believe. Live life justly!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Proverbs 7 - Adultery - Idolatry

We're still being warned about adultery... being told to cling to our sister, wisdom, and steer clear of those who would lead you into adulterous affairs. It does not matter whether you are male or female, the word and the wisdom of the word seems pretty clear. It leads to the chambers of death.

God has given us so much life, so much good life, why seek after something that will only bring chaos, pain and sorrow into your lives and the lives of those around you whom you love?

So you say you've never committed adultery? If you recall Isaiah 54:5 (NIV) "For your Maker is your husband— the Lord Almighty is his name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth." Whenever you have chased after false gods, you have not only committed idolatry, you have also committed adultery. Your maker is your husband. Do not chase after any other gods. Do not be seduced by them.

May God who is faithful to you, help you to be faithful in all that you do.

God's Peace - Pr. J