He, the very one who descended, is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.
Eph 4:10
If you know me well, you know that I am rarely at a loss for words, lol. Today however, is one of those days. However, my friends at lovegodgreatly.com did a wonderful job , as always, with their commentary on our soap passage today and I am delighted to share it with you here in the hope that it will bring clarity and an enjoyable addition to your study of God’s Word today. You will also want to check out their blog for today for even more insight into the passage. – love and blessings from – mefromthensideout
Today’s post is taken from the Journal for the Love God Greatly Advent Study, The Promised Messiah. You will find this study and all of the others at lovegodgreatly.com – It is a remarkable site of teaching and opportunity to grow in faith and understanding of God’s Word, with an emphasis and passion to spread the Word of God to every tribe and tongue. Please take a minute to check it out and be sure to like and follow them – and me, if you don’t mind 🙂
Scripture: Genesis 12:3 and 22:18; Psalm 72:17; Gal 3:6-16 / SOAP: Gal 3:8-9
8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the gospel to Abraham ahead of time, saying, “All the nationswill be blessed in you.” 9 So then those who believe are blessed along with Abraham the believer.
Genesis 3:8-9
Have you ever heard or sung the song “Father Abraham”? It’s an interactive song that teaches children, and in my case adults, that as believers we are part of the family of Abraham. Which, as Paul points out in Galatians chapter three is a vital part of our heritage in the family of God. Knowing this part of our heritage does not change who we are in Christ but it does give us a broader understanding of who and how we are in Christ, much like the popular ancestry studies of today help us understand our physical heritage.
Father Abrham had many sons, many sons had father Abrham I am one of them and so are you – so let’s just praise the Lord…
I was saved when I was a very young girl, five or six years of age, but it wasn’t until my late twenties that I began to understand the depth of the grace of God. Until then it was a word relegated to a verse that proclaimed the means of my salvation, “For it is by grace you are saved through faith, it is a gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast.”
My heritage by blood is gentile but by the grace of God I have been covered by the blood of Jesus Christ! By faith I am now numbered among the sons and daughters of Abraham.
MefromtheINsideout!
What does it mean to you to be part of the family of God? Do you remember a time when you weren’t part of the family?
Throughout Scripture we find examples and lessons about or from the Shepherd. One of my favorites and I would dare say – one of the most familiar ‘shepherd reference’ is Psalm 23, in the Old Testament. The Psalm is written by David, a shepherd himself, who writes a beautiful and inviting description of God as His Shepherd. He describes Him as one who protected, led, and cared for him, and who encouraged, renewed, and comforted him. David’s words make it clear that God was the one in whom David placed his hope and confidence.
Like David, we too have a Shepherd, in whom we can place our hope and confidence, knowing that He will not only leave the majority of His sheep to look for even one that is lost, but that He laid down His life for the sheep. He is tender and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. He is a protector and comforter and intercedes on behalf of His sheep to the Father. He leads us by example and is one day coming back for all who belong to Him. You can trust Him and turn to Him when you feel lost or when you you need forgiveness. Remember He is your redeemer, your comforter, encourager, and friend. He is Your intercessor between God and a true love of your soul.
An Invitation –
Is Jesus your Shepherd? – Check out these TRUTHS and choose Jesus today
As for me I know that my Redeemer lives and that as the last he will stand upon the earth.
Job 19:25
Whenever I read this verse, I am reminded that while the Church is a collective body of believers, we are also individual believers, invited into a personal relationship with God, the Father, Son, and Spirit. Why is this important? Because, like Job, we must know the One on whom we have believed. We must know what we believe and why – so that we do not blindly follow others or buy into their lies and false accusations against ourselves or our God.
Listen again to the words of Job: “As for me,I know that my Redeemer lives …” It’s almost as if I can hear the emphasis and inflection as he voices them. I can hear that not only is Job confident that God lives, but he believes with all his heart that God will one day appear to vindicate him from the charges his friends have lodged against him. You see, after Job’s tragic losses, three of his friends told him that his suffering was the result of his sin. Then they basically hounded him to repent so that God would bless Him again. Nice friends, right? Job’s confidence wasn’t that he was a perfect man but that he was innocent of the charges they had applied to him – he was equally confident that God was not punishing him for something he had done. Just in case we ourselves are wondering if their accusations could be true, consider the words at the beginning of the book, where Job was described as “blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.” Gotquestions.org offers this explanation of the verse: “There is a difference between being sinless, which no one is, and being a person of integrity who genuinely wants to please God.” We can, like Job, rest assured that our God is not a vindictive or mean God. He is loving and kind, full of mercy and grace, and long-suffering. Lest we doubt this at anytime – may He help us to remember that even when we were sinners, enemies of God, Christ died for us – then rose again from the grave – so that, like Job said of God -we can confidently say of Christ –I know that my Redeemer lives and that as the last he will stand upon the earth.
Spoiler Alert: In JOB 42, God not only made clear His anger at the three friends, but he also spared them greater consequences for their words of accusation because of His respect for Job. Not only did He vindicate Job (just as Job had declared would happen), but God also blessed Job exceedingly, abundantly with more than he could have ever asked or even imagined. –
So the Lord restored what Job had lost after he prayed for his friends, and the Lord doubled all that had belonged to Job. 11 So they came to him, all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they dined with him in his house. They comforted him and consoled him for all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver[w] and a gold ring. 12 So the Lord blessed the second part of Job’s life more than the first. He had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-Happuch. 15 Nowhere in all the land could women be found who were as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance alongside their brothers. 16 After this Job lived 140 years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so Job died, old and full of days.
Job 42: 10-17
Clearly, reading through the book of Job, it is evident that God was living and active in Job’s life – and we have every reason to share in the confidence that He is living and active in our lives as well.
These are just a handful of verses that attest to this truth and should fill us with the confidence to say – My Redeemer lives, I do not walk alone, I do not face the challenges of this life alone … and one day I know He will return!
Going Further
Check out this beautiful devotion that was in my inbox the morning I studied this passage. Oh, how I love His personal involvement in my life – from the timing to the sentiment – He knew I needed the renewed assurance and courage that comes from knowing that the Creator of all is my ally.
Worship in Response to the Word
I do not own the rights to this video –
Know These Truths
If you would like to know my Redeemer, please visit the following link – I would love to introduce you to Him. 🦋
Scripture: Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Philippians 2:6-11 / SOAP: Philip 2:8-11
THe Love and Example of Jesus –
Though he, [Jesus], was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,
he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
The Reaction of God The Father –
9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:8-11
I love the way that the LGG Team worded it in today’s devotion (journal p 52)
When Jesus left the glories of heaven to come into our broken world, He emptied Himself, not of His divinity, but of His divine privileges as God. Jesus, the eternal Son of God, was willing to take on human nature, entering into all the pain, frustrations, and afflictions of our fallen world. he humbled Himself by submitting to the Father’s will.
Jesus’ obedience went beyond living as a human, even to the point of His gruesome death. He was humiliated and hated, murdered by the very people He came to save. Yet, because of that, God has highly exalted Him.
The Promised Messiah, by LGG, devotion journal p52
To know God is to love Him and to know the depth of His love is to worship and adore Him above all else. I mean seriously, our God is an awesome God! Yet we will never truly understand how incredibly awesome He is until we understand the depth of His love. Consider these closing words from today’s devo: “[Jesus] was willing to humble Himself completely to save us. He left His place in heaven so that we could have a relationship with Him. He gave everything so we could gain everything.” –
When we understand the depth of His love we will bow to the supremacy of Christ and we will follow/adopt His attitude toward God and man.
O’ Come let us adore Him! May we forever exalt His name – for He is forever worthy of our praise!
Father, God – thank You for sending Your Son to save us. Jesus thank You for Your obedience to the Father on my behalf and for His glory – Help me to live and love like You! In Your name I pray Jesus – Amen.
Praise the Lord! Yes, give praise, O servants of the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord!
Blessed be the name of the Lord now and forever. Psalm 113:1-2
OBSERVATIONS: PRAISE THE LORD!
Praise is the theme
God is the object of the praise
Even His Name is worthy of Praise
Praise Him NOW and FOREVER
APPLICATION:
PRAISE THE LORD was going to be my single response here – but as I began typing my observations it occurred to me that, for me, the application might just need to be a question (and answer) response.
Is praising God the theme of my life? (Not like it should be. I do praise Him and often but I also realize that often when answers I’ve prayed for come – my praise is often a quick word rather than a lavish response of praise
Is God the object of my praise? (Certainly! That should be the answer, right? However, if I’m truly honest in the evaluation of myself – I fear I sometimes get much more caught up in the answer than with the God who heard my petition and answered me.)
What does it mean that “His name is worthy of praise? (God’s acts are definitely worthy of praise. Consider the list the Psalmist gave: “He raises the poor from the dirt, lifts up the needy from the garbage pile and seats him with the prices of his people. He makes the barren woman a happy mother of children.” But even if He did none of those things He is worthy of our praise! – He is Creator God, seated on a ‘high throne’, where He has to look down just to see the sky and earth. His name is above every other name – there is no one like Him in heaven or on earth!
Is my praise contingent on circumstances and time? (Surely I will praise Him when I am forevermore with Him. But what about the now and all the days between now and then? Oh it’s easy to praise Him when things are going well. It’s easy to praise Him when I am focused on the fact that He alone is God – but what about those times in the “here and now and all the unknown ‘more’ days that follow here on earth, with all of their unforeseen storms and struggles of life? When things aren’t so good or my mind spirals to fear or other emotions that hinder praise – will I still praise Him? When the waiting for His return gets harder, will I still praise Him? – In all honesty, I think and pray I will, or at least it is what He has been faithfully teaching me to do for many many years now. May I faithfully do so to His glory
The bottom line is this – If we have chosen to follow-Christ and live as a child of God we should be serving the Lord – denying ourselves daily, taking up our cross and following where He leads us and doing His work while He’s gone. – May the words of this commentary be encouragement and inspiration:“Make your job [ministry] in the church an act of praise, doing it with [joy] and reverence to God Honor Him by the quality of your work and the attitude of service you bring.”(borrowed from the NIV New Life Application Bible)
PRAYER: RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD
Father, You are worthy of praise – Your Name alone deserves and ignites praise! The work of Your hands and the depth of Your love – even more so! As the Psalmist said, “Who can compare to You?”. And of course, the answer is none. Not even one Father! You are sovereign over all! There is nothing You cannot do. Your love and power and goodness are matchless! I praise You oh LORD, my God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! Now and forever, Father – may I be quick and faithful to praise You – even as fervently as I pray! And this to Your Glory and honor – Amen!
TODAY’S REFLECTION:
What are you praising God for today?
Me: I’m praising Him for His peace, that passes all understanding, in the midst of the storms and waves of live right now that sometimes cause me to be overwhelmed.
– I’m praising Him for His helping me to get caught up on a few things that were leaving me feeling overwhelmed and trusting Him to continue to help me get completely caught up.
– I’m praising Him for my mother’s birthday, celebrating her 83rd year of life!
A Love God Greatly Devotion from The God Who Restores, p 116
This devotion was written by the Love God Greatly Team as part of their 2022 Advent Study, The God Who Restores. It is a beautifully written ‘commentary’ on Micah 5:4; and great encouragement to the beginning of the final week before Christmas. May it be a blessing to lead you away from the hustle and bustle of the seasonal celebrations and rituals of Christmas; and may it spark a light that will draw your attention to the redemptive love, peace, mercy, joy and hope that God intended HIS gift of the Messiah to be.
borrowed from Love God Greatly, The God Who Restores p. 116 – Advent 2022
The God Who Restores, wk3d1; A Love God Greatly Study
Today’s Reading: Psalm 126
Today’s SOAP: Psalm 126:4-6
Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negeb! Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. Psalm 126:4-6
I have gotten behind on a few things and will be posting a little differently this week, or at least for a few days this week (as time will tell). I trust you will understand and bear with me – I am borrowing devotional writings from the LGG Team provided in the journals and will be posting my SOAP/thoughts on the passage in the comment sections, as I hope you will do too. 😊
INTO THE TEXT – A LOVE GOD GREATLY DEVOTION
w3d1 of The God Who Restores, p90
The people of Israel had seen God’s restoration. They had seen Him restore Zion in such miraculous ways that they believed they were dreaming. They shouted for joy, praising God for the incredible things He accomplished for them. God had brought the people back from exile in Babylon and restored and rebuilt the temple and the city walls in Jerusalem.
This psalm was written after that restoration, when the people of Israel were again waiting for God’s deliverance. They were once again in desperate need of His healing and His intervention and this psalm reminded them of His faithfulness and gave them joy as they looked to what He would do in the future. Though they were still awaiting God’s restoration, they remembered His kindness, compassion, and faithfulness.
This week, we focus on the incredible joy we have in the Lord. After remembering the promise of His return and our great need for Him, we turn our focus to the joy that we already have in him and the fullness of joy we will have when He has restored us.
When we focus on the joy we have in the Lord, no matter our circumstance, we find hope. We do not ignore our suffering, but we focus on God’s faithfulness and what He promises to do. He promises to restore the world. He promises to return, defeat the enemy, and establish His kingdom on earth. God promises to dwell with us forever and to give us eternal life when we place our faith in Him.
[Since we know] God can keep these incredible promises to us, and [because we know] he can restore the world, surely He can restore our current circumstances. Not only is He powerful enough to intervene, but He cares deeply about the pain and sorrow we face today. He promises to restore all things. Though God’s ways and timing may look different than what we hope for, we can have joy as we anticipate His fulfilled promises and His coming restoration. May we shout for joy, even as we wait for Him.
Written by an LGG Team Member
Today’s Reflection:
How have you seen God restore your life or circumstances in the past?
What are you asking of Him or waiting for Him to do for you today?
How does His past faithfulness give you joy in your present season of waiting?
9bSay to the towns of Judah, “[Behold] your God!” 10 Look, the Sovereign Lord comes as a victorious warrior; his military power establishes his rule. Look, his reward is with him; his prize goes before him. 11 Like a shepherd he tends his flock; he gathers up the lambs with his arm; he carries them close to his heart; he leads the ewes along.
Isaiah 40:9b-11
Observations: Behold Your God!
From the first words of this chapter, Isaiah’s message changed from one of coming doom to one of comfort and peace and the coming of the LORD, the God of Israel. The message becomes one of hope and preparation for His return – a message of making a way, removing obstacles, and getting ready to see God’s work. Israel had known hills and valleys and mountain top experiences in their life time – but they were not to let them stand in the way of seeing God and what He would do. -They were to make a way for “all people to see” when His splendor that would one day be revealed (5)
The people of Judah are called to“behold [their] God”. Behold has such a different connotation than glancing or noticing, it is more like gazing or fixing your eyes on something. It was an invitation to take a lingering look, to look intently – as if to study God for who He is and how He is. For instance, as Isaiah points out- God and His Word are eternal and unfailing! He can forever be trusted!
Isaiah doesn’t just present the message/invitation for the people to Behold their God, but he gets specific, pointing out the mightiness and yet the tenderness of God:
The LORD our God will come
He will come as a victorious warrior
He is strong and mighty
He comes prepared to reward His people
He is like a shepherd
He cares for His flock
He is tender and protective with the lambs
He keeps them close and carefully, knowingly, tenderly leads the vulnerable
Application: So what does this mean for God’s people today?
Of course, this message was first given to the people of “Israel”, – but in light of the fact that we have been adopted into God’s family, as sons and daughters – we too are called to “Behold our God”. To look at Him, gaze upon Him, study His life, know His love, and pour it back out on others. In this there is both comfort and peace. I believe for the full scope and application of this passage we must not miss or hesitate to look at the full message of Isaiah in these eleven verses, namely verses three and four, where we read:
Clear a way for the LORD – (in other words, remove the obstacles)
level the road
elevate the valleys
level the mountains and hills
where there is rough terrain needs to be a level plain
the rugged landscape a wide valley
Why? Because if they don’t, if we don’t, we will miss what God is doing and is going to do.
Finally, we must not be afraid to present our God to others – boldly drawing their attention to who He is – “the Sovereign LORD, coming as a victorious warrior, a powerful ruler, who will reward those who belong to Him”; and also how He is – “A [tender] shepherd, who tends his flock, gathering up the lambs with his arm, carrying them close to his heart, leading the ewes along.”
Is there anything better to occupy a believer’s mind than to focus on God and then pour Him out to others?
Mefromtheinsideout –
Prayer: Response to God’s Word
Father, today’s passage calls us to look to come and behold You – to gaze upon You and see You not only in power and might like a warrior but as a shepherd who tenderly and lovingly leads Your sheep — keeping them close to Your heart and protectively leading those who are vulnerable. I’m so thankful to know You as a God of comfort and peace who will come in power and might! Admittedly, I rely on both.
Lord, how happy is anyone you discipline and teach from your law 13 to give him relief from troubled times until a pit is dug for the wicked. 14 The Lord will not leave his people or abandon his heritage, 15 for the administration of justice will again be righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
Psalm 94:12-15 CSB
Observations: God’s People
I think most of us, myself included, prefer the loving, kind, long suffering descriptions of God rather than the passages that boast or cry out for the avenging God, the God who pays back the proud. The Psalmist cries out for that in today’s passage and yet he also sings God’s praises, boasting of how blessed we are to be taught of Him, how He instructs in order to protect us from times of trouble until the wicked are destroyed. Clearly, as the Psalmist clarifies, God understands that it is hard to live among the wicked who constantly seem to flourish and even celebrate, while those who follow God struggle through, what seems like, one trouble after another. So it was quite refreshing and encouraging to reach verse 12 and the verses that followed, specifically through verse 15. To read of the one who receives God’s instructions, the one who is taught by God from His law is blessed with His protection from times of trouble, until the wicked are destroyed.
However, I think the most encouraging words in the passage aside from knowing He will protect us come in verses 14 and 15 where the Psalmist insist that God will not forsake us, restating it and clarifying that God will not abandon His people – those who belong to Him. The writer goes on to explain that while it may not look like it now – justice for the righteous will prevail! Our God will clear us of any blame or suspicion, He will make right the wrongs for those who walk in His ways.
Application: What does this mean for me?
While in this world it may seem like the ‘wicked’ – the ‘evil doers’, the ‘morally corrupt prevail in all they do’ but the upright suffer for their righteous living – there will come a day when the tables will turn and the upright, those who walk in the way of the LORD, will be vindicated.
Are you following God but facing one trial after another while others who follow only the desires of their hearts seem to flourish? If so, take heart and rejoice in knowing that our God reigns! He will neither forsake or abandon you and will protect you in your times of trouble and use them for His glory and your good.
Prayer: Our Response to God’s Word
Father, thank You that You have adopted us into Your family – that You have by grace through faith made us – or a way for us – to be Your people. For as surely as this promise was true in the Psalmist day so it is in ours! You will never forsake Your people. You will not abandon us because we belong to You. And though we wait for Jesus in this world full of sin – we continually wait with hope in Your promise to one day vindicate the upright.
Your Turn: Reflections:
How do you handle waiting on God?
Are you impatient, doing all you can to ‘help’ God out?
Now and forever, Father – may I be quick and faithful to praise You – even as fervently as I pray! And this to Your Glory and honor – Amen!
Me From the Inside Out 