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Thursday November 20 - God of the living!
“...God said to you, ‘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.” Mt 22:31-32
Before delivering God’s people from their bondage in Egypt, God introduced himself to Moses as “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14). It was fundamental that Moses understood the profound significance of this name, a name that declares God’s unchanging nature and his divine presence in our lives. It signifies that he is eternal, all-sufficient, and ever- present in our every circumstance.
Moses had grown up as a prince in the courts of Egypt, a nation of many named false gods, each thought to have dominion over particular aspects of life. For example, the goddess Isis had dominion limited to women, children, and medicine; Osiris was the god of fertility and agriculture. Not so for the God of Israel – his name, the great “I am” (‘Yahweh’ in Hebrew) declares that he is the one supreme, omnipotent God who has dominion over all. Yahweh is self-sufficient, self-sustaining; the God who was, who is, and who will be.
Yahweh declares life not death. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We know God ‘is’, but so are Abraham and his family. There is no death in heaven, there is only life. This should inspire us to take the message of God’s love and grace into the world, to our neighbours and friends. Just a few days ago a friend encouraged me to “keep plundering hell and populating heaven.” May it be!
Heavenly Father, I praise you – ‘the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not’ (Romans 4:17). Amen.
Friday November 21 - The head not the tail
The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day. Deut 28:13
If there’s a Bible text that sums up the life of Joseph, this is it. Joseph’s is a real ‘poor boy comes good’ story. Despite the actions of his brothers, Potiphar’s wife and Pharaoh which led to him being beaten, exiled and falsely accused, Joseph sought to be righteous throughout. Today’s text, at the heart of Deuteronomy 28’s list of blessings that arise from obedience, aptly sums up Joseph’s life, becoming ‘the head, not the tail’! Day by day, we have seen the unfolding of this promise, culminating in Joseph being elevated to be Pharaoh’s right-hand man!
Dear friend, if there’s one take-away from this edition, may it be to remember and live according to the truth – personified in Joseph’s life – that obedience is the pathway to blessing! It’s all by God’s grace; our part is to position ourselves under obedience’s open window of heaven. God will never bless disobedience; the second half of Deuteronomy makes that abundantly clear! The world saw Joseph as ‘a tail’ but God made him into ‘a head’. In order for his covenant promise, first given to Abraham, to be fulfilled, Joseph had to change. God worked through a yielded heart, prepared in the isolation and pain of the pit, the darkness of prison and the years of servanthood. God needs you. Why? Because he ‘has made everything for its purpose’ (Proverbs 16:4).
Father God, I thank you that your eyes range throughout the earth, to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to you (2 Chronicles 16:9). Amen.
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PRAYER FOR TODAY
PRAYER FOR TODAY