It seems that I have been away from writing for a lifetime, even though it has only been a few days. This morning has been exciting as I believe the Lord gave me the Epilogue for my new book Judah, The Journey to Delight. I won’t go into it now (Guess you’ll have to read the book!) but it seems that my entire purpose for the book was hidden in an obscure and unlikely book, I Chronicles. There I found the connection I was looking for between Judah, the Lion and Joseph, The Dreamer.
“The family of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Though Reuben was Israel’s firstborn, after he slept with his father’s concubine, a defiling act, his rights as the firstborn were passed on to the sons of Joseph son of Israel. He lost his “firstborn” place in the family tree. And even though Judah became the strongest of his brothers and King David eventually came from that family, the firstborn rights stayed with Joseph.” I Chron. 5:1-2. (MSG)
My reason for writing this morning however, was surfaced in a prayer moment that occurred earlier in my devotional time. I began to realize just how much we tend to impose or maybe even juxtapose our nature and character on the God we worship. God is not human, God is love.
God is not a sinful father, like so many human parents, often earthy, even ruthless in their attempts at disciplining the children they love! God cannot sin, He is just and merciful.
Why am I saying all this? I found myself praying this morning for strength, mercy and for grace to live out the desire of my heart, the dream God has given me. When I began to listen to my prayers, I heard myself asking God, as if it were less than His will, to be merciful? He is not a God that has even the margin of the characteristics of a man.
You see, men often when holding the power to grant mercy, need to be begged; they are judgmental beings who may or may not grant such a request. God however is love, read it in His Word; it is the will of the Father to provide good gifts to His children, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jer. 29:11 (NIV)
Even this scripture has been over used, sometimes perverted in the materialistic greed that has invaded the American church, but that does not change the nature of the God who promised it. He is love and He does not despair with our sins. In fact, He no longer sees our sins, for He has once and for all judged all men in Christ Jesus the God-man; and, that Christ alone stands between us and the Father. Christ is our advocate when we sin and if we “confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of all unrighteousness.” I Jn 1:9.
God truly desires to provide spiritual bounty for us, sufficient for the dreams and desires that He alone has put into our hearts. Yes even from our mother’s womb!
He is unlike any we have ever known. “Eye has not seen” nor can it enter our hearts apart from revelation. Yet, that revelation is freely ours through the relationship brokered in Christ Jesus. No longer are we at the mercy of our flesh, the nature of Reuben, but have been taken back by the Lion of Judah and now retain the status of first born, though not legally ours…and with that, the capacity to fulfill His dreams for our lives. We are Joseph, and we are the beloved!
God is Love.
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