Many people, especially writers, chose a one-word theme each year. Do you do this? I do occasionally. But this year, a word chose me—hidden. God whispered it in my ear twice in December. First, through a devotional by Elyse Fitzpatrick. Then again, through a conversation with my mentor and friend, author Heather Holleman.
The Apostal Paul reminds us of our hiding place, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).
We tend to fragment life into the sacred and secular, worship and work, when in reality, God made all of nature supernatural. The spiritual and material coexist in creation. We should never undervalue even the most menial tasks. When done with the right attitude for God’s glory, these are sacred trusts and acts of worship. Here’s an acrostic the Lord gave me for the word hidden:
Held
In Divine
Dedication
Even
Now
Through my eight-year journey to bring you Choose Now to Grow Grand, Not Old, I’ve buried my basement. It’s the catch-all space in my house where we toss stuff because we aren’t using it and don’t know who needs it. Certainly, we don’t; if we did, we wouldn’t have put it there to begin with. Can you relate? My save-it-for-a-rainy-day storage plan devolved into a deluge.
Since my first book discusses the blessings of downsizing, instead of burdening children with junk, I’m going into hiding to practice what I preach. Abba is sending me to my room until it’s clean, lol! I’ve been meditating on this verse from Ecclesiastes, “a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together,” Ecclesiastes 3:5.
I’d like to think I’m the one wise woman King Salomon never met, but, in truth, I just teri-phrase things. My version goes a time to clutter and a time to clean. Another Terri, Terri Lynn Schump, a sister in the Wellspring Writers group I’m part of, says, “A time to expand and a time to contract.” So, I’m cleaning, contracting, and casting away stones in my basement.
If you study the context of the word hidden in Colossians 3, you will see Paul is calling us to progressive sanctification—learning to live Christ-like. The Lord entrusts all of us with material possessions. The stuff in my basement belongs to Him, and I need to manage His property better. If Bill and I aren’t using it, I must pass it on to someone who will.
So, as an obedient child, I descend the stairs to hide, not in my basement; I’m hiding in Christ.
Therefore, I will not be blogging for a while.
Since my blah, blah blogging won’t be cluttering your inbox, you have a few extra moments a month to join me and clean out something in your home, if you want, or read something by those incredible Christian women I mentioned at the beginning of this epistle. Follow the links and see what these ladies have written.
Until my basement is tidy, Happy New Year! And Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter . . . you get the idea. I trust you’ll keep steeping in truth with me by daily reading God’s Word.
The first time I ever heard a genealogy from the Bible was in grade school. “And So and So begot What’s His Name and What’s His name begot Who’s It,” read my grandpa Donaldson without batting an eye. My family laughed except for Grandma Erma. She was not amused by what she deemed irreverent.
I know a few people who get excited about genealogies, like my mom; usually, these people are genealogists. Only brave souls study and compile a family genealogy. When they do, it’s typically personal for their family.
The Apostal Matthew, however, recorded the genealogy of Jesus. Luke also took on this task from a different side of the family. While these are the only two genealogies in the New Testament, lists of who begat who saturate the Old Testament. But in the genealogies of the Bible, Matthew’s is unique.
Some argue the genealogy in Matthew is unique because it mentions women. The Old Testament genealogies rarely mentioned women. However, the patens of Israel’s kings all include women. Matthew’s Gospel establishes Jesus’ legal claim to David’s throne and exalts Him as the King of Kings. A Jewish reader would expect to see some of their queens listed. So, mentioning four women by name is not an anomaly; however, one character is. Uriah!
As I study the genealogies of Scripture, the listing of Uriah should strike us as scandalous. And it does, but not in the way the Lord intends. Our minds too quickly run to his wife, Bathsheba—but despite her blood relationship, her name is absent. The point is not that two adulterers are in the lineage of Christ. While the Lord contrasts a sinful King David with the better King David—Jesus—the sinless King of Kings, there’s more going on with the listing of Uriah.
Uriah is the only time in any Biblical genealogy that a scribe includes the name of a man who is not a relative. If God just wanted to remind us of David’s sin, He could have said, “And David begot Solomon by means of adultery.” But God mentions the name of the victim of this crime, Uriah. When we consider Uriah’s story, we discover two essential truths of the Gospel. First, Uriah exemplifies loyalty to King David. Second, Uriah the Hittite—like the three women mentioned before him—is a Gentile. God vindicated Uriah’s devotion to the King of the Jews by including him in the genealogy of the Messiah. Uriah’s inclusion reminds us Jesus was born to build a kingdom from every tribe, tongue, and nation. Jesus is not just the King of the Jews like David was. Jesus honors and welcomes every person who pledges allegiance to Him as Uriah pledged allegiance to David.
So, as we read Mathew’s Christmas story, slow down in the opening genealogy. Let’s savor every word of God and not insert a name that isn’t recorded. Better yet, let’s stop after reading his name and read Uriah’s story in 2 Samuel 11 – 12. This account reminds us that one man’s sin brings death to many, just as the birth and death of the Savior bring many to life.
The peace on earth Jesus brings is peace with God—the forgiveness of sin and the redemption of all the devastation our sins inflict upon others. Uriah’s name doesn’t belong in Christ’s genealogy any more than our names belong in the Book of Life. But praise God, we can hear the angels sing, “Peace on earth, goodwill to men.” And by God’s grace, our names are written down in glory too. Merry CHRISTmas!
“Do or do not. There is no try.” ~ Yoda. The little green guy with long ears may have had a false impression of the true Force, but he was definitely on to something. When it comes to seeking God or following Jesus, it really is all or nothing. “Take up your cross (a Roman execution instrument),” “Lay down your life,” and “Give away all that you have and follow Me.” These are startling invitations, but this is the Gospel. Jesus isn’t asking us to do what He hasn’t already done.
Jesus gave up a perfect home to be born in a barn and rub shoulders with sinners. He often rubbed them the wrong way. Before He ever paid the horrific death penalty we owed to God, He called sinners to repent. I’ll paraphrase it like this, Jesus said, “Turn away from life as you know it because you’re dead men walking. You’re like zombies traipsing off a cliff. Turn around; I am the way, the truth, and the life. Everything else in this world, except the whispers from my defiled creation, are lies.”
We all come into God’s family by new birth. I’ve never seen a partial person or half a baby. People may have physical defects, but sin defiles us all. Yup, sin is another all-or-nothing concept.
All have sinned. All have come short of God’s glory; there are none righteous, no not one (Romans 3:10, 23). Yet a miraculous change happens at the new birth, we get a complete blood transfusion, and the infection of spiritual death is no more. Completely G-O-N-E! And while we struggle with sin in our skin (the flesh), the penalty is paid in full. So where are you at today with Jesus?
Do you have all of His forgiveness or none of it? Personally, I’d rather die and live forever than live a drop-in-bucket life and die for all eternity paying for my sins. Born once, die twice. Born twice, die once. 1+1+1= 1 in the Kingdom of our God of the impossible. You are one dead sinner or one living saint. It really is all or nothing!
Delight—what a delicious word; it twirls on my tongue! It lights my imagination. It radiates warmth in my soul. The Lord flecked His canvas of creation with a brush full of delights. The earth sings witness to how delightful her Creator is; if we fail to join in her chorus, we miss the point of all these pleasantries. Do we let the wonder of creation usher us into the presence of Him, Who is most delightful?
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 ESV
Recently, I visited a younger friend struggling in her marriage. As she lamented her present relationship, the Holy Spirit impressed this verse in my mind and made it clear I should speak this truth. It seemed so trite to me, like rattling off Romans 8:28. Yet, that was God’s counsel. The following morning, my insight still felt dismissive; I needed to reflect on the verse I shared with her. As I reread Psalm 37, I marveled at God’s wisdom. Most of my friend’s desires have been God-honoring. She desires to be a faithful, loving wife and mother—a delightful spouse and parent. But I fear she covets a better marriage more than she is presently delighting in her First Love.
Covetousness is a sneaky sin that perverts blessings into idols. And when we focus and bow down to what we don’t have, we fail to delight in what we do have: an eternal relationship with the Perfect Lover of our soul. When we delight in Jesus, He releases us from the fretting fearfulness our idols inflict on us. Does it really matter if our husbands fail to love us well when we’re consumed with the perfect love of God? No.
All people love imperfectly, including you and me. All people sin. We’re all selfish failures sometimes, and yet God delights in each of us, including others who let us down.
“But the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.“He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.” Deuteronomy 32:9-10 ESV.
The phrase “apple of my eye” comes from these verses, and it’s long been the expression of a deep, delightful love. Today I redeemed an old Stevie Wonder song for my worship to the Lord, singing to Him, “You are the sunshine of my life,” He replied, “You are the apple of my eye. That’s why I always stay around.” And He’s singing that to you today.
Maybe like my dear friend, you’re experiencing a difficult passage in your walk with God. Know He still delights in you. Reflect on this reality, “He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delightedin me” (Psalm 18:19 ESV, italics added). If you trusted Him for salvation from sin, how can you not trust Him again to deliver you out of this present trial? Keep trusting. Keep doing the right thing. Keep your integrity. He promises good results. This excerpt from The NET Bible refreshed my perspective on delight.
3 Trust in the Lord and do what is right. Settle in the land and maintain your integrity.[e] 4 Then you will take delight in the Lord,[f] and he will answer your prayers.[g] 5 Commit your future to the Lord.[h] Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf.” The NET Bible
Keep praying! He will answer. Our delight begins with obedience and ends with praise. Delighting in the Lord changes us. It transforms our prayers and desires.
Delighting in God opens our eyes to what He finds delightful in others. As we delight in Him, He transforms us into more delightful women.
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV).
Trampled under the feet of worry and hurry, the art of being died. Alga rhythms and screaming screens drive this false, frenetic pace. We no longer feel compelled to keep up with just the Jones. The picture-perfect Smiths and Wessins plague us too, and they’re killing us. Yet God calls us to be.
Psalm 46:10 begins with, “Be.” We are human beings. Being like, who? Ms. Smith or Jones? Or are we content to be God’s child created in His image? We exist as beings formed to shine the Light of the World into the darkness; have we been eclipsed?
The moon reflects the sun unless the world gets in the way. Has it? The world’s gravitational pull tends to drag us down and spin us around, setting us off balance; we feel we must do things to be of any use.
A demanding, dark deceiver shouts, “Hurry up! You have stuff to do, places to go!! Read that old story later.” But later, we’re tired from the treadmill he pushed us onto.
“Be still,” our Abba encourages us. Still reveals His invitation; S.T.I.L.L.
Stop what you are doing and be His child.
To discover the secret of living is to know the Lord of Life well.
Inquireof the One who loves you more than anyone else and knows the answers to all questions.
Look outside at the wonders He wrought: all creation declares His glory. Keep looking into His perfect law of liberty that sets us free from the world’s folly. And . . .
Listen for His still, small voice from His holy Word, the Bible. Wait for it . . . wait for it . . . wait patiently upon the Lord, and He will grant us the answers our hearts desire if—only if—we will settle down and know Him. Intimately. Let His gentle whisper fall on our soul’s ears. Know the great I AM is God. But first, we must be. Then be still.
“Read that story again, Mama!” If you have children and read to them, you’ve often heard this. I bet—once upon a time—you even said it. I know I drove my mom crazy, pleading for my favorite stories when I was little.
It seems we never tire of stories that bring us joy and comfort. It’s not that we don’t know the story; we just want to be reminded of it again. Author Samuel Johnson wrote, “People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.”I woke today with a deep need for reminding of some specific verses from Psalms 37.
“Do not fret,” the Psalm begins. That’s the feeling I woke with today. At first, I thought I felt angry, but I could think of no object for my anger. It was a nebulous fretfulness, evidence that my heart needed to be unburdened.
Are you fretting? What about? Speak it. Breathe it into the ears of God and let Him bear the burden. It’s His joy to help us obey His commands.
“Trust in the Lord, and do good;dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.” (Psaml 37:3). Trust that God cares. Trust that He wants to help you. Trust that He is good, powerful, and full of loving-kindness and tender mercies. These reflections will help us move on to the good works He’s prepared for us.
In my unsettled state of mind, I thought I had failed to pay some bills that were now past due. I have to feed on His faithfulness because I am not always faithful. After confessing my neglect, I went to pay the bills. I discovered I had paid the bills after all. I was less of an airhead than I thought I was. How silly I was to fret!
“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Part of delighting in Him is appreciating His will. As we do, His will becomes ours, and He faithfully does His will in and through us. This is why when we “commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:4).
One of the things I’ve fretted over is getting a Bible study I wrote published. I feel like it’s do-or-die. I’ve put it off too long. But my anxiety hints that I’m believing a lie and not trusting God’s timing and His power to bring it to pass or, in this case, press.
“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way” (Psalm 37:7).
Ahh—rest—that’s what I need. Rest and patience. I used to think impatience was the opposite of patience until I read Ecclesiastes 7:8, “The end of a thing is better than its beginning; the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” I’m struggling because I’m proud and want things done on my timetable. Repentance requires me to wait humbly, to wait with a quiet spirit. The truth from this verse I memorized with my granddaughter sums it up best, “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm.”
Yes, I needed reminding. Thank You, Abba, for reading me these verses from Psalm 37 again!
Culture matters. We interpret life through a cultural lens. As a result, we can misinterpret essential things. For years my husband told me I was rude because when I’d call him or he’d call me and I failed to live up to his cultural expectation of a personal greeting. Having grown up in a farming community, he’s a warm culture guy. Relationship is king!
But I’m a cold culture woman, raised by a Mainiac (my mom was born and raised in Maine) who gets straight to business. Not wasting people’s time is a sign of respect. So while I tried to respect my husband, he felt disrespected. He’d call. I’d answer, “What do you need?” (quick, short, to the point) Instead of, “How are you? (pause) How may I help you?” Neither of these approaches is right or wrong; they’re just different. Reading the book From Foreign to Familiar helped me not feel beaten up by my husband’s accusations of rudeness. So I love him by inquiring about his well-being, and he honors me by quickly addressing my need.
We honor God’s diverse creation when we learn and honor different cultures. We respect God’s word when we gain an understanding of the ancient cultures that provide the context in Scripture. For example, I never understood why Herodias’s daughter would ask for John the Baptist’s head (Mark 6:21 – 29).
Yuck! As a twelve-year-old girl, if a powerful king made me that offer, I would not ask for such a gruesome thing; and I probably wouldn’t have consulted with my mom. Why? Because I grew up in the individualistic, justice/ punishment culture of the United States. Herodias’s daughter grew up in the ancient culture of Roman-occupied Israel. In that culture, as in many worldwide today, family is valued more than individuality, and shame and honor determine your destiny. It would have been shameful for this young girl not to consult her family. And because John the Baptist shamed her family, asking for his head honored them all. I did not figure this out until a friend from India explained the differences between our American culture and his Asian culture. Then the lights went on, and I finally understood this story.
Learn to Discern
Discerning the difference between what’s cultural and Biblical challenges cross-cultural Bible teachers more than you may think. For instance, the story of the beheading of John the Baptist, is it about a gruesome unjust execution by a people-pleasing king, or is it about a bold prophet who didn’t shirk his responsibility to shame a wicked king? If you answer both, you are correct. Can you see how different cultural lenses will see other principles from the same story? Or how about Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4, is that primarily about crossing lines of ethnic prejudice, or is it about the restoration of the value of women in society, or could it be about the forgiveness of an adulteress? Again your answer will depend on your cultural values; the answer is all of the above.
I’m currently readingServing with Eyes Wide Open by David Livermore. He shares the western perspective of the story of Joeseph in the last thirteen chapters of Genesis, focusing on Joseph’s faithfulness to God and staying pure when faced with temptations. Then David explains in an eastern honor/ shame culture that they would focus on how Joseph forgave brothers that caused him great harm him. Can you see how both are valid applications? Be careful to call something a Biblical principle that may simply be a principle that speaks to your cultural understanding. Is sin always shameful? Yes. Does God forgive sinners? Yes. These are two Biblical principles unaltered by cultural bias.
Practicing Patience Increases Your CQ
I’m leading a book club of four twenty-something girls. I call us the crazy quilt ladies because we all have different cultural upbringings. One woman is from east Africa, and another comes from west Africa. Two out of five of us operate on African time. The other three of us needed to exercise patience when our African sisters showed up an hour or later to the first meeting. Our two warm culture friends ignore a ticking timepiece if it feels rude to them to leave one gathering to go to the next. The rest of us loved them by reviewing our discussion when they finally showed up. When they did arrive, they were all about being with us; I love that about warm-culture people on African time.
Remember my warm-cultured husband? African time kills his Greman soul. Punctuality is essential to some people groups. Is it to you? More importantly, are you willing to lay down your time consciousness to love someone else who is less trapped in time?
Whether studying the Bible, globe-trotting or making friends in our neighborhoods who come from other places, let’s know there are different ways to live, not right and wrong, just diverse ways. Let’s grow our cultural quotient (CQ) and adapt to the Kingdom Jesus is building from every tribe, tongue, and nation.
I love invitations. Last year, I issued many invitations to several events: a girlfriend getaway with my three oldest friends, my book launch party, and Bill’s and my 40th wedding anniversary party. The people who showed up to celebrate with me made these events spectacular. Receiving invitations is equally delightful. I received invitations to several weddings and baby and bridal showers. I bet you enjoy invitations too. We feel included—wanted—when someone invites us to be at an event or even to just go for coffee.
The Lord issues many invitations in Scripture, but one of the most popular we find in the book of Matthew. “Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). Who hasn’t felt worn out, burdened, or overworked?! If you’ve never felt that way, please, write a book. I want to read your secret. But until that book gets published, let’s learn how to receive this sweet invitation from the Lord.
First, how do we come to Him? By faith (Hebrews 11:6). And not a simple belief in God in general, the demons believe in God and tremble (James 2:19). No rest for them! Look at the last part of Hebrews 11:6, “for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Do you believe Jesus is God, and He rewards those who seek Him? If not, you need to seek Jesus for salvation. Believe He is the one and only way to God the Father. He says to us, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). This includes you. If you’ve never trusted Jesus to forgive your sin and give you new life, you can never come to Him for rest or anything else. I pray you will stop right now and ask Jesus to save you.
For those of us who have a relationship with Jesus, how do we enjoy His presence?
As followers of Jesus, we’re encouraged to read our Bibles, pray, attend church, and do Bible study. And while all of that is good advice, it’s easy to reduce our role as a disciple to a to-do list. We check the boxes but often don’t feel connected. Boredom sets in for some. Others become rigid in their practice and legalistic about what a Christian must do. It can also induce guilt if we don’t get our devotions done. Jesus doesn’t want to be put on our to-do list or reduced to disciplines. He calls us into a relationship as His disciple, His friend, and, best of all, His sisters. Devotion to Christ isn’t a 30-minute quiet Bible reading and prayer time. Devotion to God is a new, restful, abundant way of living.
Think about relating to your siblings. Do you share memories with them? Do you have fun and enjoy meals together? Do you disagree with them at times? Did you ever fight? Jesus wants these same interactions with us. He invites us to come to Him as a person. It’s okay to wrestle with God. Jacob did! If religious exercises have burnt you out, His invitation is for you. We cannot reduce friendship to a chore and expect it to be satisfying. That’s what the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ time had done and what they expected others to do, earn their way to be with God. But Jesus is inviting us to come to be with Him.
The Lord creates us all differently, with unique spiritual love languages. In his book Sacred Pathways: Developing your Soul’s Path to God, Gary Thomas identifies nine different ways people love God and draw near to him (these are all ways Jesus related to His Father). Here’s a summary:
1. Naturalist: John 6:3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, Mat. 6 Look at the birds of the air, and the flowers of the field. He wants us to pay attention to how He uses nature to illustrate His truth. Do you like going outside to be with God? Do you see your Creator most clearly in creation?
2. Sensate: Consider how God lead Solomon to build the temple. Think about the beautiful sights, sounds, and incense fragrance. We heard Jesus remind us to look. The Bible tells us to taste and see the Lord’s goodness. Jesus at the last supper said this wine is the new covenant; this bread is my body. When you taste good food, do you taste the goodness of God? Do you draw near God when you see beautiful things or hear beautiful music?
3. Traditionalist: Luke 2:41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. Do stained glass, the ritual of communion, and witnessing a baptism transport you into God’s presence?
4.Ascetic: Mark 1:35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place, and there He prayed. Do solitude and simplicity provide the best space for you to relate to God?
5. Activist: Jesus overturned the tables in the temple, “It is written my house shall be a house of prayer, and you have turned it into a den of thieves!” Do you sense God’s delight as you stand in a protest for the right to life or against racism? Do God’s justice, and a desire for justice energize you?
6.Caregiver: John the Baptist sent his followers to ask if Jesus was the Messiah. Listen to Jesus’ answer in Mat. 11: 4 – 5, “Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” And don’t forget the feeding of the 5,000 and the 4,000. Do you love cooking and cleaning, and serving people in need? Jesus did too!
7.Enthusiast: Luke 19:37-40 reveals Jesus defending the celebration of His deity. In the law God gave to Moses, the Lord created feasts that included loud music, great food, and celebratory worship. Do you love to party with God at Christian concerts and worship services? Do you enjoy celebrating Him by dancing or singing?
8. Contemplatives: Listen to Christ’s prayer in John 17“As You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” Can you hear His contemplation of the mystery of the trinity? Do you love just pondering the character of God? His love? His majesty? His power?
9. Intellectual: In Luke 2:46, we find Jesus sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Jesus, the Living Word of God, studied with the rabbis. Do inductive Bible Study and a good exposition of the Bile simulate you to worship?
This list is not exhaustive. God is infinite, and as a result, we experience His presence in many ways. Rest in how He created you to enjoy being with Him. Maybe you prefer singing Scripture to reading it or meditating deeply on a tiny phrase rather than reading large portions. Variety is vital in every good relationship, and our relationship with God is no different. Meet with Him in various ways at different times. But do come to Him!
What does He invite us to? Rest! Yes, but what kind of rest? For years I’d come to this promise and stop at the end of Matthew 11:28 and beg the Lord to let me sleep or nap or stop spinning plates. Then I wondered why He didn’t seem to be listening to me. I’d ask, not receive, and wonder if God was a promise keeper. But I discovered the problem wasn’t God. He didn’t give a faulty invitation. The problem was me. As James puts it (James 4:3), I was asking amiss. I coveted my concept of rest, but that’s not what Jesus offers.
Jesus offers us a paradox, a holy mystery of abundant living. Listen, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29 – 30). He wants us to rest while we work. To learn to be gentle as we work, not stressed out and impatient (which I so often was and at times still am). Harshness results from hurry. I once heard a Bible scholar say the one word he believes best describes Jesus is unhurried. Are you unhurried?
Unhurried is unworried. When we’re anxious, we’re not resting. Jesus never worried about time. Jairus’s daughter was dying or dead, but instead of rushing off to Jiarus’ house, Jesus stopped to assure a critically ill woman that her faith made her well, not the hem of His robe. She came to Him weary, spent, and completely depleted, but she reached out to touch Him and found rest and restoration. She met the person who took the time to know her personally. Wow! And then Jesus strolled to Jiarus’ to raise his daughter from the dead. No matter how long God seems to take, He is never too late. Can you settle your heart on that reality and learn to work at His pace, not yours? That’s what He’s inviting us to, His “unforced rhythm of grace” (as it’s paraphrased in the Message Bible).
I’m learning to come to Jesus in more ways and more often than just once a day. I’m learning to listen for His still, small voice and feel the rhythm of Him walking beside me as His easy yoke embraces me to work with Him. I’m being His child and walking with Him. As I do, I’m finding the rest I craved for so long. I’m being His child and walking with Him.
I know this blog is long, but I trust that if you read it unhurried, you will discover and receive the fantastic offer Jesus sets before us every moment of every day!
I remember my grandpa reading through the Bible at dinner time. “And So and So begot Whose It, and Whose It begot What’s His Name . . .” His idle attempt to read the text without pronouncing names made us chuckle. But as a mature believer, I’ve discovered a gold mine in these genealogies. The Gospel of Mathew begins with the ancestry of Jesus.
I delight in reading and reflecting on this portion of Scripture at Christmas time. In the first five verses, three of Jesus’ “mothers” are named: Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth. Through these women, God built the household of King David and our Savior. Their stories remind us not everyone is born into a family of faith. Their lives reveal God’s redemption—bringing them into Christ. Their testimonies encourage us, as God’s people, to be mindful of our relationships with the lost.
Tamar ~ neglected by God’s people
Tamar experienced the neglect of God’s chosen people. Judah failed to give his twice-widowed daughter-in-law in marriage to his third son. Judah blamed Tamar for the death of his two older sons. He feared that his third son would die too if he gave her to him as a wife. He failed to keep his promise to care for her. However, God did not fail her.
Tamar knew justice required Judah to give her a son. Tamar understood what Judah owed her and took bold measures to secure her future. God honored her risqué attempt to raise an heir to Judah. The Lord vindicated Tamar with twins—a replacement for both of Judah’s boys.
Consider your present circumstances. As God’s child, are you neglecting to keep a promise you’ve made as Judah did? If so, this is the perfect time to repent and give what you promised. Is God waiting for you to take a bold step of faith like Tamar and claim His promises? Do! God will bless your effort.
Rahab ~ walled off from God’s people
Next, we find Rahab, a pagan prostitute, separated from God’s people by the walls of Jericho. The Lord loved her and sent two spies from Israel to her. She trusted God and sheltered them. As a result, Rahab received the security of a promise kept. By faith, she tied a red thread to her window as the spies instructed her to do. The scarlet strand signaled Israel’s armies to spare her and those under her roof.
Have we ventured far enough into enemy territory to bring in those walled off by the world? Let’s be willing to share the good news of Jesus’s first advent with those held captive behind the gates of Hell.
Ruth ~ estranged from God’s people
After Rahab, we come to Ruth. She originated in Moab. Moab began as the descendants of “righteous” Lot, but by the time Israel came into the Promised land, the Moabites had forgotten their relationship with Abraham. These people were estranged from each other.
The Moabites refused to feed their hungry relatives. Ironically, Naomi’s family went looking for bread in Moab during a famine in Israel. After Naomi’s husband died, her sons married Moabite women. Ruth became her daughter-in-law. Then Ruth’s husband dies. Ruth (whose name means friend) commits to caring for Naomi. Naomi needed Ruth’s friendship, and Ruth needed to return to the blessings of God’s people. Naomi (whose name means pleasant) attracted Ruth to return to Israel. Does our countenance attract those turned off by the church? Ruth was faithful to her family. Are we devoted to our church family by caring for each of them?
I’m thankful the Lord pieced these women into His family. It reminds me that when I was lost, Jesus brought me in too!
As we read through the genealogy of Jesus’s female ancestors, may God inspire us with their examples this Christmas. Let’s pay attention to the neglected, walled-off, and estranged souls around us. Let’s remember why God sent His Son into the world this Christmas. Like God, let’s intentionally bring outsiders into our celebrations.
“And Jesus said to him, “. . . the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:9 – 10
Strolling through warm sand, I hear the lull of waves splashing against the shore and the trilling of gulls as they scavenge for food. But I fix my eyes on the sand as I scan the beach for treasure—clamshells, limpets, sand dollars, any lovely shell I might collect. The best souvenirs from the beach are free, as our salvation in Christ.
Then I see it, a crown of whelk spikes partially exposed. I prize such a find. The intricate spiral twists up its slender stem. Beautiful. Perfect. Yet, more extraordinary are the truths this sea creature displays.
Whelks hatch from their eggs already wrapped in a shell. Their shells start as a thin, flimsy covering. The babies must eat to grow and build sturdier covers. As Christ-followers, we are born again by the Word of God (1 Peter 1:23). We continue to grow strong on the calcium of Scripture. “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,” 1 Peter 2:2. Wrapped in the continuing calcification of God’s Word, He protects and shelters us. “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock,” Matthew 7:24.
The more we study the Bible, we appreciate the intricate story of redemption. Truth upon truth twists into a wonderous spiral.
As our understanding of how each story echoes the same truth, we hear the voice of God Himself, like hearing the ocean as we hold a shell to our ear. At each twist and turn in life’s trials, we grow. We gain a more significant appreciation for His faithfulness. Our shelter through the storms grows. And a crown forms.
A crown of life (James 1:12 )—all for the King of Kings—crowns to cast at His feet (Revelation 4:10), as whelk shells scattered on the shore. He finds His treasure in us.
God creates many beautiful trinkets for beach-combers to gather. Blessed is the beach bum who grasps the great truths demonstrated by these tiny delights.
“I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure.” Psalm 119:162
Father, as we wander in Your world this summer, please, open our eyes to the beautiful lessons all around us. Amen
