Messenger Moments

By Oswald Chambers 

                    MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST

     No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them. — John 6:44

     When God draws me, the issue of my will comes in at once. Will I react to the revelation he has given me? Will I come to him? It’s a question of obeying, not of ruminating and discussing.

     Never discuss with anyone when God speaks; discussion on spiritual matters is an impertinence. Belief isn’t an intellectual act; it’s a moral act in which I deliberately commit myself to him. Will I hand myself over entirely to God and act on what he says? If I will, I’ll find that I am based on a reality that is as sure as his throne.

     When you preach the gospel, always push the issue of will. Make it clear to your listeners that belief must be the will to believe, that there must be a surrender of the will. Each of us must deliberately launch forth on God and on what he says until we’re no longer confident in what we’ve done, only in him. What holds most of us back is that we won’t trust God, only our own understanding.

     As far as feelings go, I must put them to the side, staking everything blindly on what God says. I must will myself to believe, and this can never be done without a violent effort on my part to break with all my old ways of looking at things and then to hand myself over to him.

     Each one of us is made to reach out beyond our grasp. It is God who draws me, and my relationship with him is first and foremost a personal one, not an intellectual one. I’m introduced into this relationship by the miracle of God and by my own will to believe. Only later do I begin to get an intelligent appreciation and understanding of the wonder of our transaction. 

Reference: Micah 6-7 & Revelation 13

By Anne Jennings

AND THE GOD OF EVERLASTING LIFE

     Where was God when an American Airlines passenger Jet collided midair with a Military helicopter on a training mission at busy Ronald Regan National Airport near Washington, D.C? 

OR

     Where was God when a Jet Rescue Air Ambulance medical flight dropped like a rock onto the streets of Philadelphia less than a week later? 

Sixty-nine souls were taken that evening near D.C. and seven souls were taken that evening in Philadelphia.

Psalm 139:16 NIV

Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book.

     In my lifetime numerous mass disasters have occurred around the world. From airplane crashes to fiery explosions, to tornado’s, floods, earthquakes and typhoons.

     A question that, at times, has haunted me with restless nights and, at times, has sent me searching for answers from scripture and fervent prayer. 

     Why so many deaths in one place at the same time?

     This can only be a Godly miracle He has performed to gather so many souls together to take to Heaven or send to Hell to await judgment for denying His Son Jesus Christ entrance into their hearts and lives.

Luke 12:7 NIV
 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 

     It’s true hundreds and thousands of souls pass each day into life everlasting in heaven with God the Father, Jesus His Son, and countless saintly souls, or they have gone to await God’s final judgment in a place called Hell.

     As Christian Believers, we know God is the God of disasters and that He is also The God of Love and Forgiveness. How brokenhearted He must be to watch so many souls live their final moments on earth end with no hope of reconciliation.

Matthew 10:29 NKJV

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 

     Where was God when disaster struck last week? Where will God be when the next mass disaster strikes? He will be welcoming believers' home, He will be comforting their loved ones on their loss, He will be sorrowing over lost  souls, and whispering to their loved ones….I am here. I sent my son to die that you might live. You still have time!

17:26-27 NIV

From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.

God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

Amen and Amen

By Anne Jennings

     Roaches are nasty creatures; I know because I’ve fought the battle. When my boys were in grade school, we rented several homes that came equipped with roaches as uninvited guests. Each home supplied a huge army of these loathsome creatures.

     Nighttime was our “guests” favorite time to roam in kitchen cupboards, underneath the sink, and sometimes be seen climbing the walls of our dining room.

     Their roach attack was a 24-hour onslaught of epic proportions despite professional exterminators and my ever-present can of Raid. It was a losing battle had by all. Fortunately, I didn’t respond to the drastic measures heard about on our local news. It seems one man was so determined to rid his home of a spider, he killed it with a blow torch….in the process burning down his whole house. LOL

     As Oswald Chambers writes in his January 27 devotional “My Utmost for His Highest.” “The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the lust of other things…..will choke all God puts in. We are never free from the recurring tides.” He continued that it comes in the line of the clothes we wear, the food we eat, money or lack thereof, friends or lack of friends, and even the difficult circumstances of life itself. “It’s one thing after another.”

     If we allow these “roaches of encroachment” to overcome us, we will allow the Spirit of God to be silenced in our Christian life just as the returning waves of the Red Sea silenced Pharaoh and his army.

     Jesus knows our circumstances better than we do! Dear children, do not let your life circumstances become the primary concern of your life.

     Here is what God says in our Bible, His words to us.

Matthew 6:25 says, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?

Matthew 6: 34 ESV

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Luke 12:24 NIV

Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!

     In other words, keep your mind focused on Jesus, your study of related scriptures, a quiet prayer time, fellowship with Christian friends, church-related activities, and thoughts of Heaven…your eternal home.

Amen and Amen

By Anne Jennings

        This week’s government confirmation process for those selected for positions in Donald J. Trump’s cabinet has begun. It has triggered my thoughts of the tests and trials we go through when we ask Jesus Christ into our lives. 

     There is indeed a process of “confirmation” and “verification” that the Holy Spirit conducts with each one of us who profess the name of Jesus.

1 Peter 4:12 ESV

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

     God forgives our past and puts it as far from the East is to the West. 

Psalm 103:12

as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

     Many years ago, as my mother lay dying, she lamented about how she “had not been good.” She was frightened at the prospect of facing our Lord and Savior with earthly sins He had not forgiven. Within minutes of professing that remark, God sent a messenger, her pastor, to be by her side and share God’s word with her. Psalm 103:12 was the scripture he used to ease her mind about the forgiveness of past sins that had tormented her for years.

     Although our past is forgiven, Satan’s tactics against us, his “smear campaigns” make us sitting ducks for misery.

     There are several reasons Satan uses our past, and the present against us. Since he cannot claim our soul, his total obsession is to handicap us for service to The Lord. He knows that dwelling on past sins keeps us out of touch with God’s Holy Spirit. 

     So that....;

     · We neglect to pray

     · Our relationship with Jesus loses its importance

     · Reading and studying our Bible gets put on the back shelf

     · We end our fellowship with Christian friends

     · Our desire to be a part of the “Body of Christ,” His church, ends

     Past sins weigh us down with regret and unworthiness which can also result in depression. I have found that it is impossible to seek God’s face when I’m so focused on looking at my own.

     Lastly, have you ever noticed how the burden of carrying around your past sins drains you of energy and makes you bone weary? I certainly have because I’ve experienced this “Christian malaise” more times than I care to admit.

     Satan knows exactly how to keep us from living a life dedicated to being a witness to the grace of God. Know this: no matter the number of years we live, there will always be daily attacks from our enemy.

     This is all a part of God’s process of confirmation and verification. I thank God for loving me and making me more like Jesus each day.

     He’s smoothing our rough edges and getting us in touch with things that hinder our relationship with Him and other Christians. All the while He’s building our home in heaven so we will all be perfect residents.

Amen and Amen 

By Anne Jennings

       Conversion is a mental decision affecting behavioral changes in someone while regeneration is a new birth. It is spiritual, holy, and heavenly and results in a person being made alive spiritually. This is salvation. 

     To be saved you must first be lost. Paul wrote to the Romans that a simple acknowledgment of God is not enough. James 2:19 tells us that even demons believe in God!

James 2:19 ESV You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

     In his January 10th devotional, Oswald Chambersl says, “conversion is not regeneration. This is one factor neglected in our preaching today….People register their vows, and sign their pledges, and determine to go through, but none of this is salvation.”

     Salvation means we are brought to a place where we seek Jesus Christ’s forgiveness and remission of our sins. 

     An Open Windows January 10th 2025 devotional tells the story of a six-year-old boy who told his parents that he wanted to be saved and baptized. Imagine their concern and many questions. They decided to schedule a meeting with their minister to confirm that their son was indeed serious about salvation.

     At the meeting, their son successfully answered all of the pastor’s questions regarding salvation. The pastor had one final question for the young man. “Young man are you a sinner seeking salvation?” With tears of sorrow the young man answered, “yes!”

     Even at the age of six, God’s Holy Spirit had convicted this young man that he needed to seek God’s forgiveness for sins and repent.

     Our Bible contains many examples of God’s standard for regeneration. It is only through the call of God’s Holy Spirit that we are invited to surrender our lives to Christ, repent of our sins, be baptized and thus receive salvation and eternal life.

Matthew 22:14 ESV

14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

     Everyone has ears to hear the gospel message; through creation, the conscience, or the preaching of the Word. But only a “few” will respond because they are the ones who are truly listening and hearing God’s call. They are the ones who have a heart open to respond to the Spirit’s calling.

     No one by his or her own decision decides to surrender their life and give their all to Jesus Christ. There must first be a calling by God’s Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 1:3-5

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

     When we respond to the call of God’s Holy Spirit we deliberately give up our right of ourself to Jesus Christ. This is the regeneration of our soul. This is salvation.

Amen and Amen

By Anne Jennings, www.MyGospelMessenger.com 

     I was recently studying about Anna the Prophetess in John Macarthur’s “Twelve Extraordinary Women.” It occurred to me how God’s Holy Spirit causes people, places, and things to happen just-in-time. 

Luke 2:36-38 reads as follows:

36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity;

37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

     John Macarthur says: “The scene is the same one we left near the end of our previous chapter. Simeon had just picked up the infant Jesus and pronounced a prophetic blessing on Him.” “In that instant, Luke says, Anna happened by and immediately understood what was going on and who Christ was.” Yet it seems unlikely that Simeon and Anna’s paths had ever crossed. 

     Dr. Macarthur describes the temple in this way.  “Herod’s temple was a massive building, and the temple complex was huge, surrounded by a courtyard with thousands of people milling around at almost any given time. Joseph and Mary did not know Simeon, but by God’s providence and through the sovereign direction of His Spirit, He had brought them together (v.27). At that very instant, Just while Simeon was blessing the child…the Spirit of God providentially led this elderly woman to a place where she was within earshot”.

     How often has this happened throughout the course of the history of creation? How often does it happen today? Quite often, I would say, “It is how God’s Holy Spirit has operated in every way since the beginning of time. That is why there is no such thing as coincidence."

     Anna had been praying and fasting for many long years, perhaps as many as 64. She had been fervently praying that Messiah would come. Now, He had come. He had been miraculously born to a carpenter and his wife in the small, little-known town of Bethlehem. Anna could tell everyone she would meet from that moment until she died that Messiah had come.

     Simeon had been promised to not see death until he saw Messiah.

Luke 2:25-26  And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ." as he did that day in the temple.

     Can you remember a time when you were operating on Holy Spirit Time? When some event occurred that “never in a million years” could happen to you, but it did, “just in time”? Perhaps the event saved your life or a loved one’s life? Perhaps something happened in your life or a total stranger’s life, perhaps it was filmed, and your only comment when you saw it was to say, “No way that could ever happen?”  My Friend, That’s God’s Holy Spirit at work!

Amen and Amen    

Romans 8:28 NIV

     28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 

     Recently, while editing a book for my husband, I found a couple of paragraphs that I personally need to firmly implant in my heart and mind.

     So, I thought I would pass them on to my family in Christ. Because of everything that is going on with each of us, storms hitting the East Coast, wars and threats of wars, and worldwide political unrest. I was led to share them.

     It is impossible to remain a pessimist if God’s children firmly believe the following in their hearts: “You know best in everything that You permit as You are sovereign. I believe in Romans 8:28 that all things work together for good for those who love You and are called according to Your purpose.

     Help me to look away from life’s events, put them into Your loving hands, and leave them there.”

     “Please give me the heart of Job and Peter. Without Your help, I will not have the strength to look at You, dear Lord, instead of the turbulent waters of this life’s journey. I need to trust You and Your will and believe that You know best no matter what.

     Help me be an optimist who consistently remembers that You are God Almighty, the Sovereign Ruler of the universe; therefore, nothing happens other than what You permit or cause.

     You have promised to turn things for Your children eventually into good, no matter how impossible or painful they seem. Help me look at the big picture, in which You are in charge, not the present temporary picture painted with the colors of my concerns and fears. Help me to be controlled by Your Holy Spirit.”

Kathryn

Matthew 11:28 NKJV

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

     Christians often talk about a “come to Jesus Moment.” This means that God’s Holy Spirit has spoken to their heart and that they realize how empty, hollow, and needy they are without Christ for the first time in their lives.

     The bubbling up of God’s Holy Spirit in your life often reveals Himself when you are abandoned to Christ.

     As I've come to understand it, abandonment is not a one-time event. It's a daily commitment, a continuous act of giving our all to Jesus Christ. This act of surrender is not in vain, for being used by Him is not only for our good but also for His divine purposes.

     In 2011, I embarked on a journey to purchase a new car. My son, being the helpful soul he is, assisted me in researching vehicles and their safety records. He even went the extra mile to contact dealers throughout the Phoenix area. After setting up a meeting with a salesman, I was ready to visit and purchase my new car. But before I even started the engine, I offered up the vehicle for God’s work, a symbolic act of surrender to His will in my life. 

     I recently came across a profound thought: As Christians, we cannot consecrate our possessions to God. It's a paradox, isn't it? How can we give away something that is not ours to give? When we give our hearts and lives to Jesus, our hearts are the only thing we have a right to give. Everything else, our possessions, our wealth, our time, all belong to Him. This, my friends, is our true and proper worship.

     Romans 12:1 NIV

    12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters givenf God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

     It is God who engineers our circumstances, both the good and the bad. Why? His purposes are for our growth as Christians and His glory.

     Never have the mistaken idea that we are human pawns in God’s hand to do with as He pleases. We show the love of Christ by living our lives in close harmony with Him. We are not human experiments. We are living examples of Christ’s love.

     These words from the hymn “Only Trust Him” say it all.

           Come every soul by sin oppressed there’s mercy with the Lord

           And He will surely give you rest by trusting in His word

          Only trust Him, Only trust Him, Only trust Him now,

          He will save you, He will save you, He will save You Now

Amen and Amen

Luke 11:9-10 ESV

9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

     In my morning devotional by Oswald Chambers, he asked this question. “Have you ever sought God with your whole heart, or have you only given a languid (half-hearted) cry to Him after a twinge of moral neuralgia (nerve pain)?” 

     If your answer is yes, make this your daily prayerful commitment to God.

     If your answer is no, it’s probably because you have too many earthly concerns and crises that detract from your wholehearted devotion to God.

     When my mother lay dying more than 2,000 miles from a conference, I was attending in Miami, FL., she had my sister telephone me so she could say goodbye. After a tearful goodbye, Mom said, “I’m so scared, I haven’t lived a good life.” She knew that she would soon meet God, and she was simply not ready to be under the microscope of God’s judgment of her Christian life. 

     How about you? Are you ready?

     Knowledge of our impending death should strike the “fear of God” in our Christian hearts. My mother was totally aware that she would soon meet God. Are you aware that you're standing at the edge of eternity every moment of every day?

     Are you desiring less of your own selfish desires and more of God? Oswald Chambers say, "“are you asking God for things from life instead of desiring more God?” Then you ask amiss!

    Turn to God this very moment and tell Him you desire more of Him. Make this a day of total commitment to Him.

Amen and Amen

John 17:21 NIV

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.

21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

     Father Tim, an Episcopal priest in author Jan Karon’s Mitford Series is one of the novel’s colorful residents. Throughout the series he says that the prayer that never fails is “Thy will be done.”

     The Bible tells us that God designs our circumstances for our own good. No one enjoys a trial. I can say amen to that. However, trials, once they are over, either make us more like Jesus, or leave us self-centered and useless to our Father God. The difference depends on whether we rely on God's word and prayer to see us through or try to "fake it and make it on our own."

     Today’s morning devotional by Oswald Chambers cites OC's statement: “God is not concerned about our plans…..He allows these things for His purpose.” After all, we are created with certain gifts and talents that God has planned to use in His time and for His purpose.

     Acts 17: 24-25 NIV “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.

     25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.

   Psalm 139:13, 16 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
    16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. 

     I own an excellent CD that I often play as I navigate the speedways of Phoenix, AZ (yes, I have a CD player in my 2012 KIA) that the BTC (Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir) sings as a prayer a song called “Use Me Lord." The song's lyrics speak of the desire of Christians to be used by The Lord. Every time I listen to this hymn to God, I am moved spiritually because it speaks to the spiritual desire of my heart, which is to be used by God.

     Our bodies are much the same as jars of clay. Vessels used for God’s purposes but only after Our Master has shaped and formed us. Do any of us enjoy this “shaping” process on the wheel of life? Certainly not! But Jesus prayed to His Father for all of us to be just like Him in John 17:20-21.

     Whatever your current circumstances and God's plan for you as He turns the potter's wheel…know that He is forming you to be MORE LIKE JESUS. Yield to His forming of your vessel by prayer and the study of His Word. The result is that you will become a beacon of light that shines with His love to the unsaved in our troubled world.

Recommended Reading John 17 

Amen and Amen

2 Corinthians 4:8-11 ESV

8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair

9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 

     “Do I manifest the essential sweetness of the Son of God, or the essential irritation of “myself” apart from Him?”

     Oswald Chambers asked this question of his students in the early 20th century.

     As believers in Jesus Christ, we were “saved to serve.” Not all of us are preachers, teachers, or missionaries in God’s fertile field, but we are representatives of Christ manifesting His word in our flesh.

     We are living examples of Christ. Do we whine and struggle with our lot in life, or do we obey God as examples of His saving Grace? Whenever you experience a disturbance of your spirit, pray this prayer immediately: Father God, help me to do your will in this matter. I praise and thank you for your help.

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV says.

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

     Let’s stop wallowing in the cesspool of self-pity and be delighted to obey God as His earthly examples.

     First and foremost, let your light shine before men so that they can catch a glimpse of your Heavenly Father and give Glory to Him.

Matthew 5:14-16 ESV

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden

15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Amen and Amen

  Luke 24:2-8 NIV

2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,

3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.

5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”

6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:

7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ 

8 Then they remembered his words.

     I can think of nothing more beautiful than these words from Dr. Luke.  Although they were written more than 2000 years ago, these scriptures still speak of the love that God had for mankind. He loved you and me enough to send His Son to this sinful earth where he suffered brutally and died a horrible death at the hands of wicked men, and women who hated Him because He said He was The Son of God.

Matthew 10:40 NKJV 

“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”

     Men and women still hate Him and do their very best to wipe His name, His Church, and His people off the face of His Earth.

Our Bible says the following;

Matthew 5:43-45 NKJV

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,

45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

John 3:16-17 NIV

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 

Amen and Amen

Genesis 24: 7, 12-14

7 The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.

12 And he said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham.

13 Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.

14 Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.”  

     Abraham's trusted servant, who oversaw all his affairs, was commissioned and sworn to select and bring back a wife for Isaac, who was forty years old and unmarried. The servant was told that the woman needed to be from Abraham’s family and not from the Canaanite women where Abraham resided at the time.

     Because of his age, Abraham was physically unable to make the month-long journey to his family’s home in Nahor. At Abraham's request, the servant took so many gifts for the woman’s family that ten camels were needed to carry the gifts and supplies for the journey.  The scriptures make it clear that the servant knew God was sending His angel ahead to prepare the way and help select a wife for Isaac. 

Genesis 24:7

7 The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.

     Upon arriving at Nahor the servant settled his entourage at the site of the city well. He knew that every evening the women of the town would come to draw water for the following day. The servant also knew, from his conversation with Abraham, that an angel of God was going to help him find a wife for Isaac, so he “put out a fleece” so he would know that the woman who gave him a drink of water and also watered his camels was the woman chosen by God for Isaac.

     Description of “putting out a fleece.”  This odd expression comes directly from the life of Gideon and his requests for miraculous signs from God.

Judges 6:36-40 NIV

36 Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised—

37 look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.”

38 And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.

39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.”

40 That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.

     This is the "fleece" that Abraham's servant prayed.

Genesis 24:12-14 NIV

12 And he said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham.

13 Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.

14 Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.”

     Next Part 2: The Servants Commission; A Wife for Isaac

Genesis 23: 1  Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.

2 And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.  

3 And Abraham rose up from before his dead and said to the Hittites,

4 “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”

5 The Hittites answered Abraham,

6 “Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb to hinder you from burying your dead.”

7 Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land.

8 And he said to them, “If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar,

9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as property for a burying place.” 

     "After the traumatic experience on Mount Moriah, very little is reported concerning the life of Abraham, and nothing more about Sarah, until her death." The Genesis Record by Henry M. Morris

     There has even been supposition that the shock of Isaac's near death by his father's hand was too much for Sarah and thus was the cause of her death. Dr. Morris believes this is "unlikely" because of Sarah's strong faith. This theory would also mean Sarah knew of the Mt. Moriah incident. This was also another supposition.

     It is believed that Abraham was not present at the time of Sarah's death, and thus, she must have died suddenly.

     Since Sarah was the first in her family to die in Canaan, there had been no preparation for a family burial plot. What ensued in verses 3-20 is a discourse of the bargaining process regarding purchasing a cave and burial field for the patriarchal family line of Abraham.

     From reading chapter 23, I understand that Abraham was showing respect and honoring the Hittites by his actions regarding a burial field for Sarah and his future family members. He did not want to rent the land and cave. He also did not want to have someone "donate" the burial spot for Sarah, his beloved wife. I believe it was a matter of honoring his wife and establishing his and his family's presence as citizens, not transients or foreigners in their country.

     Note: this type of bargaining process was not unusual in that day and was, in effect, how business was transacted.

Genesis 23:19-20

19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 The field and the cave that is in it were made over to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites. 

Amen and Amen

Next: Isaac and Rebekah Genesis 24-26

Genesis 22: 1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 

4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 

5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 

6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 

7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 

8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 

10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 

11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 

12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 

13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 

14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

     Consider the willingness of a son who did not refuse his father’s instruction nor question his father’s love for him. When he was seconds away from becoming a living sacrifice to a God who he had been taught was a God unlike any of the pagan gods he had witnessed throughout his life.

     Here then is a story of the depth of love and obedience of a son for his father.

     Here then is an example of Jesus’ love for His Father and the Father’s love for us, His children.

     In these scriptures, Abraham and Isaac give us examples of the love and devotion we should show to God Our Father. 

    Abraham was not forced to take his son to Mt. Moriah and sacrifice him, and Isaac was not forced to accompany his father up the mountain to become a living sacrifice. Nor was Jesus forced to die on a wooden cross for the sins of mankind. All of these submitted to the will of their Father God. This was their supreme act of worship. This bowing down to the request and will of their Father God.

     Our act of bowing down to worship God is simply doing what He asks of us. Throughout the word of God, our Holy Bible, we are given instructions on how to live according to God’s will. No one says it will be easy to follow this “narrow path” that He has described and designed for us but we know our reward will be great. This is His promise!

James 1:12 NIV

12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

     When we acknowledge to God in prayer that we know Jesus Christ is His son, sent to earth to die for our sins, ask Him to forgive our sins, and invite Him to live in our hearts by His Holy Spirit. At that very moment we inherit eternal life. We need only pray, study His word, and worship Him to become examples of His love to those who do not know Him.

Amen and Amen

Genesis 12:1-9 ESV

12 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.

2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 

4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,

6 Abram passed through the land to the palace at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land

7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.

9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

To be continued

Genesis 8:20-22

20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

21 And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.

22 “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat,
Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”

     Noah’s first action after exiting the ark was to build an altar to the Lord. He set the order of worship by offering God’s approved form of sacrifice for his family's sins.

     What incredible love Our Heavenly Father displayed as He smelled Noah's sweet offering of worship.

      Though the sin of willful disobedience has separated us from walking with God, He does not forget us but continues to show us love and patience. God recognizes that our hearts are evil from our youth, but He has promised never to destroy the earth by a flood again.

God’s Covenant with Noah

Genesis 9:5-17

5 Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man.

6 “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.
7 And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; Bring forth abundantly in the earth
And multiply in it.”

8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying:

9 “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you,

10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth.

11 Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

12 And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

13 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.

14 It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud;

15 and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

16 The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”

17 And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

     The flood has provided a new spotless way of life for mankind. As children of God and heirs of this new world, He demands “an accounting” of every animal and every man. These, to me, are God’s rules for living on His earth. It’s His earth, and He has every right to demand we follow His rules; the rules are simple, a life for a life, no exceptions. God will demand an accounting from us. He demands that a penalty be paid for failing to follow His rules. 

     God regretted that He had destroyed what He had created. But in the destruction, He has given mankind a “do-over” and provided a covenant that puts a seal on His promise (s) to man. God’s covenant, described in today’s scriptures, has three parts.

     1. Never again will a flood do such destruction.

     2. As long as the earth remains, seasons will come and go as expected.

     3. A rainbow will be visible after it rains as a sign that God keeps His promises.

     Want to read more about God’s rainbow…check out My Gospel Blogs, October 19, 2022, on this website.

Amen and Amen

Next: The Tower of Babel, Genesis 11:1-9Genesis 8:1-2, 4, 7-12, 15-19

Genesis 8:1-2, 4, 7-12, 15-19

8 Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.

2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. 

4 Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.

7 Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. 

8 He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. 

9 But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. 

10 And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. 

11 Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth.

12 So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore.

15 Then God spoke to Noah, saying, 

16 “Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. 

17 Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” 

18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him.

19 Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark.

     Today’s lesson from Genesis chapter eight is lengthy, but sometimes there is no other way to thoroughly comprehend God’s word than reading scriptures in context. Scriptures that God has placed on His servant's heart. In this instance, the writer of Genesis, Moses.

     This is the story of the deliverance of Noah, his family, and every kind of creature that God had made in the beginning.

God Remembers Noah

     Genesis 8:1 says “God remembered Noah and every living thing”……How wonderful to know that God does not forget us but remembers us and our circumstances. It is a comfort to know that He will never leave or forsake us and has given us His word in scripture to back it up.

Psalm 136:23-24

23 Who remembered us in our lowly state, For His mercy endures forever;
24 And rescued us from our enemies, For His mercy endures forever;

Deuteronomy 31:8

8 And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

Noah’s Patience

     Just as we who love the Lord and have received His deliverance from sin and the cares of this earthly life, Noah’s deliverance did not come quickly.                   While Noah waited in the Ark for God’s deliverance he continued to worship God and worked in the Ark, caring for his family and the livestock God had created. 

     He also sent out messengers in the form of a raven and a dove to see if the waters had subsided enough to venture out of the Ark.

     He was faithful to his mission because He knew that the God who had shut him, his family, and a multitude of animals into a wooden vessel would provide a way and a signal for them to know it was safe to leave the Ark.

God Speaks

     In verse fifteen God spoke to Noah. Such a little verse, sometimes overlooked, but powerful. “God spoke to Noah.” Many of us would, amid all our troubles and confusion, cherish a word from God. What a beautiful thought, “God spoke”. 

     How often have the cares of this life burdened us?  So difficult are our problems that sometimes it is even challenging to to have the energy to draw our next breath because we are in such pain…be it physical from some illness, or mental such as having a difficult situation in our life over which we have no control.

God Works Through Our Pain

     Can you imagine how difficult those days and months were for Noah and his family? They were caregivers for large numbers of animals, living in close quarters with other family members who were hard-pressed to maintain an attitude of gratitude regarding the situation they found themselves in. Sometimes it must have felt more like a prison than an ark of salvation.

Romans 8:28

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 

     Agape love is love firstborn of God’s love for us. He first loved us and placed in our hearts through the working of the Holy Spirit's love for Him and His children. How we display that love to others is the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Mark 12:30 ESV

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

Amen and Amen

Next: Noah Builds an Alter Genesis 8:18-22