Don't be jealous of sinners;
instead, always fear the LORD.
For then you will have a future,
and your hope will never fade.
Proverbs 23:17-18
A timely reminder of the steadfast foundation the LORD is, in life and death...
Prayer:
Father, keep my eyes, hearts, hands, and mind, fixed on my Lord and Saviour, Christ. Fill me with longing for his goodness, and bravery to live his difference, and yearning to display his grace, and joy to follow in his footsteps. Amen.
Check this out...June 5 in Narrabri!
www.facebook.com/colinbuchananmusic/photos/pcb.5405073529567638/5405064809568510/
Genesis 23
Some haggling, some traditional self-deprecation, an agreement in public with witnesses at the site of local political decision-making - and look at verses 17-18...
Abraham has his first foothold of land in the promised land - and all through the work of God in every day life. Moreover, this field is near Mamre, the place of some of Sarah's happiest moments (remember that meal entertaining God, and God's promise of a boy in 12 months' time?)
The word of God is so insightful - and why should this surprise us? - in its revelation of the character and actions of God. God works in ordinary time and space, in the ordinary events of life, to bring about his promises. This imbues daily living with a significance that we must not avoid, nor lessen, nor minimise, nor dismiss. The everyday matters!
Prayer:
Father, help me to live everyday in your sight. Help me to know that you work in ordinary life. Father, help me not to miss your grace in the ordinary. Amen.
Some stuff to read...
www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/marriage-unbeliever/
www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/yale-came-christ/
www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/permission-lead-ordinary-life/
Sisters, You Have Permission to Lead an Ordinary Life
www.thegospelcoalition.org
Words meant to inspire often exhaust, don’t they? Sister, you are free to lead a quiet, ordinary life! I saw the beauty of it firsthand.
Genesis 23
Organising a funeral is a stressful business - it is one of those moments which you know is coming, but which is still very hard to prepare for. Imagine doing it as a nomad, a foreigner, in a land not your own...
That is where Abraham is in Genesis 23. Sarah has died. He now has to organise her burial. His desire is clear: he wants to bury her in this land, almost like an expectation of possession (as God has promised!). And the author makes clear that we know that he is a foreigner, surrounded by those not his own.
In the midst of all this, he is very clear - the burial plot will not be a gift, nor will it be leased. Abraham wants to purchase a piece of land, to bury his wife and as a foothold in the land promised to him (we assume).
Again, we cannot help being reminded of the way that the promises of God are worked out in ordinary life, even funeral preparations!
Prayer:
Read Psalm 23... and pray it!