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Home Sections The Daily B.R.E.A.D. June 25, 2009 - Thursday Meditation (Only Those Who Do His Will!)
June 25, 2009 - Thursday Meditation (Only Those Who Do His Will!) PDF Print E-mail
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Sections - The Daily B.R.E.A.D.
Written by Bobot Apit   
Monday, 22 June 2009 05:57
We may sometimes think of ourselves as privileged and chosen, being entitled to God’s grace due to familiarity with the things of God.  After all, we behave ourselves (mostly), go to church (when it is not too inconvenient), say our prayers (when we remember, and especially when we need something), and give to charity (when we have enough). But the gospel reminds us that even doing wondrous things in Jesus’ name will fall short.  More is required; “only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven” is on the right track.


Genesis 16:1-12, 15-16 or Genesis 16:6b-12, 15-16
Psalm 106:1b-2, 3-4a, 4b-5

M atthew 7:21-29 "Not every one who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (22) On that day many will say to me, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works  in your name?' (23) And then will I declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.'  (24) "Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock;  (25) and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. (26) And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; (27) and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it." (28) And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, (29) for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes
    

* Meditation by Edward Morse

T his story of Abram, Sarai, and Hagar has always troubled me. So often in scripture, God chooses people who inevitably make wrong choices, with bad consequences that follow.  The facts here seem unconventional, to say the least. Sarai grew impatient waiting on God’s promise of a child for her and Abram, and she concocted a plan that involved having her husband Abram sleep with Hagar. 
 
Abram goes along for some reason. Human jealously accompanied by anger and bitterness then enter into the story. And then the blame game begins. Just as Adam blamed God for the mess he got into with Eve, here Sarai blames Abram for the fine mess that followed from the plan that she initiated. It is all so tragic, and yet so predictable.  Compounding matters, Abram seems not to stand up for what is right, but instead takes the path of least resistance, allowing Sarai to do as she pleases to the detriment of Hagar and her son.

It is understandable that Hagar would want to get away from the abuse and mistreatment. But God intervenes with a messenger, which allows for a surprising response of obedience by Hagar.  God also includes someone in the story who listens and does what He asks, and in this case it is not the lady of the house, but her handmaid.  In this sense, her response is reminiscent of the humble and obedient response of Mary, the Mother of our Lord.

The words of Jesus in Matthew's gospel, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the Kingdom of heaven”, take on new meaning in juxtaposition with this story.  We may sometimes think of ourselves as privileged and chosen, being entitled to God’s grace due to familiarity with the things of God.  After all, we behave ourselves (mostly), go to church (when it is not too inconvenient), say our prayers (when we remember, and especially when we need something), and give to charity (when we have enough). But the gospel reminds us that even doing wondrous things in Jesus’ name will fall short.  More is required; “only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven” is on the right track.  This involves knowing Jesus and the Father who sent him.

In many points in my life, I cannot claim to be that different from Sarai or Abram in this story.  When patience wears thin, my trust often weakens.  I am reminded of a saying that is displayed in our home:  “To love a person is to learn the song that is in their heart, and to sing it back to them when they forget.”  We are prone to forgetting the song of love that God put into our hearts, but thankfully He often sings it back to us.  May we have ears to hear that song, the patience to wait for His voice, and may we persist in faithfully responding to it.


* Supplementary Reading
The Greatest Test

I know, my God, that You test the heart and are pleased with integrity. ~ 1 Chronicles 29:17a



G od tests His children to know what is in their hearts. God's desire for each of His children is to walk in relationship with Him, to uphold His righteousness and integrity. It is a high calling that we will fail to achieve without complete dependence on Him.
 
The greatest tests come not in great adversities, but in great prosperity. For it is in prosperity that we begin to lose the sensitivity to sin in our lives. Adversity motivates us to righteousness out of a desire to see our adversity changed. Prosperity fails to provide this motivation for obedience. We fall into a satisfaction and confidence in life that is based on our prosperity rather than on God.
 
Hezekiah was a great godly king. He was a faithful, God-honoring king most of his life, but toward the end he became proud. God wanted to find out if he would still honor Him and recognize His blessings in his life. He failed the test when God sent an envoy to his palace to inquire about a miracle that God performed on behalf of Hezekiah. The test was designed to find out if Hezekiah would publicly acknowledge the miracle performed on his behalf.
 
But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart (2 Chronicle 32:31).
Hezekiah's failure resulted in his children failing to carry on as rulers of Israel, and the nation would eventually be taken over by Babylon.
 
The lesson of Hezekiah is clear. If we are to remain faithful to our Lord, we must remain steadfast in our obedience to Him. Prosperity can be our greatest test. Ask the Lord to give you the grace to be a faithful follower during times of prosperity.
 

GOD BLESS US ALL!

PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.




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