I smile over the thought of the God of the universe enjoying an #eveningwalk with His kids.
Category: Devotions
I have long seen Joseph as a type of Christ, his life given for the salvation of many. But today I see Joseph as a type of us, too. Joseph was so secure in his sonship, so confident in his father’s love, that he happily carried out his wishes, even if that made him a target for the jealousies of others.
When we go into our room to pray, we shut out the world and we get in front of God.
We look to to the holy God and we recall how His Kingdom is coming; a Kingdom of righteousness and truth and total restoration.
Unforgiveness embitters. It’s been compared to a poison we drink in hope of destroying others. It does, in fact, destroy others, just not the others we had in mind. Unforgiveness infiltrates our family first. It is blight in the branches of our family tree.
Jesus suggested exactly that. “Come away… and get some rest.” Jesus invited His disciples and us alike: ‘Join Me in a place devoid of distraction. Let My presence minister to your overstimulation and restore your soul again.’ The cure for our overwhelmed soul is not the endless scroll of instagram or Facebook. We won’t be brought back to life by binging Netflix or even disappearing into a favorite fiction book for a few hours. We can’t eat or sleep away our feelings. Our soul is rebuilt in the presence of Jesus alone.
We construct a projection that we put up in front of others. We assemble a mirage of who we’d like to be. We spend an exorbitant amount of resources on this counterfeit picture just as Jacob spent himself silly on a gift for a brother he didn’t even like. This light and mirrors trick is far larger and shinier then we truly are.
A life on fire demands attention. So often in our society, people burn down for all the wrong reasons: sin devastates their lives on screens while the world watches. But a burning bush that doesn’t burn out? That is something altogether different, something worth watching.
Still is a strange word, a little unsettling even. But it is the word that has been chasing me down and soothing my spirit for the last month or so.
The geographical details of Nazareth provide additional insight into Jesus’ life and ministry.