DEVOTION: Isaiah 62:1-5 (ESV)
62 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet,
until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
and her salvation as a burning torch.
2 The nations shall see your righteousness,
and all the kings your glory,
and you shall be called by a new name
that the mouth of the Lord will give.
3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 You shall no more be termed Forsaken,[a]
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,[b]
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,[c]
and your land Married;[d]
for the Lord delights in you,
and your land shall be married.
5 For as a young man marries a young woman,
so shall your sons marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.
Throughout Scripture God uses the image of a marriage to describe his relationship with us. It is usually that he is the husband and we are the bride. As old fashioned as it may sound, in Scripture the husband is responsible for the care and nurture of his wife, and is to submit his will to the needs of his wife.
If it is done right, the husband will be a reminder to the wife of God's love for her. God takes care of all of our needs, loves us, and protects us. He has submitted himself to us to give us heaven.
At the same time, if it is done right, and the husband loves his wife as Christ loves the church, the wife will then have no problem submitting herself to the will of her husband and respecting him for the loving and caring husband he is.
Unfortunately it isn't always done right. Husbands sin. Wives sin. And so the Lord God has provided the biggest way that we can remind each other of the true and real love of God. He gives us the power of forgiveness. There is no greater show of God's love than that. When your wife hurts you with her words or actions, and is devastated in her guilt over what she's said or done, there's no better healing than speaking the words "I forgive you", and showing that you truly do. In so doing, you show the love of God for us, that while we were still in our sin, Christ died for us!
Read this passage again, and see how God is truly the perfect husband!
Prayer: Lord God, thank you for marrying yourself to us and for being committed to us all the way to eternal life. Amen.
__________________________________________________________________
CALENDAR:
Tues- Quilting 9-2; Bible Study Resumes 11:30-12:15; Trustees Meeting 7pm
Wed- Choir 7pm
Thurs- Board of Outreach and Evangelism meeting 5pm
Fri- No school; Bible study at Hendershots 7pm
Sat- Men's breakfast 8am; worship 5pm; Soup, Sandwiches and Game night 6-9pm
Sun- Worship 8:30 and 11; Sunday school 9:45
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
WORSHIP WORKERS:
Acolyte- 8:30- Kalene Masters; 11- Hailey Blechle
Ushers- George, Gary, and Ben Hoelscher, and Brent Davis
Altar- Set up- Marilyn Foster, and Sue Ruhl; Clean up- Terry McKenzie
Elders- Sat- Dave Winter; 8:30- Steve McDowell; 11- Randy Fischer
Greeters- 8:30- Terry and Lynn Russell; 11- Randy and Kathy Fischer
Lay readers- Sat- Marcia Sevier; 8:30- Steve McDowell 11 - Steve Robine
Sat. Pianist- Tim Sherman
Organist- Rachel Fisher
Projectionists: ???????
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
YESTERDAY'S BIBLE QUIZ: Who was Ishmael? (There was no answer so I'm leaving it up for another day.)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
