For insight and wisdom for President Elect Obama�s choice for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Shaun Donovan, so the homeless may be helped and those in difficulty with their housing situation may be assisted
The King will reply, �I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.�
�Matthew 25:40
Loving God, in Your goodness and love You have sought us out and offered us the free gift of salvation. We praise and glorify You for such extraordinary love; it is expressed in the love we show for one another, especially those in dire need.
Lord, we thank You for leading President-Elect Barack Obama to choose Shaun Donovan to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. We pray that you will give him great compassion and wisdom, enabling him to see the needs of others above his own at all times. May he be willing to fight for �the least of these� as an advocate for those who otherwise might have none. Heavenly Father, let Your will be done for through the work of Shaun Donovan and his team, in the name of Jesus we pray, amen.
Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth. Verse 8
Galatians 4:1-7
Paul compares our relationship with God to that of a son, or an heir. When the sons are "minors," they are no better off than slaves. They are subject to "tutors and administrators." We were like that before we came to know Christ. But when the right time came, God emancipated us so that we might experience our rightful heritage. We are fully adopted, having the privilege of intimate conversation with God. We have "complete access to the inheritance!"
What does it mean to experience our rightful heritage in Christ? The first thing I think of is that bit about having the privilege of intimate conversation with God. No one has that right except those of us who believe in Christ. Lots of people talk about praying and talking to God, but if they aren't going through a relationship with Christ, their prayers aren't getting past the ceiling. I know that sounds cold and possibly even judgmental, but it's truth from the Bible. According to Jesus, no one comes to the Father except through him (John 14:6). So that's part of our rightful heritage. Another part is our inheritance. We have access to all of God's riches. Now, anyone who knows me personally knows that I don't adhere to a "name-it/claim-it" philosophy. No "health and wealth" doctrine here. But my Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills, so I have no need to worry about anything, because he will provide for me. My needs will be met.
What does it mean to have freedom in our relationship with him? We talked a little bit about that in previous entries, I believe. We don't have to try to impress God. He knows our hearts. He knows our intentions. All we need to do is rest in him and let him work in us. We don't have to worry about what other people think about us. We don't have to "pretend" to be more righteous than we are. We do still need to be careful that we don't cause someone to stumble. I don't need to "flaunt" my freedoms in front of others. In fact, the word "flaunt" has no place in a Christian's vocabulary. We are supposed to be humble. And this freedom that we have is to be tempered so that we don't abuse God's grace. It is not a license to do whatever we please.
And finally, how does being an heir rather than a slave change our interaction with our Father? For one thing, we can call him "Father!" Slaves can't do that. According to Scripture, we can call him "Daddy!" That's in our reading for today. We can crawl up in his lap and sit. I know to some, that image sounds immature, childish, or even "unmanly." Got news for you. I don't care! To me, there is no more beautiful image than me sitting in my Father's lap, with him cradling me and singing songs over me. It is in those moments that I feel closest to God.
I pray for all my brothers and sisters on Diaryland who will read this. I pray that they will know the freedom that comes from knowing you, from loving you. I pray for those who might feel trapped in some kind of slavery to know that we are heirs, not slaves! To know the love that you feel for us. I pray for each of us to be able to climb up in your lap and just sit for a while. Hold us, Jesus! Hold us! Father, wrap your arms around us and never let us go! We worship and praise you!
"Pray frequently, creatively, and confidently, knowing that you have great freedom to approach your heavenly Papa, who is always accessible to you."
Grace and peace, friends.