For God�s grace to be unleashed in Jill Biden�s life that she may be a strong and supportive helpmeet to her husband
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
--Genesis 2:24 (NIV)
Loving God of all, we worship You today, O Lord, and we praise You for Your wisdom in creating us with a need for one another. In the Garden of Eden You gave Adam and Eve to one another to fulfill deep purposes for human love, and even today You give us to one another in marriage, that we may encourage each other and meet many of each others� needs. We bless you for Your wisdom in this great mystery, O God.
Today, Lord I bring Dr. Jill Biden before You, asking You to strengthen her as she seeks to encourage her husband, even as she pursues her own calling and career. Overwhelm her with Your abundant grace, Lord. May she rise up to bless and cheer him in the difficult times, and may she be there to share great joy in the good times as well. I ask this in Jesus� name, amen.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
"When he says, You prepare a table, he means that God furnished him with sustenance without trouble or difficulty on his part, just as if a father should stretch forth his hand to give food to his child.
"Now, this exuberant store of oil, and also this overflowing cup, ought to be explained as denoting the abundance which goes beyond the mere supply of the common necessaries of life.
"In the meantime, let each of us stir himself up to gratitude to God for his benefits, and the more abundantly these have been bestowed upon us, our gratitude ought to be the greater."
(Commentary from Heart Aflame: Daily Readings from Calvin on the Psalms)
1 John 5:1-3
If we love the One who conceives the child, we'll surely love the child who was conceived.
The proof that we love God comes when we keep his commandments and they are not at all troublesome.
The first part that I quoted here, contains some very tough words. And I believe that there are two interpretations of it. The first is the toughest. I believe that this passage tells us that if someone claims to love God, they will love Jesus.
I will go on record (and I know there are people who will not agree with this) as saying that if someone claims to love God and does not acknowledge that Jesus is his Son and equal to him, they do not really love God. Jesus stated that he is the only way to God. I believe what Jesus said. I mean no ill will whatsoever to anyone who believes differently. I simply believe that they are wrong.
The second interpretation is tough in a different way. I believe this passage also tells us that if we claim to love God, we'd better be about the business of loving his children. If we claim to love God and don't love other believers, then we aren't really loving God, are we? Again, as I have stated previously, this has always been a major challenge for me. But God is faithful, and he gives us the ability to be obedient to what he calls us to do. And this is where the second quote comes in. What is the proof that we love God? When we can keep his commands and they are not a burden to us. Does this mean that some of us don't really love God yet? I don't know if I would go that far. However, I think that there might be levels of completion when it comes to loving God. I don't think I love him "completely" yet. But I'm getting there. I am a work in progress. And I will be a work in progress until I see him face to face. What a day that will be...
Grace and peace, friends.