Weekly Devotional - Raquel
Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the Lord— rejoice in his presence! Father to the fatherless, defender of widows— this is God, whose dwelling is holy.” Psalm 68:4-5 NLT
A father to the fatherless. We don’t get to choose our biological fathers, but we can choose to have God as our Heavenly Father. Where our father earthly fathers will fail or have failed, our Father in heaven never fails. He never abandons or forsakes us. He is always present. We can trust Him. Through No Longer Fatherless, I witness firsthand the impact a man can have on a boy’s life by choosing to be a mentor, a father figure, for those who do not have that in their lives. These mentors, support, guide, build up and encourage, and sometimes correct where needed. They become a dependable, trusted, leader in these young men’s lives. God yearns to be that for all of us- for every race, at every age, for all of time.
1 Corinthians 4:20-21 “For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power. Which do you choose? Should I come with a rod to punish you, or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?” 1 Corinthians 4:20-21
Receiving/giving discipline is never fun or enjoyable, but if done in such a way that honors the Lord, it will be more effective and can cause life change. God’s discipline, although sometimes spiritually painful, will not wound or traumatize us. He is a loving father- slow to anger, merciful, patient, and always ready to listen. He is not harsh and condemning nor is he a pushover, but he does make space for us so that we can safely come to Him. We can model this in the relationships in our lives. We are flawed humans in need of a Savior to lead and correct us. I am grateful He does this with a gentle spirit and with love in His eyes. The gentle convictions and rebukes from the Holy Spirit will transform our lives in monumental ways and continually proves that instructive discipline is supreme over reactionary discipline.
Not all of us receive the father we hoped for or needed. This can leave stains of bitterness and resentment on our hearts. Often times, if there is/was a poor or nonexistent relationship with our earthly fathers, that can have a direct effect on how we view a relationship with our Father in Heaven, or make it to where we don’t even want a relationship with Him. For those of us who have chosen to have Him as our Heavenly Father, it is vital for us to spend intentional time reading the Bible over the span of our entire lives because this is where we read and learn of the character of God. In order to truly love someone, we need to know them. God gave us everything we need to know about Him within the pages of those 66 books.
Isaiah 64:8 Yet, You Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, You are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. God is taking all our hardships and life experiences and molding/shaping them. I took pottery classes for about 6 months. I went in to it thinking it would be just another fun hobby. Little did I know that it would end up being a very spiritual and meaningful journey. I was given a new perspective of the meaning of this verse. If you’ve ever worked with clay on the wheel, you know how difficult it can be to get the clay to do what you want. Sometimes it’s as if it has a mind of its own. At times I would have the beginnings of a beautiful bowl or mug being formed and then all of a sudden, it falls apart sending wet clay everywhere! Was I too rough or too soft with my hands? Or did it just decide to do what it wants despite how my hands were forming it. Depending on my mood, I would decide whether I wanted to salvage the disaster or if I wanted to walk away and give up. It painted a beautiful picture of what God experiences with us. Despite us falling apart time after time, He is faithfully there to mold and reshape us into a transformed work of art. He will not walk away from us or give up on us.
Challenge: Make time to sit quietly with God and ask Him to reveal to you all the ways He loves you. Be sure to have the tissues handy.
With love,
Raquel
A father to the fatherless. We don’t get to choose our biological fathers, but we can choose to have God as our Heavenly Father. Where our father earthly fathers will fail or have failed, our Father in heaven never fails. He never abandons or forsakes us. He is always present. We can trust Him. Through No Longer Fatherless, I witness firsthand the impact a man can have on a boy’s life by choosing to be a mentor, a father figure, for those who do not have that in their lives. These mentors, support, guide, build up and encourage, and sometimes correct where needed. They become a dependable, trusted, leader in these young men’s lives. God yearns to be that for all of us- for every race, at every age, for all of time.
1 Corinthians 4:20-21 “For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power. Which do you choose? Should I come with a rod to punish you, or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?” 1 Corinthians 4:20-21
Receiving/giving discipline is never fun or enjoyable, but if done in such a way that honors the Lord, it will be more effective and can cause life change. God’s discipline, although sometimes spiritually painful, will not wound or traumatize us. He is a loving father- slow to anger, merciful, patient, and always ready to listen. He is not harsh and condemning nor is he a pushover, but he does make space for us so that we can safely come to Him. We can model this in the relationships in our lives. We are flawed humans in need of a Savior to lead and correct us. I am grateful He does this with a gentle spirit and with love in His eyes. The gentle convictions and rebukes from the Holy Spirit will transform our lives in monumental ways and continually proves that instructive discipline is supreme over reactionary discipline.
Not all of us receive the father we hoped for or needed. This can leave stains of bitterness and resentment on our hearts. Often times, if there is/was a poor or nonexistent relationship with our earthly fathers, that can have a direct effect on how we view a relationship with our Father in Heaven, or make it to where we don’t even want a relationship with Him. For those of us who have chosen to have Him as our Heavenly Father, it is vital for us to spend intentional time reading the Bible over the span of our entire lives because this is where we read and learn of the character of God. In order to truly love someone, we need to know them. God gave us everything we need to know about Him within the pages of those 66 books.
Isaiah 64:8 Yet, You Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, You are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. God is taking all our hardships and life experiences and molding/shaping them. I took pottery classes for about 6 months. I went in to it thinking it would be just another fun hobby. Little did I know that it would end up being a very spiritual and meaningful journey. I was given a new perspective of the meaning of this verse. If you’ve ever worked with clay on the wheel, you know how difficult it can be to get the clay to do what you want. Sometimes it’s as if it has a mind of its own. At times I would have the beginnings of a beautiful bowl or mug being formed and then all of a sudden, it falls apart sending wet clay everywhere! Was I too rough or too soft with my hands? Or did it just decide to do what it wants despite how my hands were forming it. Depending on my mood, I would decide whether I wanted to salvage the disaster or if I wanted to walk away and give up. It painted a beautiful picture of what God experiences with us. Despite us falling apart time after time, He is faithfully there to mold and reshape us into a transformed work of art. He will not walk away from us or give up on us.
Challenge: Make time to sit quietly with God and ask Him to reveal to you all the ways He loves you. Be sure to have the tissues handy.
With love,
Raquel
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