Week 1 LOVING GOD (Oct. 6-12)
>OUR DAILY RESPONSE: “Here I am”
Gen. 22:1
“Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
Literally “Behold me” In the Hebrew looks like this: הֵנּהִ and is pronounced hin-nay'. It is a demonstrative particle (behold, lo, see) and is used of the answer of persons called, who reply showing their ready obedience
“Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
Literally “Behold me” In the Hebrew looks like this: הֵנּהִ and is pronounced hin-nay'. It is a demonstrative particle (behold, lo, see) and is used of the answer of persons called, who reply showing their ready obedience
DEVOTION By Brenda Schaefer:
I came into church early one Sunday morning and right inside the door was my 1½ year old granddaughter Emery. She was seated in a high chair playing with play-doh. She saw me and yelled out with a loud growling voice (to make her point clear), “SEE ME GRANDMA!” as she squeezed the play-doh in her hand so that it oozed out between each of her fingers! She wanted me to hear her, but more than that she wanted me to SEE her! I was tickled by such intensity and went directly to her! I hugged her, kissed her, and scooped her out of that high chair to be with me wherever I was going next! It made my whole day!
Can you imagine if I had ignored her and walked right by her? What if I was too busy to pay attention to her or just didn’t want to? Tears fill my eyes and my heart breaks to even think of doing that - I love her so much!
Many times we would rather hide from God or ignore Him because we are too busy or know we aren’t in right standing with Him. I think in those moments we can imagine God waiting for us to SEE HIM, to pay attention to what He is doing, and to take Him with us wherever we are going next.
Here are some questions that you may want to ponder this week:
1) How often are we determined for God to SEE US that we would say SEE ME GOD, Behold me, Here am I?
2) We may be more determined in our pursuit of Him when we find ourselves in desperate situations but are we determined to wait patiently for Him to come to us everyday?
3) Are we ready to present ourselves to Him daily, ready to abandon anything else we are doing so that He can love on us and take us with Him where He is going?
4) How determined are we to SEE GOD and all of the ways that He reveals Himself to us everyday? Open the eyes of my heart Lord, I want to SEE You!
Can you imagine if I had ignored her and walked right by her? What if I was too busy to pay attention to her or just didn’t want to? Tears fill my eyes and my heart breaks to even think of doing that - I love her so much!
Many times we would rather hide from God or ignore Him because we are too busy or know we aren’t in right standing with Him. I think in those moments we can imagine God waiting for us to SEE HIM, to pay attention to what He is doing, and to take Him with us wherever we are going next.
Here are some questions that you may want to ponder this week:
1) How often are we determined for God to SEE US that we would say SEE ME GOD, Behold me, Here am I?
2) We may be more determined in our pursuit of Him when we find ourselves in desperate situations but are we determined to wait patiently for Him to come to us everyday?
3) Are we ready to present ourselves to Him daily, ready to abandon anything else we are doing so that He can love on us and take us with Him where He is going?
4) How determined are we to SEE GOD and all of the ways that He reveals Himself to us everyday? Open the eyes of my heart Lord, I want to SEE You!
❖ Day 1 (Oct. 6) OUR FIRST LOVE
OUR DAILY RESPONSE: “Here I am”
(READ: 1 John 4:7-21)
1 John 4:19
“We love because He first loved us.”
Father, thank You that Your love not only draws us but transforms us. You loved us when we were unlovely and unloving, stuck and dying in our sin.
How great a love You have for us that You sought us out while we were still lost and separated from You. You gave us Jesus Christ to pay for the debt of our sins that we couldn’t pay so that we could be reconciled to You.
God, You are the desire of our hearts, please continue to direct and guide our hearts to a deeper love for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
1 John 4:19
“We love because He first loved us.”
Father, thank You that Your love not only draws us but transforms us. You loved us when we were unlovely and unloving, stuck and dying in our sin.
How great a love You have for us that You sought us out while we were still lost and separated from You. You gave us Jesus Christ to pay for the debt of our sins that we couldn’t pay so that we could be reconciled to You.
God, You are the desire of our hearts, please continue to direct and guide our hearts to a deeper love for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.