Monday, January 23, 2012

Mon., 1/23/12 Devotion (Gen. 24:3a)

Today's encouragement comes from words Abraham spoke to his ser-
vant, as they are found in Genesis 24:3a:

"And I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth . . . "

That the Lord is the God of heaven is relatively easy to understand and accept. After all, heaven is a pristine place, free of sin, tumult, and imperfection. But it is this statement that the Lord is the "God of the earth" that causes us to pause, and wonder. Earth is the place of the Fall, of sin, of suffering, and of rebellion. But it is also the place where the Son of God was miraculously conceived and born; and where He gave His life, and was resurrected. It is the place of Christ's militant church.

Let all the faithful believers be thankful that the Triune God dwells, not only in heaven, but on the earth (with us, here and now).

[Puritan quote of the day: "But this is the immediate principle that moved [Paul]: his strong, intense love for his glorious Lord and Mas-
ter." --Jonathan Edwards, in his sermon, "The Character of Paul an Example to Christians"]