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Born On The Third Of July
Devotional for Thursday, February 12, 2009 by Rod Marshall
Genesis 1:27 - So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (ESV)As I have said in previous devotionals, last summer, we moved house, and baby Zoë was born.
As a Christian, the nice thing about being a dad again after twenty years is that I believe I am more in touch with who I am, both in the world and in the kingdom of God. I no longer see the frustrations and exasperations of a helpless baby's crying and total dependency as belonging only to me or Caroline. Of course, they are ours in the sense that Zoë is our baby, much longed for and loved, even in the small hours of the morning when we'd rather be sleeping.
How I view Zoë's antics and growing pains helps my faith grow stronger and helps me to understand better what it means to be made in the image of God as our heavenly Father. For, in truth, just as I see her in the morning and night-time, and covet her hugs and smiles, so God looks forward to our spending time with Him. Just as I accept Zoë's frustration and anger at being able to perform only the basic feats of communication, so God understands the limitations we work under while trying to communicate with Him and understand His will.
Amid these limitations, God has been gracious to help us understand Him through our commonality of nature. We are made in His image so that we may comprehend His nature, no matter who we are. We bear the marks of His authorship in our being. Thus, we can meaningfully respond to Him through ways that are set into our creation. No matter our physical condition or age, as Christians, we are loved in Jesus because He has first loved us, and we can respond, knowing that He understands.
More than I do Zoë, He loves us and wants us to identify Him faithfully as our heavenly Father. We are jealously watched over.
Matthew 10:29,31 - Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (NIV)
Prayer: Lord, we have been too busy again. We have squeezed You out of our stillness; we are seldom still. At best, we take Your love for granted, and at worst, we ignore it. Please forgive us our presumptions. Like a baby, we revel in Your presence with us, as You hold us close in the power of the Holy Spirit. We rejoice in Your unfailing love towards us, no matter the time, our condition, or the situation, because You first loved us in Jesus' name. Thank You. Amen.
Rod Marshall <rmarshall@glos.ac.uk>
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England
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Today's Music:
Simply Trusting.