Embraced by the Father

When I think of the connection between faithfulness and trustworthiness, I think of a marriage relationship. I know that my husband if faithful to me when we are apart - I trust him to remain faithful. I am the one having the trust and he is the one who is remaining faithful. The same is true with God. I am his bride and I will trust Him to keep His word. He will remain faithful to His word. I can always trust Him to be who He says He is. He will always in the future be who He says He will be. I trust in a God like that! Faithfulness must always be in our character if we want to be like God. That is my constant prayer - Lord, I want to be more and more like You! Also when we are in relationship with other people it is important to be faithful to them. If we say we are going to do something, than we must try our best to carry it out. In that way we are demonstrating the character of God within us. If we can't be trusted, then how can others see Christ through us?

Israel continued to be rebellious towards God and his commandments. If God was not a forgiving God, Israel would have been destroyed even before they crossed over the Red Sea! It was important for Israel to be forgiven so that God's plan of salvation would be fulfilled. Israel needed a forgiving God and that is what our God is. God supplies all, absolutely all, of our needs and one of our needs is to be forgiven. I thing Israel was contrite, but they soon "forgot" who God is and turned back to their sinful ways. But God was patient over and over, like He is with me, and forgave them each time. That is what is so amazing about God's forgiveness. He is patient with us. I cannot fathom what that patience and mercy is fully like. I can be patient with people, but my patience eventually runs out and anger or bitterness wells up inside of me. I am so very grateful that God is not like that. He loves me very much and will continue mold me into a sanctified and holy child of His.

I think we lose the understanding of authority if we remove the word

God is the owner and a loving authority figure over Israel. As a husband, God provided for them, loved them and was in a personal relationship with them. He communicated with them as a husband communicates with his bride. He shared his heart with Israel. This is the same thought in the New Testament. We, the church, is his bride and someday he will take us unto himself as a bride and groom becoming married. As a bride He provides for us and loves us very intimately. God is jealous when another person of things takes the place of his place as ruler of our life. If we turn to our money to provide for us, God is jealous. We are to give him our resources and He will then provide for us. If we spend time watching TV or other activities instead of giving him time in our daily lives, God become jealous. Finding time ALL day long for Him is the best. When we talk with him throughout the entire day we are acknowledging him as our

Jesus and the Father are one in that they are the Trinity. The Trinity is God in One: God the Father, God the Holy Spirit and God the Son, Jesus Christ. Together the three are One God. Even though the Trinity is very difficult, if not impossible to understand, I think of it in terms of three manifestations or activities. Jesus

The Jews understood their fathers to be distant and who rules with harshness and authority. They didn

For me Abba Father again reminds me that our Father desires that we be obedience to Him. We obey him because we can trust that his ways our not our ways. I want to rest in him, knowing that he will always protect me and care for me, as an earthly father is to care and love his children. Two characteristics: the father rules as head of the household and he has absolute authority over his family; and he has the responsibility of guarding, supporting, and helping the other members of his family. I am learning to lean more and more upon His provisions. It is easy to say "I trust the lORD" but our actions do not reflect that! The head knowledge that I have about God is shifting to the heart. I believe in my heart that what my Father says in the Bible is the truth! If he says he will provides for all my wants as a Heavenly Father, than I place myself into his embrace and rest. My obedience to him is for mine and others best interest. I love him with all of my life and trust in Him completely. Sometimes I shove aside the obedience part because I know my Father cares for me. I want to become more and more obedient to Him because I know that is my Father's heart desire.

About six months ago the Holy Spirit gave me a picture in my mind of Jesus and me dancing in a pool that surrounded a fountain. It was so impressed upon my mind, that I had the picture painted on one of the walls of our youth outreach ministry building. Rhinestones were then glued where the water was being poured out of the foundtain. Each time I look at it it reminds me that we are purified in the Living Water. Jesus died on the cross so that we are cleansed - forever purified and made holy. His presence is always IN me. I am always dancing in the Fountain of Life.

As Americans we are taught to be independent and self-sufficient. We are encouraged to get an education so that we can "make something of your life." This kind of thinking is so contrary to what God wants from us. He was us to be completely dependent upon Him. We need to trust Him only and not follow after our own understanding. We are required to "follow" the Shepherd. It is a picture of a Shepherd walking in front of his flock and the sheep are following Him. It required us to have faith in God. "Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding."

Yes, I have relied upon the Good Shepherd many times. As I get older and go through more trying experiences I recognize more and more the need for provisions from my Shepherd. When I was young I thought I could conquer most problems by using the educational degree that I have. I could figure out most problems by myself. Later in life, I realized that my decisions concerning the problems did not always work out for the best. Now I have learned how to lean not upon my own understanding, but upon answers from God. I have had to learn to wait and the answers will come in God's own timing. I coordinate an outreach ministry in Chicago. It is a ministry that I have relied totally upon the leading of the Lord and hearing His Voice. He has provided me with donated food from sources that I didn't have to ask for. Twice unknown people have stopped by the church and gave us food for the ministry! I have asked the Lord for a male role model to come and spend time with the youth - a Chicago policeman started coming after work because he see the importance of getting the youth off of the street. I continue to rely on Him for direction and offering programs. When we ask for something, we can wait from our Shepherd to give us the answer!

I think that Abraham was truely expecting to sacrifice his son. It was a common practice of other groups of people around him so it really wasn't totally an unexpected request from God. He demonstrated his faith in God by obeying. I think God gave Abraham the words to say to his son Isaac. Sometimes I am surprised to what comes out of my mouth when I am speaking what I feel in my heart that the Lord wants me to say. Abraham had such a close intimate relationship with Isaac that He was speaking the words of the Lord God. It was not the words that he, Abraham, had thought of himself. In other words, Abraham was a prophet - speaking the words of the Lord as he heard them in his heart. God provides our needs all the time and most of the time it is at the last minute. For example, I was bringing a friend to a very large county hospital in downtown Chicago last fall. I dropped her off at the ER door and asked the Lord to give me a parking place. I asked him which way I should turn out of the ER entrance and I felt He said right. I turned right and immediately in front of me a car pulled out and I just slipped right in! Now that is provision of our needs and waiting at the last second to give it!! He is always waiting for us to ask because He always has an answer for us. Most of the time we don't receive is because we don't ask! The other condition is that we must believe that He will answer. When I ask him for a provision, I wait to see his answer without putting on time restrictions or conditions. He knows my situation and I will wait on Him to answer in his own time and way.

He guards our hearts because once we have committed our hearts to Him He will not permit the evil one from snatching our hearts away. We are always in His safe keeping. He does not allow anything to happen to us that He does not know about. He will keep us from falling out of His care. We don

God is a Rock because He will not be moved. He is completely trustworthy and keeps all of His promises. When I call out to him I know He will always be there because He does not move away from me. He is the Rock eternal (Isaiah 26:4) because I am guaranteed a place with him in eternity. He will not go back on that promise. It is a solid truth. His works are perfect and ways are always just (Deut. 32). As a Rock He is strong and Mighty

He is a Shield against any criticism and back stabbing that others hurl against me. As anyone knows who is in ministry, we often get arrows shot towards us in the form of criticisms. That is when I trust God to be my shield. I am shielded from the arrows because God takes the hits for me because He is my Shield. Even though these arrows of criticism hurt, I am learning to let them bounce off the shield and go forward with His kingdom

In times of danger one is to