The devotionals herein are grouped into four themed sections: Knowing Him, For His Glory, Love Thy Neighbor and Pressing Onward. I believe these to be predominant themes in Scripture and essentials for the Christian life.
It is impossible to develop a relationship with someone you do not know. Knowing Him contains devotionals focused on the character of God and the importance of knowing Him.
A proper understanding of God will lead us to a proper perspective of ourselves. God is the giver of every blessing that we enjoy. Our very breath is in His hand. As we recognize our own selfish frailty and His benevolent majesty, we are pleased to live For His Glory.
Jesus said that the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. Love Thy Neighbor features devotionals that focus on allowing God's love to be demonstrated through us toward others.
Both the Scriptures and human history attest to the inward and outward struggles that result from desires and efforts to live a life that is pleasing to God, in accordance with His explicit will and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Pressing Onward provides devotionals that emphasize the importance of persevering in faith.
I have elected to write these words in English – specifically American English, since it is my first and – practically speaking – only language. While I normally prefer to pronounce and render Biblical names as close to their Hebrew origins, I understand that those names are likely to be unfamiliar with many English readers. For that reason, I have used the traditional, anglicized spellings of those names. Also, in the tradition of many English Bible translations, I use LORD – in all capital letters – to refer to the personal name of God, which is represented in the Hebrew Scriptures by the Tetragrammaton (יהוה).
Whether you choose to read these sections sequentially or in no particular order, my prayer is that what you do read will supply enough timely encouragement to pursue the Lord. May these temporal words from my hand serve only to increase your appetite for the Eternal Word of the Living God.
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” – John 17:3
Do You Know Him?
Judges chapter 13 begins the bittersweet history of the life of Samson. The Bible tells us that before he was born, the Angel of the LORD – i.e. the pre-incarnate Christ – came to Samson's then barren mother and promised her a son and that her son would be a Nazarite to God from the womb, and that he would begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.
When the woman reported the encounter to her husband, Manoah, she reported the Man of God's appearance as terrifying. After hearing what the Lord had told her, her husband prayed to the LORD to send the Man of God again. Upon this second encounter, the Lord did not tell Manoah anything more than had already been told his wife, and Manoah asked, “What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?”
The Angel of the LORD said to him, “Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?”
After this encounter, Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God!”
His wife, being reasonable, replied, “If the LORD had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have told us such things as these at this time.”
All of this tells me something about the spiritual condition of this couple. Although they knew of the LORD and feared Him, they ultimately didn't know Him. After the woman initially encountered the Angel of the LORD, she described Him as “a man of God” and terrifying. She went on to say that she did not ask His name nor where He was from, suggesting that she wasn't sure Who had spoken to her. Her husband has enough sense to pray to the one true God, but in the end feared that their encounter with the LORD would result in their death – completely ignoring that their demise would prevent the fulfillment of God's promises.
I am reminded of when Philip asked of Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus replied, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:8,9)
If the Lord appeared to you today, would you recognize Him, or would you be asking for His Name and where He is from? Are you joyfully expecting the fulfillment of His promises, or are you fearful that only death awaits you? Jesus said, this is life eternal: that you might know the only true God, and Jesus, the Messiah, whom He has sent (John 17:3).
Randall K. Harp has enjoyed sharing the Scriptures in a variety of settings including jail ministry, Sunday school classes, Bible studies (both in-home and on-air), and as a harbor ministry chaplain. Although many people have mistaken him for a pastor, he is just a well-studied lay person who is excited about learning and sharing the Word of God. Randall also enjoys composing and recording music in his home project studio. Although he grew up in Southern California, he now lives in Middle Tennessee with his wife of more than 20 years and a few pets.
To learn more about Randall or to grab your copy of "Illumine Me" drop by his Amazon Author Page!http://www.amazon.com/Randall-K.-Harp/e/B00F61PXTG/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Randall and his wife Stacy are a blessing to me. I pray many people will pick up and be blessed by a copy of "Illumine Me."
ReplyDeleteThanks, June! You're a blessing to us too!
ReplyDeleteHello Randall & Stacy,
ReplyDeleteWhat a pleasant surprise to find you on the HHP blog. Congratulations on your devotional.
Count me among those to whom you have been a blessing. Remember you created that catchy little blurb about my Messianic novel, The Face Behind the Veil?
Flora Reigada