The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"This Is My Family!"
Frances and I, with other members of our family, attended Grandparent's Day yesterday at our grandson Ewan's school. Ewan, the son of our son Noah and his wife Jessica, is 5 years old and an absolute bundle of enthusiasm, energy, sweetness, zest for life, and love for his family. Along these lines, after we had greeted him, heard his class sing a special song for us, and then watched Ewan play with his friends, he paused at one point, looked at his fellow classmates, and pointed to us with obvious excitement and exclaimed, "This is my family!" (he repeated himself several times for emphasis).
("This is my family!" Ewan's the short and zany one! That's our youngest daughter Emmie on the left, my wife Frances on the right, and some guy who wandered into the picture in the middle! He looks a bit zany too! Our daughter in law Jessica is on the other side of the camera, snapping the photo).
I was reminded of Someone else who is thrilled with His family:
"Behold I and the children which God hath given Me!" (Hebrews 2:13).
The writer of Hebrews (echoing the prophet Isaiah) quotes the Lord Jesus Christ as uttering these words about those who trust Him and become born again members of "the whole family of Heaven and earth" (Isaiah 8:18; Ephesians 3:15). I never read the statement without sensing great joy in the Lord's affirmation. He is glad to be our Savior and the very Life of our lives (doubtless more glad than are we ourselves). Certainly, we do not always respond to His presence and working in a manner that pleases Him. But we can always be sure that nothing ever changes or minimizes how pleased He is to dwell with and within us. "The Lord taketh pleasure in His people" wrote the Psalmist before Christ's atoning work on the cross made possible His permanent dwelling within our hearts (Psalm 149:4). How much more does God now rejoice because He lives within the very hearts of those who trust Him?
I think we do well to perceive our Lord's pleasure in this manner. Again, a clear distinction exists between His pleasure in the relationship He has given to us, and our response thereunto. In our present existence, we can displease Him greatly by wayward attitudes, actions, and words. Never, however, will He be so grieved by us that He no longer desires to live within us. The Lord Jesus assures us of His gladness to be so immersed in our hearts: "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5). God made human spirits to serve as His spiritual home. Through Christ, such a wonder becomes actual in those who believe. He desires this far beyond anything we can imagine. Indeed, our Lord will never leave us because He so loves our hearts, and He loves to dwell within them. What other reason could there be for His promise of permanence, and for the salvation in Christ that makes such "hope of glory" possible? (Colossians 1:27).
Sweet, enthusiastic, and loving little Ewan reminded me of such things yesterday. "This is my family!" Yes, we are, Ewan, and we are thrilled to be a part of your heart and life. And yes, Lord, we are thrilled to be a part of Your heart and life. Moreover, we are even more thrilled that You are are so obviously glad. "Behold, I and the children which God hath given Me!" What a wonder, and we close with a poem I wrote several weeks ago and have already sent out. Its content and sentiment makes it seem appropriate to do so again.
Your heart. My home,
forevermore and in this hour.
Oh, see with Me the wonder,
the love, the life, the peace, the power.
Your heart. My home.
Oh, how I love to see
My Son within your spirit,
your spirit alive, redeemed.
Your heart. My home.
I will not leave. You will not leave.
My love seals and binds us
through time and eternity.
Your heart. My home.
Do you see it? Oh I do,
and in this holy hour,
see with Me the joy, the hope, the glory…
Your heart. My home.
"Because ye are sons, God hath sent for the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba Father."
(Galatians 4:6)
Weekly Memory Verse
"He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."
(John 7:38)
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