It is not always, "Like father, Like son!"

Another one of Jesus' ancestors was King Asa, the son of the wicked Abijah (Matthew 1:7). Thankfully, Asa was nothing like his father, and he remained faithful to the Lord for most of his life. This is how he is described in 1 Kings 15:

"Asa did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, as his ancestor David had done."- v.11

"Although the pagan shrines were not removed, Asa’s heart remained completely faithful to the Lord throughout his life." - v.14

As much as each of us is shaped and influenced by our families and peers, we all need to take responsibility for our own faith. Asa could have also ended up as the "bad apple", but he chose a different path from his father, and he ended up leaving a fairly positive legacy. 

Asa was not perfect and sadly towards the end of his 41-year reign, he began to make some foolish mistakes. On the whole, he is still considered to be a good and godly King, thus putting pay to the old saying: "like father, like son!" In the end, Asa was nothing like his dad.

As we think about the life of Jesus, especially during the season of Advent, it is wonderful to reflect on how much Jesus reflects the nature of his Father. The bible reminds us that we actually get a glimpse of God, through the person and life of Jesus.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Earth maker

In her book 'Penguins and Golden Calves', Madeleine L'Engle mentions how she came across an unusual prayer in a book in New Zealand. In this particular prayer book, the Trinity is referred to as "Earth Maker, Pain Bearer, Life Giver."

I think it is definitely unusual, but also very intriguing. As soon as we try and pin God down through our use of language, we immediately run out of words to describe God in an adequate way. God is always going to be SO MUCH MORE than we can imagine, comprehend or describe.

Father - Creator - Author - Earth Maker
Son - Jesus - Friend - Saviour - Redeemer - Pain Bearer
Spirit - Comforter - Guide - Advocate - Life Giver

Exodus 34:10 -  "Then the Lord said: “I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you."

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Waiting for the Sun

Since I have been doing a lot of running lately, I have seen many a sunrise. There is something special about jogging in the glow of dawn waiting for the sun to rise. It is almost as if the sole purpose of my run could be to wait for the sun and not the actual exercise part.

Waiting for the sun to rise reminds me of how we sometimes have to wait for God to respond to our prayers and cries. I am convinced that when we "wait for the SON", he will not disappoint us. He will not let our prayers go unanswered.

Habakkuk 3 - His coming is as brilliant as the sunrise. Rays of light flash from his hands, where his awesome power is hidden. Pestilence marches before him; plague follows close behind. When he stops, the earth shakes. When he looks, the nations tremble. He shatters the everlasting mountains and levels the eternal hills. He is the Eternal One! 

Don't be discouraged if you feel as if you are waiting a long time. God does hear our prayers.



Living in Grace
D3LM3