Bible devotions for women

Sacrifice - the cost of freedom

     As America is about to celebrate its Independence Day my thoughts turn to the many sacrifices people have made to make our country free. There were our founding fathers who sacrificed their well-being, their wealth, even their lives for our freedom. Our men and women are over in Afghanistan and Iraq as I write this, yes, to keep our country free but also to give their lives so others can have the freedom we cherish.  Some of you who visit this site are from another country, and I would imagine even if your country doesn’t have much freedom, you could still tell me some stories about the sacrifices people have made to bring freedom.

     Below is an email I wrote to my son in April 2004, who at the time was a Marine officer in Iraq.  This note exemplifies the cost of freedom.

I had no idea how many of your fellow Marines had been lost until I saw the “USA Today” newspaper article, on Friday.  You must be very saddened but proud of what all of you have given and accomplished in Iraq this month.  All of you were willing to give the ultimate, your lives, to protect each other.  All of you were willing to give the ultimate, your lives, for people who are your enemy and don’t even understand or want in some cases the freedom all of you are giving your lives for.  All of you exemplified what Christ did for us.  He died for us, when we were His enemies and not wanting or even understanding the freedom He had to offer. (Romans 5: 7-11)  I am proud of you! I am sure you exemplified “Semper Fi “ in every situation and did your best. You and your battalion have been an example to me, to live my life more fully for other Christians and for the lost. We Christians need to make “Semper Fi” our motto.   I love you son, Mom.

     Throughout the ages people have given their lives for another, and in many cases the underlining reason the sacrifice took place was for freedom.  They died so another could literally have the freedom to live free.  They sacrificed themselves so others could have the freedom to believe in what they felt was right and so on.

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Do you eat God's words daily?

     My daughter-in-law is seven and one-half months pregnant.  The other day she decided to eat a big chicken sandwich. She knew if she ate it, since it was bigger than the room in her tummy now, it would taste great but give her heartburn. Did you know as Christians, we are told to symbolically eat God’s Word and that it would be joy and strength to us, not something yukky? (see Jeremiah 15:16, Matthew 7:24-29, John 15:7, 11.)

Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Matthew 4:4 (NIV)

     The prophet Ezekiel was told by God to eat His Words which were written on a scroll. The command from God sounds odd, but it was a visual aid to show Ezekiel and others what God wanted them to do with His Word.  God’s desire was for Ezekiel (and all of us) to allow His words to saturate our hearts and minds so we can speak and live them (Psalm 119:97-105 esp. 103 and 1 Peter 2:2).

The voice (God) said to me, “Son of man, eat what I am giving you—eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll. “Fill your stomach with this,” he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. Then he said, “Son of man, go to the people of Israel and give them my messages...So don’t be afraid of them or fear their angry looks, even though they are rebels.” Then he added, “Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself...Ezekiel 3:1-11 (NLT)

     You might be wondering what a scroll is.  Scrolls were the books of Ezekiel’s day.  They were the common means for recording and preserving God’s Word in Israel. Leather, papyrus, or parchment sheets were joined together to form a book that the person would roll out as he read. Ezekiel ate the scroll, and we would all think “Yuk”! Yet, it ended up being sweet, because God’s words are life to our soul.  As Peter said, in John 6:68, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life."  King David said, in Psalm 19:9-10, "...The judgments of the LORD are true...They are more desirable than gold... Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb."

     God’s words are sweet to Christians, even His words of judgment, because as Christians His words bring us salvation and teach us to be more like Jesus.  Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Hebrews 4:12, 12:5-11, and James 1:21-25. We need to read, study, and memorize God’s words daily, so we will know them enough to alter our thoughts and actions.  

     If you are not a Christian, God’s words can be bitter to you!  This is because they spotlight and define your sins, and describe God’s judgment that comes from not believing in Jesus.   Read Psalm 1, Romans 7:7 and Revelations 10:9-11.     

Because of God's words, Gini

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