Digging Deeper

“Who among the gods is like You, O Lord?  Who is like You-majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” Exodus 15:11

God’s holiness sets Him apart from sinful humanity.  It is more than righteousness.  It is associated with His majesty, the force of His sovereign will, and His wrath against all that is unholy.  Moses was told to remove his sandals because he was standing on holy ground near the burning bush of God.  Do you ever feel like you are standing on holy ground?  I feel closest to God when I am surrounded by His creation.  I went to the flower gardens last spring at Aulwood Park.  I was completely dwarfed by hillsides of daffodils, bluebells, Dutchman’s breeches, violets, may apples, and some many other flowers I couldn’t even identify. Birds were chirping as sweet fragrances and vivid colors awoke my winter dulled senses.  It was as if I was standing on holy ground.  I would have removed my sandals if it weren’t for that snake which slithered across my path early in my hike.

I challenge you this week to recognize and acknowledge God’s holiness.

Bible Reading:  Isaiah 6:3

You are my Holy God and yet You love me.  Thank You Father.

Dianna L. Brisco

“I AM WHO I AM.”  Exodus 3:14

Don’t even try to squeeze our magnificent God into a god-sized box.  He is the maker of the universe!  The creator of everything!  Sometimes I have a difficult time following a recipe and creating dinner, let alone creating something grander.  Let’s just think about this for a moment and try to get our limited understanding around how big God is.  God is a divine being who has created and communicates with people.  He is self-existent.  He has no origins and therefore He is answerable to no one.  God is self-sufficient.  He has no needs.  He doesn’t need us, but He graciously uses us to carry out His plans.  God is eternal.  God is, has always been, and will always be…eternal.  And God is unchangeable.  He never differs from Himself.  God will always be holy, wise, gracious, just, compassionate, and everything else He has revealed Himself to be.  Nothing will ever change God.

We may try to ignore God; but if we reject Him now, we will have to reckon with Him in the life to come.  I don’t know about you, but I am humbled and thankful to think this incomprehensible God is for me! He created me and He loves me.  That is an absolutely huge alleluia!

Bible Reading:  Exodus 3:13-22                                                                            

Dear Father, teach me about You.  As I read the Bible, pray, learn with other believers, and walk in Your world, expand my understanding about who You are.

Dianna L. Brisco

 As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.  -John 1:12

 Here’s some food for thought from a resource compiled by former Our Daily Bread editor, Kurt De Haan. In this FATHER acrostic, De Haan explains some of the basic processes to molding more to Christ’s image, in essence, becoming His child.

 F amily status. 

 The Bible uses two word pictures to explain the process of being brought into God’s family. The first is what Jesus described as being “born again.” The second is the concept of adoption. Both analogies help us to understand the frequent biblical use of the expressions sons of God and children of God.

 A ccess through prayer.

 In the New Testament, we have a clear picture of the believer’s privilege to call God “Father.” It is central to the gospel message and to the way we are to live as Christ followers. God’s holiness and greatness is not diminished by this in the least because in Christ we have a mediator who satisfies God’s requirements for holiness and who makes us holy through the sacrifice of our sins. Through this, we can call God “Father.”

 T raining in Godliness

 We should be glad that God disciplines His children because it demonstrates His love. Hebrews 12:5 quotes Proverbs 3:12 and says that as a good human father corrects his children, God corrects those whom He loves. The Father’s goal is to make His children more like Christ.

 H elp in times of need.

 The Bible assures us that we can cast all our cares on Him because He cares for us. He knows our needs and He knows how to meet those needs with wisdom and compassion. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah provides us with an interesting picture of God’s care for His spiritual children. During a difficult time when Israel was being defeated by her enemies and God seemed to be far away, the people said, “The Lord has forgotten me.” But God answered, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.” (Isaiah 49:14-16).

 E ternal hope.

 Our basis for hope:  We have been given spiritual life and are free from Satan’s death-grip (Eph. 2:1-7), We have been given the inner presence of the Holy Spirit, who confirms that we are God’s children (Rom. 8:16), We have God’s power enabling us to live for Him (1 Cor. 12:9), We have assurance that nothing can separate us from the Father’s love (Rom. 8:35-39)

 R esponsibilities to fulfill.

 Although we are “born again” by faith, we demonstrate the reality of that faith by acts of obedience to God. Jesus taught, “Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mt. 12:50). Our pattern of behavior, whether obedience or disobedience, reveals our commitment to our family.  Remember, our Father desires our love above all.

 Reading: Matthew 18:1-4

 Prayer: Father, thank you making us your children. Help us to grow in your image, humbling ourselves to your will.

 -By: Tara Pettit

There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. -1 John 5:7

 And God said, let US make man in OUR image…  -Genesis 1:26

 I’m really glad I don’t serve Allah. Or any other gods like Allah. When I was doing mission work in New Zealand with Campus Crusade for Christ this past summer, I specifically remember talking with a Muslim girl who was attending college in Wellington, NZ. I was interested in learning more about the Muslim faith and prodded her with questions concerning the god she served and what her feelings were towards her god. To my surprise, this girl couldn’t exactly pinpoint the characteristics that made up her god, Allah, nor could she express her genuine feelings towards him. I remember her saying, “I just don’t think about him that much. He seems kind of far away from what we do with our religion.” Blown away, I grasped at how I could communicate to her how she could enter into a deep, intimate relationship with a God that knew her, loved her and desired to talk with her every single moment of her life. I wanted so much for her to see just how disconnected she was from a god that claimed to have rule over life and just how much she needed connection with a God that wanted to romance her soul.

 We have a Father that exemplifies all aspects of relationship. Our God has created the mold for relationship, showing us what it means and what it looks like through His union with the Trinity: Father, Son and Spirit. God lacks nothing, with no need for anything, including relationships. However, He desires to be in relationship and chooses to share Himself with two other forms: the Son and the Spirit. God chooses not to be alone.

 In the same way, God chooses to expand His relationships to an entire world of humans, broken and imperfect. He enters into a relationship with each one of us, not because He is lonely, but because He loves to be relational. How attractive it is to serve a God that is not only all powerful, all knowing and ruler of the world, but desires to be a one-on-one God who concerns Himself with the nitty gritty aspects of our lives.

 We don’t just serve a god. We are in a relationship with the most personal Father the world has ever known.

 Reading:  John 14:6-7

 Prayer: Father, thank you for being personal and real to us, desiring to be in relationship with each of us. Help us to, in return, desire to be in relationship with you by trusting our hearts to you.

 By: Tara Pettit

 I have always been Father and will always be Father.

 -Ephesians 3:14-15

 My Child,



You may not know me, 
but I know everything about you. 
Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up. 
Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways. 
Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. 
Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image. 
Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being.
  Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring. 
Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived. 
Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation. 
Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made. 
Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother’s womb. 
Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born. 
Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented 
by those who don’t know me.
 John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. 1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. 
1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child 
and I am your Father. 
1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. 
Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father. 
Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. 
James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. 
Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. 
Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love. 
Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore.
Psalms 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing. 
Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you. 
Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession. 
Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you
with all my heart and all my soul. 
Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things. 
Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart, 
you will find me. 
Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you 
the desires of your heart. 
Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires. 
Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you 
than you could possibly imagine. Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager. 
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you 
in all your troubles. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. 
Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away 
every tear from your eyes. 
Revelation 21:3-4

And I’ll take away all the pain 
you have suffered on this earth.
Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you 
even as I love my son, Jesus.
  John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. 
John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being. 
Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you, 
not against you. 
Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.
 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. 
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression 
of my love for you. 
1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved
that I might gain your love. 
Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. 
1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you from my love again. 
Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen.
Luke 15:7

I have always been Father, and will always be Father.
 Ephesians 3:14-1

My question is…
Will you be my child? 
John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you. 
Luke 15:11-32



 Love,

Your Dad,
Almighty God


 Copyright: 1999 fathersloveletter.com

 Reading: Psalm 139

 Prayer: Father, your love is overflowing for us, and we thank you. Thank you for knowing us inside-out, for being our Father. Help us to see ourselves as your beloved children.

 By: Tara Pettit

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

 -Parable of the Lost Son: Luke 15:20

 “And by Him we cry, ‘Abba, Father!”-Romans 8:15   Abba is the Aramaic term that Jewish children use to address their fathers. The English equivalent of Abba would be Daddy or Dear Father. As varying are the different parts of the world’s views of father, father is one of the most substantial roles that God fulfills in His relationship with humans, His children. Some cultures view God as “The Great Mother,” for in their particular culture, it’s the mother’s role that is most relatable to the characteristics of God. With any worldview, God reveals Himself to be the ultimate Father, the truest picture of what a loving fatherhood should look like.

 In Luke 15, Father God is portrayed in a scenario that involves a son’s disgraceful return to the father he turned his back on. Rather than returning the same cold treatment, the father joyfully receives his son, rejoicing over his return. It is this exact scene that characterizes God’s fatherly attitude towards every single one of his children that returns to Him. The word prodigal can be identified with many negative concepts when used to describe the son: recklessly extravagant, lavish, wasteful expenditure… however, although the son may have been extravagant or prodigal in a negative way, so the Father is extravagant in every positive way: yielding abundantly, luxuriant or profuse. The Father’s love extravagantly covers everyone it encounters, especially those who return with a repentant heart. Examining the father’s welcome of his lost son in the parable allows us to see just how differently God views people and situations than we do. “’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” –Isaiah 55:8-9   Where we would fail to see or feel true joy at the mercy of wrongdoing, God lavishes all of his love and mercy in order to bring the wrongdoer back into His

 It’s important to view God in His proper role, as our Father. It’s within that role where we can experience the complete satisfaction and fulfillment of being a beloved child of God.

 Reading: Luke 15:11-32

 Prayer: Father, thank you for your immeasurable love and for your ways which are higher than ours. Help us to see you as the true picture of a wonderful Father and allow you to be our Abba.

 -By: Tara Pettit

Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep!”

-Parable of the Lost Sheep: Luke 15:6

And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin!”

-Parable of the Lost Coin: Luke 15:9

Bring the fatted calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.

-Parable of the Lost Son: Luke 15:24

What comes to mind when you think of the lost and found? For me, Westbrook Elementary’s hallway lost and found always comes to mind: a long, wooden box filled to the brim with discarded shirts, scarves, hats and the occasional backpack. Although students were encouraged to sift through the mound of clothing items, in search of their lost belongings, I would have rather lost my belongings to the box over ever having to dig through the mountainous pile of dirty, smelly, soiled clothing. That overflowing lost and found was off-limits for me, in fear that I would catch some horrible disease from my fellow first-grade classmates.

Amazingly enough, it is the lost and found our Heavenly Father goes to first in search of His most precious lost belongings: His children. When Jesus was surrounded by the “sinners” in Luke 15 (the tax collectors and prostitutes that were looked down upon during the time), He is scoffed by the Pharisees- “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” It’s after the Pharisees remark that Jesus brings to life three scenarios where a precious item is lost and after being desperately searched for and sought after by the owner, is found, reunited with the seeker, and rejoiced over. Jesus is trying to communicate to the Pharisees God the Father’s natural role as a seeker, desperately in search for His lost children and innermost desire to be reunited with them. Like Jesus said in Luke 5:29-31, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance,” it is the Father’s wish to bring His lost children to a state of repentance where His mercy shines the brightest. As Christ-followers we should strive for holiness, but never, ever remove ourselves from the place where we best experience God’s grace, the place where His love is most real to us when we find ourselves lost. Because it’s in those times where we can be pursued, sought after and FOUND by our loving Father.

 Reading: Luke 15

 Prayer: Father, thank you so much for seeking us, for pursuing our hearts even when we are lost. Help us to realize the depth of your love and to allow ourselves to be found everyday.

 By: Tara Pettit

Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.  Genesis 1:11

It’s true.  God is in my backyard.  Come on over, I’ll show you.  He’s in your backyard too.

When I go in my backyard, I am surrounded by the beauty that God created for us to enjoy.  I have lilies that are exploding in color, along with daisies, roses and trees.

How can something this beautiful be a 'cosmic accident'?!

In one of my small trees, there is a robin’s nest.  Last week the three tiny eggs hatched.  Mama Robin flies to and from the nest, almost constantly, to keep up with the babies’ needs.

I have 3 frogs that have found their way to our pond, and even sitting inside, I can hear them singing.

Looking beyond my backyard, there are acres of cornfields.  I like to sit in the evenings, when the day has slowed down, and listen to the breeze rustling the cornstalks.

Beyond the cornfield, I have a wonderful view of the sunset every night.  Streaks of pink and orange, blue and purple blaze across the sky.  When the sun has set, the show isn’t over.  Under a clear sky, we are far enough away from town that we have an unhindered view of the stars.  Lying on my back, looking up, the night sky is so incredible, it seems I’ll be swallowed up.

Every day, God is in our lives.  If you ever doubt His presence, or the love He has for us, all you need to do is look around.  In the skies, on the ground, in the water.  Stop by the nursery on a Sunday morning, look in the eyes of our beautiful babies.

He is real, He is present.  When we can’t see Him, maybe it’s because we’re just ignoring Him.

Lord, thank You for the beauty You’ve placed all around us.  Help me to look beyond my day to day frustrations to see Your presence.

Read: Genesis 1:29-30

Jeanne Roberts

“Return, faithless people; I will cure you of your backsliding.”

“Yes, we will come to you,for you are the LORD our God.”

Jeremiah 3:22

All through the Bible are stories of healing.  The lame walking, the blind seeing, those overcome with demons being freed.  Oh, and that thing with Lazarus…

For many, it’s hard to empathize with those suffering from illness or injury.  An ear ache doesn’t sound like much of a big deal until I awaken in the middle of the night with the sensation of needles shooting through my ear.  At that point, the seriousness of the matter increases dramatically!   I am desperate for relief.   I’ll do anything, and I find myself trying to remember every old wives’ tale and every home remedy I’ve ever heard of!

During times of suffering, we all tend to listen to our doctors’ every word.  It’s when we’re feeling pretty good that we say to ourselves, “Aw, that doctor doesn’t know what he’s talking about…”

A very dear friend at the Ridge told me once, “It’s in the valleys that we grow.  We don’t grow on the mountain tops.”

God’s power to heal is incredible.  His willingness to heal us spiritually is overwhelming.

He has not only healed my soul, but He is generous enough to keep giving me ‘booster shots’ to make sure I’m never as I once was.

Physically, I’m not in perfect health.  I have a few maladies that I will contend with for the rest of my life.  For whatever reason, God has chosen to leave me with these things.   He has me in the valley.

Even when I’m in the valley, wishing I was on the mountain top,  the real cure, the best medicine, is the God-given knowledge that this is his plan. The assurance He gives me every day that these health issues I have are not punishments, or proof that He has turned his back on me.

He is with me, and He carries me when I need help.  Maybe I’ll get better one day.  Maybe I won’t.  Either way, I know that I am in His care, and knowing that is the real “Chicken Soup for the Soul”.

Heavenly Father, thank you for healing my soul, for providing relief when I suffer.  Help me to always remember to see past my own suffering so that I might grow closer to you.

Read: Isaiah 53:4-6

Jeanne Roberts

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.1 John 3:1

God is The Father.  Of earth and sky and space, of every creature, flower and stone.

He is The Father. Captialized.

Somehow our society has accepted the portrayal of our earthly fathers as buffoons. Turn on any sitcom, and you’ll find a semi-conscious oaf shuffling across the screen, typically with his fly down. That oaf is the father of the tv family.

Now, I know that these portrayals are no more real than those of the Cleavers or Ozzie & Harriet.   The love and devotion to his family is usually plain to see, despite whatever mayhem he’s caused throughout the episode.

It’s not only television, our entire society seems to be obsessed with the mistakes of our human fathers. There are no shortages of “Daddy Stories”, from abuse to neglect, from being absent from a child’s life to being present but emotionally unreachable.

If you see a young woman dressed provocatively, or employed somewhere in which her body is objectified, you’ll hear people say “Look at that, she’s got Daddy Issues”.

I have to say, upon starting my walk with Christ a few years ago, I was a little uncomfortable about thinking of God as my Father. “No thanks, I’ve had a slew of fathers, step-fathers and “father figures”; I know how this father thing works. If You don’t mind, I think I’ll just hang out with Jesus over here.”

But God is The Father. My father, stepfathers, father figures, they were all just humans. They are as bound to make mistakes as any other human. It’s not for me to hold judgements against them, or blame them for any neuroses I may have.

I have a Father. He is perfect. He loves me unconditionally. I have a Father. I can go to Him and spend time with Him and feel protected, accepted, and understood. I can think of him as not just God, but as Abba.

I have a father. He is not perfect, nor am I a perfect daughter. We argue. Months will pass before either of us picks up the phone to call the other. Despite all of that, I love him because he is my father, and he’s done the best he could do.

Heavenly Father, thank You for all that You give to me on a daily basis. Help me to remember to look to you for guidance and strength, and help me see my earthly father through your eyes.

Jeanne Roberts

Read: Instead of a chapter to read, I’ve found some separate verses that touched me as I was thinking about this devotional.

“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”  John 8:40-42

No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.  John 16:27

Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”  John 20:17

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?  Hebrews 12:7