Dear Friends,

This devotional comes to you as my husband and I are on a much anticipated trip to Alaska. Our dream of visiting all 8 National Parks just might become a reality. As I write we have visited 6 with 2 left on our itinerary.

With that background information, let me give you a few statistics about Denali. It is the tallest mountain in the world at 20,310 feet or 6190 meters. (Mt Everest is the highest mountain because it’s elevation gain starts from the top of a high plateau.)

In all of its magnificence, it is visible 30% of the time or less, usually hidden by thick cloud cover. Many who come to see what the native Alaskans call “the tall one”, or “the great one” are highly disappointed because she hides her beauty well. Traveling into the National Park one rides over half way into the interior before the view of “the great one” is even a possibility. On our 7 hour trip into the interior not only was the mountain invisible, but we also had no idea which direction the mountain lay. Invisible greatness, hidden in the clouds.

The following day Chuck and I signed up for a moderate to strenuous 5+ mile hike. The morning air was crisp and cool. The sky was amazingly clear. Our small group was dropped off at our starting point several miles away from our lodge and we began the 1,200 ft elevation gain (400 meters). Turn after turn we were hoping to finally see the prize of our efforts. The section of trail we were on was known for its deception of the arrival point or peak. Finally around noon, as clear as could be, majestic Denali and other surrounding mountains came into view. The sight was indescribable.

Majestic

Breathtaking

Mesmerizing

The curtain of clouds opened and allowed us to view the elusive mountain in all of her grandeur.

Inside my soul wanted to sing and praise God for this indescribable beauty. Psalm 8:9 (ESV) “Oh Lord, our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth.”🎶

Chuck and I have been reading through the Bible together and a number of verses came to mind as we shared in this amazing and surprisingly intimate moment of witnessing the grandeur of God’s creation.

Below is a sampling of the many verses that came to mind as we took in the beauty of this snow covered mountain before us.

Job 38:22 (ESV) “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,…”

Job 37:14-24 (ESV) 14 “Hear this, O Job; stop and consider the wondrous works of God. 15 Do you know how God lays his command upon them and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine? 16 Do you know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge, 17 you whose garments are hot when the earth is still because of the south wind? 18 Can you, like him, spread out the skies, hard as a cast metal mirror? 19 Teach us what we shall say to him; we cannot draw up our case because of darkness. 20 Shall it be told him that I would speak? Did a man ever wish that he would be swallowed up? 21 “And now no one looks on the light when it is bright in the skies, when the wind has passed and cleared them. 22 Out of the north comes golden splendor; God is clothed with awesome majesty. 23 The Almighty–we cannot find him; he is great in power; justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate. 24 Therefore men fear him; he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.”

1 Chronicles 29:11 (ESV) “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.”

Psalms 93:1-5 (ESV) 1” The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. 2 Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting. 3 The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring. 4 Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the LORD on high is mighty! 5 Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore.”

How could this day, this moment, ever be topped? The following day was again clear and crisp. Denali allowed us again to view her magnificence the first half of our 7 hour ride out of the park.

Isaiah 44:23 (ESV)

“Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it; shout, O depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in Israel. “

 “Oh Lord, our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth.” (Psalm 8:1) We come before you realizing how small we are in light of your creation. We praise you for allowing mere men and women to come before your throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). Thank you that you are not like this mountain, hiding yourself from us, that you are not far away or out of sight, but as Hagar proclaimed, you are El Roi, the God who sees me (Genesis 16). Thank you for allowing us to witness the grandeur of your creation. May it bring us closer into a relationship with you knowing that neither “height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 8:39 ESV). May we be reminded of your goodness and faithfulness as we gaze upon your creation. Thank you for this gift of wonder. Thank you for your faithfulness.

In Jesus name, Amen

Linda Moehring

Update on our son: We praise God for healing and thank each of our praying partners for your part in this journey of faith. After 8 weeks with our son and family March through mid- May and then a month at our home while awaiting the Mayo appointments in Rochester, Minnesota we have happy news to report. The bone infection is gone! Chris was taken off the heavy duty antibiotics as they were the culprit as to what was making him so sick. Chris and family are back home, he is back at work and is also undergoing physical therapy to help learn to walk correctly again. He has very little feeling in his foot but we praise the Lord that no additional amputation was required and we pray that nerve endings will heal so that he can regain feeling. We are happy for every little bit of progress. Thank you for joining us on this journey of faith. Blessings to you.

Dear friends, The concept behind the June devotional was one that I wrestled with. I pray that you too will dig deeper into God’s Word to search for understanding of this amazing promise.

Blessings to you,  Linda

Brother, Sister, and Mother

 

Matthew 12:46-50

“While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

I grew up in a family of seven, and I was the middle-child. Many bemoan the placement of a “middle-child”, however, I found it to be a very safe place. I would watch my older brother and sister and learn what to do and if I was smart, what not to do. I would watch my younger brothers and know that I didn’t want to act like the spoiled last children. (Sorry Russ and Bruce!) In today’s passage we see that Jesus calls believers, “mother and brothers.” For years I have known the truth of believers being “heirs” of God. But as I was reading my devotions this week, the devotional writer talked about Jesus being our “older brother.” Wait, what? That sounds TOO personal! That sounds almost sacrilegious! Jesus, the creator of the universe, The King of Kings to which every knee will someday bow, (Romans 14:11) and I can call myself His personal sister?  I need to think about this one…….

Gal 4: 4- 7 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

The letter to the Galatians clearly explains the relationship of believers to our Savior as “heirs,” meaning that we are sons and daughters. We are children of God. Christ is the obedient, perfect son, fulfilling the will of God the Father through sacrificing his life that we might be justified. If Christ then is “Son” and we have been adopted as “sons and daughters,” then we are clearly the stepbrothers and stepsisters of Jesus. Yet, God in his love, NEVER calls us stepchildren. “Abba Father,” the term that Christ himself uses exemplifying warm expression and love for the Father, is also used to express his love for us as his brothers and sisters. We are Heirs of Christ, accepted totally; as we are, broken and imperfect. Yet, God’s Word clearly tells us that we are the brothers and sisters of Christ.

Romans 8:15 “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, Abba! Father!”

Hebrews 2: 8b-12 “Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying,

“I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation, I will sing your praise.”

While I can look back on my years as a child with fondness and with many wonderful memories, those years are also filled with the reality of the turmoil of growing up. Brothers and sister (including me) who at times treated each other with contempt, jealousy, and anger. Human behaviors that we sadly all succumb to at times. How grateful I am for my spiritual “brother” Jesus. His love was and is sacrificial. He only wants what is best for me at all times. His love is eternal. Dear friends, for those who have accepted the love of God the Father, through the sacrifice of Jesus, the one and only Son, we can boldly come before the throne of God as heirs of Christ, sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Christ.

I still wrestle with the reality of God’s love, grace, and mercy as I contemplate the reality of this truth.

Dear Father, We come before you with grateful hearts, thanking you for your love, mercy, and grace that you have called us to be sons and daughters, heirs with Christ. No words can express the love that you have shown towards us. (Psalm 7:17) “I will give the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.“(Psalm 9:2) “I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name O Most High.“ (Psalm 18:49) “For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing to your name.”

In the precious name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

For further study see:

Hebrews 13:12

Romans 8:29

Interview with Jon Piper, Desiring God Jesus Is My Brother – But What Does That Mean?