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| Modern day Beersheba from Tel Beersheba |
As we have been travelling around Israel we have had several from our group share from God’s Word. Pastor Joe from Billings has shared a devotional thought each morning, usually reading a passage related to one of our stops for the day. Then two of my sons shared messages at worship services on the Lord’s Day and another friend shared with us on the Sea of Galilee. In the next three blogs I want to share with you a synopsis of what they shared along with some photos.
Sunday Feb. 12 Steve Youde shared God’s word
at Beersheba. While he was permitted to
share anything the Lord laid on his heart, I assumed he would tie it to where
we were at the time and such was the case.
He talked about “outcasts” and how much God loved them. His prime illustration was Hagar, who is one
of the greatest illustrations of an “outcast” in the Bible (Gal. 4:21-31). Though she was cast out with the approval of
God, she was also deeply loved by God as Gen. 16 and today’s passage make clear.
Steve also shared from a passage that I know
to be very important to him, the story of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15. He had referred to this story in his devotional
to his family this past Christmas and I have heard him refer to is on other
occasions. He reminded us that God, as
pictured in the father of the prodigal, not only loved the rebellious younger
son; He also loved the arrogant older son and invited him to the
celebration.
There is an issue for us here. In what is often a “politically” driven
mentality in our society we tend to “cast people out” because of their terrible
politics. We need to remember God’s love
for the outcast because we are called to be holy as our Father in heaven is
holy! And lest we forget, we were all
outcasts from birth.
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