Apr 05
Today’s Truth
For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God (Deuteronomy 4:24, NSAB).
Friend to Friend
Shakespeare described jealousy as a “green-eyed monster.” I once heard it called “the gangrene of the soul.” 
Jealousy is usually thought of as a negative trait we need to guard against. But with God, jealousy takes on a whole new meaning.
God is a jealous God.
The root idea in the Old Testament word jealous is to become intensely red, referring to the way our face changes color with rising emotion when something or someone very dear to us is threatened. Kind of like fire!
For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God (Deuteronomy 4:24, NSAB).
Both the Old and New Testament words for jealousy are translated “zeal.”
In other words, being jealous and being zealous is often the same thing in the Bible. God is zealous – eager about protecting what is precious to Him. It’s the kind of jealousy that compels God to relentlessly pursue each one of us.
The jealousy of God is comparable to the jealous passion of a parent for their child. As a mother, I understand that kind of jealousy.
When our son was six weeks old, he developed a potentially serious medical condition. I panicked when the doctor told us to bring Jered to the hospital for tests. After an extensive exam, the doctor said, “Let’s get an IV in this little man and get him upstairs for X-rays.” Seeing the look on my face, our pediatrician assured us, “He’s going to be fine. We’ll take good care of him.” I appreciated his words of comfort, but they were not nearly enough for me.
I held Jered tightly as a wonderful nurse gently inserted Jered’s IV, quickly securing it with surgical tape. She then took a Styrofoam cup, cut it in half, and taped it over the needle so Jered couldn’t accidentally kick it out. And he was definitely kicking at this point!
The nurse then left the room so I could calm Jered down. He was almost asleep when the door burst open. An X-ray technician wheeled a gurney in the room and sharply ordered, “Let’s go!” He had no idea who he was dealing with. My husband did, and quickly took charge, escorting the technician into the hallway to say, “We’ll carry our son to the X-ray floor, so we will not need that gurney until we get there.” The technician started to argue, but wisely reconsidered as his eyes met mine.
When we reached the X-ray unit, Dan gently pried Jered out of my arms, and laid him on the gurney. The technician said, “We’re really backed up today, so let’s make this quick!” He then jerked the gurney and the IV pole in opposite directions, yanking out the carefully inserted IV. As blood spurted out of my son’s leg, he screamed in pain.
I don’t exactly remember what happened next, but Dan does. He said I scooped Jered up in my arms, stomped my foot so loudly that nurses came running as I growled at the offending young man. He glared back at me and said, “Lady, do you need to leave this unit?”
Dan said he quickly began calculating how he was going to raise my bail money when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw me approach the doomed technician, plant my finger in his chest and whisper through clenched teeth, “Listen carefully, young man. I know you have a job to do, but you need to understand something right now! This is my baby! I am not going anywhere! And you need to watch how you treat him!”
The young technician quickly apologized … and I stepped back.
Fortunately, Jered did not have to have surgery. Thankfully, we headed home instead of to jail. I was and still am a jealous parent who is passionate and zealous about my children.
Don’t doubt for a minute that God is jealous for you.
He is standing right beside you.
Listen closely as He declares that you are His child.
You belong to Him, and He is not going anywhere!
Let’s Pray
Thank You, Lord, for loving me like no one has ever loved me. I don’t understand that kind of love, but I accept it and celebrate who You are in my life.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Spend time with God today, reading and meditating on John 3:16:
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
More from the Girlfriends
The love of God is like no other love. Mary’s MP3 download, Love That Never Fails, is a powerful message that will help you understand and celebrate God’s amazing love.
Be sure to check out the resources on Mary’s website and connect with her through email or on Facebook.
© 2021 by Mary Southerland. All rights reserved.
Gracias Señor por amarme.
Psalm 139:14
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
Lol, you’re NICE. My husband and I had a similar experience when my then 7 month old son contracted a nasty case of pneumonia. After sitting for three hours in a hospital clinic waiting room with my baby heaving for every breath and watching patients come and go I discovered that the clerk had never even submitted my baby’s paperwork! And she giggled about her mistake! There were actually nurses and techs that had to intervene because I handed the kid off to hubby and went for the clerk. And then the hospital’s equipment was at least 40 years old, no exaggeration. We quickly left and took him to the local children’s hospital which provided stellar care. The other hospital was notorious for subpar care (we didn’t know) and despite our pediatrician’s privileges at that hospital and its proximity we would have bypassed it altogether. That hospital has since closed, thank God. I had him after a long wait to marry and he was a welcome and long-awaited addition to our family. I have fought hell for this boy against unfair treatment that he has received from principals and teachers alike. I do it GLADLY. I RELISH IT. I say BRING IT because I love my son and am not tolerating it. I don’t baby or mollycoddle him by ANY stretch of the imagination- he is now a 15 year old young man. But I will always fight for him. It is good to know that my God will fight for me and defend me like an irate mama bear.
Dear, Dear Mary,
I am a 65 years young mother and I still remember vividly how my 3-month old son, William, had a fever that did not break after three days. His temperature kept climbing higher. The doctor said that I needed to walk across the street to the hospital. I thought,”Lord, am I bringing my son to his death bed?” The clinic had a compassionate nurse walk alongside me to the pediatric ward. She helped me get my son registered at the hospital. Then a nurse directed me to William’s hospital bed and inserted an IV at his scalp along with a styrofoam cup cut halfway down. She carefully taped the cup to my son’s scalp so that William could not pull the IV off. I was definitely scared being a first-time mother. Blood tests were taken. He was diagnosed with a blood disorder. He eventually outgrew his blood disorder during his middle school years and could live a normal life. PTL! Thank you, thank you again for sharing this devotional.
In Christ, Veda😀
What a POWERFUL devotion that truly paints the picture of a mother’s love!
I am soooooo glad that God loves me especially during this time of sometimes fear and loneliness. I literally don’t know what I would do without Him~
Good Morning Mary, and Thank you for sharing this message! God’s Blessings Always ✨❤️🙏❤️✨