Tag: God

Do

Re: Verse reading–Exodus 14:1-4, 10-31; 15:1-2, 20-21 (day three)

“Why are you crying out to me?”  Throughout the Bible, we read that God leads men to become the kind of people who do what God would do if God were the one living their lives.  God will do many things for us, but there are things he will most certainly not do for us.  If they are to get done, we must do them.  We see this kind of leadership in the life of Jesus: “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?”; “When you have turned back, strengthen your brothers”; “Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing.”  The Lord is our redeemer, not our enabler.  He intends that our obedience grow us up, not perpetuate our inabilities.  This is hard, but it is possible: Be doers, not hearers only.

When prayer is the wrong thing

Re: Verse reading–Exodus 14:1-4, 10-31; 15:1-2, 20-21 (day one)

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward!”—14:15.

I sympathize with Moses.  He leads and before things get better they almost always get worse.  Three days into the “great escape”, the Egyptian army catches up with them. The people panic and blame Moses.  Even Moses seems off-balanced.  But, as he cries out to God (usually a good thing) He hears an unexpected answer and learns an important lesson.  When the way is clear, when the will of God is known, further prayer is just delay.  When we know what we should do, doing it is the only godly thing.  And calling others to do God’s will is the leader’s job.  “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin.”—James 4:17.  Hmmm. . .should I pray about this, or do what I know He wants?

New Year’s Day

Re: Verse reading–Exodus 12:1-14, 24-27, 13:8-9 (day seven)

“This month is to be. . . the first month of your year.”–v 12:1.

How do you celebrate New Year’s Day?  Football?  Family?  Fireworks?  The Hebrews had a different tradition, the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  Began with Passover.  They took a lamb (v 3), without defect (v 5–to accurately represent the coming, sinless Christ), cared for it in their homes for 14 days (v 6), then slaughtered, roasted and ate it with the family.  Bitter herbs (v 8–to remind of sin and suffering) were also included and bread without yeast (unleavened, v 8–to remind of the speed and decisiveness required to be included in God’s plan– not even time for bread to rise).  It told an important story!  Life BEGAN for Israel when God made them free.  So maybe New Year’s Day is not January 1. For believers, it is the day we received Christ by faith and forgiveness and power as a result.  ” In Christ. . . new creation”–2 Corinthians 5:17. Please celebrate!

Saved for Worship

Re: Verse reading–Exodus 12:1-14, 24-27, 13:8-9 (day six)

Does your heart sing? Years ago as a college student in Hattiesburg, MS I went to worship at FBC Hattiesburg with one of my closest friends. During the sermon the pastor was speaking on the extravagant love of God in our justification through Jesus, and being unable to contain himself my friend erupted with a loud fist pumping holler (like one you would hear at a football game). Needless to say he frightened many people, and probably left many scratching their heads. He was overcome with inexplicable joy! Isn’t this how it should be for us? Full of joy and erupting in song!

This week in Re:Verse we encountered the spontaneous praise of Moses and the Hebrew people following their salvation out from the Egyptians (Exodus 15). This is both beautiful to behold and compelling. Should not our praise erupt out of our joy of God’s salvation?! Yes, and again I say yes!

In fact the root of our joy rests in the saving work of God. In that work we see God for who he is as loving redeemer and mighty warrior. When we see God, we can’t help but worship. King David’s sin (and ours) was born out of dysfunctional worship. In Psalm 51:8 he wrote, “return to me the joy of my salvation.” Let’s pray like David that we never lose sight of our God who is mighty to save, so that our praise will always be loud and true!

The “What” and the “Why”

Re: Verse reading–Exodus 12:1-14, 24-27, 13:8-9 (day five)

Exodus 12:26   “And when your children say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’”

Exodus 13:8  “You shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’”

It is a great privilege for parents and grandparents to shape the faith of the next generation. Current research continues to affirm what the Lord knew thousands of years ago- that spiritual practices and patterns by parents and grandparents would indeed lead to questions and conversations with kids and teens.  Through these relationships, children will see and sense the urgency and priority of a vibrant and dynamic relationship with God.  So, what do our kids sense and see about our faith?  Does it cause them to ask “What” and “Why”?  Do we have meaningful answers from our own experiences and understanding?  Maybe an honest look at our practices and patterns as they relate to spiritual growth and strength would be helpful today.

A Jealous God

Re: Verse reading–Exodus 12:1-14, 24-27, 13:8-9 (day four)  Verse 12 says, “…and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord.”  Egypt had many false gods.  In the midst of delivering His own people from bondage, God was delivering a message to Egypt as well.  Each of the plagues they faced dealt with one of their false gods.  For Israel, they were being introduced to God and learning who He was.  Through the plagues, they learned that God was a jealous God.  Later, in Exodus and Deuteronomy, the Israelites will know God even better.  Exodus 20:5 – “for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,”  Deuteronomy 4:24 – “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”  Deuteronomy 5:9 – “for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,”  Deuteronomy 6:15 – “for the Lord your God in the midst of you is a jealous God,”  It is a characteristic of our holy God…He will not share His glory with a false god.  Guard against the false gods in our culture…Our God is a jealous God!

Pillar

Re: Verse reading–Exodus 12:1-14, 24-27, 13:8-9 (day three)

“This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead…”  You can lead a people out of 430 years of forced servitude, but they forget in the morning.  You can stumble through words of wisdom you didn’t know you had in you to guide a foolish child, but you won’t remember that saving grace next week.  God knows that we’re prone to such lapses in our thinking and in our living.  “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,” says one of the most honest hymns ever written.  When we forget God’s provision, we get in trouble.  God says to remind one another: Set up a pillar, make a feast, commemorate a day so you will not forget.  How are you marking God’s saving activity in your life?

This is Something Special

Re: Verse reading–Exodus 12:1-14, 24-27, 13:8-9 (day two)
“Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance.” vs. 14

The details are incredible. What to sacrifice, and how to account for everyone even if they didn’t have a lamb. How to prepare the meat, what to wear, and how to eat (in haste). Have you ever been in a moment or at an event when you turn to someone and say “This is really special, people are going to talk about this for a long time.”? You know what I mean, we all have those special moments in our own lives like weddings, births, deaths, but what about those moments that shape history? God had told Moses that this event (Passover) would be remembered for generations. It was the time of Passover when Jesus was crucified and the true atonement for all. Jesus has now paid the price for all, but the work is not done. Can we pray that our kingdom work will be the foundation that will change this city? Can we act in a way that we can tell our children that we were a part of something special? God still moves among us, and is still leading us home.

Substitute

Re: Verse reading–Exodus 12:1-14, 24-27, 13:8-9 (day one)
“When I see the blood, I will pass over you.”–12:13.

As The Great Artist, God drew this event into Israel’s history.  It pointed to Christ.  His death.  The first participants, however, did not understand the future meaning.  What they knew, that night as they sat huddled in their homes and heard the cries of a thousand Egyptian families mourning the death of a son in every house, was that THEY were safe. Not by their own merit, but by the death of an innocent substitute, a lamb. It was an unforgettable lesson!  A debt paid.  A death suffered.  For them.  By an innocent.  Years later Israel would understand.  John the Baptist would declare of Christ, “The LAMB OF GOD who takes away (both as to guilt and as to power) the sin of the world”–John 1:29.  All that we have with God we owe to Christ, our substitute.  We are “redeemed. . .with precious blood”–1 Peter 11:18-19

Asssertive God

Re: Verse reading–Exodus 5:1-2; 6:1-8; 7:1-5, 14-18; 8:1-3, 16, 20-21; 9:1-4, 8-9, 13-18, 25-26; 10:3-11, 21-22, 28-29; 11:1-5 (day seven)

It is not a picture of God that is familiar or comfortable.  Living on this side of the cross, we know the face of God’s mercy, God’s kindness.  It is a mistake, however, to think that the “God of wrath” is no more.  His patience is real, but the time comes when He becomes assertive in a terrifying way.  The plagues on Egypt in Exodus are that moment!  As we prepare for worship this morning, please read and reflect on these additional words from Scripture.

“The Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and truth. . .YET HE WILL BY NO MEANS LEAVE THE GUILTY UNPUNISHED.”—Exodus 34:7.

“The Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel.”—2 Thessalonians 1:7-8.

If we forget His assertiveness, do we really know Him?