February 15 - Numbers 7:1-89

Good morning everyone,

The first longest chapter in all of the Bible is Psalm 119 which talks about the Scripture and the blessings that come from the Word of God. This morning we begin our reading with the second longest chapter in the Bible, Numbers 7, which deals with with giving. God wants us to be givers, He cares greatly about everything we do for Him, every gift we bring Him.

After Moses anointed and consecrated the altar and all its utensils, the leaders of the 12 tribes brought their gifts and offerings for its use and maintenance. While you are reading, take note of how God wisely and graciously ordered more carts to those that had the most work. The Gershonites, having a pretty light load got two carts for the curtains and hangings.The Merarites, having a larger load got four wagons because they had to transport the boards, pillars, sockets, and such. With both groups, if they were not able to get all they were to carry into the carts then they were expected to carry the rest on their backs. I rather imagine there was some very strategic packing going on. Wouldn’t you agree. 

Then there was the Kohathites, they would get no wagons because they were to carry ark upon their shoulders with particular care and honor. Later, when we get to 1 Chronicles we will see just how serious God is about the care of the ark and the price a man named Uzza had to pay.

The chapter finishes up with God speaking to Moses. We’re told that whenever Moses went into the tabernacle, God spoke him from the Most Holy Place. Imagine, if you will, hearing the very voice of God. Job said it is a thunderous voice. While we may not know the same experience as some in the Old Testament; God speaking directly to His people to tell them the proper way to live, He is always there for us to talk to and receive direction from. God will answer us through His written Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The amount of guidance you receive will be determined by how diligently, how earnestly you seek His face. Right?! He loves you, He loves me and He totally wants to bless us abundantly. I would encourage you to just let go, and let God. 

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …

February - Exodus 39:32-40:38, Numbers 9:15-23

Good morning everyone,

As we begin this morning, the tabernacle is finally finished. Six months of pounding gold and other precious metals, fitting doors, sanding wood, weaving and so much more, is at last ready to be checked out, examined, assuring a job done to specification. And that is just what Moses did, he inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.

Now the assembly process would begin. No quick moving exercise here. No, no. Moses would be quite careful to follow God’s instructions, to the letter; very meticulous while setting up of the tabernacle, making sure everything was in its proper place. And once everything was, Moses was to take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it. After which, Moses was to bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting, wash them with water then dress them. 

Then Moses took the tablets with the law written on them and put them in the ark, and brought that into the tabernacle. he placed the lamp stand, the gold alter and the basin for water all where they belonged. The last thing Moses did was set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and altar and put up the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. And then Moses had finished the work at least for the time being. The daily care of the tabernacle would require a long list of tasks, each one just as important as the other in maintaining God’s house.

Moses was able to finish the work of the tabernacle because he knew exactly what God wanted, right down to the smallest detail. He had spent forty days on the mountain top fasting and praying to God as He laid out the plan He wanted Moses to follow. May I suggest to you that if you are to know the plan God has in mind for you, it is imperative you take time, real time, more than just a quick “Dear God bless my day” type of time to be with Him. I am talking forget the rest of the world, I am devoting this block out of each day to get quiet, to be still and fellowship with God time.  A time when you can read His Word and be sensitive to the gentle guidance He will bless you with. A time where you can share with Him your cares and concerns, leaving them at the cross. A time where you can be encouraged and strengthened in His mighty power. That is so awesome! That is our God.

Habakkuk 2:1-2 reads, “I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected.” Habakkuk in addition to being determined to hear God and His and his directions, also had an expectation that God would speak to him. He was looking for it. We too should be so bold. God told Jeremiah, “ You will find me when you search for Me with all your heart.” 

Friends, are you searching with all your heart? Not just going through the motions but sincerely surrendering your whole self to God. The Bible tells us to seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! Psalm 14:2 says, “The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.” Great thing wait ahead for those who drop all pride, all self and wait on the Lord. Amen?

God bless your day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …

February 13 - Exodus 37:1-39:31

Good morning everyone,

In today’s scripture we read about the exact design and detail that went into the planning and building of the ark, the table, the lamp stand, the alter of incense, the alter of burnt offering, the basin for washing, and hooks, bands on posts and curtains used for the courtyard. According to Exodus 38, the amount of gold used was 29 talents and 730 shekels, or if you prefer, 2,800 lbs. Pure gold throughout the scriptures speaks to holiness on such a high level it cannot be reproduced by man. Gold is made by God and represents the divine glory of the Lord Jesus as "the Son of God" and "God the Son". 

The amount of silver used was 100 talents and 1,775 shekels or 9,600 lbs. All throughout Scripture, silver figuratively speaks of  redemption. Right? Silver is symbolic of the redemption that comes through Jesus Christ and Him alone. It foreshadows the great value of Christ as the ransom for sinners.  There is no silver mentioned in heaven. Why? The people will already have been redeemed. Thank you Jesus.

The total amount of bronze used was 70 talents and 2,400 shekels, 6,700 lbs. Bronze was used in the places where exceptions strength and heat resistance was necessary. Bronze represents judgement. Bronze typifies the divine character of Christ who took upon Himself the fire of God's wrath, holiness and justice by becoming a sin offering.

The colors in the priestly garments were blue, which is always mentioned first; It represents the blue of heaven, reminding man that that is his final destination. Then purple, the color of royalty, Jesus himself as King of king's and Lord of lord’s. Next was scarlet which speaks of sacrifice, Christ in His sufferings.

I could go on and on about the fine linen, the goats hair, badger skins, acacia wood, and then the spices for the incense and oils which were restricted for tabernacle use only, anyone violating the command was put to death. It is all so amazing and all so on purpose. The total value of the project in our economy would exceed three million dollars. Amazing!

However, the tabernacle, as big and as grand as it was, was so much more than a place for the Hebrews to establish true worship with God. The ultimate purpose of the Tabernacle, was to point to Christ Jesus, the true treasure and Matthew and Luke both tell us, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” It begs the question, “Where do you store the True Treasure? In your heart or shelved some place until you have time? Who are you serving? I pray that you are serving the Father and Him alone, for He alone is worthy. He alone, can fill the void in your life. He alone can allow you access to heaven. He alone is God. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

February 12 - Exodus 35:1-36:38

Good morning everyone,

As we begin today’s reading, Moses is back in town and it is time to get to work on the tabernacle. First, however, God wants it made known that though there is a lot of work to be done, they are to only work for six days, taking the seventh off to rest. He was so serious about it that He told them, “Whoever does any work on it is to be put to death.” We, as a whole, would be wise to claim the practice of resting one day each week. Too many of us do not, powering through from day to day, week to week, year to year until we don’t even know how to rest anymore. We all need this rest God speaks to. It allows us less stress for starters, and then there is better health, more time to work on your relationships with spouse, children or even friends. Plus it provides us an opportunity to have quality quiet time with God, to be fed by Him who will then bless us with perspective and balance. Everything looks so much better when we are rested fed. Agreed?

Next the Lord called for an offering from everyone who was willing. What I love was, everyone was willing! They brought their gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, basically everything in their possession. They gave until Moses had to tell them, “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary,” because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work. That is awesome. I have been to many churches in my life time and never have I ever heard the pastor say, “Yeah …. you guys have been so generous, you can take a break from giving.” Most churches have their faithful few who offer up all that they can all of the time while others hold tightly to all that they have, all that really belongs to God. God wants us all to be cheerful givers. 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” I would encourage us all to give above our tithe, happily to missions, teen ministry, the food bank or any ministry that can use your help. 

Friends, it should be our honor to tithe and give to our God and when you do, without expectation, you will be blessed beyond belief, You can never out give the Lord. Malachi 3:10 “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” Your blessings may or may not come in dollars, greenbacks, pesos, euros, pieces of eight, but if the Lord promises to bless you, you can count on being blessed. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

February 11 - Exodus 32:1-34:35

Good morning everyone,

So as we begin this morning, Moses has been up on the mountain for forty days, hanging out with God while He wrote down the commandments on stone tablets. Below, the natives are getting restless as they look up from below and see fire and smoke, what I would imagine looked a lot like a live volcano. Some were even wondering if Moses was still alive? 

They brought these concerns to Aaron and he told them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” They did and Aaron took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf. What?! This is Moses’ brother, the priest left in charge. Oh good grief. The crowd must have been very threatening to him, which begs the question where was his faith? Nonetheless, the people wanted to see the God they worshipped and Aaron provided an idol for them to represent that God. Big mistake …..HUGE! Second Commandment, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.” “You shall not!” And yet they wanted and Aaron did.

I think it is prudent that we take a look at the “they” who were, which most commentators agree with, the “Mixed Multitude.” Exodus 12 tells us they, the Egyptians and mixed races, came up out of Egypt with the Israelites. These people, in their culture, worshipped the bull deity Apis. With a few exceptions this multitude was controlled by a selfish motive. Because of the terrible judgments of God upon the enemies of His people they thought it was safer to leave with the Israelites. Not only did they desire to escape the plagues, but they had heard the glowing accounts of the promised land as a country “flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands.” Kind of like, follow the “yellow brick road to Oz.”  Right? They wanted to share with Israel in the inheritance but they wanted to do it on their terms. 

Well, as we all know, Moses comes down off the mountain with tablets in hand. He sees the orgy, the excessive drinking and unrestrained sexual activity, and most offensive of all, the worshipping of the golden calf and he looses it. He throws the tablets down, shattering them then sets about the task of bringing order back to the camp, wanting only those who are prepared to follow God to remain. Imagine yourself as Moses, what would you be thinking.

The message I am getting from this today is, friends, we need to be careful about our primary circle of friends. They need to be like minded as it is so easy to fall. Please do not misunderstand me, I am not saying to not associate with anyone but Christians. What I am suggesting is be careful, to not get sucked into the “ways of the world.” Make sense? It can be so subtle and so fast that you will be circling the drain and not even know it. Stay true to yourself in God, know your weaknesses, make wise choices.  We make hundreds of choices each day.  Some choices are spontaneous and of little consequence, like what mug we choose in the morning.  Other decisions are more significant, like choosing the person we will marry.  In either extreme or with any decision in between, learning how to make wise choices is an important life skill for every believer in Christ Jesus. In fact, doing God’s will is really a matter of making right choices on a consistent, daily basis. Make sense? I would encourage you, and keep reminding myself, to know our priorities, to seek wise godly council and make sure our decisions fall in line with God’s Holy Word, always making sure God gets the glory, while we get the encouragement. James 3:17 tells us, “The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” Christians, believe in our God, our Abba. He most certainly believes in you. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all. 

February 10 - Exodus 29:1-31:18

Good morning everyone, 

Todays Scripture speaks to the consecration of the priests. It is because the people’s sin prevented each individual from dealing directly with God that He appointed priests from the tribe of Levi and set up a system of sacrifices to help the people approach Him. God promised to forgive the people for their sins if they would offer these certain sacrifices, the priests being the go between, on behalf of the people.

In the Old Testament, to say there was a lot of blood shed in an effort to give thanks and be forgiven, would be a gross understatement. Until Christ came, the priests were the people’s only  representative before God, the only way they could have their sins forgiven would be the shedding of blood. Each and every person would would have to have an offering for slaughter. Can you imagine what that would look like today if God had not sent Jesus to be the sacrifice for all? 

Forgiveness is something no one finds easy and yet it is something none of us can live without. The Old Testament reveals to us a God who, because sin is so detestable He cannot look on it, made a way, albeit gross (in my humble opinion), to be with the people He absolutely adored. A people he cherished and would do anything for.  

And then there is “us”, flash forward to New Testament and we find the same God who is Love, and Mercy and Grace. A God who longs to forgive even our greatest of sins and wickedness. A God who just as desperately longs to have a relationship with us. The same God who still, because sin is just as detestable as forever could not look on it, sent Jesus to be the sacrifice, the blood shed all sins for all of mankind forever and ever.

This gift, and it is a gift, Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” is there for anyone who chooses to accept it. This gift cannot be earned. It is received by faith offering you, offering us all eternal life, as promised in Romans 6:23, "the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” What could be better than that?

It begs the question, have you accepted the free gift of salvation offered by Jesus Christ? If you are uncertain, you can accept it right now. There is no special sacrifice of blood you need to bring, Jesus paid it all. There is also no special prayer you must pray, Romans 10:9 tells us all you have to do is "confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, and you will be saved.” 

If this is you, you can right now pray: "Dear God, I realize I am a sinner and could never reach heaven by my own good deeds. Salvation is a gift that only you can give. So right now I place my faith in you, Jesus Christ as God's Son who died for my sins and rose from the dead to give me eternal life. Please forgive me of my sins and help me to live for you. Thank you for accepting me and giving me eternal life.”

If you did more than read this, if you actually prayed this prayer and meant it in your heart then congratulations. Oh my word, your world will begin to change in amazing ways. It will be scary at times, and not always easy but the joy and the peace that comes with being a believer in God’s perfect plan will be much greater. I would encourage you to read your Bible, start in the Book of John. Get to know Jesus and how much He loves you. Also get hooked up with a body of believers, like minded people who absolutely know that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. How exciting!

I am reminded this morning of a song I love. The chorus goes: “Oh victory in Jesus. My Savior, forever. He sought me and bought me, with His redeeming blood; He loved me ere I knew Him And all my love is due Him, He plunged me to victory, beneath the cleansing flood.” And all God’s people said ….. Amen!

have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

February 9 - Exodus 25:1-28:43

Good morning everyone,

This morning’s reading begins with a specific set of instructions God gave Moses on the mountain for the construction and furnishings of the tabernacle. But first they will need some capital and ask for an offering. The Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give.” Please note that they were not ordered to give. God hoped that they would love Him enough to want to give. Make sense? Remember that they were not a wealthy people, the money, the treasures they had came from what they had taken from the Egyptians before the exodus. Remember? God provided now, God guided, and as it happened the people were more than happy to give back to the church a portion of what He had blessed them with.

Now, I’ve got to say, I am absolutely blown away by how specific the plans, God gave to Moses for the construction of the tabernacle, the table, the lamp stand the ark, its cover, the curtains, the everything were. All the the detail is so perfect, it excites me. It is so right up my alley. I love order and knowing exactly what is expected, and that is what God allowed them. He told Moses, “Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.” Then about the lamp stand, “See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain,” and the alter of burnt offerings, “It is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain.” Every measurement was to be exact, every talent of gold was to be measured out, God left no room for questions on anything.

May I suggest to you that  God is no different with the plans for our lives. God said to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Friends, think about that for just one minute. Before we were even formed in our mother’s womb He knew us and had a plan for our lives. Not a plan of failure or complacency. Oh no! A great plan, a perfect plan. God says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Hope, according to Webster, is an optimistic attitude of mind based on an expectation of positive outcomes related to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. 

The Bible is abundantly clear that there is a plan for our future. Psalm 33:11 tells us that, “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation.” And this plan is fail-safe, every detail is taken into account. God’s plan is all-inclusive. It is based on His omniscience (knowing all), so that everything past, present, and future is taken into account. It excludes “good luck” or coincidences and includes seemingly insignificant details all designed to bring glory to the father.

However unlike the tabernacle and all its content, the plans God has for our lives are, much to my dismay, not as detailed. While God has revealed all that we need to know about His plan for creation, there is much He has purposed not to reveal to us. We are instructed not to seek to fill these gaps as secret things belong to the Lord. I believe we could not mentally handle all God has planned for us, if made known. Make sense? God trusts that we will walk in faith, The Lord says in Psalm 125:1-2, “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore.” So while there is no real set of “first A then B” instructions for our lives, there is a promise that “If we will but trust and obey”, if we will, “Be strong and courageous!”if we “Do not be afraid!” The Lord our God will go ahead of us. He will neither fail you nor will He forsake us. I love that promise, and believe we should all purpose to live that plan. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

February 8 - Exodus 22:16 - 24:18

Good morning everyone,

Today in our reading we will pick up where we left off with God explaining to Moses how the Israelites were to handle everyday situations that would come up. Laying down the law. God’s objective was to protect them, get them organized and to keep their attention on God. Every culture, every country, every family, every person must have boundaries. Rules and laws that need to be adhered to, without them people would not survive. Plain and simple. 

In chapter 23 the Israelites were told each year they were to celebrate three festivals in God’s honor. These religious festivals were connected with the nation’s agricultural cycle. The Feast of Unleavened Bread occurred in March or April in celebration of the early barley harvest. Seven weeks later came the Feast of Weeks, celebrating the harvest of other cereal crops such as wheat. Finally, the Feast of Tabernacles celebrated the final harvest and end of the agricultural season in the autumn. When they gathered together, they were to eat together, catch up on what and how everyone has been doing, laugh together, have a joyful time while honoring God. 

In chapter 24 the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel.” God is going to finalize the deal, the covenant with the people of Israel. We read, when Moses went and told the people all of the Lord’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.” The next morning Moses got up early and built an alter at the foot of the mountain where he then took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people, essentially asking, “Do you understand the terms?” Again they responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.” So the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”

It begs the question, Christians, are we saying, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.” Obedience is the practical acceptance of the authority and will of God. It includes both submitting to Him and then expressing that submission in actions, words and thoughts. To be obedient is to be in agreement with God. To be in agreement with God and act accordingly, don’t overlook that, “Act accordingly!” John 14:15, 21 tells us, "If you love me, you will obey what I command ....Whoever has my commands, and obeys them he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” It takes a conscious effort to do this, to daily, sometimes minute by minute choose to swallow pride, empty self, deny the enemy and act in a God like manner. 

James tells us, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says" In Luke we read, "Why do you call me, "Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?” Friends, we all are disobedient in some area of our lives. I would encourage us all to take an honest inventory of ourselves. Not a quick once over and conclude, “I’m good…”  but truly examine every aspect of our hearts and minds. And don’t stop there, also ask God to search your hearts, search our hearts, and to remove the blinders to reveal any sin or wrong behavior that is lodged in the dark recesses. He will reveal it to you, and when he does then thank Him for making these areas known to you, and make a real effort to change your heart. It is one thing to know the Word but are you, am I really, in all areas of our lives genuinely living God’s plan? 

Oh Lord Jesus, Father God, we come to you this morning, knowing, fully aware, that we are sinners, that we are far from perfect. But Father we long to shed as much of that sin and filthy rags of our past that is humanly possible. We are desperate to live our lives totally , wholly committed to your perfect way. I pray this morning that you would reveal any sin to me, to us, that may be keeping us from doing just that, Show us any behavior that could possibly be causing ripples in a relationship, or distance with You, Father. Give us the ears to hear you when you speak, and the discipline to obey what you reveal to us. It is my prayer, Lord that we would purpose to submit to your guidance, not just know the ways of your Word, but to earnestly act on them. Help me, I pray to see, to know the glory that comes when I make the choice to be obedient to you. Help us to be able to swallow our pride, to be humble and selfless in all situations. Oh my God, the Lover of my soul, how I worship and adore you. How I desperately long to please you . You alone are worthy of all glory honor and praise. I thank you in advance Father for answer to the prayer.

I love you Lord, and I lift my voice. To worship You, Oh, my soul, rejoice! Take joy my King, in what You hear. Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear.And all God’s people said ….. Amen!

Have a great day and to God the Father be all the glory.

God bless you all …..

February 7 - Exodus 20:1-22:15

Good morning everyone,

So as we continue in Scripture today, the Lord, in the form of fire, has called Moses to meet him up on the top of Mount Sinai, which at this point is totally engulfed with smoke. God told Moses to help the Israelites ready themselves, both physically and spiritually to meet with God. They were to set themselves apart from not only sin but also everyday routine, to get ready. All the distractions, preoccupations, which in today’s world would include cell phones, toys, TV, internet, anything that the enemy would use to distract you or take your focus off God, are to be put aside. It was when God felt they were ready that He spoke to them from this cloud the Ten Commandments. The commands were so the people could see the nature of God and also were used as guidelines to meet the needs of each individual in a loving and responsible manner. They were designed to lead Israel to a life of practical holiness.

Some would argue that these commandments are Old Testament, and we live in a New Testament time. And I get that, but allow me to use the Words of Jesus to draw parallels to the Ten Commandments and how they apply to us today.

Commandment:

1. “You must have no other God before me.” ~ Jesus said, Matthew 4:10, “ You must worship the Lord your God and serve Him only”
2. “You must not make for yourself an idol.” ~ Jesus said, Luke 16:13, “No one can serve two masters.”
3. “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God.” ~ Jesus said, Matthew 5:34, “D not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By Heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne.”
4. “ Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” ~ Jesus said, Mark 2:27-28, “ The Sabbath was meant to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath.”
5. “Honor your father and mother.” ~ Jesus said, Matthew 10:37, “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine.”
6. “You must not murder.” ~ Jesus said, Matthew 5:22, “If you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgement!”
7. “You must not commit adultery.” ~ Jesus said, Matthew 5:28, “Anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
8. “You must not steal.” ~ Jesus said, Matthew 5:40, “If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.”
9. “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.” ~ Jesus said, Matthew 12:36 “ You must give an account on judgement day of every idle word you speak.”
10. “You must not covet.” ~ Jesus said, Luke 12:15, “Guard against every kind of greed.”

Many people look at “law” as threatening, often with immediate recoil or the digging in of heals. May I suggest to you that God’s laws are nothing to be feared, rather they bring with them a great deal of relief, because you see they are a means to God’s ultimate law of love and the peace that naturally follows when applied to our lives. Make sense? 

Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” True discipleship is more than intellectual assent, so to speak, those who are “really” followers of Christ will “hold to” His Word which includes the Ten Commandments. And if you do, when you do, then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

February 6 - Exodus 16:1-19:25

Good morning everyone,

Chapter 16 begins with, “The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin” where, btw, it did not take long for them to begin grumbling against Moses and Aaron. They complained about how hungry they were, remembering their days in Egypt when they sat around pots of meat and ate all the food they wanted.” Wait! What? That’s not exactly a correct account of their previous lives. More accurately they, slaves you’ll remember, spent the whole of every day gathering straw to make bricks under the blistering Egyptian sun and whip of the task master. There was no glamorous dining going on.

Nonetheless, the Lord said He would rain down bread from heaven for them. They were to go out each day and gather an omer or about two quarts for each person each day. This was a test for them, to see if they could follow God’s  instructions. When some of the people tried to save extra, it became wormy and spoiled. On the sixth day they were suppose to gather twice as much to carry them through Sunday, allowing the a day of rest.

So, what is this bread from heaven? The Hebrew word translated “manna” literally means “what is it?” They didn’t know and apparently they didn’t give it a name, the bread is simply called “mamma” or “what is it.” Funny, right?

Though we do not know the texture of manna, we are told is that “it was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey” In Numbers it says that manna’s appearance was like “bdellium” or “resin.” Psalms refers to manna as “grain from heaven,” and the next verse calls it “bread of angels.” So, it seems manna was actually a bread that God caused to miraculously appear each morning during the Israelites’ wilderness wanderings. Manna sustained Israel; it gave them life—even the strength to fight battles when necessary. How great is our God?! But eventually this would not be enough for them and they would again complain.

Sadly, just like the Israelites wandering the desert, many people, Christians included are murmurers and complainers. In the home, on the job and in the local church they grumble, murmur and complain. They feel empty and hungry for something. God said, “I will feed them.”John 6:35, “Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Jesus is our living bread, take and eat.

By equating Himself with bread, Jesus is saying that He is essential for life, He is our daily manna. I get that. But the life Jesus is referring to is not physical life, rather eternal life. Now, I know for the most part I am preaching to the choir, however, I would encourage you all, and remind myself, to each day open our Bibles and read, receive our daily bread while remembering, “All Scripture is god breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 

Don’t starve yourself of the Word. You will become weak and an easy mark for the enemy who prowls around like a lion waiting to pounce on and devour those who become fragile or vulnerable from lack of proper nourishment.”Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

February 5 - Exodus 13:1-15:27

Good morning everyone,

So, Pharaoh has told Moses to get all of the Hebrews out of Egypt and while the most direct route to the  Promised Land would be but a mere ten day journey, the Lord had it in mind for them to take a year to get there. Why? They were use to being slaves, not thinking for themselves, not thinking in a Godly manner. Kind of like, “You can take the boy our of the country but it is harder to take the country out of the boy.” They had a few things to learn about living like a Herew. Plus, to go the shortest route would lead them through the land of the Philistines and they were not ready to do battle. God will never lead you where you are not ready to be. Right?

The first place they stopped was Succoth, There everyone would dedicate their first born to the Lord. God’s intent was that every firstborn would be in ministry. Sadly, that plan  would fail when later they fall prey to idolatry. 

In Succoth, they too, began the the tradition of the Festival of Unleavened Bread where on the seventh day of the celebration they were to explain to their children they are  celebrating what the Lord did for them when they left Egypt. Make sense?

I love that as they traveled the Lord was right there with them. In the day time God covered them in a pillar of cloud, creating kind of an inversion layer of sorts, I imagine, protecting them from the intense rays of the desert sun. Then at night, likewise protecting them with a pillar of fire because once the sun goes down the deserts could get super cold. Our God is so good. 

It says in chapter fourteen that God told Moses to have the Israelites change their direction to appear confused in their travels and to have them camp by the sea near Pi Hahiroth. By this time, Pharaoh has had a change of heart and he is headed after them. Imagine the thunder six hundred plus chariots would make racing across the desert floor. It would be terrifying, especially if you are stuck between a rock and a sea. In their horror the Israelites lashed out at Moses, saying, “It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” Oh . . . ye of such little faith. If only they would have calmed themselves just long enough to remember God’s Word. He had promised them He would deliver them to a new land, flowing with milk and honey. They needed only to believe in that promise and then wait to see how God solved the problem. They would have saved themselves a whole lot of anxiety. 

We’re told the angel of God went behind the people and protected them through the night while Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. All that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. Did you get that friends, all night. That had to be a mass amount of water. While the sea was divided, the estimated three million Israelites made the half mile trek through the walls of water to the other side. Okay, please see that in your mind. Awesome!! We’re told that at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were making chase toward it, and the Lord swept the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived. 

It begs the question, what chases you? What has you terrified? No matter what it is, may I suggest to you that when you, that when we, find ourselves caught in a desperate situation, a problem that seems to have no solution, no way out that we not panic. God can open up a way. You absolutely and i absolutely have to believe that. Don’t put God in a box. If our God can hold the entire universe in the span of his hand, and He can, then He most certainly can see you through any situation no matter how seemingly hopeless. It may not be the answer you are looking for, but it will be a way out and the perfect plan of God. Psalm 46:1 tells us, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Believe it!

Then Moses and the people sang a song to the Lord. Singing was an expression of love and thanks. We too should be singing songs of joy and thanks to our Abba, even in our hardest of times because it is those days that He is the closest, seeing us through. God loves us. Holy, holy, holy is his name. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all.

February 4 - Exodus 10:1-12:51

Good morning everyone,

What a great day of reading! Oh my word. It began with the plague of the locusts. Once again Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse, I will bring locusts into your country.” Of course you all know, Pharaoh did refuse and the locust did come. A massive wall of them which “experts” say would look like 100 ft. tall, basically a ten story building,  and 4 to 5 miles in length. It would block out all light and leave everything stripped bare. The famine that would follow would be devastating. Pharaoh would summon Moses and Aaron, and again tell them he has sinned against the Lord their God, our God, and ask to be forgiven. Yet still, Pharaoh would stubbornly hold his position.

The plague of darkness followed. For three days, in Egypt only, it was so dark, we’re told, that it could be felt. No one could see anyone else. I have been in caves before where when they turned off the flashlights, it was so dark, I could not see my hand in front of my face. It is disorientating and frightening. God reserves this darkness for those who greatly sin against Him. He used it when Jesus died on the cross, for three hours it was dark. He will use it again for those who refuse to accept Jesus as their personal Savior.

Finally the plague of the firstborn. There is so very much to glean from chapters 11 and 12. I could write pages and pages on these two chapters alone. Up until this point, Moses didn’t know how long the plagues would go on, but now God tells him there is one more only and to have the people go throughout the town and ask their neighbors, the Egyptians, for their silver and gold. It is believed, and I agree, that God was having them collect past wages due them for four hundred years of slavery. All of this plunder would eventually be used to build a temple for God. Then God tells Moses exactly what is going to happen. I wonder what look Moses had on his face when God shared His plan. 

In chapter 12 the Lord said to Moses and Aaron while still in Egypt, “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.” It would be akin to the birth of a child. It was the birth of a tradition, one to go on for all of time, one that is honored to this day by the Jewish community. The passover celebration, an eight-day festival, is celebrated in the early spring, from the 15th through the 22nd of the Hebrew month of Nissan. It commemorates the freedom of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. By following the rituals of Passover, the story is retold, the experience relived from generation to generation.

I can only imagine how much faith the Israelites had to exercise in obeying the order given to them. Pack this, dress like that, now cook this, and …. what did you say? Put blood of a lamb on my door frame? Then … wait. What were they thinking when they heard the wailing across Egypt as the destroyer, one by one, took the lives of the first born? Gosh that would be horrifying. Right? But, finally Pharaoh, summoned Moses one last time and told him to take everyone and everything and go, and so they did.

What speaks to me most about today’s Scripture is God told Moses, “I may perform these signs of mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren.” It was very important, it is still very important to God that we tell our children and grandchildren how wonderful, how marvelous, how big our God is. The truth of His Word. They need to know how significant it is, the importance of, even when it doesn’t make sense, to trust in the Lord. They have to be told, Christians,of the blessings they will receive, if they would but place all their faith in Christ Jesus. 

I am passionate about this. In Deuteronomy 11 it says speaking to the Words of God, “Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Friends, if you don’t tell them how awesome God is, how much He absolutely loves them, how perfect His right and wrong is, they will hear and believe the lies of the world. We teach our children how to walk, how to talk, we prepare them for school, the changes they will experience in their bodies and ready them for their future. We absolutely need to be making Jesus known to them. Praying with them, praising God with them.  I would encourage you, and totally remind myself to, as often as we possibly can, talk to our kids and grandkids about Jesus. Prepare them for their eternity. If not now … when? If not you …. well, then who? Their life literally depends on it. Amen?

Have a great day and to god be the glory.

God bless you all …..

February 3 - Exodus 7:14-9:35

Good morning everyone,

Today’s Scripture covered seven of the ten plagues the Lord unleashed upon the land of Egypt. Exodus 5 told us that Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’ Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.” 

I can see Pharaoh sitting there on his throne as he hears the words “God of Israel.” He immediately starts searching the recesses of his mind for who they are talking about. There were an incredible number of gods and goddesses in Ancient Egypt, hundreds upon hundreds of them, some say thousands, certainly one for almost every situation and pharaoh, well, he is very familiar with most of them but he literally did not know who Moses and Aaron are talking about. He knew gods, but not The God. So he says, “yeah …. no deal guys.” Big mistake . . . HUGE!

The first plague was blood. Moses and Aaron again in 7:16 go before Pharaoh to give him a chance to change his mind and say to him “The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you “Let my people go, so they can worship me in the wilderness.” Pharaoh, I am sure gives a bit of a chuckle when he does not comply; Aaron will then lift the staff turning all the waters of Egypt, rivers, canals, ponds all reservoirs to blood. Pharaoh’s magicians, however could match that, and would likewise turn what ever remaining water they can find into blood as well. 

In 7:23 it says that “Pharaoh returned to the palace and put the whole thing out of his mind.” Oh my! How many times have you tried to, have I tried to, tell someone about the Gospel, about Jesus, and they will be courteous to listen but will just walk away, putting the whole thing out of their mind. Heartbreaking! Can you just see Pharaoh doing that?

The next plague is the frogs. This one grosses me out, not that any of the plagues would be pleasant, mind you, but seriously they were everywhere. We’re told that when Aaron raised the staff that frogs would be all over the land; again, everywhere! In the beds, on the kneading tables, in the ovens, hopping, croaking, they would be wading through them, being squished under foot … how else do you say everywhere? But what did the magicians do? They duplicated the miracle with sorcery. Why!? If you are that great of a magician, wouldn’t your first choice be to get rid of the frogs? I know mine would. Just sayn’. This time, though, Pharaoh summoned Aaron and Moses to pray to “their” God to get rid of them. 

As we move on to the next plague, the gnats, we’ll read that the magicians will no longer be able to duplicate the miracle and still Pharaoh’s heart remains hard. 

Next is the plague of the flies and now it is only the Egyptians who are going to suffer, God sparing the land of Goshen where His people lived. With this Pharaoh tells Moses they can offer sacrifices to God but they must stay in the land of Egypt. Moses say “No, that wouldn’t be right, the Egyptian’s detest the sacrifices they offer.” Pharaoh, and please try to get a visual on this, easily has thousands of flies swarming his body and those of everyone around him. He has got to be very bothered by this, I would be! How about you? He’s swatting away at them and in his frustration, probably raising his voice, he finally says “I will let you go to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God in the wilderness, but you must not go very far. Now pray for me”, and of course Moses does and of course pharaoh hardens his heart yet again.

As we read over the coming plagues we’ll see that Pharaoh will try to make a compromise, he’ll tell Moses that they can do their sacrifice but only on Pharaoh’s terms which wouldn’t be a true sacrifice at all. Psalm 119:1-4 says, “Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart—they do no wrong but follow his ways.You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.” 

Friends, God has laid down precepts, rules for our behavior that are to be fully, obeyed. Did you get that? Fully obeyed. There is no compromise with God. There is no bending His Word to make it suit your lifestyle, there is no picking and choosing what you want to obey. God’s Word is God’s Word! You are either for Him or against Him. As Christians, as true believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, we must accept God’s Word as absolute and proceed in faith accordingly. Blessed are those who do! Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …

February 2 - Exodus 4:18-7:13

Good morning everyone,

As we continue in Exodus today, God summoned Moses and had a good conversation with him from a burning bush. He told him that He has seen the oppression of His people in Egypt and has heard their cries and that He wants Moses lead them out of there. God told him to just walk right on up to Pharaoh and tell him I said, “Let my people go!” Oh my word, I can just see the look on Moses’ face as he quickly snaps his head up, all startled and confused, then turns to see if perhaps God may be talking to someone else, because he knows he does not want to be doing that job. When realizing he was the only one there Moses says, “Ummm, I think you’ve got the wrong guy,” (perhaps  paraphrased) and flat out tells God, he tried to help them once before, it didn’t work out, he’s not really capable or suitable, he is kind of afraid and he just plain does not want to do it. God says, “I get that, but I’ll help you out with this, here’s some tools you can use, now go pack up.” (more paraphrasing) So Moses does exactly that.

One of the many things I love about God is that when He asks you to do something, He will always give you, give us, the ability to do it. Many, many years ago I was asked to teach a 4th grade Sunday school class. I was like Moses and had every excuse in the book why I could not do it; I’m no good with kids, they won’t listen to me, I don’t know how to teach. The list went on and on. Finally I was cornered, I absolutely knew God wanted me to do this and I could not figure out one more way to say, “no” and so I dove right in. Now I would like to say I was awesome at it, but I wasn’t. But I did it, and further more I enjoyed it and what I learned from it was, when God asks you to do something He will give you the ability. He uses the gift He has already blessed you with and builds on them.

Think about it, Paul was well educated, he could articulate. God used him to write a great deal of the Bible. Peter, he had a net. He was a fisherman. God said, “I can work with that, I’ll make you a fisher of men.” The Bible is full of God using ordinary people and their gifts to make a difference. What’s really cool too is that with each time you obey God, saying “yes, Lord” you are strengthened in the Lord and you then realize the authority you have in and through Him. Make sense? 

Moses was eighty years old when he first stepped before pharaoh. Before all is said and done, the Hebrews would suffer considerably more and question why Moses was there but Moses would stay on task for God. 

Is God asking you to do something that you are just too busy for, or don’t feel qualified to, or are fearful of? Or, perhaps, you just plain don’t want to do it. Well, I would encourage you to put all those excuses aside and just do what God asks of you. By saying “yes” to God, we are essentially saying that He is the most important thing in our lives, and you know what?, all good things spring from that wonderful fact. I challenge you and myself to each and every day live with obedience and love in our Lord, Christ Jesus. Then get ready to be amazed at how awesome it makes you feel. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

February 1 - Exodus 1:1-2:25,  1 Chronicles 6:1-3, Exodus 3:1-4:17

Good morning everyone,

Exciting reading this morning. Exodus is an amazing book, penned  by Moses to record all the events of Israel while being delivered from Egypt. It begins about four hundred years after the end of the book of Genesis. Joseph had brought his family, of about seventy people, into Egypt and protected them there. After his death, though, as they multiplied into a nation of about three million, Seti I, the new king of Egypt, was looking at the growing number of Israelites and knew he had a problem. The Hittites to the north were already breathing down his neck and although the Israelites, in and of themselves, were really a non-issue, if they joined forces with the Hittites the king would have something to fear and so he forced them into slavery in an effort to eliminate any threat. Yet even under the harsh conditions of slavery the people of Israel continued to grow in number and strength. The king, pharaoh, got desperate to stop their increase in population and ordered all baby boys born to Israelite women to be killed by the Egyptian midwives. That is just wrong.

Today was one of those days of reading, for me, when the Lord took something that I have read many, many times. Scripture I figured I already knew well and opened my eyes to something new in the account of the story. What a blessing! I am just going to share them with you, perhaps you already know them but because God is so great,  I can not keep it to myself. You know what I mean? Thank you for indulging me :-)

So one of the things I learned was, the midwives that tended to the Israelite women were typically barren. Did not know that! But what, with families of their own. Seriously, I just got that today. Love it. They were women who feared the Lord, and honored His orders, over the pharaoh’s. Imagine, if you will, the joy that overflowed in these midwives’ hearts when after, who knows how long, their wombs were opened and they conceived and gave birth to their own child. Way cool! Right?

Also Jochabed, Moses’ mom, saw something special in her son. Now, who doesn’t, right, but she was passionate for him and she acted on it. She put her son’s life in the hands of the Lord. We are told in the King James Version that she, Jochabed, constructed an “ark.” That, “when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.”

 Get this, this word “ark”, the only other time it is used in Scripture in this manner is when describing what Noah built. I did not know that until yesterday. Love it! Jochabed was a godly woman who knew the the story of a godly man. Coincidence? I think not.

I am confident (well as much as I can be, anyway) she thought “if it worked for Noah, surely it can work for my baby boy.” I feel totally blessed, God pointed out the parallel to me today. It was awesome. I so love my God!

Well, as we all know, pharaoh’s one and only daughter, Thermutus, “happens” to see this baby boy crying and her heart goes out to him, and she picks him up to be her own. She names him Moses, which means “drawn out” and ends up paying Jochabed to nurse her very own child. Is that great or what?

Moses grows up in royalty, with all the benefits of the rich and famous. He commits a crime, murder, and because Pharaoh would be bound to punish him with death if caught, Moses flees for his life. He becomes a shepherd, tending the flock of Jethro, his soon to be father-in-law. One day while he was tending the sheep when, we’re told, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him from a burning bush. “Moses! Moses!” God says, “I’ve got a plan for you. You are going to lead My people out of Egypt” 

Imagine the look on the face of Moses, all that’s going through his mind. I’ll be honest, it makes me chuckle. Moses will make every excuse in the book as to why he can not do what God has called him to do, but in the end he will honor God’s request. That’s the example I always want to follow. He will cling tightly to his shepherd’s staff as he leaves for Egypt to face the greatest challenge of his life, for you see the staff was his assurance of God’s presence. God’s Word is our assurance. I would encourage you, as you face the greatest challenges of your life to cling tightly to God’s Holy Word. It is there to guide you and encourage you and show you amazing truths not only about God but about how great you are in and through Him. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..