relationships (Exodus 4:18-31) Don't Take for Granted

(Exodus 4:18-31)  Then Moses departed and returned to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please, let me go, that I may return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see if they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 19 Now the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” 20 So Moses took his wife and his sons and mounted them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand.

21 The Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23 So I said to you, ‘Let My son go that he may serve Me’; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.”’”

24 Now it came about at the lodging place on the way that the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. 25 Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and threw it at Moses’ feet, and she said, “You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me.” 26 So He let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood”—because of the circumcision.

27 Now the Lord said to Aaron, “Go to meet Moses in the wilderness.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. 28 Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which He had sent him, and all the signs that He had commanded him to do. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the sons of Israel; 30 and Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. He then performed the signs in the sight of the people. 31 So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord was concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed low and worshiped.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

More than any earthly parent could, God loves and cares for all His children.  And just as one should never take a loving parent for granted, let us not take God for granted!  The Lord is sovereign.  He is all-knowing and all-powerful.  So when He asks us to do something, He means it for our own good as well as for the good of others and it goes towards the good of His purpose.  

Just as we are to encourage and equip other believers, the Lord will send other believers to minister and help us.  God wants us to know that we are not alone in this world!  As Jesus said, the greatest commandment is to love God, and the second greatest is to love others.  Let us not switch around this priority!  Therefore, as we hear about God's love and His deliverance, our response should be to believe, and humbly worship Him as Lord and Savior, and as our faithful guidance and help in all things, over all things, to His glory!  

relationships (Exodus 4:1-17) Communicating Well

(Exodus 4:1-17)  Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’” 2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.” 3 Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail”—so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— 5 “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

6 The Lord furthermore said to him, “Now put your hand into your bosom.” So he put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. 7 Then He said, “Put your hand into your bosom again.” So he put his hand into his bosom again, and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. 8 “If they will not believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may believe the witness of the last sign. 9 But if they will not believe even these two signs or heed what you say, then you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground; and the water which you take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”

10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” 11 The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.” 13 But he said, “Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will.”

14 Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses, and He said, “Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I, even I, will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do. 16 Moreover, he shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as God to him. 17 You shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs.”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

The Lord is so very amazingly patient with us.  It is very fine with Him that we ask questions.  He wants us to ask Him questions.  It is not fine with Him to end as Moses did in this chapter - with a refusal to trust and obey the Lord.  Moses' excuse was that he wasn't fluent in Hebrew.  And even with that, the Lord is able to give us the words needed.  This is one of the gifts - speaking in tongues.  

My Spanish is iffy at the best of times, yet there are moments when I'm talking with someone, and somehow what I need to say is there.  I know God can give the gift of tongues, but I know this is not my gift.  I have to work very hard to learn just the basics of any other language.  So let's just stick with English!  Even in my own language I can say the wrong things or say things in the wrong way!  So I do try to ask God to give me the right words to speak anytime I know that I'm going to be having conversations with people!  

I will be the first to admit that I need God's help with this.  Even in writing this blog!  God does a much better job in communicating than I ever could!!!  And God wants us to ask Him for help in all things, all the time.  So in everything, we can ask God to do and say things FOR us!!!  In His strength, love and wisdom, all to His glory!!!

relationships (Exodus 3:1-22) Trusting and Respecting a Personal God

(Exodus 3:1-22) Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. 3 So Moses said, “I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

7 The Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. 8 So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. 9 Now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.

10 Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”

13 Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations. 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 So I said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18 They will pay heed to what you say; and you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt and you will say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion. 20 So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go. 21 I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. 22 But every woman shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house, articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. Thus you will plunder the Egyptians.”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

In this chapter, the Lord demonstrates just how personal He wants to be with us, as He lets Moses know about his ancestors: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  But He also wants us to realize His holiness.  Along with familiarity and closeness should be a very awesome respect for the One who saves and looks out for us.  Just as the Lord told the Israelites what He was going to do for them, and then did what He promised; we can have complete confidence in the Lord that He does everything He promises, and everything He says to us is true.

The angel of the Lord is the Lord Jesus Christ pre-incarnate - part of the Trinity - God, Himself - the Great I Am!  He hears our cries and He cares.  He came down in flesh to accomplish His work on the cross so that anyone who chooses to believe in Him will be delivered.  And in salvation, we become children of God and receive eternal life.  Our promised land is heaven, where we will blessed and rewarded!  It is a promise from God, so nothing can undo what He has said or done!  

While we are still on earth:

- the Lord meets with us in His word (the Bible) and in Spirit (the Holy Spirit)

- the Lord calls and sends His children to do various ministries

- the Lord is always with us to help us in whatever He calls us to do

- and we will experience the Lord's blessings of spiritual peace, joy, comfort, strength, confidence... without guilt, fear or worry!

relationships (Exodus 2:1-25) Purposeful Preparations

(Exodus 2:1-25) Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got him a wicker basket and covered it over with tar and pitch. Then she put the child into it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. 4 His sister stood at a distance to find out what would happen to him.

5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, with her maidens walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid, and she brought it to her. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying. And she had pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for you?” 8 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go ahead.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9 Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

11 Now it came about in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brethren and looked on their hard labors; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 So he looked this way and that, and when he saw there was no one around, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 He went out the next day, and behold, two Hebrews were fighting with each other; and he said to the offender, “Why are you striking your companion?” 14 But he said, “Who made you a prince or a judge over us? Are you intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and said, “Surely the matter has become known.”

15 When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.

16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came to draw water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 Then the shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock. 18 When they came to Reuel their father, he said, “Why have you come back so soon today?” 19 So they said, “An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and what is more, he even drew the water for us and watered the flock.” 20 He said to his daughters, “Where is he then? Why is it that you have left the man behind? Invite him to have something to eat.” 21 Moses was willing to dwell with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses. 22 Then she gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.”

23 Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God. 24 So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25 God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

I can only imagine how difficult it would have been for Moses who would have grown up in the most luxurious lonely prison ever.  Except for those first few years of life, he would have been estranged from his family and people.  Then, note that Moses wasn't married while in Egypt.  How angry would the Pharaoh have been at his daughter, and how much would he have hated Moses!  So Pharaoh jumped at the "justified" chance of killing him, but God had other plans for Moses.

Moses was literally "born" to do the job that was about to be given him.  While still an Israelite, he knew the ways of the Egyptians having lived with them for about 40 years.  And coming up, God was going to allow him to tend ornery sheep for 40 years in preparation of leading the grumbling Israelites through the wilderness for 40 years!  How apropos!

We need to understand very clearly, it is never God's will that others sin against us, or that we ourselves sin and create bad situations.  Because God is sovereign, all-knowing, all-powerful as well as loving, He created all of us with a free will.  Mankind chose sin which separated everyone from God (bringing in death and spiritual death).  So we live in a fallen world where we all sin.  God is well aware of all of this, and does allow some bad and evil things to happen.  Not His doing, but He allows some things to happen.  

We can choose to be angry at God and continue living in a sinful state, even though God isn't the one who caused or committed the sin, or we can choose to go to God for His salvation and His help in moving forward in His will!  In this, being sovereign, the Lord is completely able.. As we strive to live in His will, in His strength, wisdom and love, we can not only have victory over all bad experiences, but we can in some way use what we learn for good.  Consider all tests and trials as a chance to grow in our faith and learn something valuable.  God just might be preparing us for a very particular purpose or ministry!

(Romans 8:28)  And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.