Our Response To Trials

Exodus 14:10, “And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.”

Today I was caught by the phrase, “behold, the Egyptians marched after them;”.  I thought of my own life this week.  Today is Saturday and it is the last day of the week.  Upon reflecting back over the entire week I was disappointed in myself.  Oh, there were not instances of gross sin or anything like that.  There were; on the other hand, many small battles that I did not face very well.

I began to think about the children of Israel and their journey here.  God has miraculously delivered them out of Egypt.  He delivered them out of bondage and slavery.  This causes me to think how He has brought me out of bondage and slavery to sin.  If you know Jesus Christ as your Saviour then you have been delivered from bondage and slavery to sin also.  Remember how God brought the plagues and finally Pharaoh let them go.  God brings things into people’s lives that are not pleasant in order to turn them to Himself.  This is one reason why bad things happen to good people.

How did the children of Israel react to the fact that the enemy they were just delivered from was now pursuing them like a hunter after his prey?  Look at Exodus 14:11-12, “And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?  Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.”  The children of Israel were in fear for their lives.  A man was on the news broadcast yesterday and he had shot an intruder five (5) times in the back side (ouch!).  The reporter asked him if he was scared.  His reply was that he did not know if it was fear, adrenaline or what it was.  You see, Israel was faced with their enemy and they became fearful.  There was not trust; but, only fear.

Instead of being filled with fear Moses was full of faith.  Notice his instructions in Exodus 14:13-14, “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.  The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”  This may seem odd to you and I; but, God was getting ready to miraculously deliver the children of Israel again.  We need to have a confidence that God will deliver us from the trials of life.  If He chooses not to deliver us then He is building our faith and our character.  We have to just keep on keeping on for the Lord.  This is all we can do.

God is encouraging Moses and the children of Israel to exercise their faith.  Look at Exodus 14:15-16, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.”  They were standing at the river’s bank and God says, “Go forward.”  Yeah, right!  Little did they know that God was working on their behalf.  He was about to punish the Egyptians for their hardness of heart toward Him and show the Israelites great deliverance.

Sometimes God allows us the opportunity to see the demise of our enemies.  This is not an opportunity for us to rejoice over their end.  This is an opportunity to praise God for His miraculous deliverance, faithfulness and many other things.  Look at Exodus 14:25-26, “And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.  And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.”  I would have loved to see this taking place.  Notice the best laid plans of the Egyptians just fell apart as they worked contrary to God.  So, how do you respond to the trials that come into your life?  You can be fearful or you can be full of faith.  The choice is yours to make.

So, how are you doing?

Today’s reading:  Exodus 14, 15, 16; Psalm 22, 52, 82, 112, 142; Proverbs 22

Nailed

Exodus 12:22-23, “And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.  For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.”

See also Isaiah 40:2, “… for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”  When someone bought a house a copy of the deed was nailed to the door post and a copy was given to the lender or mortgage company.  When it was paid off the copy from the lender was nailed to the other door post.  Like the death angel in Egypt and the blood on the door posts.

What a great picture of salvation.  It is because the blood is applied that we are not subject to judgment.  It passes over us so to speak.  We are spared.  We are saved or delivered.  That is what salvation is to us.  It is the deliverance from the slave market of sin never to be sold in that slave market again.  Glory to God!

I think of Martin Luther nailing those doctrinal theses to the door of the Catholic church just like that mortgage paperwork.  Freedom from religious bondage.  Freedom in Christ.  This is what we have today if we know Christ as our personal Saviour.  Will you trust Him today?  I hope so because He will set you free and you will be free indeed.

So, how are you doing?

Today’s reading:  Exodus 11, 12, 13; Psalm 21, 51, 81, 111, 141; Proverbs 21

Today’s prayer:  “Lord Jesus I am a sinner and I need a Saviour.  Right now I turn from my sin and accept you as my Lord and Saviour, believing that You died, and arose again from the grave.  I thank You for saving me.  Amen.”

One More Night With The Frogs

Exodus 8:9-10, “And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only?  And he said, To morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God.”

This may seem a little gross for such a writing; but, I must share.  As a little boy I would enjoy playing so much that I would not want to stop and go in to the bathroom.  I would hold it and hold it until eventually my body would take over and soil my undergarments.  (I told you this was gross.)  In order to get just a little more play time I would just keep on keeping on with soiled undergarments.  I was young and not very intellectually advanced as you can see.

I see in Pharaoh here some of this too I believe.  He is asked the question about when does he want the frogs removed.  I would have said immediately or sooner.  Yet, he says tomorrow.  Maybe he had constructed some kind of plan that these frogs played a part in for himself.  The Scriptures do not say.  One thing is for sure.  Pharaoh was going to spend “One More Night With The Frogs”.  Gross!

These frogs could very well represent our sin.  We love it so much that we tell God, “Just one more night.”  This is very sad.  We could experience the forgiveness and restoration of God; but, we choose the pleasure of sin just one more night.

What is God asking you to get out of your life?  Is there something that is holding you back from serving Him.  Are you wanting just “One More Night With The Frogs”?  It is time to let go and serve God unrestrained.

So, how are you doing?

Today’s prayer:  Almighty God and Father I ask You to forgive me for sinning against you.  Give me a love for holiness as You love it.  Deliver me from the sin that has me bound and let me enjoy the freedom that You give.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.”

Today’s reading:  Exodus 8, 9, 10; Psalm 20, 50, 80, 110, 140; Proverbs 20

 

Let Them Go And Gather

Exodus 5:7-8, “Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.  And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.”

As I was reading this passage of Scripture today I could not help thinking about bondage.  I remember my eighth grade class trip we flew to Washington, D.C.  It was a wonderful trip.  There were four (4) boys in each room as I remember it.  For some stupid reason we decided to tie up one boy.  Rodney had been my friend for many years.  When he awakened shortly after the deed was done he began to cry.  Remember we were in Junior High School.  We were men now and men don’t cry.  Hog wash!  I felt horrible.  It must have scared him to wits end to wake up to being tied up in a strange bed in a strange hotel room.  All these years later I still feel horrible for it.

The reason for my wandering trip down memory lane?  Simple.  As I thought about this particular passage of Scripture I thought about how God’s chosen people were in bondage.  They were building for Egypt.  They were not building for God.  This negative experience would be used mightily in their lives; but, they were still in bondage.

When my wife and I were first married she would wear an ankle bracelet occasionally.  I remember one time someone asked her to whom she was in bondage.  She stopped wearing them.  You see as God’s people we have no business being in bondage to anyone other than our Saviour.  We are God’s bond slaves.  We owe Him everything because He gave us everything.

If you and I are stuck in bondage we cannot go freely and do the will of God for our lives.  We are not free to go about and serve God.  We cannot go out and worship because someone or something has a hold on us that keeps us back.  What is that in your life?  You say you don’t know.  You say you are not in bondage to anyone or anything.  Are you sure about that.  I hope you are not.

God is speaking to Pharoah to let the Israelites go so they can worship Him.  Pharoah refuses.  This is just how the devil works.  He refuses to allow us to go and worship God.  He binds us with cords of all kinds of things, etc.  If you and I will seek deliverance from God then He will speak on our behalf, “Let them go and gather”.

So, how are you doing?

Today’s prayer:  Almighty God of heaven and earth.  I confess to you today that I am in bondage to something or someone other than You.  I confess and forsake my sin the best I know how.  I ask you to forgive me and cleanse me.  Thank you for it in Jesus’ name.

Today’s reading:  Exodus 5, 6, 7; Psalm 19, 49, 79, 109, 139; Proverbs 19

He Looked This Way And That Way

Exodus 2:12, “And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.”

I remember growing up on the farm there were countless times that I was into mischief that I had no business getting in.  I could take a long time to recount for you all that I can remember.  There were times that late at night after watching an old martial arts show on TV I would sneak into the kitchen and get a snack.  I don’t know if my Aunt and Uncle did not hear me (I know my Uncle didn’t because he was nearly deaf) or if I was ignored.  No matter.  This was always one of those situations where one did not want to turn on all the lights in the house to sneak something to munch on.  I remember many times shading my eyes from the light in the refrigerator and looking to make sure that nobody was watching me.  Once in a while I would get caught; but, not very often.

Is that not just like us now?  We are so much like Moses.  If we are going to do something that we believe is questionable we will look to the left and then right and then behind and then ahead.  If the coast is clear then we will go on with whatever we are wanting to do.

How many times have you pulled up to a stop sign and looked in all directions as you rolled through it?  Oops!  The underlying thing here is that if it cannot be done in public with others watching we might want to not do whatever it is.  In this account Moses was caught because God saw him.  Someone else confronted him with it and Moses fled into the desert to lead sheep in preparation for leading the Israelites.

So, what are you doing that causes you to look around before you do it?

Today’s reading:  Exodus 2, 3, 4; Psalm 18, 48, 78, 108, 138; Proverbs 18

Today’s prayer:  “Loving Father I confess to you that I have sinned in secret.  I ask you to forgive me and apply the precious blood of Jesus in forgiveness of my sin.  Thank you for the great gift of forgiveness.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.”

Gather Yourselves Together

Genesis 49:1-2, “And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.  Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.”

As I was reading these verses today I could not help but thing these had to be like the passage in Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

The phrase, “gather yourselves together” caught my attention in both verses.  You can figure that if God repeats it that He is trying to drive home a point.  In Genesis 49:1 this phrase means “to gather for any purpose; hence, to receive, take away, i.e. remove (destroy, leave behind, put up, restore, etc.)”.  Then in Genesis 49:2 this phrase means “to grasp, i.e. collect:–assemble (selves), gather (bring) (together, selves together, up), heap…” according to Strong’s Concordance.

So, why do we get together?  Well, God commands us to gather together is one reason.  According to our text it is to receive and remove.  When we gather together we receive instruction.  We are taught the Word of God and it changes us.  This is what the Bible calls to edify or to build up.  As we grow we realize that we need to get rid of some things.  So there is the receiving and there is the removing.  First of all we can have our sin removed if we will repent and ask God for forgiveness.  He is willing to forgive and to remove that sin.

In verse 2 it means to collect or heap.  This leads us to think about evangelizing others.  We need to bring as many as we can to Church so they can hear the Word of God and that God will impress upon them to be saved. So, not only do we as Christians need to “gather yourselves together” we also need to be bring others into God’s family as we “gather yourselves together”.    Are you and I pointing others to Christ or are we repelling them?

So, how are you doing?

Today’s reading:  Genesis 49, 5; Exodus 1; Psalm 17, 47, 77, 107, 137

Today’s prayer:  “Loving Father give me a passion to win others to you today.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen”

Grace, Mercy and Peace

Genesis 46:5, “And Jacob rose up from Beersheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.”

I remember hearing a message on this account of the wagons being sent to Jacob to effect his move to Egypt titled “Wagons of Grace”; but, I cannot remember who preached the message nor any other details.  I must be getting older faster than I suspected.

We often hear the Apostle Paul use greetings like, “grace, peace and mercy…”.  So you ever wonder what it means?  Grace is God Almighty lavishing upon us that which we do not deserve.  Things like an eternal home in heaven.  Salvation is by grace.  It is God giving to us that which we don’t deserve in the highest sense.  So many things God gives to us out of His matchless grace.

The next element is mercy.  This is God holding back that which we do deserve.  Because of our sin we deserve an eternity in hell.  Mercy is what withholds eternal punishment and hell.  Thank God for mercy.  I deserve pain, suffering, judgment and the like.  God in his awesome mercy does not give to me what I deserve.  That was reserved for Christ as He was on the cross dying for me to pay the debt of my sin.  Praise God!

The lastly we have peace.  This peace is a result of God’s grace and mercy.  If you are the recipient of the grace and mercy of God then you will have; as the child’s song states, “peace like a river”.  This world is looking for peace.  We sign treaties and the like and it is no better than the paper it is written on.  With God it is a peace that cannot be taken away.  It is only when you and I do not allow ourselves access to the peace of God that we loose said peace.  In other words, God’s peace is ours.  When we sin we loose that peace and it is because of our sin.

When we are filled with the grace, mercy and peace of God then the results will found in Psalm 16:11, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

So, how are you doing?

Today’s reading:  Genesis 46, 47, 48; Psalm 16, 46, 76, 106, 136; Proverbs 16

Trials

Genesis 45:5, “Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.”

Genesis 45:7, “And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”

I was reading a story one time about Dr. Jack Hyles.  As a young boy he sat on the floor watching his mother do cross stitch.  As he looked up he commented to his mother that it looked like a mess from underneath where he was at.  His mother told him to be patient that it looked much different on the other side from her point of view.  From this Dr. Hyles wrote a poem about his experience.

As I was reading these verses in Genesis 45, I was reminded of this story.  Joseph is never recorded as being depressed, angry or even bitter.  Every time you see him he is just going on and living a life that is consistent with Christ.  I wish I could say that I always do this; but, I don’t. We can learn how to respond to trials by the life of Joseph.

Even though he was rejected by his brothers (Genesis 37:23-24) he maintained a good testimony.  I cannot imagine being totally rejected by family to the point of them attempting to kill me.  I know over the years that I have met people that would like to kill me; but, never family that I know about.  Sometimes you have to just go on even when your family is not supportive of you.  You have to obey God.

Even though he was railroaded by Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39:13-20) he kept a good testimony.  I know to those around him, Joseph appears to have fallen in sin.  Nothing could be further from the truth here.  The best thing is that God knew about it and that is what mattered.  The world will try to trump up false charges against you and I; but, we must remain faithful to Jesus Christ and keep doing His will no matter what.

Even though he was remembered by the king’s chief of the butlers (but not remembered by the king’s chief of the bakers).  He was remembered later by the king’s chief of butlers (Genesis 41:9).  I wish I had a dollar for each person who was going to hit the lottery or do some great thing to propel them into fame and fortune and then they would take care of me and my family.  Bah Hum Bug!  Friend, people will forget you at the drop of a hat.  There will be times that you will count on someone to remember you and rest assured they will not.  Oh, they might pretend to know you; but, chances are they will not.  Even after you leave this earth for eternity they will not remember you.  Don’t fool yourself in thinking you will be some famous person one day.

When you go through a trial do your best to stay faithful to the Lord.  If you will be faithful to Him, He will be faithful to you.

So, how are you doing?

Today’s reading:  Genesis 43, 44, 45; Psalm 15, 45, 75, 105, 135; Proverbs 15

Bloom Where You Are Planted

Genesis 40:3, “And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.”

We find Joseph, in our Scripture passage today, in prison for something of which he was not guilty.  Now, as a law enforcement officer I did not meet one guilty person.  They were always innocent if I were to simply listen and understand their particular plight.  That is what they told me anyway.

The difference here is that Joseph was truly not guilty of the crime of which he was accused.  It is not a sin to be tempted.  Sin comes in when we entertain that temptation and thus we fall.

Joseph could have had many responses to being in prison.  He could have been angry.  He could have been depressed.  He could have been overcome with all kinds of different emotions.  He chose to not allow this unfortunate situation to get him down.  As I have always heard, “He just kept on keeping on.”  No matter the situation, Joseph was a shining testimony for God.  Joseph was rewarded for his faithfulness.

How about you, friend?  If you were to find yourself in prison falsely accused of a crime how would you react?  I am afraid that I might fail this particular test.  Maybe I would look at it as though I am not guilty of this particular crime; but, I have been guilty of so many others that I was not caught at.  Then I might just go on and endure until the end.  I might also get depressed and cry about the wrong doing against me and beg for mercy.

There is really only one way to go through whatever “situation” you find yourself in.  “What?” you might ask.  There is only one way to finish well if this is your lot in life.  The way to finish well is to totally trust God, spend time in fervent prayer and read the Bible.  This will help you keep a proper attitude and keep you focused on God.  If we are going to finish well we have to learn the truth of the statement that one of my dearest friends, Dr. Larry Lilly often uses.  It is this, “You must bloom where you are planted.”  It does not matter if you are planted in the manure pile or the mansion garden we must bloom and have a shining testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, how are you doing?

Today’s reading:  Genesis 40, 41, 42; Psalm 14, 44, 74, 104, 134; Proverbs 14

Who Is Looking At You?

Genesis 39:3, “And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.”

The other evening we were sitting at the dinner table and my wife enlightened me a little bit.  After I did some perceived wrong thing like lick the knife, she informed me that our son does the same thing.  I informed her that he did not.  She informed me that he indeed does.  In my mind I thought to myself how bad that is that he did that.  The worst part is that he learned it from me.

I have a picture of him in our bedroom and the matte in the frame has writing on it.  I do not know who the author is but it is good.  It says, “Dad, be careful where you follow your heart because there is a little heart following you.”  Then there is a picture of our son in it.  Talk about a powerful message.  It brings tears to my eyes even now these years later.

I love the song that my wife sings titled “Find Us Faithful”.  It brings those tears every time I hear her sing it. The words, “Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.  May the fire of our devotion light their way.  May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe and the lives we live inspire them to obey.”  Here I go again.

People are watching you and I.  They want to see an authentic Christian.  It is my prayer that no matter who is looking at you and me will see a godly Christian and no just another hypocrite.

So, how are you doing?

Today’s reading:  Genesis 37, 38, 39; Psalm 13, 43, 73, 103, 133; Proverbs 13