Category: Exodus

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Hear The Bells

At Christmas time we hear a lot of bells; there are songs about sleigh bells, jingle bells, carol of the bells, church bells, silver bells…

I have an ornament on my tree that is a glass bell with a little angel as the clapper. Every time someone touches the tree the bell rings. George Bailey, from It’s a Wonderful Life, would say another angel got its wings.

But, why the bells?

I think it has to do with church history. Traditionally, it was a way of communication long ago. Town events would be marked by the sound of the bells. The bells would warn of danger, announce good news, call all the towns folk together to help with something urgent like a fire.

But, why the bells?

I went to the Bible. It’s a very good place to go for answers. I only found a few Scripture verses about bells and most of them are in the same book.

“Use blue, purple, and red yarn to make cloth pomegranates. Hang these pomegranates around the bottom edge of the robe, and hang gold bells between the pomegranates. 34 So around the bottom edge of the robe there should be bells and pomegranates. There should be a bell following each pomegranate. 35 Aaron will wear this robe when he serves as a priest. The bells will ring as Aaron goes into the Holy Place to stand before the Lord, and the bells will ring as he leaves the Holy Place. This way Aaron will not die.” Exodus 28:32-35 ERV

This is the instruction for the design of the robe the priest would wear in the Tabernacle. Bells were worn on the hem of the robe of the chief priest. He was the only one who was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies. This is the place he met with God and the jingling bells were an audible sign that he was walking with God.

After Jesus came He made a way where we all can come boldly to God’s throne and find help when we need it. We have been given the right to walk with God, without fear, welcomed by our loving Father.

“With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:16 ERV

Let me encourage you to make some noise this Christmas season. Let the bells ring as you walk with your family and your neighbors. Let them hear the bells ringing the good news that Immanuel, God with us, is here!

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Listen for the Bugle

Isaiah, the prophet said this about Jesus.

“Like a young plant or a root that sprouts in dry ground, the servant grew up obeying the LORD. He wasn’t some handsome king. Nothing about the way he looked made him attractive to us. 3 He was hated and rejected; his life was filled with sorrow and terrible suffering. No one wanted to look at him. We despised him and said, “He is a nobody!” Isaiah 53:2-3 CEV

According to Isaiah Jesus was common looking, unattractive and nothing special as far as physical traits. He wasn’t Charles Atlas; he wouldn’t have been the captain of the football team or even voted most likely to succeed. His own family and disciples didn’t understand Him.

Remember how the disciples became upset with Jesus because the ship they were in was taking on water and about to sink?

“Jesus was in the back of the boat with his head on a pillow, and he was asleep. His disciples woke him and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re about to drown?” Mark 4:38 CEV

If their faith had really been in Jesus as the Son of God, they would have approached the problem differently. “Hey, let’s wake Jesus up because He’ll have the answer to our problem. This storm isn’t a surprise to Him. He’ll know what to do.”

Those who were closest to Jesus had to grow in their faith and accept Him for who He was, the Son of God, just like us. We cry out “Lord, don’t you care I’m about to go under; cancer is about to sink me, the waves of debt are flooding my boat, the storm of rebellious children or a typhoon with my mate is about to capsize me in this ocean? Don’t you care?”

Even when we come to Him in that kind of desperation and fear, He will speak to our storm and say “Peace, be still!” Then He takes time to teach us again – Come boldly to my throne and find help in your time of need. But then, He expects us to accept, by faith, that help is on the way!

In the old Westerns you could always hear the Cavalry bugle before you saw the soldiers. The invitation to come boldly is the sound of the bugle. It’s then our responsibility to “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day” (Exodus 14:13)

Let God be God in your life today. Don’t limit Him but what you see. Say like the young virgin Mary, “with God all things are possible”!

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Rest!

Do you remember being little and having your Mom tell you to take a nap? It was torture. The thought of having to lay down, close your eyes and rest. Fast forward sixty plus years; please, please, please will someone make me go to my room and rest!!

Our bodies need rest. They aren’t made to continually operate at full speed. Rest is an overlooked necessity to our good health. Overstimulation brings stress factors; anxiety, short temper, fatigue, forgetfulness, rudeness, worry, overeating, heart problems, poor digestion and so much more.

God gave us a gift – He gave us the seventh day. He set the example from the very beginning. After all He created He rested and enjoyed the fruit of His labor.

“By the seventh day God had finished his work, and so he rested. 3 God blessed the seventh day and made it special because on that day he rested from his work.” Genesis 2:2-3 CEV

It wasn’t until hundreds of years later that the Lord gave Moses the Ten Commandments and made resting on the seventh day an established sign of obedience.

“Remember that the Sabbath Day belongs to me. 9 You have six days when you can do your work, 10 but the seventh day of each week belongs to me, your God. No one is to work on that day—not you, your children, your slaves, your animals, or the foreigners who live in your towns. 11 In six days I made the sky, the earth, the oceans, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested. That’s why I made the Sabbath a special day that belongs to me.” Exodus 20:8-11 CEV

God gave us a day of rest for our well being but also as a reminder to give Him pre-eminence in our lives. All of the commandments that God has given are for our best – don’t lie, murder, steal, commit adultery, etc and so is keeping the Sabbath or a day of rest. All the other nations worked every day, there was no rest. Resting was a sign to them that the Israelites were a people who had a promise of provision from the Lord. They didn’t need to work themselves to death; they were trusting God.

“I reminded them that I was the Lord their God and that they should obey my laws and teachings. 20 I told them to respect my Sabbath to show that they were my people and that I was the Lord their God.” Ezekiel 20:19-20 CEV

Let’s not miss out on this wonderful gift of rest that God has provided for us. Let’s place of our trust in Him that He will help us get enough done in the six days to rest on the seventh. After all, we should be following His example.

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29 NLT

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Listen to This!

That’s how my morning Bible reading started out:

“Everyone on this earth, now listen to what I say! 2Listen, no matter who you are,  rich or poor. 3 I speak words of wisdom,  and my thoughts make sense.” Psalm 49:1-3 CEV

So I decided to listen!

I periodically do a soul check. I ask myself “am I doing what God wants me to do”, “am I fulfilling the plan He has set for me”, “do I need to let someone younger or more qualified than I take over”. And then I read a verse like this and it makes me come to attention to listen to the Lord and his words of wisdom.

There may be times when you or someone else questions your qualifications to do what God has put in your heart. You’re too young, too old, you’re the wrong gender, not educated enough, educated too much or a whole host of other distracting comments but the thing to remember it’s God who calls and He is the one who qualifies.

I thought of Moses. At 40, he knew his life calling was to deliver the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. He made a mistake and tried to handle things on his own. He killed a man and then fled to another country for 40 years and became a shepherd. While he was there the Lord reminded him of his calling.

“But Moses said, “Who am I to go to the king and lead your people out of Egypt?” 12 God replied, “I will be with you. And you will know that I am the one who sent you, when you worship me on this mountain after you have led my people out of Egypt.”

13 Moses answered, “I will tell the people of Israel that the God their ancestors worshiped has sent me to them. But what should I say, if they ask me your name?” 14-15 God said to Moses: I am the eternal God. So tell them that the Lord, whose name is “I Am,” has sent you. This is my name forever, and it is the name that people must use from now on.” Exodus 3:11-15 CEV

At 80, Moses accepted his calling. Too old? Not according to the “I AM” who called him and promised to go with him.

Too young? Samuel was just a child when his parents took him to live with Eli, the priest. God called him by name.

“The boy Samuel was Eli’s helper and served the Lord with him. At that time the Lord did not speak directly to people very often. There were very few visions…Finally, Eli understood that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 Eli told Samuel, “Go to bed. If he calls you again, say, ‘Speak, Lord. I am your servant, and I am listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed. 10 The Lord came and stood there. He called as he did before, saying, “Samuel, Samuel!” Samuel said, “Speak. I am your servant, and I am listening.” I Samuel 3:1-10 ERV

Wrong gender? For generations it was said that women couldn’t preach or teach, yet Jesus validated women when He was alive. One of the most important messages, the resurrected Christ, was given to a woman.

“Jesus asked her, “Why are you crying? Who are you looking for?” She thought he was the gardener and said, “Sir, if you have taken his body away, please tell me, so I can go and get him.”

16 Then Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him, “Rabboni.” The Aramaic word “Rabboni” means “Teacher.” 17 Jesus told her, “Don’t hold on to me! I have not yet gone to the Father. But tell my disciples that I am going to the one who is my Father and my God, as well as your Father and your God.” John 20:15-17 CEV

Too bad? Too many mistakes? The Apostle Paul had been responsible for arresting and seeing that Christians were murdered. The woman at the well had been married to four men and was living with a fifth.

“Then our Lord gave me much of His loving-favor and faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. 15 What I say is true and all the world should receive it. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners from their sin and I am the worst sinner. 16 And yet God had loving-kindness for me. Jesus Christ used me to show how long He will wait for even the worst sinners. In that way, others will know they can have life that lasts forever also.” I Timothy 1:14-16 NLV

“Jesus said to her, “Go call your husband and come back.” 17 The woman said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said, “You told the truth when you said, ‘I have no husband.’ 18 You have had five husbands. The one you have now is not your husband. You told the truth.”…Many people in that town of Samaria believed in Jesus because of what the woman said about Him. She said, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So the people of Samaria came to Him. They asked Him to stay with them. Jesus stayed there two days. 41 Many more people believed because of what He said. 42 They said to the woman, “Now we believe! It is no longer because of what you said about Jesus but we have heard Him ourselves. We know, for sure, that He is the Christ, the One Who saves men of this world from the punishment of their sins.” John 4:16-18, 39-42 NLV

Listen to This: that’s how all this started this morning. The Lord has given each of us a definite calling and purpose. There isn’t a reason or excuse that can nullify that calling. We can, however, refuse to accept it. The Father has given us a free will and He won’t force us to do anything we refuse to do; He’ll even let us go to hell if we want too.

But when God calls us, He equips us. He never leaves us on our own. The words He spoke to Moses – tell them “I AM” has sent you, applies to us as well.

“I say this because I know the plans that I have for you.” This message is from the Lord. “I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future.” Jeremiah 29:11 ERV

“I am sure that the good work God began in you will continue until he completes it on the day when Jesus Christ comes again.” Philippians 1:6 ERV

Listen up! What is the Lord saying to you today?

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All Good Things

You know how the old saying goes when making comparisons “Apples to Apples, Oranges to Oranges”. I’m sure I have used it before some where in my teachings so it should come as no surprise to you that I will be using it again this morning.

Last week I heard a very good teaching on the character of God. I have been mulling it over all week. I keep going back to it because it isn’t what some prophet or Bible character is saying about God, it’s what God is saying about Himself.

Moses wanted to see God. God had been giving him messages of provision for the Israelite people and Moses had seen the burning bush, all the plagues and the Red Sea part. He had seen the cloud covering by day and the fire covering each night but he hadn’t seen God.

“Then the Lord came down to him in a cloud, stood there with Moses, and spoke his own name. 6 That is, the Lord passed in front of Moses and said, “Yahweh, the Lord, is a kind and merciful God. He is slow to become angry. He is full of great love. He can be trusted. 7 He shows his faithful love to thousands of people. He forgives people for the wrong things they do, but he does not forget to punish guilty people…” Exodus 34:5-7 ERV

Look at what God says about Himself. I am merciful, kind, gracious, good tempered, loving, trustworthy, faithful, forgiving and just! Sounds very similar to the Apostle Paul’s description of what Love is.

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. 5 Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it. 6 Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth. 7 Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits. 8 Love will never end…” I Corinthians 13:4-8 ERV

These are love’s characteristics and since God is love then these are His characteristics too. Love is patient, kind, unselfish, good tempered, forgiving, loyal, trustworthy, hopeful, committed and eternal.

As I was studying these verses together I realized that these are also the characteristics that the Holy Spirit brings out in our lives, the fruit of the Spirit. That was the focus of yesterday’s blog and it also ties in with the teaching on our spiritual DNA that I wrote about a week ago. Because we are children of the Father, his DNA shapes our lives. God’s word always dove-tails together giving us a true perspective of His character.

God’s Character Love’s Character Fruit of the Spirit  
Faithful Hopeful Faithful
Forgiving Supportive Gentle
Good Faithful Good
Gracious Forgiving Joy
Loving Truthful Kind
Merciful Not Rude Love
Patient Patient Patient
Trustworthy Selfless Peaceful
  Kind  
  Not Boastful  
  Good Tempered  

God wants His character to overflow in our lives so that we look and act like Him. The Father is pleased when people look at us and say “Oh they must be a Christian, they look and act just like their Father”.

“Whatever you say or do, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus. Give thanks to God the Father through the Lord Jesus.” Colossians 3: 17 NLV

May our lives be an “apples to apples” comparison with Father as we grow in our daily walk with Him.

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Don’t Forget

We have had a great weekend, the house has been filled with family. This morning I am re-cycling a teaching I wrote a couple years back. I hope it will encourage you as much now as it did then.

How soon we forget the wonderful things the Lord has done for us in the past when we focus on the problems of the present! It’s like spiritual amnesia.

In Exodus 14, Moses was leading the Israelites out of Egypt. The angel of the Lord had passed over the land and all the first born in the homes of the Egyptian households were killed. After this tenth plague Pharaoh finally agreed to let the Israelites go. When he realized they had really gone, he took 600 chariots and pursued them.

How quickly he had forgotten the plagues and the way God had delivered the Israelites. He had forgotten the frogs, the locusts, the hail, the water turning to blood, the darkness – he had forgotten it all and in his anger he pursued them.

Now when the Israelites saw that Pharaoh was hot on their trail, they forgot too. They forgot all God did for them. They forgot how they were spared from the death angel that “Passovered” their homes.

“When the Israelites saw Pharaoh and his army coming toward them, they were very frightened and cried to the LORD for help. 11 They said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Did you bring us out here in the desert to die? We could have died peacefully in Egypt; there were plenty of graves in Egypt. 12 We told you this would happen! In Egypt we said, ‘Please don’t bother us. Let us stay and serve the Egyptians.’ It would have been better for us to stay and be slaves than to come out here and die in the desert.” 13 But Moses answered, “Don’t be afraid! Don’t run away! Stand where you are and watch the LORD save you today. You will never see these Egyptians again. 14 You will not have to do anything but stay calm. The LORD will do the fighting for you.” Exodus 14:10-14

They forgot that God was defending and protecting them. But God didn’t forget. He told Moses to have them continue forward. Moses was to stretch out his rod and the Red Sea would part so they could walk across on dry ground. And…the rest is history!

For a number of years I worked in an animal hospital and each year we would see the same dogs come in over and over again for porcupine quill removal. The first year I saw it and assisted with the quill removal I was amazed at how the dog’s chest, mouth, muzzle was so filled with quills. Some cases were so severe that we would have to sedate the dog to remove them all. Then Doc said an interesting thing, “we’ll see this dog back again next year for the same thing”, and sure enough we did. You see there was a partial memory loss – the dogs remembered the porcupine and the need to chase and conquer it but forgot the horrible experience of the quills.

Pharaoh quickly forgot the pain of the plagues and only saw that his work force of slaves were fleeing. The Israelites forgot their 400 years of slavery and God’s deliverance and could only see the trouble of the pursuing Egyptians.

BUT Moses remembered GOD!

Today I encourage you to forget all the problems and remember God’s promises.

“So they would all trust in God, never forgetting what he had done and always obeying his commands.” Psalm 78:7

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Mercy & Grace

Someone needs to be reminded of the importance of mercy and grace today. Each morning I thank the Lord for His love, mercy, goodness and grace. I never want to take these characteristics of God’s nature for granted. I never want to forget ALL He’s done for me. I always want to live with an attitude of gratitude.

I wrote this morning’s devotional thought several years ago and the Lord reminded me of it again this morning so I am sharing it with you.

Mercy: (I want this word to become engrained in your heart) from Merriam Webster dictionary
1 a : compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one’s power; also : lenient or compassionate treatment

2 a : a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion

3 : compassionate treatment of those in distress

Compassion shown to an offender.

There was a place in the tabernacle and also in the temple called the Holy of Holies. It was there that the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat of God was housed. The priest would go into the Holy of Holies to obtain forgiveness for the sins of the people of Israel. It was there the priest would be in the presence of God. The focal point of God’s relationship to man was mercy!

“Bezalel built a chest of acacia wood forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high. 2 He covered it inside and out with pure gold and put a gold edging around the top. 3 He made four gold rings and fastened one of them to each of the four legs of the chest. 4 Then he made two poles of acacia wood, covered them with gold, 5 and put them through the rings, so the chest could be carried by the poles. 6 The entire lid of the chest, which was also covered with pure gold, was the place of mercy.” Exodus 37:1-6 CEV

This chest was the ark of the covenant – this ark was a sign of God’s presence and here in God’s presence was the place to find mercy! We so often run from God when we sin. The Father’s heart is that we run to Him, run to Him for mercy and for help, run to Him for forgiveness and restoration.

“With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:16 ERV

The high priest could only enter the Holy of Holies, after he had offered the blood sacrifice, once a year. Each year he came to offer the sacrifice and ask for God’s mercy and forgiveness for the sins of the people. But that’s no longer necessary.

Jesus became our high priest and He offered His own shed blood for the forgiveness of sins and we have been forever cleansed! Hallelujah!

“Christ came as the high priest of the good things that are now here. He also went into a much better tent that wasn’t made by humans and that doesn’t belong to this world. 12 Then Christ went once for all into the most holy place and freed us from sin forever. He did this by offering his own blood instead of the blood of goats and bulls.” Hebrews 9:11-12 CEV

I heard mercy described like this.

We are taken to court with a long list of charges (sin) against us. The prosecutor (satan) stands before the judge (the Father) and declares that we are guilty. The defense attorney (Jesus) stands before the judge and says “My client throws himself on the mercy of the court, Your Honor.”

The judge then says I will grant your plea for mercy however someone has to pay the penalty. Then the defense attorney, Jesus, steps forward and says “I will pay the penalty Your Honor. Let my client go and take Me in His place. (grace)”

Mercy: not receiving the penalty we deserve
Grace: receiving God’s goodness and forgiveness that we don’t deserve

Thank you Father for your mercy and your grace!

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Past Present Future

God can use our past to shape our future!

Do you believe that? We all have things in our past that are painful, things we would like to forget. It’s amazing – those things that we think almost too tough to bear can be used of God to propel us into a future of blessing.

The children of Israel were went to Egypt to escape a famine. Their brother was second in command of the whole country. Then a new pharaoh took over, saw them as a threat and enslaved them. They went from being independent ranchers to making bricks for the pharaoh (probably used in the construction of the pyramids). But I think they also must have been taught other skills, fine skills, as well. Let me show you.

When we read Exodus 25-31 we find the instructions that the Lord gives Moses for the construction of the Tabernacle, His mobile home, and also for the items of worship to be used in it. God even gives instruction for the clothing of the priests. This is all very elaborate.

The items were to be made from acacia wood covered in gold, the fabric was fine linen with purple, red and blue wool. The priest’s breastplate was encrusted with fine stones in settings of silver. The incense and anointing oil were of the finest quality.

Now maybe your mind doesn’t work like mine but I had to ask, where did these brick makers get all this good stuff and where did they learn to be skilled craftsmen?

The lampstand for the Tabernacle was to be engraved from one piece of gold weighing 75 pounds. It wasn’t just a lampstand but was decorated with flowers which were also to be carved from the same piece of gold. Amazing! (By-the-way, Jesus said he was the light of the world)

“Make a lampstand of pure gold. The whole lampstand, including its decorative flowers, must be made from a single piece of hammered gold 32 with three branches on each of its two sides. 33 There are to be three decorative almond blossoms on each branch 34 and four on the stem. 35 There must also be a blossom where each pair of branches comes out from the stem. 36 The lampstand, including its branches and decorative flowers, must be made from a single piece of hammered pure gold.” Exodus 25:31-36 CEV

And then there are the curtains:
“Furnish the sacred tent with curtains made from ten pieces of the finest linen. They must be woven with blue, purple, and red wool and embroidered with figures of winged creatures. 2 Make each piece fourteen yards long and two yards wide 3 and sew them together into two curtains with five sections each. 4-6 Put fifty loops of blue cloth along one of the wider sides of each curtain, then fasten the two curtains at the loops with fifty gold hooks.” Exodus 26:1-6 CEV

I could go on and on but I would have you read it for yourself. The questions that come to mind are; where did they get the gold? Easy, Moses told the women that they were to go to their Egyptian neighbors and ask for all their gold and silver and fine goods before they left Egypt. They were so eager to get rid of the Israelites that they gladly complied.

But now answer these. Where did they learn about refining and carving gold; what about weaving the fine linen; or embroidery with gold thread or dying wool? Did you know that linen is made from flax – it would take a lot of flax to produce ten curtains fourteen yards long and two yards wide. And the flax would first have to be planted, then harvested and finally spun.

The Israelites must have served as apprentice to the Egyptian goldsmiths, silversmiths, weavers, etc. I was reading on the internet that some of the finest linen produced came from the tombs of the pharaohs in Egypt.

Now let me say again that God can take our oppressive past and use it for our blessing. They were able to use the things they learned as slaves to build a house of honor for the Lord.

What skills and talents did we develop in harsh conditions that we can now use to bring God glory? Remember, God took a religious zealot like Saul who arrested and had the early Christians killed, changed his life on the road to Damascus, gave him a new name (Paul) and had him be the message of God’s grace to the whole world.

“Christ Jesus our Lord was very kind to me. He has greatly blessed my life with faith and love just like his own. 15 “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” This saying is true, and it can be trusted. I was the worst sinner of all! 16 But since I was worse than anyone else, God had mercy on me and let me be an example of the endless patience of Christ Jesus. He did this so that others would put their faith in Christ and have eternal life.” I Timothy 1:14-16 CEV

The Father isn’t wasteful – not with time, with experience, with talents or with people. He will use what we give Him and He will take our mess and turn it into His message.

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Good Parenting

As parents and grandparents we make a lot of decisions that our children and grandchildren may not understand. We love them, encourage them, help them to grow and yes, we bring discipline into their lives.

The teaching times are just as important and the fun, play times. Occasionally, the two overlap and we have a fun time while learning. Our kids need to know that we will ALWAYS be their place of safety. Home is where they will find unconditional love. True love isn’t saying yes to every whim and desire; it is also saying no to protect them from things they don’t realize are dangerous.

How many of you who are parents have stopped your children from playing in the street; or perhaps you have smacked their hands or their little bottoms when they have reached to touch a hot coal in a campfire or the hot pan on the stove? Maybe you stopped them riding their bikes down the steep hill with the big kids or even prevented them from swimming in the lake when they had no supervision.

You have placed a lot of restrictions on your kids! You parents are just trying to spoil their fun and stifle their creativity, aren’t you? Not hardly. You know that your love for them drives you to protect them even if they don’t understand.

Some people see the Bible and God’s instruction in it as a long list of do’s and don’ts. They think if they follow the teachings the Lord has given us it will cramped their style, stifled their freedom of creative expression, limit them in their pursuit of happiness. And yet it is just the opposite. Our heavenly Father is loving and He wants nothing but the best for us.

Let’s look at one of the first instructions, commandments, God gave to the children of Israel after they came out of Egypt.

“God said to the people of Israel:2 I am the Lord your God, the one who brought you out of Egypt where you were slaves. 3 Do not worship any god except me.” Exodus 20:1-3 CEV

Why do you think he prefaced verse three with verses one and two? It was a reminder.

God wanted them to remember why they didn’t need any other god. He was the One who delivered them from slavery, He was the One who opened the path across the Red Sea. He turned bitter water to good and gave them manna every morning and quail at night. He was the One who provided them with warmth from the pillar of fire at night and He was the One who gave them shade with the same cloud during the day. He was the one who gave them victory over the enemies in battle!

He was the one who provided for all their needs and He wanted them to remember that He provided for them because He loved them and there was no one else who could take care of them the way He did! He was, He is and always will be the I AM that we need for each day.

And the second commandment is very similar – don’t make and/or worship any idols. Plain and simple keep the Lord first place. We might not make idols of gold or silver but we can be guilty of worshipping other gods; the gods of pleasure, education, relationships, professional advancement, financial security, health and well being. When we make these things our primary goals and requirements for happiness we have God take the back seat and these become our idols.

Jesus taught his disciples a strong lesson in Matthew 6 when he told them they didn’t need to seek after food, clothing, or a place to live because the Lord knew they had need of all these things. His instruction was clear

” But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.” Matthew 6:33 CEV

Instead of chasing after things, if we chase after God all these will be added. God wants us to have a fulfilled life. In fact Jesus said that He came so we could have life but not just a meager, sad, sullen existence of a life but an abundant life, to the full, till it overflows!

Our Father has provided all we need. He a good parent. Seek Him first and all the rest will be added!

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Coming In First!

Don’t you love being first? It is such an honor – being the first to get a phone call or text with really important news – getting the first piece of cake on your birthday – the first dance at your wedding – the first lick of an ice cream cone – the first ride on a motorcycle – the first kiss… I could go on and on.

Most of us will probably never be first in the Olympics or first in the Daytona 500 or first at the NFR but we all celebrate the “first” we have in our lives.

Did you know that the Lord celebrates “first” too? We worship on the first day of the week, the day Jesus was raised from the dead. We bring Him the first of our offerings because He deserves to have first place. And in Exodus we find that there is another first.

“The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Dedicate to me the first-born son of every family and the first-born males of your flocks and herds. These belong to me.” Exodus 13:1-2

When the first is dedicated to the Lord he knows He has the heart of the family. It’s a way of showing honor to the Lord for the blessing of life and the first of the flocks (our livelihood) represents our well-being and prosperity. But there’s more…

“Each year during the month of Abib, celebrate these events in the following way… Then on the seventh day you must explain to your children that you do this because the Lord brought you out of Egypt.

9 This celebration will be like wearing a sign on your hand or on your forehead, because then you will pass on to others the teaching of the Lord, whose mighty power brought you out of Egypt. 10 Celebrate this festival each year at the same time…

12 From then on, you must give him every first-born son from your families and every first-born male from your animals, because these belong to him…
14 In the future your children will ask what this ceremony means. Explain it to them by saying, “The Lord used his mighty power to rescue us from slavery in Egypt…
16 This ceremony will serve the same purpose as a sign on your hand or on your forehead to tell how the Lord’s mighty power rescued us from Egypt.” Exodus 13:1-16 CEV

The dedication of the first-born was a reminder of what the Lord had done for them by delivering them from Egypt.

We too have been delivered from an evil king and the slavery of his rule.

“I pray that you will be grateful to God for letting you have part in what he has promised his people in the kingdom of light. 13 God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who forgives our sins and sets us free.” Colossians 1:12-14 CEV

So celebrate today – Remind your children and yourself that there is One who deserves to be first in all things – your heart, your decisions, your focus!

“Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and most important command.” Matthew 22:37-38 ERV

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