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Equipping to do God’s will.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Now may the God of peace— who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood— may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen. Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The author of Hebrews excels in helping us understand the efficacy (effectiveness) and efficiency (competence) of Jesus work on the cross. It is a powerful reminder that all of human history past and future is secured by Jesus’ death and resurrection. These truths power this prayer! May the God of peace, using the Greek word “eiréné” for the Hebrew word shalom. May that God of peace equip (make complete, mending to perfection) us with everything we need to do God’s will. And produce in us every good thing (euarestos: acceptable, pleasing).

All the power and effects of what Jesus has done is leveraged and applied to give us everything we need to accomplishing what God has set before us. Each and every human being on the planet uniquely gifted and given a role in God’s plan to love Him, glorifying Him and sharing in the redemption that Christ has won. Just the thought that God not only gives us purpose designed specifically for each of us, but that He also supplies what is necessary to accomplish those purposes.

When people ask me, “how do I know what my purpose is?” Or, “how do I know what to do next?” The answers aren’t always easy. I tell them that I have followed the Proverbs 16 principles. Verse 3 says to “commit your work…” your deeds, acts, or labor to the Lord and He will establish your plans. But I follow up with verse 9, “we think, make or contemplate our plans, but the Lord determines or establishes our steps.” Just as we put an actionable plan together, raising that most difficult first step forward, God makes sure, when our foot lands, it lands where He intends it.

It takes faith! We pray, we ponder, we dream and wonder, but as we begin to move forward, God is there directing AS WE GO! This is where I always encourage folks to stay in God’s word, listening for His voice, the Holy Spirit’s guidance as Jesus promised. But I also encourage them to follow the peace of God as we move towards our plans. It may be a whisper. It may be through circumstances that seem random or coincidental. But in that process, that mysterious movement of faith, God leads and guides us with His peace! God wants to lead us! God wants to reveal himself, speaking to us. God wants us to walk in faith and move with Him!

Prayer

​Dad,
Your promises are true and You have kept Your Word throughout my entire life! There were times that I had to remind myself of your trustworthiness when things went wrong, or felt like plans fell apart. But as I looked back, I could see your hand guiding and it gave me the hope I needed to look forward. Thank you for Your faithfulness!

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Evil Consensus.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When Peter writes to the Church about ridding themselves of evil, he chose five words that every sensible person believes is WRONG. Peter says, “put these away!”

  • “dolos” – trickery, crafty deceit. The word comes from the word decoy.
  • “kakia” – malice, nasty naughtiness, wickedness, no shame in breaking the law.
  • “hypokrisis” – acting under a feigned part, a stage actor, a fake, a pretender.
  • “phthonos” – envy, spiteful jealousy.
  • “katalalia” – slander, backbiting, evil speaking.

Here’s what struck me. No one likes to be deceived. No one likes hypocrites. Everyone dislikes jealousy and nasty gossipers. And, when it comes to malice or a purposeful disregard for the law, it’s only those who are attracted to the bad boy/girl type who “like” it.

Point: You don’t have to be a believer, unbeliever, church or non-church goer, religious or non-religious to understand what Peter is writing about – they all agree! These are things we ALL hate and all struggle with. We have a general consensus and agreement that bad is bad.

We might not all have these behaviors frequently or all of them at once. But we do recognize them as wrong. Whether folks admit it or not, we have an internal, God-given conscience that tells us when we’re wrong. That means we have to actively override that conscience, struggling to silence it to continue to deceive, purposely pursue malice, hypocrisy, envy and be a backstabbing gossip!

Even still, the Apostle Paul tells Timothy that people can sear their own conscience in 1 Timothy 4:1-2, and get “life-advice” from demons! “Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.” Our conscience is God-given and within each of us, Romans 2:15. “God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.” If the conscience is “seared”—literally “cauterized”—then it has been rendered insensitive and become ineffective! It is wild that folks can “fry” their conscience but continue to convince themselves and others that everything is alright.

Is it more egregious to see a follower of Jesus continue to practice these behaviors with no remorse? Yes, I believe it is! Followers of Jesus should be the first ones to recognize these common human behaviors/sins and the first ones to say “I’m sorry.” We should be humble enough to not deflect our bad choices, defensively blaming others or making it sound like it’s not that big of a deal. The consequences of deception, intentional nastiness, hypocrisy, jealousy and spreading gossip is primarily pain for others. It’s also a poor representation of Jesus to the world that already believes that “Christians” look down on everyone else.

Peter’s admonition (truthful encouragement) is to get rid of these behaviors, but when we do fail and hurt someone, we should be honest about it and be quick to apologize. Even though there is an evil consensus about what is clearly bad, we can be examples of owning our own sin and show contrition (remorse) for it.

Prayer

Dad,
I have to admit, even though these behaviors are awful, I have caught myself acting them out. Not every one of them is a constant battle, but checking my behaviors and the motives behind them is a regular part of struggling. Especially when I’ve been hurt, want to get even or just feeling spiteful or awry. It is when I see a poor reflection of myself in Your Word, that I feel the pinch of Your Spirit to own it, repent of it and apologize when necessary. Honestly, the pain of asking someone’s forgiveness should be enough to help me to not act on these nasty behaviors. I am so thankful for the Holy Sprit nudges, and your mercy.

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A 🐸 god?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go back to Pharaoh and announce to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will send a plague of frogs across your entire land. The Nile River will swarm with frogs. They will come up out of the river and into your palace, even into your bedroom and onto your bed! They will enter the houses of your officials and your people. They will even jump into your ovens and your kneading bowls. Frogs will jump on you, your people, and all your officials.’” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Really? For most of my life as a follower of Jesus, I thought the plagues on Egypt were just strange and creepy. Just annoying enough to make people’s skin crawl and get nauseous just thinking about. Some people hate frogs and are terrified by them. I was forever years old when I heard that each plague was attached to the gods of Pharaoh – and all of Egypt WORSHIPPED them! They worshipped a frog god? Yep, it’s true.

The plagues were judgment on Egypt’s religious system, not random disasters. And, “Pharaoh is part of that picture too, because Egyptian kingship was religious, not just political. Pharaoh was regarded as a divine ruler and mediator of cosmic order, so the plagues also function as a humiliation of Pharaoh’s claimed sacred authority.” Some of the gods are speculative, but a few are historically documented!

Heqet – the frog god is one that is well known. She was an ancient Egyptian goddess, usually shown as a frog or as a woman with a frog’s head. Her main spheres of influence were fertility, birth, regeneration, and rebirth. She was deeply connected to childbirth and became especially associated with the final stages of labor. She was given the title “She who hastens the birth.” Frog amulets linked to Heqet were used by women in connection with childbirth. Sounds like a sci-fi right? Yet she was serious in the Egyptian culture, because she “controlled” the future generations of true Egyptians. Her favor meant increase, and conversely, her anger meant death. So for God to send a plague of frogs, meant that it was a clear sign to Pharaoh and the people that it was a source of judgment instead of blessing. And, more importantly, that God was over the gods of Egypt.

The Bible does not mention the god, Heqet, which I understand. Giving these hybrid or half-breed spirit beings any acknowledgment would be giving them recognition. History gives us these beings identity and role. We now know it was clearly to distort God’s truth and lead humans away from Him. These beings can’t create, only deceive. God mocks them by creating plagues showing the ridiculousness of trusting false gods.

I used to think these gods were just fakes, figments of our imagination and false projections of an actual being. Now, I’ve come to understand, they were and still are active spirit beings who’s sole purpose is to join with Satan in deceiving and creating havoc in human lives, keeping them from seeing and experiencing the one true God who has a plan and purpose for redemption and reconciliation to Himself.

These gods are very real and powerful, but many people dismiss them because they don’t understand how and why they exist. I don’t know if the “frog” god is still active like she was back in Ancient Egyptian days, but I can tell you similar gods exist around the world today, even in the “disbelieving” USA.

Pharaoh recognized the difference between his gods and the one true God, yet he still refused to submit. The Bible says that this act of arrogant defiance hardened Pharaoh’s heart and it cost him the life of his own son as well as every Egyptian firstborn in the nation. Only the Jewish people, with the blood-sign on their doorposts would be protected or “passed over” the Angel of Death. This was the meaning of Passover. We still have a “Passover” in place today, it’s Jesus blood covering over our sins, meaning the final death will pass us over when we die.

Prayer

​Dad,
I am so very thankful for your love, protection and provision. Even when I was duped into believing the subtle lies coming at me as a young teen, you broke through and made yourself known to me. I am forgiven and redeemed because of the price Jesus paid for me on the cross.

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Dilemma of the deceiver and our desires.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Apostle Paul gets gritty as he describes to the Ephesians what is really going on in us, around us, and specifically above us. He writes, “once you were,” and “we used to” obey the “archón,” the ruler/prince, the “exousia,” the authority of the air. This “pneuma,” spirit is working in the sons of “apeitheia,” disobedience – the willful refusal to be convinced by God’s voice. Wow! That’s a lot more going on than I ever understood. Paul bluntly writes, we were “walking in the ways of the world!” What? What way is that? It’s an order of disorder, a pattern, a flow. We THINK, actually we delude ourselves into believing that we are autonomously, independently following our true self – our will, our way. But Paul says, that is not TRUE. When we believe we are self-driven, we are really falling in line with a ruler, with an authority that lives in the unseen cosmos, an other worldly realm.

This entity is “energeó,” energized and working in the sons of disobedient. Who are these sons? This isn’t a demon-class of fallen angels, nor the ever mysterious “sons of God,” some sort of half-breed angel/human hybrids. No, these are people, just regular old human beings with one massive bent – they are people whose identity and conduct are shaped by disobedience. In other words, they are the true nature of the “worldly culture.” Their vibe, their end goal isn’t about freedom or some “true to thyself,” ideology. It’s much simpler, but darker – it’s just pure disobedience to God’s order. Their own personal “stick-it-to-the-man” isn’t a sixties mantra, it’s an all out flipping off God by purposely challenging Him on who He is and His will and ways. It’s choosing to be God’s enemy. Everything that God is, they are against!

And yes, they are being led by the “ruler” in authority over the air, but they do so in preference to rebellion, not naivety. Paul says “all of us” used to live this way – following our own “theléma,” things willed of the flesh. The disordered desires of our own heart and soul. The desires that may start off as real needs, neutral and harmless, but turn quickly to grasp what we want immediately and untimely, or obsess with something not good for us. That’s why Paul says we were “by nature deserving of wrath.” Not necessarily because of the desire or urge, but the actual follow through of rebellious disobedience. We know it’s bad, but choose it anyways – making us enemies of God and literally ourselves.

Thankfully, Paul writes that this “used to be us,” and we “were” under God’s wrath! For “while we were yet sinners Christ died for us!” (Romans 5:8). While we rebelled, and grasped for disordered desires and joined with the ruler of the air and the disobedience of the world culture – Jesus died to set us free from the deceiver and our mis-driven desires.

Prayer

​Dad,
I always bristled against doing whatever my friends did. I wasn’t a good follower of culture, even though I was often persuaded into doing some very foolish things. I had a conscience, but ignored it way too often to do my “own thing.” I wouldn’t have understood that as rebellion against you, nor complicity with the deceiver or my own desires at the time. It wasn’t clear until I saw my life following the disastrous pattern or my parents – that scared me! That’s what it took to see you as my only way out, my hope for a different future. You not only fathered me, you lovingly disciplined me and showed me how to live the life you always intended for me. Thank you for saving and transforming my life!

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Refusing to listen.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

““Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment. I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt. I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as your very own possession. I am the Lord!’” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Exodus constantly reminds me of God’s promises and how diligent He is in keeping every single one of them. God’s promises are dependable and durable. Exodus also reminds me of the power of God’s will. God always accomplishes what He sets out to do. Of course it’s most impressive to me because I know I am, we are, LINEAR. We have a beginning, a short middle and an end. We can’t see ahead, and far too often our memories lose clarity as we look back in our history. In our humanness things fade and get foggy!

In these verses I see the strength of God’s words, “I will.” God will free, will redeem, will get them to the promised land and will gift that land to His people. Every single “I will” statements are now “He did!” How all this all plays out with our free choice and our own autonomy is still a mystery. Maybe someday I will understand, but for now I just know God is true, just and right – faithful to be and do exactly what He says.

I can barely grasp the idea of God being atemporal (outside of time), which allows Him to be omniscient (all knowing). I tend to think of it as God being able to look back from eternity and see backwards. But that’s not how it really works. God sees everything NOW. Everything is eternally PRESENT to God. God perceives all moments at once, unlike us who experience time sequentially.

Right after these profound messages God delivers to Moses, a very sad moment takes place. “So Moses told the people of Israel what the Lord had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery,”‭‭ Exodus‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬. Again, my perception was that the people were just stubborn – like most of us! But Moses records a very real fact that influences all of us, even today. They had become “too discouraged!” Oh. That hits home.

The brutality of slavery, over too many years, had stolen their hope, had broken their spirits. The men, women and children living this story would be the ones to eventually experience freedom from Egypt, but the oldest among them could never really believe it. The old people would die in the desert BEFORE God’s promise and His will would be fulfilled! They were literally free, but still died as slaves in their hearts and minds. The brutality of their experiences in their past had permanently handicapped their ability to live free in the future! Even with all of God’s power to keep His promise and His will to accomplish what He determined, they could not find freedom.

There are countless people I Pastor that are determined to allow their past to dictate their future. Because of deep and profound trauma, or unfathomable pain people have experienced in their past, we still feel victimized, hurt and even ashamed – we just can’t let it go! It handicaps us, locking us in a prison of the past. God says, “I will,” but our experiences say, “I can’t” – at least not in my life. God can free us from our oppression (past pain inflicted on us). God can rescue us from the brutality of slavery (subjected to power not of our own doing). But we must listen and let it go. Give it to our Savior! Let God accomplish His good will in you and through you. Because God really is good ALL THE TIME.

Prayer

​Dad,
The decision to let go of my past, my pain, and my sin, has not been a single decision. Instead, it has been a process throughout my life, since I said yes to you. When I am haunted or humiliated by my past, I have to choose to listen to you and not the lies the enemy relishes to remind me of. I determine to listen and say “YES” as often as I can. Your words are life to me. Your will is freedom for me. I am forever grateful that you called my name and adopted me as your son!

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Gambling with your eyes.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭27‬-‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus sets a moral standard that not only captures the core of a commandment, it goes above and beyond, peering into and piercing the human heart. This is something only God can do.

When Jesus says, “you’ve heard it said…” it wasn’t to remind them or us about the latest trashy trends of gossip and giggles about cheaters and their sleazy rendezvous. Jesus was referring to a hard-core law #7 in Exodus 20:14: “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”

So interesting that behaviors surrounding the deed, the act, the breach, start with the “wandering eye.” Even Psychology Today recognizes this as a major problem in relationships! “Having a wandering eye in romantic contexts can lead to feelings of inadequacy and insecurity in partners, potentially eroding trust and satisfaction in the relationship. Research suggests that those who frequently notice attractive alternatives may be more likely to cheat, as it can signal emotional disengagement and a lack of commitment.”

Lust doesn’t start with the act, it starts with a look?

Jesus was right. Behavioral problems don’t begin with the act itself, they start with a thought. The oldest book in the Bible quotes old Job saying, “I made a covenant with my eyes…” Job writes, “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman” Job 31:1. Well, we know that the actual contract was a thought and a commitment made in his heart before it ever reached his eyes.

This whole idea of acceptable levels of adultery or cheating (which makes it sound as evil as fudging on your taxes) is unbelievably awful and dangerous. No one in a serious committed relationship, who has been the recipient of broken trust, thinks it’s funny or meme worthy! Let alone a relationship that has been covenanted and consummated before God and family.

The adultery law is so wonderfully protective of men, women and children (who suffer the most in infidelity). Why in the world would anyone want to mock it or demoralize it? Jesus is not being judgey here in addressing an age-old problem of breaking trust in relationships. Jesus is being merciful, reminding men (and now women) to keep their hearts pure in commitment long before their eyes focus on adulterating a devastating future. We can read all the ancient stories or even the current headlines today; unfaithfulness destroys a marriage, a family and a healthy future for our children. Nothing has changed the outcomes, no matter how much one promotes this level of lies as personal choice and freedoms. Jesus just brilliantly says, “stop gambling with your future through your eyes!”

Prayer

​Dad,
Oh how I wish my own fathers and mothers would have heeded your wisdom! Having several generations of marital devastation would have saved me a lot of dread and fear about entering the most amazing relationship outside of the one I have with you. Seeing so much pain and heartbreak, misery and loss, certainly put a big hesitation in asking for my wife’s hand in marriage. If it had not been for your promise of proximity – “stay close to me,” you said and “you’ll stay close to her,” I would not have committed my life to the one woman I have ever loved! Thank you for your promise and power to not gamble with my eyes to the point of losing all that is precious to me. Thank you for keeping me faithful in grace and mercy.

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Honoring Family Matters.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“So Moses went back home to Jethro, his father-in-law. “Please let me return to my relatives in Egypt,” Moses said. “I don’t even know if they are still alive.” “Go in peace,” Jethro replied.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A lot had transpired in a chapter and a half of Exodus, God won as well Moses won in many ways. Moses had no idea what the next 40 years would look like for him! Who really does know what will happen when you say “yes” to God’s will?

Remember what Moses’ day started like in Exodus 3? “Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian.” Jethro, or Reuel, was a well known, well established non-Israelite priest, a descendant of Abraham through Keturah. Jethro had taken in a fugitive, allowed him to marry his daughter and trusted Moses to care for his flock, becoming a vital part of the family business. Moses at forty, had found a new family. And, it’s likely that Moses brought God’s blessing for Jethro taking him in and helping rebuild his identity.

After negotiating with God for likely the whole day, Moses returns with the decision that he will obey God and must leave Midian and go back to Egypt. But before he does so, he meets with his father-in-law. Moses asks Jethro for permission to leave. He honored Jethro in his ask! Moses had not only become an integral part of family, giving Jethro two grandsons, Gershom and Eliezer, he had also become invaluable to the family business. Letting Moses go must have been difficult on the whole tribe. It must have been a difficult plea of reality, because he had become such a big part of family. Moses tells Jethro, I must go back to see my relatives (not knowing if they were even alive anymore).

Moses does not tell Jethro at this point, at least, “God spoke to me and I must obey!” Wouldn’t that sound like a better reason for leaving? Jethro, being a highly wise and religious man, would have understood Moses’ dilemma. But Moses chooses to tell him he had to return to his birth family. I just think it is significant that Moses records what had happened before he met with God and what happened after. Moses left Jethro one day and came back a much different man. Jethro releases Moses with a blessing, “Go in peace.”

The Bible is open and honest about the family dynamics throughout God’s grand story. Moses’ story is key in showing us the tragedy of a forced abandonment as a baby. Also a view into being raised by a foster family. Then, being received and accepted into a kind of adopted family – even as a grown man. And finally, Moses recognizing how to honor both his father-in-law and willingness to go back to reconnect with his birth family. God even reassures Moses on the trip back home, “the Lord said to him, “Return to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you have died.” Studying Moses’ family struggles and structure is fascinating and becomes very much a big part of the leader that God called him to be!

Prayer

​Dad,
I think about all that Moses went through to become the man you would use to lead Your people out of 400 years of slavery and head towards the land of promise that would be theirs. The land of Israel today is just as contested and controversial as it was in ancient history. And, the Jewish people, are still prominently involved in Your story. I am so thankful that you have included the raw truth of family struggles and redemption. It gives me hope for all those, like me, who have been adopted twice. Once as a child and again as your son!

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Trying to escape a calling.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?” Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied. “Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Moses is the classic example of trying to dodge a clear, direct order from God. In Exodus chapter 3, God says, “Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”

“I am sending you,” and “you must,” is pretty straightforward. Moses, having a common, self-reflecting moment, asks God the BIG question. “Who am I?” Wow. That’s a really good question to ask under normal circumstances!

We now live in a saturated milieu of self awareness – it’s expected that one knows their own faults and failures and are also well aware of their ability to harm others. Not everyone is there yet, but the expectation is culturally common. Comments like, “I didn’t know I was a bad mother”, or “I didn’t know I was an alcoholic, are met with suspicious surprise with little sympathy. The underlying idea is “you should have known, everyone else did!”

Did Moses know he had deep traumatic issues that grew into a hair-pin justice trigger, causing him to often snap with rage? Was he aware that his speech impediment was likely caused by his perceived abandonment and identity crisis? Moses question went far deeper than just a question of calling or capability, it hit a nerve of apparent failure to be the kind of man everyone expected him to be. “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” Exodus‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬.

God patiently addressed his question, but doesn’t tell Moses who Moses is or what he will become. God just says, “I will be with you.” Anyone who has struggled with mother or father abandonment issues knows how difficult it is to trust anyone! In Moses’ case, he wasn’t abandoned, because he was supposed to have been murdered by drowning him in the Nile. Moses’ mother, Jochebed, hid him for 3 months, then saved his life by life-rafting him down the river.

In a second volley of trying to get God to just move on and leave him alone, Moses asked God, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” Which is interesting because God already told him who He was, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,” causing Moses to pause and reflect on his extraordinary heritage. Moses’ father was Amram, but it’s unclear if Moses ever had a meaningful relationship with him. Moses was a rejected foster son in Pharaoh’s family. Moses boldly asks for God’s name and in that tender moment God tells Moses His personal, intimate name – “Yahweh,” God says.

Yet, even after God tells Moses He will go with him and allow Moses to use God’s personal credentials in an audience with the Pharaoh, Moses is still not convinced – he truly believes God is choosing the wrong man for the job! First it’s I’m not qualified, then it’s no one knows me, now it’s – what if they don’t believe me. Moses questions his convince-ability.

It is here that God allows Moses to have a crutch, a literal shtick, a physical object lesson to carry with him to boost his confidence – the humble shepherd’s staff that becomes a symbol of supernatural power! Moses continued beg God to choose someone else, even reminding Him of his speech impediment. Moses, was not able to get God to completely let him off the hook, but was happy that God allowed his brother Aaron to step in and be the spokesperson.

Prayer

​Dad,
What a journey to convince Moses not only of who he was – a leader, but who he would become, a great patriarch and hero in Your grand story, It seems as though Moses did grow to be a man of great faith, but always carried some of his sorrows and frustrations of his early life as a Jewish foster son in the house of Pharaoh. I see many folk’s trying to escape their calling, even when You assure them that You be will them and use them in the Kingdom of God. Thank you for your patience with all of us!

Posted on

Hello, my name is…

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Of course this total scene out of Exodus 3 is a spectacular moment on so many levels. The miraculous meeting between God and Moses out in the middle of nowhere. This actual, physical conversation with God and Moses. Abram also had a conversation with God, 430 years earlier. But unlike Moses, God introduced himself to Abram with one of His attributes, El Shaddai, God Almighty, not a personal name.

God enlists Moses to go before Pharoah and lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses, never forgetting the authority structures of his past life, not only wants to know who he is speaking to, he also wants the Pharaoh to know who he is working for. As an emissary, it would be proper to tell the Pharaoh who he represents. And, when the Israelites demand to know who is speaking on their behalf, Moses would also tell them.

It isn’t unusual for Moses to think, that the Pharaoh or the leaders of the Israelites would have no idea who Moses was at all. “But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”” “God answered, “I will be with you.’” Moses reply still sounds legit. It doesn’t sound dodgy or disrespectful! Okay, so Moses tells the Israelite leaders, “The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,” like some kind of clandestine code phrase. Moses says to God… they still will ask, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?””

Moses is standing barefooted, in front of a supernatural, unconsumed fiery bush, and is having a conversation with THE creator of all things, THE God of gods. And God is so patient with him!

But then, God speaks His name to Moses. God speaks His personal, intimate name for the first time in recorded human history. Granted, we see God’s title and personal name show up in Genesis 2:4, “LORD God” (elohim Yhvh). But this is God introducing Himself and letting Moses know who He is and by what authority He sends Moses in to go before Pharaoh and speak on behalf of His people. What a powerful, beautiful moment.

God says, “this is me, I AM eternal.” Of course we know that Moses needed much more convincing, but God was allowing Himself to be known by Moses and gets really close to knowing the God who walks with man, not in the garden of beauty and perfection, but the desert of desolation and brokenness!

God began a conversation with Moses that would last for 40 years. And it was so unique and precious that God personally buried Moses when he died! “The LORD buried him in a valley near Beth-peor in Moab, but to this day no one knows the exact place.” Deuteronomy 34:6. It is so exciting to think of this kind of life NOW and LATER with God. Now, because of Jesus, we can directly talk to our Abba Father through the Holy Spirit. But later, in a new heaven and new earth, with resurrected brand new bodies, we will walk and talk with Yahweh. As it was in the beginning, it will be in the end that lasts forever!

Prayer

​Dad,
I absolutely love talking with you (and listening too)! To know you, to love you, as well as being known and loved by you is beyond words. I really like the intimacy found in your relationship with well known Bible characters because it shows both who You are as well as who we are. I can’t wait to catch up with each and every one of those moments with those who lived their life ages ago and see Your glory in their lives one day in heaven. Thank you for your loving mercy that allows me to be your son.

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A Valuable Harvest,

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.” ‭‭James‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

After James roasts the rich, he quickly shifts to Jesus’ return. Asking the church to be patient. He, along with the other New Testament writers absolutely believed Jesus would return in that first century. Why? Because the world, the culture surrounding them at that time, was in total chaos! So much was shifting, and it was all happening so fast. Every “sign of the times,” was signaling that Christ’s return was imminent. But Jesus did not return then!

James makes such an interesting comparison to why we must be patient. He uses a common agricultural illustration to help us understand why patience is necessary. Because the farmer is, thus we are, eager to see the valuable harvest to ripen. The NLT translation really had me thinking that James was referring to the salvation of human souls when it says, “valuable harvest.” But, looking at the direct Greek translation, James isn’t writing about souls that need saving, he’s writing about our own spiritual growth and maturity!

James is saying that Eschatology (studying end times) should drive our ethics – our moral behaviors, not our escape plans. Life here isn’t disposable, even though it’s brief, it should be intentional to our formation of Christ’s character. The act of waiting patiently is active, not at all passive about our growth. Christian hope has never been escapism, it’s faithfulness! And suffering doesn’t become meaningless. Suffering becomes the milieu, the soil where we grow. Jesus’ coming is God keeping His promises of justice and completion. It’s not the abandonment of this world, it’s the fulfillment!

Here’s a great thought not of my own, “James doesn’t say, ‘Hang on until you get out of here.’ He says, ‘Because Jesus is coming, let God grow something in you here; something worth harvesting.’” Our own soul’s development is the valuable harvest. We feel like the “parousia,” the coming of the Lord, should be seen as a rescue operation, but it’s really culmination of a celebration, like the bridegroom arriving for the wedding of his beloved. In James’ mind, we are the farmer and our character, our maturity, is the valuable harvest ripening.

Prayer

Dad,
You ​are serious about both the redemption of the wayward, broken soul, but you are also purposeful about our soul’s development, growth and maturity. And the waiting is not a punishment, nor a lesson in pain, it is for our own good! When we cry, “maranatha,” come quickly Lord Jesus, it should be out of an eagerness of seeing things wrap up well, like a great scene of a movie, where there is celebration – because it all comes together and makes sense. I want to be a good farmer who is patient, watching my own character grow to that perfect ripeness, so I can bring my best to you at your coming.