“They set out from Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. The Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to lead them on their way during the day and in a pillar of fire to give them light at night, so that they could travel day or night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night never left its place in front of the people.” (Exodus 13:20-22 CSB)
What a great comfort it must have been to have this shekinah cloud of glory with them. It evidently glowed brightly in the daytime and looked fiery at night. Israel had a “divine night light.” The presence of the Almighty was visible, objective, tangible.
We need to remember that these people had grown up all their lives under slavery. They were used to somebody else telling them what to do. Their lives were difficult and distressed. When folks are in that position or frame of mind, leaders cannot just turn them loose and expect everything to be all right. Being the greatest Leader of all, God provided a means whereby the people would know which direction to go, and a means which would also provide great comfort and peace.
The cloud of glory always stayed in front of the people. God never abandons His people. His people do sometimes abandon Him. These same Israelites did exactly that not much further down the road in fact. But God never abandons people. He keeps His word and His commitments. One of the characteristics of our God is integrity, and we know we can count on Him.
The Presence of the Almighty is different for us now. We might at times wish we had His shekinah with us, but in reality we have something better. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. He provides us with guidance, and He provides peace and comfort in any situation. He never abandons us.
Lord, Remind us today of Your call to walk with the Spirit and keep step with the Spirit. Thank You for putting Your Spirit in us. Amen.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Red Shield
“When the Lord passes through to strike Egypt and sees the blood on the lintel and the two door posts, he will pass over the door and not let the destroyer enter your houses to strike you.” (Exodus 12:23 CSB)
The Passover was a foreshadowing of what is to come.
The Passover meal consisted of the meat of a sacrificial animal, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs. The blood from the sacrificial animal was to be applied to the lintel and the two doorposts of each house, and when the Lord saw the blood, He would not let the destroying angel harm anyone inside. The first Passover occurred the night before Israel’s release from slavery. It marked the culmination of the 10th plague against the Egyptians and against their gods.
The New Testament teaches us that Jesus was our “Passover Lamb.” The blood of Jesus now covers over our sin, so that God no longer sees them. In Romans 5:9 Paul writes, “Much more then, since we have now been declared righteous by His blood, we will be saved through Him from wrath.” The blood of Jesus cleans us from all sin. And we are, therefore, set free from our slavery to sin so that we can live a life fully in relation to God. The final judgment, therefore, has no impact on us.
The key to this is in the application of the blood. It had to be applied to the lintel and to the two doorposts at the outset of that first Passover. That means it was an act of the will to do so. Likewise, for the blood of Christ, shed on the cross for us, to have its effect it must be “applied” to our lives. This means that by faith we receive God’s gracious gift of forgiveness and salvation. It is by His blood we are redeemed.
The sacrifice of the life of Jesus, accepted into our hearts by faith in Him, sets us free and changes us forever. We have entered into eternal life. For that we say, “Hallelujah.”
Lord, We thank You for the cross, and for the plan that You have worked out for our salvation, and for Your plan for our lives. May we live them now in ways that honor You. Amen.
The Passover was a foreshadowing of what is to come.
The Passover meal consisted of the meat of a sacrificial animal, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs. The blood from the sacrificial animal was to be applied to the lintel and the two doorposts of each house, and when the Lord saw the blood, He would not let the destroying angel harm anyone inside. The first Passover occurred the night before Israel’s release from slavery. It marked the culmination of the 10th plague against the Egyptians and against their gods.
The New Testament teaches us that Jesus was our “Passover Lamb.” The blood of Jesus now covers over our sin, so that God no longer sees them. In Romans 5:9 Paul writes, “Much more then, since we have now been declared righteous by His blood, we will be saved through Him from wrath.” The blood of Jesus cleans us from all sin. And we are, therefore, set free from our slavery to sin so that we can live a life fully in relation to God. The final judgment, therefore, has no impact on us.
The key to this is in the application of the blood. It had to be applied to the lintel and to the two doorposts at the outset of that first Passover. That means it was an act of the will to do so. Likewise, for the blood of Christ, shed on the cross for us, to have its effect it must be “applied” to our lives. This means that by faith we receive God’s gracious gift of forgiveness and salvation. It is by His blood we are redeemed.
The sacrifice of the life of Jesus, accepted into our hearts by faith in Him, sets us free and changes us forever. We have entered into eternal life. For that we say, “Hallelujah.”
Lord, We thank You for the cross, and for the plan that You have worked out for our salvation, and for Your plan for our lives. May we live them now in ways that honor You. Amen.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Faith Power
“Jesus replied to them, ‘Have faith in God. I assure you: If anyone says to this mountain, “Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for – believe that you have received them, and you will have them.” (Mark 11:22-24 CSB)
Two little boys were talking. They both read the text above in Sunday School, so one said that he was going to ask God to move the mountain behind his house into the sea. The next day, the other little boy saw him at school and asked him how it went. The boy replied, “Well, I prayed before I went to bed, but the mountain was still there this morning. I knew God wouldn’t do it.”
Is it possible that Jesus really meant what He said in this text? A lot of people pray for a lot of things that do not happen. They muster up as much faith and determination within themselves as possible, but still God does not do what they ask. So, why not?
The simple answer is: 1) God is not willing, or 2) we do not really believe in our “heart” that He will, or 3) there is unforgiveness in our hearts that keeps God from blessing us (read the rest of the paragraph in Mark 11).
Sometimes we pray for things that we feel we need or are in our best interests or the best interests of others, but in reality what we are praying for may actually NOT be in our or their best interests, because only God knows what is or is not. So, we must first seek the will of God.
If we are convinced that we have understood the will of God, and if what we understand is in agreement with the teachings of His word, and we pray for this to take place, and believe in our hearts that God is going to do this, then He will. We need also to remember that God is a loving Father who loves His children and who will give good gifts to us. We ask, and we trust.
We must be aware also, though, that if there is a degree of unforgiveness in our hearts, we cannot expect God to bless us or respond to our prayers. The word tells us that when we pray, if we have anything against someone, we must first forgive him or her, so that God will also then forgive us. That is a pre-condition for God’s responding to our prayers.
Lord, in our union with Your Spirit, may we seek your will, believe in our hearts that You will give what we ask for, and seek You with a heart cleansed of sin. Amen.
Two little boys were talking. They both read the text above in Sunday School, so one said that he was going to ask God to move the mountain behind his house into the sea. The next day, the other little boy saw him at school and asked him how it went. The boy replied, “Well, I prayed before I went to bed, but the mountain was still there this morning. I knew God wouldn’t do it.”
Is it possible that Jesus really meant what He said in this text? A lot of people pray for a lot of things that do not happen. They muster up as much faith and determination within themselves as possible, but still God does not do what they ask. So, why not?
The simple answer is: 1) God is not willing, or 2) we do not really believe in our “heart” that He will, or 3) there is unforgiveness in our hearts that keeps God from blessing us (read the rest of the paragraph in Mark 11).
Sometimes we pray for things that we feel we need or are in our best interests or the best interests of others, but in reality what we are praying for may actually NOT be in our or their best interests, because only God knows what is or is not. So, we must first seek the will of God.
If we are convinced that we have understood the will of God, and if what we understand is in agreement with the teachings of His word, and we pray for this to take place, and believe in our hearts that God is going to do this, then He will. We need also to remember that God is a loving Father who loves His children and who will give good gifts to us. We ask, and we trust.
We must be aware also, though, that if there is a degree of unforgiveness in our hearts, we cannot expect God to bless us or respond to our prayers. The word tells us that when we pray, if we have anything against someone, we must first forgive him or her, so that God will also then forgive us. That is a pre-condition for God’s responding to our prayers.
Lord, in our union with Your Spirit, may we seek your will, believe in our hearts that You will give what we ask for, and seek You with a heart cleansed of sin. Amen.
Monday, October 15, 2007
He Sympathizes
“Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens – Jesus the Son of God – let us hold fast to the confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.” (Hebrews 4:14-16 CSB)
We all understand what it means to struggle. All of us have had enough problems in life to deal with that have created varying degrees of stress, anxiety, worry, doubt, and even exasperation. Some of this comes from the relationships we have with others, but to be honest some of it simply the result of our own sins.
Whatever the source of our struggle, the great advantage we have as Christians is that we have a heavenly advocate, a Great High Priest we can go to. And we can go to Him anytime and with boldness.
We can go to Jesus in boldness because as our Great High Priest He represents us before the Father. His blood shed on the cross “covers” our sins, so that he brings us before the Father as pure as fresh snow. He stands as our Advocate.
We can go to Jesus in boldness also because we know that He sympathizes with our weaknesses. Jesus Himself has been tempted and tested in every way we have. He understands human frailty. He overcame all temptation and testing. He was sinless. But because He experienced all of this as one of us, we know that He understands and sympathizes with us, and He will be merciful and gracious to us in our time of need.
Because Jesus has thus committed to us, we need then to remain firm in our commitments to Him.
Lord, May we truly be faithful and true to You this and each day in all ways. Amen.
We all understand what it means to struggle. All of us have had enough problems in life to deal with that have created varying degrees of stress, anxiety, worry, doubt, and even exasperation. Some of this comes from the relationships we have with others, but to be honest some of it simply the result of our own sins.
Whatever the source of our struggle, the great advantage we have as Christians is that we have a heavenly advocate, a Great High Priest we can go to. And we can go to Him anytime and with boldness.
We can go to Jesus in boldness because as our Great High Priest He represents us before the Father. His blood shed on the cross “covers” our sins, so that he brings us before the Father as pure as fresh snow. He stands as our Advocate.
We can go to Jesus in boldness also because we know that He sympathizes with our weaknesses. Jesus Himself has been tempted and tested in every way we have. He understands human frailty. He overcame all temptation and testing. He was sinless. But because He experienced all of this as one of us, we know that He understands and sympathizes with us, and He will be merciful and gracious to us in our time of need.
Because Jesus has thus committed to us, we need then to remain firm in our commitments to Him.
Lord, May we truly be faithful and true to You this and each day in all ways. Amen.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Experience Encourages
“For since He Himself was tested and has suffered, He is able to help those who are tested.” (Hebrews 2:18 CSB)
Experience is a great teacher. We, therefore, seek experience so that we can learn, so that we can deal with tasks as they come, and so that we can teach others what we have learned.
Some experiences we would prefer not to have, though. The experiences that involve suffering and pain, or those that lead to extreme distress, are the ones we would rather not go through. Who wants pain? And yet, such experiences are there, and we all go through them from time to time. Certainly, we wonder why we have to.
Though this is far from a complete answer, at least one of the results of the suffering or testing we experience is that they have a way of making us stronger, and the difficulties that we encounter enable us to then become encouragers of others who go through similar experiences.
In the Philippines there were two young teenagers who both contracted the same virus. It put them both in wheelchairs. The mother of one of the boys essentially had to become his servant and did everything for him. The mother of the other boy, however, did passive exercises for her son every day, and eventually forced him to do his own exercises. The first boy is still in a wheelchair. The second boy got stronger and stronger, little by little, and was able to get rid of his wheelchair.
Not all stories turn out quite that way, of course, but it does illustrate that the suffering and testing that we experience can serve a higher purpose if we will let it.
Jesus went through testing and temptation and suffering beyond everything any of us have encountered. Now, he is able to help us because of what He went through. Thus His experiences encourage us, and ours can encourage others as well.
Father, Today may the difficulties, problems, testings, and sufferings that we may have been through enable us to encourage someone else. Amen.
Experience is a great teacher. We, therefore, seek experience so that we can learn, so that we can deal with tasks as they come, and so that we can teach others what we have learned.
Some experiences we would prefer not to have, though. The experiences that involve suffering and pain, or those that lead to extreme distress, are the ones we would rather not go through. Who wants pain? And yet, such experiences are there, and we all go through them from time to time. Certainly, we wonder why we have to.
Though this is far from a complete answer, at least one of the results of the suffering or testing we experience is that they have a way of making us stronger, and the difficulties that we encounter enable us to then become encouragers of others who go through similar experiences.
In the Philippines there were two young teenagers who both contracted the same virus. It put them both in wheelchairs. The mother of one of the boys essentially had to become his servant and did everything for him. The mother of the other boy, however, did passive exercises for her son every day, and eventually forced him to do his own exercises. The first boy is still in a wheelchair. The second boy got stronger and stronger, little by little, and was able to get rid of his wheelchair.
Not all stories turn out quite that way, of course, but it does illustrate that the suffering and testing that we experience can serve a higher purpose if we will let it.
Jesus went through testing and temptation and suffering beyond everything any of us have encountered. Now, he is able to help us because of what He went through. Thus His experiences encourage us, and ours can encourage others as well.
Father, Today may the difficulties, problems, testings, and sufferings that we may have been through enable us to encourage someone else. Amen.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Ways and Works
“The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and gracious in all His acts.” (Psalm 145:17 CSB)
The ways of the Lord are righteous. We may not always understand His ways, but they are always characterized by right-ness. A “way” is a road, a path, or a means of operating. With that in mind, consider some of the pathways where we find God operating, where we see His right-ness displayed.
One of God’s ways is sovereignty. Our God is a sovereign God. All power and all authority belong to Him. He is the sovereign Creator of the universe, and all of it belongs to Him. As sovereign Lord over His creation, God both controls the occurrence of some events but also allows some events to take place in keeping with the physical laws He put in place. He is sovereign over physical laws, but He often simply allows physical laws to work as He designed them to.
Another of God’s ways is redemption. Our God is a redemptive God. He is a God of restoration, and He often will take a situation that appears to be nothing but destructive and turn it into some constructive. God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and who are “the called” according to His purposes. That is what it means to be redemptive. God brings something good and tangible out of the ashes of life.
The works of God are altogether gracious. Just as His ways are righteous, so His works are gracious.
One of the works of God is salvation. God sent His Son, Jesus, to show us what it means to live, and what it means to give your life for a higher purpose. Jesus did not have to die on the cross, but He willingly went there so that we might by faith enter into a personal relationship with the Lord, which is how we define “salvation.” Jesus graciously accomplished the possibility of salvation by the cross and resurrection.
Another of God’s works is called “sanctification.” That seems like a rather lofty word, but it is very simple in mean. Sanctification is a process of spiritual growth whereby we move away from the flesh and toward the life of the Spirit. We move from a life characterized by sinfulness and waywardness to a life characterized by holiness and obedience. In other words, spiritually speaking we grow up in our faith.
The ways of the Lord are righteous, and the works of the Lord are gracious.
Lord, We follow You in Your ways, and we thank You for Your gracious works in us. Amen.
The ways of the Lord are righteous. We may not always understand His ways, but they are always characterized by right-ness. A “way” is a road, a path, or a means of operating. With that in mind, consider some of the pathways where we find God operating, where we see His right-ness displayed.
One of God’s ways is sovereignty. Our God is a sovereign God. All power and all authority belong to Him. He is the sovereign Creator of the universe, and all of it belongs to Him. As sovereign Lord over His creation, God both controls the occurrence of some events but also allows some events to take place in keeping with the physical laws He put in place. He is sovereign over physical laws, but He often simply allows physical laws to work as He designed them to.
Another of God’s ways is redemption. Our God is a redemptive God. He is a God of restoration, and He often will take a situation that appears to be nothing but destructive and turn it into some constructive. God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and who are “the called” according to His purposes. That is what it means to be redemptive. God brings something good and tangible out of the ashes of life.
The works of God are altogether gracious. Just as His ways are righteous, so His works are gracious.
One of the works of God is salvation. God sent His Son, Jesus, to show us what it means to live, and what it means to give your life for a higher purpose. Jesus did not have to die on the cross, but He willingly went there so that we might by faith enter into a personal relationship with the Lord, which is how we define “salvation.” Jesus graciously accomplished the possibility of salvation by the cross and resurrection.
Another of God’s works is called “sanctification.” That seems like a rather lofty word, but it is very simple in mean. Sanctification is a process of spiritual growth whereby we move away from the flesh and toward the life of the Spirit. We move from a life characterized by sinfulness and waywardness to a life characterized by holiness and obedience. In other words, spiritually speaking we grow up in our faith.
The ways of the Lord are righteous, and the works of the Lord are gracious.
Lord, We follow You in Your ways, and we thank You for Your gracious works in us. Amen.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Broken Spirit, Hard Labor
“Moses told this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their broken spirit and hard labor.” (Exodus 6:9 CSB)
As far as the Israelites were concerned, Moses had done a royal job of messing things up and making their lives the worst they had ever been. Some leader! After the first meeting with Pharoah, Pharoah decided the people had too much time on their hands, so he ramped up the intensity by requiring them to get their own straw for meeting their brick quota.
A distressed Moses took the matter to God, and God simply told him to tell the Israelites He was going to deliver them from the Egyptians and take them to the land of promise. By this time, however, the Israelites were in no mood to listen to Moses. Their spirit was broken, and the labor was harder than it had ever been. This did not appear to them to be the direction of a deliverance. Actually, it did not appear that way to Moses either. When the Lord told him to go back to Pharoah, Moses’ response essentially was, “Well, first, I’m a really poor speaker, and second, why should Pharoah even bother listening to me?” God simply told Moses to go anyway. So he and Aaron did as the Lord commanded.
Sometimes people’s lives can get to a point where they feel broken in spirit, which intensifies the feeling that their work or labor is sometimes unbearable. They do not feel like listening to anyone, and they just limp along through life with not a lot of hope or happiness. At such times, what can family and friends do that will help?
The first thing they can do is simply intercede for them to the Lord, that is, pray for them and ask the Lord for help in finding ways to minister to their needs. The second thing is action. Once the Lord shows a way or opens a door, they need to follow through with action to do “as the Lord commanded.” In other words, we have to trust God to lead and to accomplish what He says He will do in someone’s life, and for our part, we simply need to act on whatever the Lord leads us to do. As with the Israelites, that could make things even more difficult for a while, but ultimately it is going to lead to deliverance.
Lord, For those we see hurting today in some way, who may be broken in spirit and dealing with hard labor, show us the way You would have us minister to them, and then help us to act on Your leading. Amen.
As far as the Israelites were concerned, Moses had done a royal job of messing things up and making their lives the worst they had ever been. Some leader! After the first meeting with Pharoah, Pharoah decided the people had too much time on their hands, so he ramped up the intensity by requiring them to get their own straw for meeting their brick quota.
A distressed Moses took the matter to God, and God simply told him to tell the Israelites He was going to deliver them from the Egyptians and take them to the land of promise. By this time, however, the Israelites were in no mood to listen to Moses. Their spirit was broken, and the labor was harder than it had ever been. This did not appear to them to be the direction of a deliverance. Actually, it did not appear that way to Moses either. When the Lord told him to go back to Pharoah, Moses’ response essentially was, “Well, first, I’m a really poor speaker, and second, why should Pharoah even bother listening to me?” God simply told Moses to go anyway. So he and Aaron did as the Lord commanded.
Sometimes people’s lives can get to a point where they feel broken in spirit, which intensifies the feeling that their work or labor is sometimes unbearable. They do not feel like listening to anyone, and they just limp along through life with not a lot of hope or happiness. At such times, what can family and friends do that will help?
The first thing they can do is simply intercede for them to the Lord, that is, pray for them and ask the Lord for help in finding ways to minister to their needs. The second thing is action. Once the Lord shows a way or opens a door, they need to follow through with action to do “as the Lord commanded.” In other words, we have to trust God to lead and to accomplish what He says He will do in someone’s life, and for our part, we simply need to act on whatever the Lord leads us to do. As with the Israelites, that could make things even more difficult for a while, but ultimately it is going to lead to deliverance.
Lord, For those we see hurting today in some way, who may be broken in spirit and dealing with hard labor, show us the way You would have us minister to them, and then help us to act on Your leading. Amen.
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