Tag: God

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Law of Stickiness

Daily Reading

Exodus 30-32

Daily Thought

The Hebrew people watched as God showered plagues of frogs and flies and fire, blood and boils and death. Ten plagues it took to convince the Pharaoh of Egypt to heed God’s demand to “Let my people go” (Exodus 5:1; 7:16; 8:1, 8, 20, 21; 9:1, 13; 10:4), until he changed his mind and the Egyptian army boxed the Israelites against the Red Sea. So God parted the sea and the Hebrew people escaped, then closed the sea and the Egyptian army drowned. This is the Exodus and it was amazing. It would have made a great movie. The people of God had been delivered from slavery and were heading toward the Promised Land. It was the kind of thing you never forget. 

You would think. 

The Hebrew people watched as God showered plagues of frogs and flies and fire, blood and boils and death. Ten plagues it took to convince the Pharaoh of Egypt to heed God’s repeated demand to “Let my people go” (Exodus 5:1; 7:16; 8:1, 8, 20, 21; 9:1, 13; 10:4), but then Pharaoh changed his mind again and the Egyptian army pursued the Israelites and boxed them against the Red Sea. So God parted the sea and gave the Hebrew people an escape, then closed the sea and drowned the Egyptian army. This is the Exodus and it was amazing. It would make a great movie. The people of God had been delivered from slavery and were heading toward the Promised Land. It was the kind of thing you never forget. 

People have short memories, They are impatient and fickle. They were then and they are now. For example, a good web site designer knows the first law of the web, The Law of Stickiness: People are sticky, but they are not loyal. If they find a web site that serves their needs they stick with it, but the moment that site disappoints (by being slower than usual or temporarily unavailable), they move to the competition. The Law of God says, “I am the LORD your God. You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:2-3); but the Law of Stickiness says God must improve his performance or we will make a golden calf.  

There is a problem, however, the golden calf is not really an alternative. “Know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other” (Deuteronomy 4:39). The LORD alone is God. There is no competition. And that means, you do not seek an alternative, you do not switch to a golden calf. You wait. If God is late (and God is always late), wait–“I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope” (Psalm 130:5). God is often slow just so I will wait, so I will learn to wait. How much beauty I miss because I do not wait, because he makes all things beautiful in its time (Ecclesiastes 3:10), not mine. 

Daily Prayer

My Father in Heaven, how I trust in You. My confidence is in Your goodness and Your strength. My life is in Your care. I know that You offer life, life overflowing, abundant life.

May I always seek You first. May I always seek You only. Your kingdom with Your Son on the throne is my greatest hope. May I at all times maintain loyalty to You, keep faith in You, wait on You, trust in You. You are God.

Amen

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I AM

Daily Reading

Exodus 19-21

Daily Thought

“You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3), the first, the foundation of all other commandments. Keep this one and the rest fall in line. You are to have no other gods–the many nations had many gods, all kinds of gods surrounded Israel. This was a polytheistic world and people chose their own brand to worship. But if I decide I get to choose, then who do I believe is really in charge?

The one God, the true God, told Israel his name, Yahweh. Yahweh means “I AM.” I AM, and all other gods are not, and Yahweh demonstrated this repeatedly in the Exodus from Egypt. Yahweh reminds them, “I AM Yahweh, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” Who saved you? Me and Me alone. Who shall you worship? Me, and Me alone. 

Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” ~John 8:58

We live in a world that tells us no god is above another. That all are to be respected and none rejected. But we worship Jesus Christ and Christ alone. Why? Because rather than believing we choose god, God is the One who chooses us. Because we know that “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). We worship Christ alone because Christ alone saved us. Who brought you out of Egypt? Who died for your sins? Through whom did you experience God’s forgiveness? Who gave you a new life? There is One and only One worthy of your worship.

Daily Prayer

Righteous God, You are holy and just, and we sin. Your grace gives us time to discover Your forgiveness before we encounter Your judgment. Thank You for Your Son, Jesus Christ, who fulfilled all righteousness and made our salvation possible.

Father, I pray that I may trust fully in You, following closely as You lead. May my life declare and display Your good news, proclaiming Jesus to this world in what I say and what I do. I pray that all would receive Your grace before the Day comes when You settle accounts, that wonderful day when You make all things right again.

Amen

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Not an Issue

Daily Reading

Exodus 13-15

Daily Thought

God remembered his covenant with the Hebrew people (Exodus 2:24), and delivering ten monumental blows, leveled the Egyptians and freed Israel. In turn, he commanded they “remember this day in which you came out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the LORD brought you out from this place” (Exodus 13:3).  

Not long after, the Israelites were trapped between the sea and a terrifying army of Egyptians.  “What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?” they complained. “It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

They had already forgotten.  

Moses responded, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD!” The story of God in Scripture is a continual reminder that God is on our side. He provides all we need to stand firm. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

Love is not an issue. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Power is not an issue. “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1John 4:4).

Confidence is not an issue. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

Significance is not an issue. “Through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 3:10).

Freedom is not an issue. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

Life is not an issue. “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Corinthians 15:56-57).

Eternity is not an issue. “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

I have nothing to add. I have all I need. I can stand firm. I can be still and know that He is God.

Moses answered, “The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” (Exodus 14:14). And remember.

Daily Prayer

God, You are my refuge and strength, always with me in times of trouble. I will not fear, though the earth shakes and the mountains quake. Whatever comes before me, You, the Lord Almighty, are with me. Greater is He who is in me than He who is in the world.

I will be still, and rest in the knowledge that You are God. You will be exalted among the nations, You will be exalted on the earth. The Lord Almighty is with me; You are my fortress. On this I take my stand and still my heart.

Amen

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Simon Says

Daily Reading

Exodus 1-3

Daily Thought

Children play a wonderful game called, “Simon says.” One kid is up front, and he thinks he is in charge. He commanded us to stand on one foot, but no one did. He told us to jump up and down. No one jumped. Finally, he said, “Simon says,” and we all did it. Apparently, it was really Simon who was in charge. We didn’t do anything unless Simon said it.

The people of Israel flourished in Egypt and grew in number, a number that brought fear to the king of Egypt. “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them” (Exodus 1:9-10), so the king instructed the Hebrew midwives, “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him” (Exodus 1:15-16). The king of Egypt thought he was in charge. “But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them” (Exodus 1:17). And the children of Israel continued to multiply, just as God had promised Abraham, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you can. So shall your offspring be” (Genesis 15:5).

God is in charge and that is better than any alternative, whether king or culture or even (especially) me. So, what God says, obey. Everything else take under advisement.

Daily Prayer

My God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of the Hebrews, the God of this world, the one and only God. May I know You, love You, and listen to You. May I know Your voice, and when I hear it, follow it.

God, You are good. Everything that is good comes from You. When I pursue righteousness, when I love my neighbor, when I serve the least of these, I live according to Your kingdom. I display Your kingdom on earth. Your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.

Amen

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January 17

Daily Reading

Genesis 48-50

Daily Thought

Moses was called by God, and so was Pharaoh. “The Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth’” (Romans 9:17). God put him on the throne of Egypt. Likewise, the wicked nations attacking God’s people in Israel were doing God’s bidding, “for behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation” (Habakkuk 1:6). They were God’s servants, whether or not they intended to be.

Jews never imagined partnering with the Romans, and yet they did, because salvation required a cross and only the Romans could crucify. “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you [Jews] crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men [Romans]” (Acts 2:23). 

Jesus chose twelve disciples, including one named Judas Iscariot; “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil” (John 6:70). He knew it ahead of time.

And ten brothers were intent on murder, but God was intent on salvation, so Joseph was sold as a slave to be just the right person in just the right place at just the right time. “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20).

When your world seems out of control, remember who is in charge. God’s plans and God’s promises are a sure thing. “And Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob’” (Genesis 50:24).

Daily Prayer 

Sovereign God, the mountains and the oceans, the sun and moon and stars display Your majesty. I hear Your story in the history of my world. I see Your love and Your lordship in, and often in spite of, the events around me. Throughout history, we people try to live without You and against You. How foolish! How foolish we are if we do not call You King of kings and Lord of lords. You are sovereign over the good and the bad. Over all.

Lord, may I live in such a way that people see good works and praise You. God, may I always walk in Your Holy Spirit and do those works You have set before me, good works that reflect Your love to this world.

Amen

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The Allure of Sin

Daily Reading

Genesis 38-40

Daily Thought

Sin was introduced with the serpent who questioned God’s goodness when he asked Eve, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1). This is the heart of temptation, that good may be found outside God, that God may be keeping something desirable from us. The same serpent was speaking when Potiphar’s wife “cast her eyes on Joseph and said, ‘Lie with me’” (Genesis 39:7). She looked good.

Joseph’s situation was like Adam and Eve’s in the Garden of Eden, “My master has put everything that he has in my charge” (Genesis 39:8-9) …except one thing. The difference was Adam and Eve kept looking at the sin, “the woman saw that the tree was good for food” (Genesis 3:6). Joseph kept his eyes on God, “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9). 

A man ran up to Jesus, knelt before him and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:17-18). 

Joseph “would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her” (Genesis 39:10), because Joseph knew there is nothing good without God. We choose good over evil when our attraction to God is greater than the allure of sin. Worship is greater than willpower.

Daily Prayer

My God, how wonderful is Your love for me, Your attention to my life, Your wisdom and direction in leading me forward. You ask me, simple enough, to follow. You do not ask me to win any battles, but to stand in the victory already won by Your Son.   

I shall spend my days exploring the Your wonders of Your revelation. You have made Yourself known in Your Word, and in the Word, which is Jesus. May I everyday become more intimate with You, and may I reflect Your grace and truth to a world that desperately needs the faith, hope, and love of the good news of Jesus Christ.    

Amen

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Undeserving

Daily Reading

Genesis 27-29

Daily Thought

Jacob was a conniving son of his mother, and she taught him to deceive. He stole his brother’s birthright, then his Father’s blessing, and now on the run because big brother Esau was mad, Jacob was alone. He “left Beersheba and went toward Haran, and he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set” (Genesis 28:10). He was somewhere, but who knows where, and he laid his head on a rock and fell asleep and “he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it” (Genesis 28:12). Jacob was nowhere special, but it was exactly the right place, for God was there with him. 

“Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it’” (Genesis 28:16). God had used Jacob’s circumstances, bad circumstances of Jacob’s own making, to bring Jacob to “this place.” It is the common course of man and woman that we must be brought down before we can be lifted up. God had plans for Jacob, but not because Jacob deserved God’s attention. 

What if God only paid attention to us when we deserved it? 

God displays his own love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ~Romans 5:8

Daily Prayer

God of heaven, thank You for looking down on me, even when I’m not looking up.  You saved me before I knew I needed rescuing. I was spiritually asleep and You showed up, but no, You were always there. It is me that became awakened to Your presence.  

Now, my Lord, I know that You are in me, that You have numbered my days and created me for a purpose, for good works that glorify Your name. I commit each day to You, because by Your grace, I am a child of the Almighty.

Amen

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Pride

Daily Reading

Genesis 8-11

Daily Thought

Why was it wrong for the people of Babel to build a city and a tower? (Genesis 11:1-9)

Debbie and I were staring into the sun watching our 7-year-old’s soccer game. I had a hat; Debbie didn’t, but wished she had and thought she left one in the car. I hiked to the car and looked and found no hat. Taking off my hat, I returned to the sidelines, and put it on her head. She thanked me for getting her hat, and did not notice I was missing mine. She never noticed. Finally, after the game, we walked to the car and I opened her door, and as she got in, I took my hat off her head and put it back on mine. I wanted the recognition and I was willing to trade nobility for it.

Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” ~Genesis 11:4

God created us to fill the earth and subdue it (Genesis 1:28; 9:1). He created us to worship Him and rule the world. But the people of Babel said, “No thanks. We’d rather stay in Babel and make a name for ourselves.” They wanted the recognition and they were willing to trade nobility for it.

God made us in His image, reflecting His glory, but we prefer the praise and the image of God is dulled. We pay a terrible cost for our pride.

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, God of glory, You are so very much worthy of my devotion and praise. I see Your handiwork in creation, I sense Your majesty in myself made in Your image. But most of all, I see You in Your Son, Jesus Christ. The authority of heaven blended with the humility of grace. Born in a manger, died on a cross, You rule on the throne of heaven.

May I follow You so closely that Your ways become mine. To be first, be last. To serve rather than be served. To be a praise giver, not a getter. To love You and others.

Amen