Show a Little Patience

13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.  Exodus 14

Ok, so these four books of the bible are probably the most difficult for me to get through (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy).  Not because of the dense subject matter of the laws, the various census takings, or the genealogy, but because they center around Moses.  He's not one of my favorite people in the Bible.  I know some of you probably find this blasphemous, "But Moses was such a great leader to the Israelites!" but that's just my opinion.  Anyways, I really try to keep an open mind when reading about Moses, in the hopes that I'll find something to sway my opinion.  Alas, this passage is not that.

The Israelites were camping by the sea, and the Egyptians had chased after them and caught up to them.  The Egyptians weren't immediately upon the Israelites, but they were close enough for the Israelites to see them and to panic.  They went to Moses and he immediately tells them to stay still and let the Lord fight for them.

"Whoa, whoa, that's not what I said to do," is basically God's reply to this.  God hadn't told Moses anything about this (at least, that we have documented), so Moses was showing faith that God will deliver them from the Egyptians.  The problem is, it was a rash promise and wasn't what God had planned.  Moses could have used a little more patience (here and in other places).

I'm working on teaching the concept of patience to my two year old (insert giggling at the futility of this endeavor here).  He's really pretty good with it, most of the time.  He'll get something stuck in his head that he wants, be it a cup of milk, a pop tart, a train, or his daddy who walked into the store, and he'll cry and whine for that item.  I very calmly remind him, "Remember that patience we talked about?  It's when you know something good is going to happen, but you have to wait for it."  Believe it or not, but it mostly works with him.  It will calm him down enough so we can start playing with something else to get his mind off of it and he soon forgets what he wanted in the first place (this isn't so easy when he's strapped to a car seat and we're waiting on daddy to come out of the store though).

We all could use a little more patience.  Sometimes God doesn't immediately answer our prayers or give us a clear direction.  We shouldn't assume to know what he wants, but should wait to hear from him.  And when we finally hear from him, even if we don't like what we're hearing - because he may be telling us to start marching toward the sea - it is a good thing to get that response and direction.

Thursday Devotional - Doubts

Have you ever doubted if something would work, but you tried it anyway?
 
Some of Jesus' disciples doubted Jesus' resurrection, but went to meet Him anyway.
Matthew 27:16-17 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

We know Thomas was as least one of the disciples that doubted at one point (John 20:24-31). I think there may have been more than just Thomas, though, because it says "some doubted." From the other Gospels it is clear that some of them doubted the report by the women (Mark 16:9-11), doubted the witness of those who had seen Jesus (Mark 16:12-14), and even doubted Jesus himself when he appeared to them personally (Luke 24:36-43).

We know they didn't stay "doubters!" Mark 16:19-20 says "After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up in to heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it."
 
Even though some disciples doubted, they still did as Jesus commanded and went to meet Him in Galilee. They took their doubts to Jesus and then He was able to give them the confirmation they needed. What if they hadn't obediently gone to Galilee? Some of them may have remained doubters.
 
We can do the same today with our doubts. We can go to God in prayer and ask our questions. We can then study and search the Bible for answers. If we have doubts, but don't go to God and His Word, then we can't expect to receive answers.
 
What doubts do you have? What doubts do those around you have?
How will you and I take those doubts and questions to God and ask for the Holy Spirit to help us know the truth as we study the Bible? Then, we can proclaim the truth with confidence, without doubts! As Kent wrote about yesterday, we can proudly claim to be followers of the resurrected Christ!

Alice

I'm Christian and I'm Proud

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.  Hebrews 4:14-16

James Brown wrote a song back in 1968 when the civil rights movement was in full swing.  It stated quite simply, “Say it loud!  I’m black and I’m proud.”  Many of you might ask why on earth that would ever need to be said.  Well society back then was not always kind to African Americans.  Blessed with an incredible family, I grew up being proud of who I was even when there were subtle times society would question not only who I was but also whether I belonged.  This became my motivation and strength to persevere through those challenges.  I share this not to bring up my ethnicity.  Rather, it is bring up the conviction and strength one has when they know who they are.

As followers of Christ, we are to stand proudly on our faith.  Always!  The other day, I was putting a reminder of my Wednesday bible study in my online calendar.  I hesitated to put it there because my calendar is public to my team and peers and might be seen as politically incorrect.  Then like the lessons my family taught me, I asked myself, “Why do I need to deny who I am?”  We should neither hide nor shy away from the faith that has freed us from the bondage of our sins.  Much of who we are at work revolves around the fruits of the spirit (patience, love, honor, humility), and our coworkers and family feel secure knowing that we will do our best following the example of the God we adore and love.

As faithful Christians, who we are centers on the cross.  David said in the 27^th Psalm, “The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1a)  Our love for Christ trumps all.  Whether it is through actions or words, we should always embrace the God who gives us strength and is indeed mighty to save.  Where do you hide your faith?  How will you respond in a place where it feels uncomfortable to be a follower of Christ?  My prayer is that we like James Brown say it loud!  I’m Christian and proud!  Amen.

Tues Devo: Corrective action

Hello,

I have been thinking a lot lately about correcting mistakes. When it comes to many mistakes, we often go through a systematic (though often unconscious) process in correcting mistakes. We identify the core issue, make sure we are not just looking at symptoms, then assess the severity of the issue, outline our plan and then act on it. We know this – to correct things we cannot be afraid of the correction. But before even that…something else must happen – in order to know that we need to make a correction, we must compare what was done against what should have been done – only then will we know if we need correction.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (NASB)

Correction is part of what the Bible is there for….we should not be afraid of correction so that we can hit the target at which we are aiming. Now…we just have to read and study it…..

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill