Monthly Archives: February 2019

February 8; Rules

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Exodus 19-21

We come to the part where God lays down the law. Verse after verse of rules and regulations for EVERYTHING. Some of the punishments for breaking the rules are harsh – like the death penalty for cursing your parents. Many include some sort of retribution.

In fact, in regard to injuring a pregnant woman we read, “life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.” (21:23-25)

In regard to your neighbor’s bull, you break it, you buy it.

Now  I am aware we live under grace. But does that mean we should throw out the rules? Does God’s grace negate consequences?

A while back I was talking to the 3-5 graders in our Good News Club about rules, and asked them what our club would be like if there were no rules. It was an interesting, lively conversation. After trying to picture what a club with no rules would look like, we decided rules aren’t such a bad thing after all.

Rules are boundaries that make life better.

But we live in a society that’s nibbling at the rules. In fact, we are encouraged to live by our own rules. Can a society survive without rules, or with an infinite number of rule-sets? Can you picture what that would look like?

Oh yeah. I saw it on the news last night.

God gave the rules we read here in Exodus for a reason, so that the Jewish people would enjoy a safe, and caring lifestyle. God’s rules made life better for them.

And they still do for us. I don’t have a bull, or a slave. But if I read these rules God specified, and apply the principles to my life and in my dealings with people, my life and theirs would be better.

Rules are not meant to be broken, but rather followed, and taught. Without them, our world would be nothing but chaos. Without rules, our society will crumble.

Thank God for rules.

February 7; Miracle Food

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Exodus 16-18

Did you eat breakfast this morning? I sure did. I can skip lunch, and an occasional dinner, not so much breakfast. Even if it’s just a bowl of cereal like this morning. I’ve been known to say my motivation for getting out of bed is breakfast! And if you see me in a restaurant that serves all-day breakfast, you’ll most likely see an omelet and bacon on my plate. What can I say. I love breakfast.

The chapters we read today introduce us to manna – the miracle food God provided for His people very morning while they were on their way to the Promised Land. Every day the people received exactly what they needed for the day at hand. Not too much. Not too little. And they could not live on the manna they had collected the day before. If they wanted nourishment, they had to gather the manna every morning.

Did you read your Bible today? It’s the miracle food God has provided for His children. The thing is, some of us are malnourished because we partake only occasionally, or not at all. We put ourselves on a spiritual diet and expect to be fed once a week by a preacher behind a pulpit. We are starving our souls.

Now I don’t believe morning is the only acceptable time for believers to read God’s Word. The Jews ate manna for lunch and dinner, too. But if you are like me, days can get busy. Schedules are interrupted on a regular basis. And often, time alone with God’s Word is the first casualty.

Let me suggest that you take the time every morning to open your Bible and hear God’s voice, read the words He wrote to you before you jump into your busy day. Even if it means setting your alarm fifteen minutes earlier. The Jews gathered the manna every morning, then used it throughout the day. Doesn’t that seem like a good pattern to follow when applied to time in the Word? Gather its treasure in the morning, then use it throughout your day.

I’m glad you are reading this post today. It humbles me to know you are taking time to read it. I know there are lots of great blogs, and books, and articles that enhance our understanding of God’s Word. But, dear one, there is no substitute for God’s Word. I’d rather you stopped reading what I write, if you use it instead of reading the Bible. Don’t live on snack food.

God’s Word is that miracle food that will give you exactly what you need for today. Don’t neglect it, don’t try to substitute it, don’t even nibble at it. Devour it. Every. Day.

February 6: Not From Yourselves

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Exodus 13-15

Every day I read God’s Word, I write my thoughts and observations in a journal. These past few years my journals have served as a rough draft for the posts on this blog. The journal I am using now has a Bible verse on each  page. Today’s verse is Ephesians 2:8-9, and it reinforces the truth found in these chapters in Exodus so beautifully!

For it is by grace you have been saved through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.

The parting of the Red Sea is a familiar story to most. The dramatic rescue of the Jews from the Egyptians is nothing short of spectacular. God revealed His power to the whole world when those waters parted, and the Jews were saved.

I am reminded the Jews didn’t build a dam to stop the water. They didn’t throw together a barge to float across the water. They didn’t do a part-the-water-dance. In fact, God told them to be still.

Their salvation had nothing to do with anything they did. It was His grace that saved them. And His grace is still saving souls thousands of years later.

Someone told me recently that a friend of their’s who lived a very difficult life with health issues and heartache was in heaven now because, “She paid her penance on earth.”

Dear one, that isn’t close to being true. Your troubles here on earth – or even all the good you do – have zero to do with whether or not you spend eternity in the Presence of God.

ZERO.

There is only one thing that will save you. It’s not from yourself. It is a gift from the heart of God. It’s His grace.

The Jews walked through the waters of the Red Sea on dry ground because God alone made a way. And we can walk through this life and into the next because God made a way. His name is Jesus.

There was only one way for the Jews to be saved from their enemy. And there is only one way for us to be saved from ours. They had to go through the Sea. We have to go through Jesus.

Acts 4:12 tells us there is no other name on earth or in heaven, no other salvation in anyone else other than Jesus Himself. No other way. And we can accept what Jesus did on the cross, because of the grace of God.

If you haven’t already, please surrender to God. Be still. Quit trying so hard. Ask God to forgive you, and He will. Let Him save you by His grace through the precious blood of Jesus.

 

Wild Flowers & Noble Vines

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Please read this post with an important message for us all, drawn from a real-life experience. Love it! Love you! May God give us wisdom.

grainofwheatblog's avatarGrain of Wheat

garden-idylic

There once was upon a time, in my younger days, when I had been taking great delight in building up my little back garden.  I had a pretty, brick, raised flowerbed built for me that made me feel very happy indeed as I worked hard to create a cohesive, attractive layout of plants & flowers within it.  Everything in the garden was looking simply rosy, and my gardening skills were growing little by little just as the flowers that I planted filled out the spaces to create a rather pleasing effect to the eye & a soothing effect on my heart & soul.  I could sit out there in the sunshine & enjoy the beauty of the work of my hands besides that flowerbed as I relaxed at the end of a day’s labours.

So all was rosy in the garden

Then one day, just as I was driving along…

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February 5; It’s In The Blood

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Exodus 10-12

To those who don’t understand, Christianity might seem a little bizarre. I mean, there is so much emphasis on blood. In the Old Testament, you read about gallons and gallons of it being spilt for sacrifices. Christians talk about washing in blood, applying blood. We even sing songs about blood. To an outsider, that might sound strange.

But for those of us who do understand, we make no apology. That blood we sing about is precious, and life-giving. We’re not talking about rubbing the red gooey stuff over our bodies for any reason. We are talking about blood that was shed 2,000 years ago. We are remembering what that blood bought for us.

As I was reading these chapters this morning, a hymn we used to sing in my youth was running through my head. It was written in the 19th century by John Foote, “When I See The Blood I will pass, I will pass over you.”  So I got out my hymnal, and had my own private worship service as I sang:

“What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!”

“Lay aside your garments that are stained with sin, and be washed in the blood of the Lamb.”

“Would you be free from your burden of sin? There’s power in the blood!”

“Redeemed! How I love to proclaim it. Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.”

“My sins are all pardoned, my guilt is all gone!. Saved by the blood of the crucified One.”

Yes, we Christians are obsessed with blood – but not just any blood. In the Old Testament it was the blood of a lamb that protected the Jews from death. It was the blood of lambs, goats, ox, and birds that satisfied the sin debt for a time.

But since God came to earth as a man, and shed His own blood once and for all, we celebrate the blood of Jesus. Because when that blood is applied to my life, when it covers my sins, I am free! I am forgiven! I can stand before a Holy God without fear!

Hebrews 9:22 reminds us that without the shedding of blood, sins cannot be forgiven. That’s why Jesus died. So you and I can be forgiven.

If you have a minute, get out a hymnal, or Google some of the great hymns of our faith and consider Jesus’ blood. Read all five verses of William Cowper’s “There is a Fountain.” And the five verses of “Hallelujah! What a Savior,” by Philip P. Bliss.

Isaac Watts wrote “At the Cross,” and “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross.” He understood what Jesus’ shed blood means to us.

Jesus shed His blood for you because He loves you, and wants you to know Him. His love sent Him to the cross so you can be forgiven.

“Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.” Amen.

 

February 4; A Pretty Good Imitation

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Exodus 7:14-9:35

I find it interesting that Pharaoh’s magicians could perform some of the same miracles Moses and Aaron performed. They turned a staff into a snake, water into blood, and made frogs come up on land. I’m not so interested in figuring out HOW they did, just the fact that they did.

Here’s the thing: Satan has been imitating God since the beginning. And he’s pretty good at it. He’s even wormed his way into some of our pulpits, and can quote Scripture with the best of them.

It would be easy to spot the difference between Jesus followers and Satan followers if all non-believers wore black hats and scowled all the time, and all believers wore the white hats and were happy, peaceful, lovely people. It would be easy to tell truth from lies if every time a lie was told, the liar’s nose would grow.

But Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. His lies sound plausible, his twisting of Scripture sounds God-like. And if we aren’t careful, we can easily fall into his trap. After all, it sounds Christian to believe God is love, love, love, that God creates some people to be homosexual, that God rewards good people, or that god can be anything you want him or her to be, just so you are happy. It seems god-like to believe everybody goes to a better place when they die, or that there is only peace and nothingness after death.

You get the picture. I could go on. Do you recognize Satan’s lies when you hear them? Satan does a pretty good imitation of God. But he never has been, and never will be God. Let’s determine to recognize the difference. Let’s be in God’s Word so we know the Truth when we hear it, and can recognize the frogs that come from God and those that come from Satan. The difference is eternally important.

February 3; Discouragement Throws a Shadow Over Hope

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Exodus 4:18-7:13

The Jews had it bad enough. Long after Joseph and his brothers were dead and gone, their ancestors found themselves slaves in Egypt. By now these people were born slaves, and the harsh treatment of Pharaoh and his thugs was all they knew.

But here comes Moses with a word from God. “I’m getting you out of here.” When the Jews received the news, they immediately bowed down and worshiped.

Hope. It’s a beautiful thing. Even a glimpse of hope can cause a heart to sing. That glimmer of light through the clouds gives reason to rejoice. And as a Christian woman, I can rejoice in the hope that is mine through Jesus. This life is not the end. These trials won’t last forever. My enemy Satan cannot win!

I don’t have just a glimpse of hope. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood, and His righteousness. I am His. He is mine.

But something happened to the Jews. God didn’t immediately open the doors of freedom and march them out of Egypt that same day. They continued to do the slave-thing, day after day after day.

Then, to make matters worse, Pharaoh didn’t take Moses’ request for a few vacation days so the people could go into the desert to worship God very well. In fact, he made it harder for the Jews to do their job, then beat them when they couldn’t get the job done.

You call this a rescue?

Moses pleads with God on their behalf, and God assures him He has a plan.

“…I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.”  (6:8)

Moses assured them God is true to His word. Don’t lose hope. But 6:9 says:

…but they did not listen to (Moses) because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.

Sometimes, even Christians who have placed our hope in Jesus, get discouraged. Health issues, jobs, relationships, plans begin to crumble, and we feel like those Jewish slaves must have felt. ” I can’t…”

Discouragement throws a shadow over hope.

Are you discouraged? Maybe God is using this time in your life to nudge you in a different direction. Maybe He is revealing a sin you need to confess. Or maybe His timing  just isn’t the same as yours.

Don’t lose hope. Don’t let the discouragement stop you from looking ahead, trusting that God’s got this, even if we don’t feel like He does at the moment. If you have placed your hope in the Lord, trust Him to open the doors, part the seas, rain manna from heaven at exactly the right time.

I pray you will let your hope throw a shadow over your discouragement.

 

 

February 2; Reluctant Or Not

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Genesis 1:1-4:17

Now we are introduced to a very reluctant hero. Moses, a Jewish boy raised as an Egyptian prince, a fugitive, a shepherd, meets God face to face. Wow! And he is told by God that he is to be the one to lead the Jews out of slavery and into the Promised Land.

I can’t help but love Moses’ response, and at the same time be challenged by it. He responded to God with: “Here I am, Lord. Please send someone else.”

Has God heard the same response from me? I’m ashamed to say how often that has been the case. And sometimes I secretly think, “Well, if I don’t do what God is asking me, He’ll raise up someone else to do it instead.” Isn’t that a convenient philosophy?

Here’s what I want to be true in my life: If God nudges me to speak to someone about Him, or to invest myself in the life of a non-believer in order to draw them to the Savior, if He lays on my heart a ministry, or a change in career or address so He can use me to enlarge His kingdom, I want to be the one to see that the job gets done. Even if I am reluctant, I want to be obedient.

Because if He asks me to do something, He will equip me to do it.

May God find us faithful. Because I believe if He asks us to do something, He’s counting on us to get it done.

February 1; When I’m Gone

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Genesis 48-50

Both Jacob and Joseph die in these chapters. Both men lived lives packed with adventure, hardship, mistakes, and victories. Both ended life demonstrating faith in God. I think they are one of the most famous father/son duos in Scripture. In fact, a fourth of the book of Genesis is dedicated to their story.

But one day Jacob breathed his last. Years later Joseph also. And their families remained blessed because of the them. I read what Jacob said to his sons before he died, and it got me wondering…

What is it I want my loved ones to know, what is it I pray for them as they live this life, as they grow, and as they continue to navigate this world when I am gone? I’ve thought about this, and this is what I want to say to the dear ones in my life:

“May you first and foremost invite Jesus to save you, to forgive your sins and become your Savior. He died to do that very thing. Please humble yourselves and accept His grace if you haven’t done that already.

“May you go with God. Notice I didn’t say “May God go with you,” because if you are His child, that is a given. My prayer is that you will choose God every day. May you love His Word, read it every day, memorize it, and use it as a plumb line for all that is True. May you include God in every detail of your life, knowing He is interested in every one of those details and wants what is best for you. And may you know the blessed peace that comes from that  intentional relationship with the One who loves you and gave Himself for you.

“May you enjoy health, and financial independence, have a roof over your head and food on your table, so that you can serve God as a fit soldier in His army. You will have battles to fight. There are wars that will need to be won. The fight for Truth is heating up even now. Remember God is a loving God, AND a fierce judge. Please do not allow the lines to blurr. Face the enemy with confidence as one who understands the seriousness of the fight, and knows he is on the winning side.

“May your children follow in your footsteps. May they come to know Jesus as their Savior as soon as they understand what sin is, and their need for forgiveness. Teach them while they are young to recognize sin, to apologize for wrong-doing, to understand discipline, to fear consequences, and then to experience what it means to be forgiven. Please raise those precious ones to go to heaven, not hell.

“May God grant you wisdom, discernment, courage. May your heart be broken in the face of your own pride, selfishness, apathy, or sin of any kind, and may you be quick to go to your Savior, confess and repent. Protect your relationship with God, guard your heart, stand for the Truth that Jesus is the only way to the Father.

“May God bless you with a long life to serve Him. May you enjoy health so that you are able to do the things He asks. May your children call you blessed, and want for themselves what they see in you. And may all those with whom you have contact, see Jesus in all you do and say.

“Love God. Love His Word. Lead hurting people to His saving grace. Then when this life is over, let’s stand shoulder to shoulder before our Lord and praise Him forever. I’ll be waiting for you.”

Now in case you’re wondering. I don’t think I’m dying. I had my annual checkup last week and the only thing my doctor had to say was, “Eat less.” (Funny guy) But none of us are guaranteed tomorrow, are we? What is it you want your loved ones to know when you’re gone? Maybe it’s time they knew.