Category Archives: The Gospel

Jan 30 – Raising Moses

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Exodus 1-3

Moses was raised by an Egyptian woman. So how did he come to believe in the God of Israel? His adoptive mother must have told Moses about his birth family. Did she also tell him about the God they worshiped? How else would Moses recognize God’s voice, and obey Him?

Moses was raised in a pagan society. Yet he rejected the false gods and followed the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Bible isn’t clear about those years Moses spent in Pharaoh’s house. But I think we can conclude that somehow, he was introduced to the One True God while growing up there. I’d like to believe his Egyptian mom had been touched by the influence of his Jewish mom who tended to Moses until he was weaned. Maybe she was the one who taught Moses to honor God. Just a thought.

I can’t help but pray for parents and grandparents today. Our world is every bit as pagan as was that in Moses’ day. Do your children know the God of Creation? Can they recognize His voice amid all the other voices vying for their attention? Are you raising children who know the Truth according to Scripture plus nothing?

Dear God, May You raise up an army of people like Moses because their parents lived and taught them according to Your Holy Word. May our children reject the influences of a society that rejects You. May they recognize Your voice. And may You give our children courage to follow You only.

Jan 29 – Why Jacob?

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Genesis 48-50

Did you read about Jacob’s funeral today? Jacob, the father of Pharaoh’s trusted servant Joseph, received quite a burial. Even the Egyptians wept for him for seventy days. I can only imagine the funeral procession, with Jacob’s large family, plus all Pharaoh’s servants, all the elders, all Joseph’s household, Pharaoh’s chariots and horsemen who traveled to Canaan for the graveside service. This was a man who was given the ultimate honor.

But why? What was Jacob to Pharaoh except the father of Joseph?

Then it hit me. As a Christian, people look at me as the child of my Heavenly Father. Do they honor God because of how I live my life? They should.

My mom, especially when the cancer slowed her down, was so appreciative if one of us girls would visit someone who was ill, did something for someone in need, because she felt that, by extension, she was a part of that act of kindness. I loved being Moms’ arms and legs when she couldn’t get out and do those things herself.

Even today, twenty years after her death, I love it when someone says my Mom would be proud of me, or when I think something I do reflects positively on her.

How much more so my Heavenly parent?

Dear Father, I want to be the kind of daughter who reflects positively on You. I want people to honor You because of what I do, what I say, how I treat people. Make me ever aware that my life, by extension, represents You to people who still need to know of Your saving grace. 

Jan 28 – I Belong

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Genesis 46-47

I was thinking about the famine again today as I read these chapters in Genesis. Joseph, who is sort of a picture of Jesus, held control of the only food in the land. Anyone who wanted to survive had to go to Joseph. He really was the only means of salvation.

But Joseph was accountable to Pharaoh. Every dime Joseph collected went into Pharaoh’s purse. Every animal surrendered went into Pharaoh’s pens. Every person who sold themselves became Pharaoh’s slave. In the end, all the money, livestock, land, and people belonged to Pharaoh. And everything Pharaoh gained came through Joseph.

Once again we see that God has provided salvation. We saw it in the Garden, in the flood, with Lot’s escape from Sodom, and here during the famine. And each time we see God providing one way of salvation. Not many ways. One.

Over and over in the Old Testament God will prepare us to meet Jesus. And each time we read an example of God’s saving grace toward His people, we will see He offers one plan. One escape route. One ark.

God wants all of us with Him. He loves the whole world. And He has provided one plan of salvation for us today. It’s a beautiful plan. It’s a simple plan. Like the people we read about today who had to go through Joseph, we have to go through Jesus. Joseph was their salvation from the famine. Jesus is ours from the consequences of sin.

And here’s what jumped out at me today. The people in Joseph’s day surrendered everything to Pharaoh. Money, all their worldly possessions, even themselves. When the people did that, they belonged to Pharaoh. They were his slaves. Pharaoh, through Joseph, provide food, and seed to plant food, protection, and life.

When I give myself to God, through the blood of His Son, I belong to Him. I am His servant for whom He provides all I need for this life and the life to come. But I, like the people we read about today, have to give Him everything. E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.

And when I do, He forgives me, lavishes me with Himself, protects me from Satan, and prepares a place for me where I will live with Him forever. I belong to Him.

And I like it.

Jan 26 – I Bow Down

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Genesis 41-42

It was a famine that brought Joseph’s brothers to him. They were desperate for food, and went to Egypt to buy grain from Pharaoh’s right-hand man. And, just like in Joseph’s dreams, he was that man to whom his brothers bowed.

Sometimes it takes a famine to force us to our knees, too. Sometimes God uses heartache, disease, loneliness, guilt, helplessness, to give us a chance to realize our need, and recognize He is the only One who can fill us.

Jesus said He is the Bread of Life, the Living Water. When we bow down to Him, when we empty ourselves of pride, and dreams, and relationships, and popularity, and self – He gives us exactly what we need.

In fact, He gives us more than we can ask or think. He gives Himself.

I bow down.

Jan 25 – Oops, I Forgot

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Genesis 38-40

How could the cupbearer “forget” about Joseph, when Joseph interpreted his dream to the letter? I doubt that kind of thing happened every day. Wouldn’t someone be inclined to remember a miracle?

But isn’t it kind of the same thing for me to accept the miracle of my salvation from Jesus, then put it on a shelf and go about my merry old way? Is it the same when I forget what it cost Him to pay for the lie I tell, or the gossip I spread, the hate I harbor, or when I neglect time in God’s Word?

I want to live my life with the ever-present knowledge that Jesus went to the cross, that He forgave my sins, and that His grace has set me free from sin’s control.

Lord, help me to remember.

Jan 23 – Good Old Boys

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Genesis 32-34

I went on a Gospel Music cruise last week. (That’s why I’m playing catch-up with my posts today) We had a great time listening to great music and seeing a little bit of the world I’ve never seen before. Our hearts were blessed by the groups who sang throughout the week.

One group, the Dixie Melody Boys (I think) sang a song entitled “Good Old Boys”. Good old boys don’t get to heaven because they are good old boys. Living according to what someone thinks is right isn’t enough.

Simeon and Levi got revenge on Hamar and the whole city because Shechem had raped their sister. He needed to be punished according to what the brothers believed, so they gave what they thought was their right to give – death to every man, looting, stealing, kidnapping.

But their dad, Jacob, was not happy when he heard what his sons had done. Jacob didn’t shake his head and say, boys will be boys. He told his sons they had made a bad situation worse by their actions.

We humans tend to adopt our own standards of right and wrong. There are some people who refuse Jesus, yet are really nice folk. And some believe that should be enough to get them into heaven.

A verse ran through my head as I thought about this passage today. It tells us that there is a way that seems right by human standards, but in the end it leads to destruction.

The Bible is clear that there is only one way to the Father, one way to heaven. That is through the blood of Jesus. Only. It is by grace we are saved. Not of works so that no one can brag they’ve earned it on their own.

No, good old boys need Jesus just as much as the bad ones. All have sinned.

Yep. Even the good old boys.

Jan 16 – All That Glitters Is Not Gold

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Genesis 12-15

When Abram and Lot decided to part ways, Lot chose the valley of the Jordan. As an owner of livestock, Lot knew the river would supply all the water he needed. The land was lush and green, and Lot liked what he saw. Looking toward the west he saw only desert. Lot chose the river and left the desert for Abram.

But with the beautiful land surrounding the Jordan came a hidden danger found in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah located there. Lot will find out that what looked good on the surface would destroy him and his family.

That’s an important lesson for all of us. Whether we are talking about an upscale neighborhood in your city, the flashy lifestyle of someone you envy, or the religious theology that promises material wealth or health if you believe what they say, remember “all that glitters is not gold.”

Many people have sought after what they consider to be the prize only to end up with a counterfeit, or with devastating consequences like Lot will realize.

Where are you heading today? What is your choice? On one hand you might have pleasures for the day. On the other hand you will receive an eternity of blessing. One might look pretty fun, the other is a war zone. One is fools’ gold. The other is the real thing.

I John 1:17 says:

“The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

Think about it.

 

Jan 14 – Answers From Questions

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Job 38-39

When I was getting my Masters Degree in School Counseling, we had to study many different counseling theories. Some I liked and used. Some I didn’t. But I learned to ask questions of the person sitting in front of me to help them find the answers they were often looking for.

In the chapters we read today, God finally speaks to Job. The very thing Job wanted to happen happened. But instead of getting answers, Job hears God ask dozens of questions. Questions like: Were you there when I laid the foundation of the earth? Have you ever in your life commanded the morning? Have the gates of hell been revealed to you? Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades? Who can count the clouds by wisdom…? Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars?

There must be about fifty or so such questions in these two chapters. And, of course, none of them are answerable by Job. But in the asking, God is helping Job understand some things about himself, and about God.

God laid the foundation of the earth. He can tell you the number of clouds in the sky. That’s the reality Job is learning. Our Creator is not our equal. Our Creator has rights we don’t have. Our Creator can do what He wants without your permission or approval.

I hope you read the chapters in Job today. You will come away feeling pretty small in light of who God is. As you should. But hear me when I say, if you keep reading God’s Word you will find that this great God loves you, died for you, and wants you close to Him.

Let’s keep reading! This is good stuff.

Jan 12 – Questions Without Answers

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Job 32-34

Elihu asks a question worth considering:

Why do you complain against (God) that He does not give an account of all His doings? (Job 33:13)

The book of Job is filled with reminders that God is God and we are His creation. There is a hierarchy and we’re not on top.

Friend, God does not owe you an explanation.

God didn’t even owe it to us to inspire men to write His Words for us to read, for us to use to get to know Him. And just because God didn’t include every tiny bit of information you might think you need in Scripture, it doesn’t mean He’s done anything wrong. He, in His ultimate knowledge, just doesn’t think you happen to need to know that particular detail this side of heaven.

That’s where faith comes in. God wants us to trust Him. Satan, however, would have us disappointed in or angry at God for not giving us the answers we want.

But let’s focus on what He HAS given us, the answers to other, more important questions. Like how we can be forgiven. Like how we can be sure of our eternity. Like how to live our lives in service to this great God who doesn’t owe us anything…

yet gives us so much.

 

Jan 10 – What is fair?

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Job 24-28

Doesn’t it seem that in this life, good people should be rewarded with health, happiness, and prosperity, while bad people should suffer the consequences for their evil? Does it seem to you like God ignores wrongdoing in some people? It’s not fair.

Job seems to be feeling this way. 24:12 says:

From the city men groan, and the souls of the wounded cry out; yet God does not pay attention to folly.

This chapter is full of examples of people getting away with murder. (and adultery, and dishonesty, …) God’s answer to the question comes later in the book and I hope you read it for yourself.

Let me remind you of something in the mean time. You are not God. But if you spend time getting to know God through the study of His written Word, you will see a God who loves every man, woman, and child. And He is zealously working in every life to draw each individual to Himself.

You can’t know how that is happening. You can only be sure it is happening. We only see a fraction of what is going on in anyone’s life. Even ours.

Being rich or successful or healthy doesn’t guarantee happiness or contentment, any more than struggles indicate sin. There are tortured souls at every level of society. I think of Robin Williams.

But there are blessed souls at every level of society, too. I think of a blogger friend of mine who suffers from ALS, and who continues to express his love for God from inside his paralyzed body. I think of my sister who continues to serve God while mourning the loss of her 22 year old son. I think of people in the Middle East who are being murdered with praise on their lips because they love the Lord.

I think what God would want us to know from Job’s example is to let it go. Quit looking around and comparing your life with anyone else’s. God wants you to look toward Him.

Do you want to talk about “fair”? Here’s one for you. You are a sinner. You’ve offended, disobeyed, disgusted God more than once. If God was “fair” according to our standards, you’d be broke, with painful sores, and alone with no hope.

Instead of questioning God about your idea of what is fair, you should be thanking Jesus for going to the cross. He was sinless. He never earned God’s wrath or deserved any consequence for anything. Yet He took on your sin. He died on a cross so you wouldn’t have to pay for what you’ve done.

Is that fair? No. But it is grace. And it’s your’s for the asking. Everything that has happened in your life up to this moment happened to bring you to the Savior. Don’t let this chance pass you by without falling on your knees in repentance, or in gratitude if you’ve already accepted Jesus as your Savior.

Then keep your eyes on Jesus. He is more than fair.