My Journey Through The Bible

Psalm 96:3 –

Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.

How many times do we do this? Do we “publish” and “tell” people about great things that happen in our lives? The big question is when telling others do we talk about God’s involvement? That is something I need working on more than most. Amazing things have happened in my life with a sequence of events that undeniably have God’s fingerprints. Most of them get talked about with my Christian friends and then the story gets shelved for the right moment.

That right moment rarely comes and the story gets lost in the cobwebs of my mind. So instead of singing a “new song” to others, I just keep quiet. It’s so hard to tell people about God when you fear rejection and ridicule. We tend to wait for the right moment and use our standards for what is right. Many times God gives us that chance to open up and help someone but we miss it because of fear.

This Psalm is clear about speaking up! The first three verses talk about singing a new song for God. Does that song need to be some harmonious melody, a joyful noise or just a story told from the heart? The answer is yes, all of the above. We need to stop fearing for the way we are viewed today and fear what other face in the not so distant future. The last verse sums it all up; God will come and judge the nations. You may be ready, but is that person you just had lunch with? Did you miss an opportunity to speak to that person about God’s amazing works in your life? Don’t miss that chance again … sing your new song every time a new one gets written.

Psalm 95:6-7 –

<6>Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, <7>for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care

Now sees a good opportunity to talk about the word worship. We had an adventure at O2, which is 12 Stone’s quarterly communion and worship night that discussed the 4 Hebrew to English translations of worship (there are many more actually). Schachah, barach, yadah and halal make up the most common words translated to the English word worship. Halal means jump up and down and sing praises, which is the most common English interpretation of worship. Yadah is holding ones hands out standing, while barach is kneeling. Finally this verse uses schachah, which mean kneel with your face to the ground or total submission.

Schachah is actually the most common word which gets translated to worship by about 80%!! So while we think getting our “worship on” is singing praises, throwing our hands in the air and jumping up and down it’s actually more reverent. So it may be time to review how we all “worship” God. This does not mean there is not a time and a place for getting “wild” about God. But the majority of our time “worshiping” Him should be in a humble, prostrate position!

These verses imply the kneeling form of worship and tell us why! God is so much larger than any of us can imagine. The easiest way is to compare space to God, both are equally unimaginable. Think of where space “ends” and then what is on the other side? It never stops! That IS God in a nut shell, we will never fully understand or grasp who or what God really is since it would be beyond our understanding. So when “worshiping” God we must first and foremost be totally submissive, before jumping up and down waving our arms in praise.

Psalm 94:12 –

Joyful are those you discipline, Lord, those you teach with your instructions.

First I wonder just how much we really are joyful when being disciplined by the Lord or anyone for that matter. Maybe a while later, but how many of us can be joyful WHILE being disciplined? Joy comes later in most cases, when you can look back and see the string of events. You can review what got you there, the discipline and then the instructions you get. This intertwined set of circumstances that point to not only your struggle but God’s hand in the whole thing.

When you follow God, you may not always like the direction you take but it’s always a joyful ride in the end. We jump to verse 23 and see the other side of correction of those who do not follow God. These are not “joyful” people embracing God’s correction. These people are destroyed by their sin, not corrected. They live in misery for they do not follow God.

Now my question is do we both receive the same discipline and corrective action, where the difference is we look at it as instructions and evil people do not? Why would God punish the sins more harshly just because they were not followers of God? Ponder this idea, the “spanking” is the same, it’s what we take from it that differs. If you are trying to please God you will follow his instructions and take corrective action. If you are not, well the rebellious nature of man takes us down paths which cause more problems and strife. The punishment to sin is death, doesn’t matter what you believe. The key is the redemptive power of God through the blood of Jesus! “Believers” gain salvation from sin by confessing them before a sacrifice. At the time this was written, there were procedures and protocol to follow for the temple sacrifice. Now this path is more direct with Jesus. So do you get the difference now? One child said “I’m sorry” the other did not. Simple confession of one’s sin helps keep those channels open so we can see His instructions and follow in his grace!

Psalm 93:5 –

Your royal laws cannot be changed. Your reign, O Lord, is holy forever and ever.

 This is a short Psalm and basically compares God’s unchanging nature to floods and rough seas. It used to be hard to imagine damage from water. Sure we would see rising flood waters, but really never saw the immense power of the act as it happens. At least until recently with the tsunamis that have hit Japan and southern Asia in recent years. It’s hard to imagine watching cities get was away by water in a matter of a few seconds.

But now this Psalm takes on new meaning after seeing the power that water can have at volumes moving fast.  Interestingly I watched Jars of Clay “Flood” for my praise time and after the video they had a link to a flash flood video. It was like watching the tsunami videos again only this time it was only trees and other large “natural” objects getting move around. People don’t tend to build in areas prone to flash floods. As we look at the entire Psalm, this solidness of God’s “throne” and “law” is more clearly understood.

One may argue Jesus changed the “Law” and therefore it did change. But again I think you need to remember Jesus came to “fulfill” the Law not remove it! Everyone reads the “Law” and gets hung up one the eating laws or the sacrificial laws and says the law is no longer valid. Well the Jesus fulfilled the sacrificial aspects to the law, but not the rest. Is it a sin to eat pork still? I question if it ever was! I believe God set up “boundaries” so we could live a full life and one of them was food. If you eat outside God’s guide you risk a lower immune system and ingesting toxic impurities, not death in the eternal flames of hell. Look at the law and God with a different perspective; we can live our lives in peace knowing that they are solid!

Psalm 92:14 –

Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.

Welcome to getting excited about this kind of stuff. Well at least for this old man! Think about it, this Psalm implies we can be productive well into our old age! At least I can get excited about this as I am pushing 50. As you time on this earth gets moves the “decades” always have some meaning. Think about it, your teens means start to freedom and the twenties means moving into adulthood! One thing we cannot stop is growing up, but as we get older that doesn’t mean we need to stop learning and being productive.

Doesn’t matter if your body is in decay, the key to “remain vital and green” is keeping your mind sharp. It doesn’t hurt to stay active and keep the “juices flowing” but never stop trying to learn and expand. Think about a fruit tree and how it produces fruit. Once the tree stops growing it starts to slow down of its production of fruit. So the key to remaining fruitful is to continue growing.

Simple way to do this, as young adults, is to continue the spirit of study from school. Continue to strive to learn new things and don’t be afraid of failure. I think that’s the main reason we get in a rut and stop producing “fruit”, we tend to fear blowing it. We decide not to try something either because we believe we cannot risk failure for the family or do not want to experience a setback. Believe me I know that feeling! It can be paralyzing at times but once you learn how a slip here and there is like pruning a tree, you become stronger and continue to grow.

Psalm 91:14 –

The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.

I read this chapter and was “what about’ing” every verse. I mean it’s saying God will protect you and that I fundamentally believe, but against arrows flying around you? Think about the last church bus you heard on the news crashing and killing all aboard. Were they all so far out of faith with God that none were spared? Verse 7 talks about tens of thousands dying around you, does that mean very few have this God thing right? What about the missionary who dies from disease?

See what I say, you can go long into the night asking the “what about” question. Then you get into early Christians where martyrdom is common. They all loved Jesus and God, why were they not protected? See I am at it again!! I think God protects when possible, but I don’t think events on this world are orchestrated by Him into untimely deaths for tens of thousands of followers. No “s%!& happens” and not much is done about it. Sure God intervenes from time to time, but I feel the universe was created to be free and does what it’s designed to do, randomly.

I know that contradicts many theologies that God controls everything. He knows everything and is in control of the “big picture” but the “little” stuff just rolls along. Life is difficult to imagine without God’s intervention, but it’s even more difficult to imagine we are His puppets. Although I may be sounding negative about God’s protection I believe this verse is the key. The protection comes in those who “trust” God and honor His name. So as George Michaels says “you gotta have faith!”

Psalm 90:4 –

For you, a thousand years are as a passing day, as brief as a few night hours.

You know this Psalm is depressing when you look at the “big picture” through God’s eyes. We are just a blip on this earth and at least our bodies will return to dust in a short time. Eternal is something that’s hard to grasp when your only reference is a few years. Yet for some reason we feel some kind of importance on this earth. Some feel that furthering their kingdom is more important that furthering God’s.

As I read this Psalm, I wondered why? And the list of “whys” could go on forever! Biggest thing that bothers me is why our time on this earth is so short? We have life spans from 1 minute up to 115 or so years and when compared to “time” both durations are about the same. That is where Jesus’ life is so amazing! Think of it, he died in his 30’s yet has influenced the world 2000 years later. That alone should be the most solidifying part of our faith. Think about how much a “religion” gets tested by others, and for 2000 years Christianity still survives.

So what does this mean? Do we stop trying to better our lives and just push the kingdom of God? No, God created a system of trade so that man could produce and work. God knew we would get lazy if it was all handed to us, so work is a great thing. As you know your parents may have taken it too far, but on the bright side unlike most work-a-holics we could invite you into our job and spend some time with you.

Now I believe God wants us to have a great life, but He does want to hand us that life. It’s something we must work for and pursue. Sure we should never put Christ on the back burner while our jobs take center stage. No we need to ensure our efforts not only help us survive, but glorify God! We need to work hard, but not forget family, community and others who may need help. So does that mean reliance on self and not God? Nope, that mean make and effort and He will be there for you! You are not going to win the lottery, but you may win at life if your pursuits are pure.

Philemon 1:11 –

Onesimus hasn’t been of much use to you in the past, but now he is very useful to both of us.

This is a short chapter right after Titus, so I figured I would “knock” this one out before moving back to the Old Testament. This is a short letter to Philmon from Paul. It’s written more on a “friendly” basis and is basically asking Philmon to take his slave Onesimus back. Paul had spent time preaching to Onesimus in jail and changed his heart.

Apparently, Paul took the punishment for Onesimus crime and allowed him to be set free. We all know who Paul was modeling in this act! This is a cool story, but what if it came to life in our homes today. What if we got a call from a close friend who said Ryan was out and he would like us to help him out again. We don’t know the whole story with Phimon and Onesimus, but what if the crime that sent Onesimus to prison was against him?

You know many times we read the Bible and have a difficult time applying this to our lives, this chapter is one I could not have really related to until this past year. Right now we have two friends who have wronged us and are now “locked-up”. Both of whom we watched self-destruct and got caught in their vortex. Now as they get closer to being free, where are our hearts in helping them again?

Really that’s a tough call, if we had a close personal friend “vouch” for their condition and heart, we would most likely work with them again. But what if they just came to our door and asked for help? That is a tough call then, knowing what happened in a short time I would be highly unlikely to extend the same hand as before. More for our safety than for anything else … but the big question would be “what would Jesus do?”

Titus 3:2 –

They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone.

Wow, this chapter is power packed with good stuff!! The first 11 verses give advice we all could live by. I picked this one because it ties into yesterdays “thought” since it explicitly tells us how we must respond. Think of how many times we have talked badly about someone! Complaining about how they did this or did not do that, how lazy they are or how little they did.

We get caught up in our own little world of self-righteousness and forget this verse often. We focus more on our immediate needs and less on those around us. People are always looking to pick your faith apart and this is the most common way they do it. We slander others and the non-believer says, “who are you to judge” what give you the right? The last thing they want to do is be a part of a group that talks behind each other’s back.

The quarreling aspect of this verse is another one that we all need to work on. Think about the petty arguments we get into about this or that being right or wrong. No we can never figure whose lives are being affected by our arguments. People will hear this and think why should I sacrifice my time and life for what I already have. We must “show true humility to everyone” in our lives. We are not always right and if we get all pompous when we are, it turns people off.

Now so it’s clear, “quarreling” does not mean your parents are not to punish you. It should actually mean more than just that, if you are quarreling with them that is wrong. There are times when we abuse our authority, but we are trying to guide you kids to what is best for your lives and not to make the same mistakes we have over the years. So like with our relationship with God, we may not like the punishment given but we need to reflect before speaking out in anger.

Titus 2:7 –

And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.

Being a “guy” I so wanted to point out the first few verses of this chapter, but this one caught my eye. “Works”, or acts which are done in obedience to God’s word, will never move a person’s status up in heaven. Yes some may say you are collecting “treasures in heaven”, but “works” will never change your salvation status. One should do “works” in obedience and not with any expectation of a reward. Sure God may bless you along the way, but once you “expect” that blessing … that’s when God tends to shy away from giving any.

The other thing I mentioned is the “treasures in heaven,” think about this a bit. First we always tend to put earthly values on what heaven will be like, do you really think “treasures” will even matter? I mean who cares how much you have when you get to hang with God … what more could you ever want. We should be doing good “works” for the glory of God and not for some other underlying reason.

Now the second part about everything you do reflecting integrity, this is very important also. Think about mission trips, when you are working your tail off and the people you are helping are just watching. The human response would be to complain, but that would violate our reflecting the teachings of Jesus. We should do the work with joy and not worry about how others respond. If it’s something that is bothering you inside, do something radical and on your “break” help them directly … get them a drink or something to eat. Don’t do this with any other motive than to help them … doing it as an “in your face” move is again wrong. You are there to show your love and willingness to serve them. If you are there for brownie points from God, might as well just head home.

Our lives are reflections of our hearts, and we can quickly get back to yesterday’s discussion of ones thoughts and their purity. Keep your motivation to service and works pure so not to corrupt their results in the lives of others. Believe me one of the most damaging part of mission work is to have someone complain or say something wrong. Days or weeks of trust that has been built by a team is quickly dashed because of one comment or act. You have to realize doing “works” places you under a microscope since most don’t understand why someone would do things like this for free and on their days off. Because of this they look for anything to discredit your work. So focus your will on God’s will and not your selfish ambitions!

Titus 1:15 –

Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted.

Wow, this is a harsh one for me to read. I wonder sometimes if am I “pure” in thoughts and actions. I can’t imagine ever being pure to be the case, but then again I am super critical of everything I do and think. I know if I don’t keep myself in “check” I quickly drift into lustful thoughts either about money or women. But being an engineer I tend to over analyze things, like this scripture and get hyper critical over my action.

In context, this is Paul’s letter to Titus seeing how things are going. This chapter is detailing the standards to which church elders must live. I would hope I could live to the standard, but know I fall short. Verse 7 talks about not having a quick temper … I am sure you kids will agree that I FAIL that one!!

Although this chapter sets the standard for an elder of the church, we should strive to live by this standard no matter what our role may be within the church. Which ties us into this verse, having “pure hearts” … what exactly does this mean? I think you know when your heart is pure, and many times only you and God will ever know this. Vernie and her revelations of recent show this to be true, where on the surface everything looked bright. No one had any idea of her “dark” side, not even her best friends.

Your mind is the only true personal connection with God. Think about it, this is the only connection which is truly between you two. No one else really will know your inner thoughts unless you spill your guts. And even then we tend to hold back our complete thoughts. But God knows even the deep dark secrets … and that’s why you get elders who do not live to the standard Paul outlines in this chapter. This is why Jesus focused on sins of the mind, like lusting after another. Sure the 10 Commandments say doing is a sin, but Jesus and God know that where the mind wanders the body soon follows. So strike sin from you thoughts before you get in real trouble … be pure in thoughts!

Note again This is “dated” stuff from 2008 … yes I got my taxes in;-)

Exodus 25:2 –

Tell the people of Israel to bring me their sacred offerings. Accept the contributions from all whose hearts are moved to offer them.

As much as the Lord says give 10%, he wants you to give the tithe willingly. If you are not “moved” to give then He does wish to accept the offering. This is a fine line in our relationship with God, we can all NOT be “moved” to give, but we are not following Gods will not giving! Everyone can justify in this economy not to give “first fruits” or any “fruits” for that matter. We have house payments, car payments, credit card debt, food, and the big one now GAS!! We all know the list can be made longer and longer with no end in sight.

But if you learn to live without that 10% then you will learn about the “abundant life” God has in store for you. Be happy about giving, again God does not need the money; he wants you to give and to sacrifice for him. The point is not to make you suffer, but to make you learn to live within the guidelines God set up to thrive in this world. One thing is for sure, be happy it’s only 10% and you are not being nailed to a cross!!!!

Giving is something we do out of love for our fellow man and our church. As much as you look at the current church and say our money is going to a building or into supporting Joyce’s lifestyle (note I am picking on Joyce, but anyone could be used) remember what God has asked us to do. Also, in defense of the “money grubbing” preachers, the current laws of “non-profit” churches require them to spend every last dollar to show “no profit.” With very large churches this is difficult to do some times. Being generous and wise with the money is difficult and sometimes “time” gets in their way and by LAW (USA that is) the money has to be used.

The biblical way to live is simple, 10% to GOD (read church), 10% to savings and live on the rest. For us we give weekly and are not sure if we are giving first fruits or going into debt due to a lack of proper accounting. But we give out of love of God and knowing we do not need it and it’s his anyway!! As for us not knowing, pray for me to finish my “taxes” from 04, 05, 06 and 07 so we can know! We are close, but I just need to get up earlier and therefore sleep sounder. Also, need to free up time in the shop so to finish the books. But not so free we lose revenue, see it’s a “fine line!” Anyway I would love to know what we SHOULD be giving, not what we “feel” like giving:-)

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Proverbs 11:11 – “Upright citizens are good for a city and make it prosper, but the talk of the wicked tears it apart.”

Exodus 24:7 –

Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people. Again they all responded, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded. We will obey.”

“We will obey.“ How many times have we personally said that? How about this week? And how many of those times have we failed to follow through? Doesn’t seem to matter who we said "we will obey” to, I know I always fall short. I may try, but “obey” is a strong word. “Obey” mean I will not deviate from what is written. Unfortunately when we slip a little, instead of confession and returning to obedience, we tend to drift further into the abyss.

In this chapter, Moses and the “inner” circle got to eat with God, How cool would that be to have one on one with the creator! Imagine the conversation there! Would you be silent and amazed or would you be asking a million questions? I like to think I would ask, but would most likely be silent!! But also if you really think of God as omnipresent, we are with God right now. I wonder how God manifested himself for this meeting. No matter how He did it, they experienced God first hand.

After this meal Moses and God cut out for another 40 days. Later the “we will obey” line everyone gave falls short, to the point of getting Moses and God really upset. When will we learn laws and rules don’t mean you will automatically obey? Giving someone “lip service” or saying what they want to hear and not following through is very bad. Say what you mean, mean what you say, do what you say and say what you do, it is that simple!

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Proverbs 17:21 – “It is painful to be the parent of a fool; there is no joy for the father of a rebel.”

Exodus 23:1-3 –

You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand.“You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice.And do not slant your testimony in favor of a person just because that person is poor.

I could not stop … 1, 2 and 3 are all good. These three laws are an incredible illustration on how we can be swayed by power, the crowd or compassion. All these are boil down to lying and how people are swayed to do so.

Verse 1, warns of having evil or powerful people sway the truth. Imaging your boss asking you to get something done that cannot be done, or to fudge the “data” or selling some one junk or to do something wrong to help him, or to … Yes the evil boss is just one example which many can look at, but you will find others who try to get you to sway the truth for their own reward. The classic example today is how money is swaying the mood of the country, through banks, oil companies and big government. That is a yearlong rant all in it’s own.

Verse 2, warns of having a crowd sway your judgment. “Everyone else did it!” How many times have you heard “if all your friends jumped off a cliff would you??” Now before you answer that think about Jonestown where hundreds of people committed suicide because everyone else did!! Know the truth and don’t let the majority sway you if you know it’s wrong. And don’t just follow the common belief, strive for knowing the truth before making an opinion.

Verse 3, warns of slanting justice for the poor, which is something we see daily. How many product liability cases (where someone’s product causes injury) have been won by a jury seeing a “rich company” who can “afford it” and a poor person who had an accident, unjustly award the poor person millions? Think about the “they can afford it” mentality! People use that to not work to their fullest, steal items from work, steal items from the store, sue for their own errors, tax them all … the list goes on and on the “rich can afford it!” Don’t judge based on needs or means, base it on the truth.

All three verses expand on “thou shalt not lie”, as the commandment is popularly quoted. They are just detailing how one could be persuaded to lie. As I have found out, tell the truth and you don’t have to remember who you said what to!!

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Isaiah 11:10 – “In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.”

I know not an ancient Jewish Proverb, but it is what I fell on … deep in the Old Testament and foreshadowing Jesus!!

Exodus 22:21 –

You must not mistreat or oppress foreigners in any way. Remember, you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.

Chapter 22 has a bunch of things on the protection of property and social responsibility. Could have pulled some of these that would have made you blush (at least they made me blush) and some that would show where our legal system fails to uphold “the law” with someone stealing something. Through all the details in the law this one caught my eye.

Today we are all up in arms about the “Mexican Invasion”, how our brothers and sisters from Mexico and further south are taking over our country by illegally immigrating to the USA. How are we treating them?? Not very fairly as far as wages and living conditions. They will work for less and we exploit that. We should not in one breath say they should leave and the other breath pay a low price for our landscaping which is done by illegals. This is one of the conundrums of the politics on this issue, do nothing and it takes jobs from legal Americans, enforce the laws and prices go higher for everyone and inflation becomes an issue.

I wonder if we are mistreating them as foreigners or if we hold too much value for our lazy butts, and they don’t mind working for what the job is worth. Either way from what I see in Suwanee and Buford, Georgia, the nation’s demographics is changing rapidly. Is the current Hispanic population being exploited as modern day slaves? Or again are they just willing to do the job for what it is worth? Either way as a nation we need to reflect on this verse and its meaning.

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Proverbs 5:15 – “Drink water from your own well— share your love only with your wife.”

Exodus 21:14 –

However, if someone deliberately kills another person, then the slayer must be dragged even from my altar and be put to death.

We need to consider two bits of background for this chapter. First general, “The Law” is believed by many to only be the 10 Commandments, but Moses came down with the 10 Commandments and then went back to get the rest of the law. From this point forward the rest of Exodus and the next 3 books are mostly “The Law”. Reading this you get a great insight into the origins of our current legal system in the USA.

Second background is about murder, if it’s an accident you can go to a “place of refuge”, most of the times a place of worship. Churches today are considered sanctuary, based primarily of this. But if murder was deliberate, the person is not protected; they must pay for their act.

Now for those who understand Exodus from a movie starting Charlton Heston (like me, before I read this chapter), you are wondering what happened to the Golden Calf. He came down with the 10 commandments and saw the people worshiping an idol. Don’t worry, that part of the story is to come. Hollywood just adds and condenses stuff to entertain people. You will see the next 30 or so chapters are kinda dry in the aspect of action and adventure for the big screen, but are very insightful with respect to the rest of the bible and the legal system we currently live with.

Unfortunately as much as we love to see religious themes out of Hollywood, don’t take them to be the Gospel truth. Hollywood goes for an expedient view of the Bible and looks for ratings over Gospel truth. Even with your own church in 1st John 4:1 God says test what’s being said, Hollywood is definitely outside of church and should be tested with more scrutiny.

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Proverbs 23:20-21 – “Do not carouse with drunkards or feast with gluttons,for they are on their way to poverty, and too much sleep clothes them in rags.”

Exodus 20:3-17 –

“You must not have any other god but me.”
“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.”
“You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.”
“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
“Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
“You must not murder.”
“You must not commit adultery.”
“You must not steal.”
“You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.”
“You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”

The Ten Commandments! If you think about it this is the only part of the bible that I know which are the direct words of God. The rest is “inspired” by God. Some would argue that the words of Jesus are the direct words of God, but this is not a debate on the trinity. Anyway, the first three become written on your heart once you accept God as God. The Sabbath law is just the way we are made, we cannot work all the time. The last 6 are not only written by God in the bible, but are written on our hearts. How many of us know from birth that these are wrong? God wrote these laws on our hearts, in our conscious, so we know right from wrong.

How many of us fail at most of these? Everyone looks at murder as the big one and easiest to say they have not done. Our courts put people to death for that but why not the rest. Unfortunately, God is not as compassionate as our court system; he hates the entire list and will sentence us to death for any. Fortunately we have Jesus to confess our transgressions and should take advantage of that!! 1 John 1:9 gives us the way to clean ourselves.

Many, if not most, churches today do not focus on this aspect, where salvation is number 1and repent your past sins! Many teach once you are saved, past, present and future sins are forgiven. This is something I personally don’t believe (NOTE PERSONALLY). I feel salvation is fixed (although there are some places which I have read which would imply otherwise) but forgiveness is not. I believe you must list and repent of all sins. This opens the communications between you and God. He doesn’t want to listen to a dirty Christian, therefore take the confession shower and you will not offend Him!! Open each prayer with confession, that way it’s taken care of. Make the confession specific also, not just “forgive me of my sins”

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Proverbs 23:31-34 – “Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is, how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down.For in the end it bites like a poisonous snake; it stings like a viper.You will see hallucinations, and you will say crazy things.You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a swaying mast.”

Exodus 19:20 –

The Lord came down on the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses climbed the mountain.

This is the invite to speak with God. Moses gets to meet God face to face. What would you do if given the chance?? Ask for something, ask questions about why or how, ask for forgiveness, ask for blessings on friends or would you sit in his holiness and listen? Then the question is what should you do if before God?

If God came to you today I believe it would not be to answer your questions but to ask you to do something. Christianity is not just “ask in the name of Jesus and you shall receive what you want”! There is another side to the coin and it requires us to respond to God’s prompts. When God asks you to do something, the answer should be “yes sir, is that all”. I know I have failed at listening and obeying, although I do ask for things all the time.

Get ready for tomorrow, that’s the big one in scripture!! Because we know why Moses is going up the mountain!! At least we should know why, it is the pinnacle of God’s law! But that’s tomorrow.

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Proverbs 22:26-27 – “Don’t agree to guarantee another person’s debt or put up security for someone else.If you can’t pay it, even your bed will be snatched from under you.”

Exodus 18:21 –

But select from all the people some capable, honest men who fear God and hate bribes. Appoint them as leaders over groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten.

This is advice from Jethro, Moses’ father in law. He noticed how much work Moses was doing and realized it was wearing him out. He suggested distributing the load so he did not have to do so much to solve the people’s problems. Imagine trying to manage and deal with millions of people!

How does this apply today?? Well you ever heard the saying “you can’t do it all”? This chapter is the biblical version of that phrase. You cannot do it all as much as you may want to! Our time is limited and there is only so much burden on can handle. God made us to work, but he also knew rest was important. We all tend to think we are the only ones that can or will do the work and often forget the idea of delegating work so we can rest.

Also, we are only capable of dealing with some burdens of others, not all. Moses had the burden of the nation of Israel on his shoulders! Can you imagine what that was like? It wouldn’t matter what time of day it was, there would always be a problem that arose requiring his attention. We often get into this “save the world” mode and burn out quickly, because no matter how much passion we bring to the table there is still only so much one can do.

What this verse basically says is ask God for help and do not feel the only way it can be done is by you and you alone. That may be true, but it will lead to some unhealthy results because of stress and overwork. With that said, if you see someone doing this, help them; they may not realize what they are doing to themselves. Like Jethro did for Moses, intervention is sometimes required so the person can get a handle on the problem.

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Proverbs 24:1-2 – “Don’t envy evil people or desire their company.For their hearts plot violence, and their words always stir up trouble.”

Exodus 17:3 –

But tormented by thirst, they continued to argue with Moses. “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Are you trying to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?”

Now you are starting to get a feel for what kind of frustration with the Israelites that God felt. Granted we all know the basic story and can say “how can one not trust God after all that they have been through?” But from their prospective it was not so bad in Egypt versus almost dying in the wilderness. Sure God had been providing, but he wasn’t at that moment.

Looking at how they respond to difficulties and how God provides shows us that God is a patient God. Also, we look at this from a broader prospective and see God does eventually get a little upset. The Israelites found that you complain and get what you need, like a little kid. But like a little kid you can only take it so far. I ask in your journey through life, don’t look at God as a spoiling parent. He gives us what we need and what we want, to a limit.

From this we keep learning not to complain to God too much. He never said it would be easy the entire way. The world is not all sunshine and blue skies, sometimes there are earthquakes. But think about it without earthquakes, the Rockies would not be. So thank God for the good times as well as the bad. You will find the bad times will be easier to cope with!!

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Proverbs 25:22 – "You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads, and the Lord will reward you.”

Exodus 16:28 –

The Lord asked Moses, “How long will these people refuse to obey my commands and instructions?

During this chapter the Lord provided food in the way of manna, a white flakey substance, for breakfast and meat for dinner. No one seems to focus on the evening meal ever. Everyone focuses on the manna from heaven. I guess it’s cooler than quail which just happen to appear each evening. The manna cannot be explained where quail could.

However they ate, God noticed no matter how much he provided many, if not most, refused to obey and follow his commands. How many of us do exactly that?? The bible is simple in its instructions on what to do and not to do. How many of us actually follow this “instruction book”?? The Bible does not ask us to all become monk and live on a mountain, just follow and believe in God.

Just like the Israelites cannot store up manna except for their needs on the Sabbath, we should not “store” our teachings; it should be a daily occurrence. Get what you need from the Word today. What do I mean?? Read the bible, read books on scripture, listen to teachings, do whatever you can to get your daily dose of manna!! Don’t rely on what you did last year or the fact you may have read the Bible through multiple times, keep searching for truth and “food” from the Word.

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Proverbs 8:1 – “Listen as Wisdom calls out! Hear as understanding raises her voice!”

Exodus 15:26 – (please note – some dated stuff here, this was a 2008 post being updated in 2012)

He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.”

The final few words are translated from the original text as “Yahweh Rapha” or “The Lord that heals”. It’s tough to believe this sometimes with all the suffering we see in the world today. Why would God allow this to happen when He could with one act heal everyone??

I look specifically at my friend Alex Croxton. I knew Alex in college and can remember him being Godly then also. His son Brice is a very Godly kid and he walks a very straight path. This past winter he was in an accident with left him paralyzed from the waist down. Through watching them I see their walk with God has not changed other than Brice is rolling now. From time to time I ask why not show your glory and have him walk again, but at the same time the whole family is a picture of faith showing people that life’s major setbacks are not something that should weaken our faith. I wish God would end the suffering that comes in life, but it’s something I think is part of life and for the time is something that will not change.

The other thing I noticed in this chapter is they are traveling through the desert for 3 days without water, they finally find some and it is bitter. So the people are complaining, again!! This is where he says this, hoping all will be well. As we know, people tend to mess things up if they are not guided correctly. This is where church helps keep ones focus. Granted churches are never perfect, but the key is our walk with God was never meant to be alone.

On a different note, for those who have been reading along and have seen “The Ten Commandments” staring Charlton Heston as Moses. It’s interesting how Hollywood changes Gods story for effect. The parting of the sea is a great example where Hollywood had Moses raise his hand, the sea split and they walked. In reading the bible this event happens overnight so the wind which split the sea could dry the ground they were going to walk on. Just some details I love to look at while reading.

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Proverbs 1:5 – “Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance”

Exodus 14:31 –

When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

Faith is easy to do when you see the sea parted and you walk on dry ground and then watch you pursuers have the sea come down on them and kill them. If God did that for you surely would believe in his greatness or would you? In this instance the people of Israel had short memories as we will see. But you know, that instance happens often in the Bible and in our lives. Sometimes it takes generations and other times it happens very quickly, but we always seem to drift away.

Sometimes I think God was disappointed with them having done these great miracles and everyone turned so quickly. Maybe that is why something so grand has not been repeated! Think about how many small signs you get and see and the next day just turn away! Rejection is something God deals with on a daily basis.

Walk in faith and live your life like God just split the sea for you and all will be good in the eyes of the Lord. Note, it will not always be rosy, but God will be happy. Think about the time God spoke to you in some way, and hold on to that. No matter if it was a passage you randomly opened to that spoke directly to your heart or some traveling preacher who said words you needed to hear that day. Don’t drift and lose faith, but stay firm even when you appear to be wandering in a wilderness!

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Proverbs 1:33 – “But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.””

Exodus 13:22 –

And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people.

That must have been nice and simple to do each day! The Lord sets and directs you down the path He wants you to follow. Why couldn’t He do that for us today?? Actually in a way He does already. Look at how your life has gone thus far!! Review where you are at today and where you have been prior. Think about all those things that happened to change your life’s direction.

I wonder how different Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” would have been if God had the path lit??

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. ”

Sometimes the path is not clear, sometimes the one less traveled is the best choice and sometime not. We all must think of each life decision as if it will change everything in the future. Our choice on how to live, which friends we pick, who we let drive or what we do in our free time all effect the final outcome. Each choice could make a world of difference in the end.

I try to live my life one way so when I look back, will I not regret doing what I did. Being OLD already, I can say I have done this with a “yes, no and don’t know yet”. The key is when you come to a cross road, first pray and fall on the Bible for answers. Be bold and ask God for a pillar to help you. You may not get a pillar, but you will most likely get a nudge.

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Proverbs 30:20 – “An adulterous woman consumes a man, then wipes her mouth and says, “What’s wrong with that?””

Exodus 12:31 –

Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron during the night. “Get out!” he ordered. “Leave my people—and take the rest of the Israelites with you! Go and worship the Lord as you have requested.

Guess Pharaoh was at the end of his rope. Guess he did not want to see what would happen next, finally he respected God. What was your final moment of submission?? What did it take to get you to say, “ok God, I give up?” How many times have you done that?? How many more times in the future will you do that?? It’s something we all go through over the years, granted not as drastic as Pharaoh, but the decisions we are making does not affect an entire nation either.

As I reflect on my past I can think of a few times this has happened. One is when I kept praying to work with Katy and to be able to run a business with her, My conditions were simple, win the lottery so we did not have to worry about how the business did! Gods conditions were ok, do it … now … come on … now … ok here is a layoff, now do it!! I was convinced we were going into the poor house … 7 years later I found out God was with us the whole time. Just got tired of me asking for a big win to get my desires…

Actually, I can think of more than a “few” times this has happened. When I lived a “promiscuous” life, outside God’s will, I was “nudged” into marriage and stability. Granted it took a pregnancy, but God did what was required to get me off the path I was on. After almost 20 years I see that God’s had was in my life correcting the entire time. The key point here is don’t fight God like Pharaoh because He will win;-)

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Proverbs 20:11 – “Even children are known by the way they act, whether their conduct is pure, and whether it is right.”

Exodus 11:10 –

Moses and Aaron performed these miracles in Pharaoh’s presence, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he wouldn’t let the Israelites leave the country.

This is one of those parts of the Bible which has always interested me. Why did the Lord “harden Pharaoh’s heart”?? It appears that it was to show the world just what he was capable of doing. He is in control of this world. We need to understand that our life is a gift as well as the environment He has provided!!

The final plague is horrible; God will take the first male born to everyone in the land. The Israelites will be spared to show Gods power and grace, but only if they spread blood over their door. This is something I would hate to see happen again. I would never wish that on anyone!!

But God wanted to display his control over the world and show His power to people who did not believe in him. These 10 “plagues” were the only way to wake them up. Hopefully no one in the world will ever have to endure anything like this again. But again there are some hard hearts today!

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Proverbs 26:10 – “An employer who hires a fool or a bystander is like an archer who shoots at random.”

Exodus 10:2 –

Then the Lord said to Moses, “… I’ve also done it so you can tell your children and grandchildren about how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and about the signs I displayed among them—and so you will know that I am the Lord.”

Some ask why this has not happened since, but when you think of time as God would view it the last 5000 or so years were just a blink. We don’t need to see this again, it’s well documented and pretty much available to almost everyone on the earth. God would have done better to come in this day of mass communication where the internet could show his wonders to all, instantly. But as you know with the interest, just because you saw it on line doesn’t mean it’s real. People would still try to discredit it as they did then.

We have seen many wonders since, granted no as many which were fully orchestrated by God through a man. The wonders we see can have scientists quickly explain away and I bet even if they had someone telling what was going to happen they could find a “reason” to explain God out of the occurrence. I have heard scientist explain the parting of the Red Sea and how it could have logically happened, so I am sure it would happen for anything. There will always be some who will not submit to God.

So don’t worry, but know they are watching you under a microscope to see when you “fail” and then pounce on that “fail” to claim they are right. Realize the walk is difficult because you MUST live right because people are watching, not just God. This is our “witness” that God is alive and in us. So watch what you do and say among non-believers and even many believers, Paul explains this in 1st Corinthians so you may understand this is not to allow others to stumble or dismiss the salvation in Jesus Christ!

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Proverbs 29:7 – “The godly care about the rights of the poor; the wicked don’t care at all.”

Exodus 9:21 –

But those who paid no attention to the word of the Lord left theirs out in the open.

Now with this passage, God was going to send a plague of hail to Egypt. Many people heard that it was coming and believed and then took cover. Others did not and died. How does this apply to today?? There are plenty of “issues” and “plagues” which today are preventable. The first that comes to mind is AIDS, there is an easy way to avoid it yet people choose not to listen to logic and think it could not happen to them. “Don’t touch, it’s hot”, “wear eye protecting when doing that”, “look both ways” … on and on we have “instructions” given to us, yet we ignore them and burn our fingers.

When talking the bible, we must also look at accepting Jesus as Lord, believing He is who he said He is, and that He died and rose again for our salvation. Doing this is a simple way to avoid eternal death, but how many ignore this? “There is no God who will rain hail down on us” or for today “there is no way God would allow people to die like that” are mantras of many. The problem is the warnings are very clear; we just need to take them serious.

Now, I know all our family believes that Jesus is the son of God sacrificed for our sins, but how about your friends? Will you allow them to stand in the hail storm or will you help them in their path to salvation? Make sure they get the protection or are you going to leave them to someone else? You don’t have to thump your Bible, but a demonstration of the joy is often enough to strike up a conversation.

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Proverbs 22:15 – “A youngster’s heart is filled with foolishness, but physical discipline will drive it far away.”

Exodus 8:32 –

But Pharaoh again became stubborn and refused to let the people go.

By this time Moses had made his staff a serpent, turned all the water into blood, released frogs, gnats and flies. God had protected the Israelites in Goshen by having them miss many of the plagues. And still Pharaoh still refuses to let the people go!!

Wonder what someone must be thinking if they have been thirsty for a week, dealt with frogs, gnats and flies everywhere and it’s obvious the easy way out is let the people go. Pharaoh’s acts affect millions, who must endure the same plagues. Did not one person or advisor come forwards and say “cave-in” to their demands? Have we ever been stubborn at all? I know I have … maybe not as stubborn, but pretty darn close.

I can only imagine that “logic” must have taken over and how since his magicians could do the first few “tricks” the rest were still “parlor tricks” and not signs from God. Just before in verse 28 Pharaoh allowed the people free. Did he said what he did to get them to stop the plague, with no intention of letting the people go? What do you think?

Now the question turns to you, when your pride is challenged and God is telling you to do something. Do you submit or fight?? Many times God will not punish us with plagues, but we WILL miss something good God had planned for us. What we are learning in all this is don’t fight God, He tends to never lose;-)

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Proverbs 24:33-34 – “A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.”

Exodus 7:3 –

But I will make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn so I can multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.

Now why is God doing this?? Why could God have not softened his heart and just allowed His people free? I think the main reason is to show other nations what could happen if they oppress the Israelites. Also, I think it was to show the Israelites that God is real and here to protect them.

Now the one with many questions asks why has this not been done since?? Some would love to have God speak to us in a burning bush, or have the Chattahoochee split, or have a plague of boils on congress or whatever! We would just love to see any miracle that would help you see that God is real and there for us. At the same time in God’s “time” all this just happened, why does he need to do it again?? He talks to us enough just in little signs and wonders. I wish I kept a log of when this happens to me, it would be crazy.

Hopefully, we can see God already without needing him to talk to us in a huge production! Close your eyes and ask God to give you a sign, then be open to see what that sign is. It could just be someone giving you a random word of encouragement or some other strange coincidence. Remember many times coincidence is God’s way of saying “hey” and letting us know He is with us.

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Proverbs 28:22 – “Greedy people try to get rich quick but don’t realize they’re headed for poverty.”

Exodus 6:3 –

I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El-Shaddai— ‘God Almighty’—but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh, to them.

Wow, God has a name, other than God. The Jehovah Witnesses address God as Jehovah. From this translation I see father God should be addressed as Yahweh. Now a quick “study” shows the original manuscript as using YHWH which is translated into Yahweh, Jehovah or “the Lord” or God depending on the translation. Either way it’s translated I believe God is not going to get upset if we address him as one of the four. Interestingly, the word YHWH is supposed to be a word that no one can pronounce anyway, so we technically cannot address God by name.

As you read on in this chapter you find Pharaoh needs a talking to and Moses does not feel confident to do so. Now imagine before this having a bush on fire, but not consuming itself and speak to you, shouldn’t you have faith Yahweh could not help you speak? Maybe he had a stutter or some other speech impediment at this time that has been given as a reason for his stuttering. Who really knows the exact reason for Moses not wanting to speak, other than the statement that Moses did not want to do public speaking!!

Trust God, Yahweh, Jehovah and the Lord as they are one in the same. Speak to Him in prayer and talk with Him. Enjoy seeing the good which springs up from things which initially look awful. Don’t be afraid to address God, at the same time don’t be afraid to do what God asks of you. He sometimes makes some big “asks” of us that we should have faith that He will be with us and provide what we need.

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Proverbs 28:4 – “To reject the law is to praise the wicked; to obey the law is to fight them.”

Exodus 5:22 –

Then Moses went back to the Lord and protested, “Why have you brought all this trouble on your own people, Lord? Why did you send me?

Why ME?!?!?!

We ask this constantly, about situations we are in, work we are asked to do, things which seem unfair … oh the list is long. Why me?? We all ask it. Why not someone else?? Why does it need to be done? Why is it so hard? It’s not uncommon to ask these questions. Moses the leader of Israel asked them so why not us??

As you will find out or already know, Moses does great things in spite of the temporary pain and discomfort his people go through. We must trust what we are doing is right and have faith that the temporary pain is worth the long term goal. Be it mission trips, witnessing, helping others, fostering … God may make it so you ask “why!” Hopefully these question become less and less as your “faith journey” continues.

If it’s any comfort Jesus asked this same question in Matthew “why have you abandoned me?” Jesus had a direct line to God, yet He still asked “why!” So don’t feel like it’s all about you and you are the only one who has gone through this stuggle. It’s not and never was! They key is to put God first and the “why me’s?” become less and less.

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Proverbs 27:3 – “A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier.”

Exodus 4:10 –

But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”

Boy I can relate to this concern!! Anyone who has heard me pray in public understands why;-) When I write I can re-read, edit and think about the words, yet as many of you know I still mess that up many times. When it comes to public speaking or talking with more than one person, I get lost in words. My thoughts go faster than my “output device” and many times I am mentally on a different subject before getting the last one out. I personally can relate to what Moses was thinking! If God asked me to do this, my first response would be the same concern.

Unfortunately being comfortable about taking to someone about something that may offend them is difficult. People like to live in their comfort zones, they can talk and enjoy life in that zone. God does not want us to live there!! Watching Moses’ struggle is true for all of us. Yea talking about how God loves us and how he has helped this week is easy in church, but how about to your friend who is lost, or someone you just met?

Step out and try to talk outside your comfort zone! One thing I can say is talking to your friends, who believe, will help make you more comfortable talking to ones who do not. Practice, practice, practice!! Also, going to church is not the only way to help, reading the bible helps also!! You will be surprised once in the “Word” how many times you can apply what you read that morning to your activates that day.

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Proverbs 8:8 – “My advice is wholesome. There is nothing devious or crooked in it.”

Exodus 3:11 –

But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”

Moses spoke these words before God at the burning bush! Think about it, Moses has been raised by Egyptian royalty and therefore should be comfortable with talking to Pharaoh. Also, God is speaking to him and delivering this command and still Moses is questioning. Moses like almost anyone who God calls and cannot see why God would use them with all their baggage to do God’s work. God decided to work through him despite the issues. Think about it, he was a murderer and he married outside his people. He was a common man, who had an uncommon God.

Don’t think if you are “called” to do something you are not worthy or capable. I believe Moses was just like any of us faced with a “burning bush” and a call to leadership. God just said do the impossible, he question him and asked why “ME”!! But as we will find out in this story and through our own lives, with God anything is possible.

Unfortunately, I don’t think we will see God talking to us in a burning bush or do any of the big the miracles we saw with Moses. But not to worry open your eyes and you will find the Holy Spirit is with you and talks to you daily. We all want to see the parting of the Red Sea for confirmation God is with us and often we miss the amazing “coincidences” that God does in our lives on a daily basis. Sure they don’t work on the “big screen” in Technicolor, but it doesn’t diminish that God’s hand was in it.

Sometimes I think the story of Moses harms the faith since almost all non-believers will point to all the miracles Moses did and say “where are they today?” Also, we as believers always expect a “burning bush” moment, where God comes and speaks directly to them. Then why they are waiting for that “sign” they ignore all the other prompts God is sending their way. I know constantly am looking for that big sign! Then if any of us would actually get a “burning bush”, would we not respond like Moses?

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Proverbs 29:11 – “Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.”

Exodus 1:16 –

When you help the Hebrew women as they give birth, watch as they deliver. If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.

This is the new Pharaoh’s orders; he did not know of Joseph, the stories of how he saved Egypt were long lost. During this time the Israelites were growing huge in numbers. To thwart this expansion the Pharaoh had enslaved them and they kept multiplying. So this is where this order came from, trying to limit their numbers.

This was an order, which the midwives could not carry out. They feared God and what God may do to punish them. What would you do if God said do one thing and your president said do something directly opposite?? Would you carry out the orders? Or would you obey God?? It’s a dilemma since the bible says respect government and your leaders! You can look at Nazi Germany for an example of blind following. Many of them were God loving Germans who submitted to their leader. Don’t think that it could never happen to you.

This is where the world becomes difficult as to when do you “rebel” and when do you “submit”? That is where the bible comes in to your life! Stay in the Word and pray as much as you can. When you pray, pray not only that God will give you the ability to make the right choices, but also pray to not HAVE to make those difficult and sometimes ugly choices!!

“Keep me from evil” and “Deliver me from evil” are two lines from “model” prayers in the bible. The first is from the OT (Prayer of Jabez) and the other is from the NT (the Lords Prayer). I tend to pray the “old” more often than the new. I would rather not have to be delivered from evil; just keep me away from it altogether!! So as you go on in life, make sure you know the scriptures and how they apply to your life. This will help you make correct choices and not fall into traps following some twisted cross.

dad

Proverbs 9:8 – “So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you. But correct the wise, and they will love you.”

Genesis 22:2 –

“Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”

The story is often taught, Abraham obeyed, and just before he killed his son God provided a Ram for the sacrifice. It shows obedience and faith. It also shows God will provide, even if it’s at the last second. I can talk about a ton of stuff about our faith walk … and how we would respond. I think if I was in that situation I had gone crazy and the voice I heard was NOT God! Because of this justification I would not obey. But Abraham did obey, now my though is what about Isaacs view.

What must he have felt; here dad was taking him to a place to sacrifice something that they were not bringing. Dad said God would provide. Dad left the servants, which he most likely never did before and went to sacrifice. I am sure Isaac helped build the altar and prepare it for the sacrifice. Now dad ties him up, puts him on the altar and draws a knife to kill him. Imagine what is going through his mind! Just how old was he anyway? I can see if he was under 8 he would be more accepting, but what if he was a teen??

Vern and D what would you think if I tied you up and did this?? You would fight a bit I am sure of that … well maybe more than a bit!! Sometimes we don’t understand why things happen, sometimes we just have to accept it and hope God will provide some saving grace. In Isaacs case it was his life and in y’alls case it’s peace. Trust God, how He is working in the family and how the outcome will be. I know easier said than done, case in point is the shop which seems more for the adults than you kids, like the original intention! In both cases Abraham and Isaac needed just to trust their father, one physical and the other heavenly

dad

James 1:27 – “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.”

Genesis 21:6

And Sarah declared, “God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me.

Who ever says God does not like laughter … God likes to laugh and see us laugh. Happy people make happy workers … boy I sound like Karl Marx;-) The “work” is showing people Gods grace and joy. Why would someone want to follow a God who has their people always upset?? I mean really, would you believe in the concept of a loving God from a bunch of angry people?

This is where some people’s interpretation of Christianity goes astray from time to time. We need to understand that it’s not our duty to judge, convict and punish but to love and show grace. I mean think about it, God gave Sarah a baby, like He promised, at a very old age. The laughter was out of pure joy to get to finally hold their baby, which they have been waiting for decades to arrive.

So God wants us to be happy and enjoy life! He knows it gets rough from time to time, but overall have fun and show joy. Do this even when the going gets tough! Sometimes you have to remove yourself from the situation and look at it from the outside … that different perspective should help. I know when I see life going crazy, I need to look at it from another angle. We may get too wrapped up in the here and now, that we miss the overall picture, which will bring us great joy.

dad

Psalm 34:8 – “Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!”

Genesis 20:17 –

Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants, so they could have children.

Some background … for whatever reason, Abraham introduced Sarah as his sister and not his wife again (she was actually his sister and his wife). The king Abimelech took her and before he committed adultery he had a vision that told him what was up and what would happen if anything more happened. Unlike most, he GOT the message, returned Sarah, gave Abraham some gifts and sent them on their way.

After all this Abraham prayed for him, his peps and his lands. How many of us would have this happen and then pray for the other person?? Think about it, how many people wrong you and the first response is to pray for their success? I know that is usually the last I think about! It’s more pray that they receive justice and wrath from God.

We see two examples in this story to note. The first is Abraham’s lack of faith, God said he would make a great nation, why not have faith God would protect him and therefore not have to lie about Sarah?? Second, Abraham showed grace when he prayed for someone who wronged him…

From this story we learn two things … one is faith about our “fate” is very important. Hmmm … George Michaels** comes to mind again;-) The second thing is grace, we need to not worry about what was done to us, but to forgive and forget. Pray for that person and let God deal with it!! Believe it or not, health is a key here, God knows how resentment eats us from the inside out, so God has more reasons for not wanting us to do this!!

dad

Proverbs 30:9 – “For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.”

** Unfortunately Eli Stone is having it’s season finale this week, but it’s a cool show, Thursdays at 10 ABC … the show is about a lawyer who has visions which directly relate to cases he is taking or finds … he started the show with visions of George Michaels singing “You gotta have Faith” … it’s become my “have to watch” or record;-)

Genesis 19:14 –

So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters’ fiancés, “Quick, get out of the city! The Lord is about to destroy it.” But the young men thought he was only joking.

Lot, Abraham’s brother, was in Sodom and apparently was the only good person there. Two angels came to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. During their short stay with Lot the men in the city tried to attack them in a wicked way. They told Lot to take his wife and daughters with their fiancés and get out of town. This is the response Lot got from the two fiancés.

Because of either disrespect or lack of understanding, they died when the city was destroyed. What does this mean to us? There seems to be a George Michaels theme here about “you gotta have faith”. A lack of faith cost these young men their lives. In a way this is what happens when we don’t accept Jesus and his teachings. Just like these men not accepting Lots claims, those who do not accept Jesus face the same death.

Not fun … but true. Now if you want to read a real dirty book or story … read this chapter. It goes into more detail than I would expect out of the bible;-)

Now … when you are finished with that … keep with me for the rest of Genesis!!

Proverbs 17:18 –

“It’s poor judgment to guarantee another person’s debt or put up security for a friend.”

Genesis 18:13-14 –

<13> Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’ <14> Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”"

As we know Abraham and Sarah will have be the seed of the nation of Israel. Why at 90 would someone think that was not possible?? I would laugh too … even knowing the time-line before Noah, as far as people living hundreds of years.

You have to realize God is big and powerful … when he does things purposefully he wants a WOW factor, so people realize it was God and not chance. This is where my faith gets strengthened, by knowing my prayers, knowing how my life has gone and knowing statistics and probability. I cannot imagine stuff happening in my life the way they have by chance.

Probability applies once and a while … but after a while you realize it’s not just dumb luck, especially when you look at timing. I know a mathematician could talk rings around this .. and justify “chance” … when it comes to chance what side of the “IS there a God?” question do you want to be on. You can justify there is not one … but do you really want to learn there IS a God when it’s too late??

Read, pray and observe … you’ll see God daily!!

Proverbs 8:5 –

“You simple people, use good judgment. You foolish people, show some understanding.”

Genesis 17:20 –

As for Ishmael, I will bless him also, just as you have asked. I will make him extremely fruitful and multiply his descendants. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

This chapter God changes Abraham and Sarah’s names to show his promise to them … it’s a different meaning to show Gods promise … Abraham laughs at God, who at this time we should ALL KNOW has a great sense of humor!! Why he is pushing 100 and she is 90!! That would be nuts … but in Gods “humor” great things come. It shows us the only way it could happen was God!

Anyway back to Ishmael … as we said before, this one is crazy … but God will bless him anyway. For whatever God has in mind … his promise is kept. God shows the parallel between the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 princes … and the 12 disciples … hmmm the number 12 seems to be at work here.

I wonder if the problems in this world stem mostly from this relationship?? Researching this the Koran and the Bible are very much inter-related. Both have this as the start to their beliefs … so how did we stray away?? Did this happen from day 1 between Ishmaels and Isaacs offspring?? Or did it take time? Much of what I see is this battle started 1400 years ago when Muhammad wrote the Koran.

Deep stuff as you look into it … and see Allah and God are one in the same. It’s just how we interpret what He says that causes the drift … wars have been, are being and will be fought over these different interpretations. Jews/Christians/Muslims all see God … they just know Him differently.

Proverbs 31:28-29 – “

<28> Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: <29> “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!””

to my wife:-)

Genesis 16:11-12 –

<11> And the angel also said, “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the Lord has heard your cry of distress. <12> This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.”

Reading this and looking at the world today… it becomes clear what’s going on in the Middle East. This book was written some 3500 years ago and if you look at the descendants of Ishmael (who are Arabs and mostly Muslim) and look at their fighting you now can see the biblical reference.

Hagar was given the same promise as Abram … where God told her “I will give you more descendants than you can count.” So we now see the “divide” in the Middle East and how it’s spreading all over the world. For some reason WE (the USA) thinks peace is obtainable in the Middle East. I feel it’s not … not only do you have this major family divide … but also, look at Mohammed, a descendent of Ishmael and the leader of Islam, who promised that once they take lands they will never be given back … hence the problems with the Jews occupying Israel.

Unfortunately it will never be solved until the end times … so hopefully we are not going to see peace in our lives. Don’t know if I want to see “the end”!!

Proverbs 10:12 –

“Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love makes up for all offenses.”

good place to put yesterdays RFK quote also;-)

Genesis 15:1 –

Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.”

God has big plans for Abram, big promises and great rewards … all he has to do is to wait for the blessing. How many times have I promised you something and not followed through?? I tend to be a flake, God does not. He had made this promise before and as Abram got older his faith grew weaker. He was beginning to think “HOW” … or “IF” …

This is where faith comes in and must be the reason for hope. I tend to believe if God spoke to me I would follow his guidance … but then again, I don’t do this all the time and it causes problems. You will see Abram has some problems soon because he thinks he can fix the problem. God tends to like to “show off” in the bottom of the ninth down by 2, 2 outs, 2 on …. with the pitcher is coming to bat (for those who don’t know baseball … pitchers can’t hit … now you’d also suspect the coach would bring in a “pinch hitter” … but we are off track now;). Back to the game … odds look grim … but that’s when he likes us to say … look how crazy that worked out!!

“There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why… I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?” – Robert F Kennedy. These are powerful words today, when RFK spoke them in the 60’s and thousands of years ago with Abram. Abram was asking WHY and God came and tried to calm him and tell him it’s not only that his promise would hold true, but also the hardships they would face in Egypt.

For me personally I get my dreams and Gods wishes confused daily … I am sure Abram was the same way. He needed a son for his dreams AND Gods wishes to come to being. He and Sarai were old and well past child bearing years … so God spoke to him … AGAIN. Wonder if he “got it” this time??

Proverb 10:1 – “A wise child brings joy to a father; a foolish child brings grief to a mother.”

Genesis 14:20

Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.

This is the first mention I have seen about giving a 1/10 of your “bounty” … this becomes the magic number until the new testament, where it’s somewhere between nothing and everything.

Tithing is one of those tough subjects because of mans desires for everything. Then we justify not doing it by “there’s not enough” or “they would not do what I wanted” or “it’s going to someone’s lavish lifestyle and not to God” or “God will love me either way” and “He wants me to keep the money” or “I give of my time” or (fill in the blank) … excuses are many for not giving but the bible is clear.

The Clintons gave a large amount of their money (well over 10% to charity), some raise an eyebrow since the major recipient of the donations was their own charity. Makes you wonder were they lining their own pockets or distributing money the way they saw fit?? That has always been a “fantasy” of mine, if I were rich how would I donate large sums?? I would worry about how someone would handle the money … i would want to ensure it helped the poor and needy … and have thought the best way is my own charitable foundation. Where I would release control to a group of people who made nothing from the charity … and just agreed on the distribution.

I don’t think God worries as much on how the money is used as much as that we are giving. It’s a sign of obedience to give.

As Nike says “Just do it” …

Proverbs 1:7 –

“Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

***Although the writing is from 2008, the “headline” is from 2011 where Zsa Zsa Gabor is having a child at 94, granted using a “surrogate” not like Sarai!!

Genesis 13:16

And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted!

This seems possible until you think, at this time Abram and Sarai are past child-bearing age. They are old!! What would you think about having a child in your 70’s, 80’s, 90’s?? This is where God likes showing up … when things look impossible.

It starts to show us that God is really in control! We may think so … but not really. We are just in charge of our lives, control is something completely different.

So … “keep your hands and feet inside the car, sit back and enjoy the ride” – various carnies;-)

Proverbs 8:9 –

“My words are plain to anyone with understanding, clear to those with knowledge.”

Genesis 12:18-19 –

So Pharaoh summoned Abram and accused him sharply. “What have you done to me?” he demanded. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ and allow me to take her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and get out of here!”

We are already familiar with the story of Abraham or Abram, this is what I mean the Genesis moves fast and has a bunch of familiar stories. Adam/Eve, Cain/Abel, Noah … now Abraham/Sarah.

God has promised the make Abram a great nation. With his wife Sarai or later known as Sarah, he sets of to Egypt since there was a famine in his lands … this is where HE decides to save himself and lie about who Sarai was. Now did they grow old before having a son because of this act or was that the plan anyway?? It’s not clear in chapter 12 that this is the case. But … we will see if this gets referenced back.

Abram and Sarai leave Egypt at the end of the chapter.

What do we learn from this?? DON’T LIE!! It puts us I bad places, makes it difficult to remember the truth from the lies and makes us lose a bit of creed with our peeps** when they know we have lied to them. Also, it’s easier to remember the truth than who you told what lie to!!

Proverbs 19:17 –

“If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord— and he will repay you!”

Genesis 11:6 –

“Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them!

Background, they are repopulating the earth after the flood and are building a tower which “will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world”. God then scatters them and confuses the languages.

God did not like this because of unity but because of motive, they wanted to be famous. How many times have we done something for our own fame and fallen flat on our faces?? It happens time and time again at least for me!! If you are motivated to do Gods will and just happen to stumble on fame, fine … just don’t let it consume you.

The people of Babel needed to refocus their purpose away from self. That is where we find problems … when our focus becomes self and not others. Jesus did this time and time again … he was a super-star but did not focus on himself, but on God the father.

You may notice I skipped chapter 10 … it’s all lineage from Noah’s sons.

Proverbs 22:22 –

“Don’t rob the poor just because you can, or exploit the needy in court.”

Genesis 9:24-25 –

<24> When Noah woke up from his stupor, he learned what Ham, his youngest son, had done. <25> Then he cursed Canaan, the son of Ham:

“May Canaan be cursed! May he be the lowest of servants to his relatives.”

I had a tough time choosing between talking about the rainbow and how it was a reminder of God not destroying us by flood anymore OR God commanding that if man’s life is taken, the doer (be it animal or man) must die OR this … I choose this. Now some background, Noah started to made wine. He got drunk and passed out naked on the floor. Ham came in and saw Noah on the floor, told his brothers, his brothers took a robe and covered Noah without looking … and that’s it.

This makes me wonder why such harsh punishment for something that seems so “normal” … granted I cannot remember walking in on dad drunk and naked … but I, well I, heck with it … i think we have all see our parents and sometimes grand parents naked. I can’t see why the curse … also with the fact Noah was drunk and passed out.

Should he not be the one to blame?? Oops … here Chuck the Public Defender is at work;-)

I think where the problem came was not the act, but the lack of respect given to his father that causes the problem. We are to respect our parents … this is clear.

Although the bible is not clear about Hams mindset, one can only look at our own experiences and wonder would that warrant a curse? Also, maybe this is one area we are wrong … and society has made it ok to view the naked body. Granted looking at ancient art, this is nothing new. Just now in many cases it’s NO LONGER ART!!

Anyway, take what you may from this … these books are the foundation of the bible as we know it … i would suggest reading them … as you will see soon, we will skip a bunch since it’s a lineage of the twelve tribes, and not much there, since we are not Jewish.

Proverbs 29:23 –

“Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor.”

Genesis 8:11 –

This time the dove returned to him in the evening with a fresh olive leaf in its beak. Then Noah knew that the floodwaters were almost gone.

This is the first known reference of the dove with the olive branch. Does anyone know what this is a symbol of today?? It’s peace who’s origins come from the revolutionary war. Today the olive branch and the dove represent peace, but how did this come from Noah??

Well for one … even though it rained for 40 days, and the flood waters did not recede for another 150 days … it still took some time to be such that they could empty the boat. They were in the boat for 10 or 11 months … the dove with the olive branch was hope that the journey was over.

Afterwards, Noah build an alter and sacrificed with pleased God who say no more destroying everything on earth … so two things. First, we found out about the sacrifices, this was not mentioned on the boat. Second, Gods promise not to destroy the earth again … then Revelations has the earth destroyed by fire. Again Gods promise … what’s different? The promise not to destroy “all living things” is the key difference. Revelations destroys all evil … and saves ones who follow Jesus.

Proverbs 4:18-19 –

“<18> The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. <19> But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.”

Genesis 8:11 –

This time the dove returned to him in the evening with a fresh olive leaf in its beak. Then Noah knew that the floodwaters were almost gone.

This is the first known reference of the dove with the olive branch. Does anyone know what this is a symbol of today?? It’s peace whose origins come from the revolutionary war. Today the olive branch and the dove represent peace, but how did this come from Noah??

Well for one … even though it rained for 40 days, and the flood waters did not recede for another 150 days … it still took some time to be such that they could empty the boat. They were in the boat for 10 or 11 months … the dove with the olive branch was hope that the journey was over.

Afterwards, Noah build an alter and sacrificed with pleased God who say no more destroying everything on earth … so two things. First, we found out about the sacrifices, this was not mentioned on the boat. Second, Gods promise not to destroy the earth again … then Revelations has the earth destroyed by fire. Again Gods promise … what’s different? The promise not to destroy “all living things” is the key difference. Revelations destroys all evil … and saves ones who follow Jesus.

Proverbs 4:18-19 – “<18> The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. <19> But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.”