GET UP…GET GOING

This morning I was reading about Israel's exodus from Egypt in Exodus 14 and was impressed with the following thoughts:

Vs18 "…The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle." As believers in Jesus Christ, we too have been armed for battle. Ephesians 6:10-18 "…be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness; feet fitted with the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and PRAY in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

V1Then the Lord told Moses, "Tell the Israelites to…encamp…by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon." The Israelites were going into enemy territory…which is the perfect grounds for God to prove He alone is God and above Him there is no other. The Egyptians worshipped many gods and the lord of this region was no exemption. What better place for God to prove himself not only to the Egyptians but to the Israelites that: (1) He alone is God in the face of what they will encounter in their journey to the Promised Land (2) God will be their protector and provider all along the way.

V5-10 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, "What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!" Pharaoh took six hundred of his the best chariots…officers…and pursued the Israelites. As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified…cried out to the Lord… "it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than die in the desert!" Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." When faced with adversity, the Israelites response to this crisis is not all that different from ours today. Jesus clearly told us, "I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart I have overcome the world." (Jo 16:33) Just as God told Moses exactly what was going to happen and how He was going to intervene BEFORE it did, so God has prepared us for what will come against us because we bear His name. And yet, do we not terrified cry out to the Lord, "I don't understand why this has to happen to me…where are you God…I don't remember having problems before…maybe this Christ following isn't worth is!" And just as the Israelites suffered from "short term memory", we sometimes do the same.

V15 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground…the Israelites will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army….the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord."
V19-25 So the angel of God moved from in front of Israel's army and stood behind them coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel.
I love God's response! Almost like he is saying, "Have you not just witnessed my power to release you from Egypt? Did I not promise I would take you to a better place? Get up and get going!!"
And again, does God not say that to us, "stop moaning…stop focusing on the Pharaoh in your life. Get your "armor" on and watch me fight for you, through you so you can be more than conquerors in the land I am giving you!" How many times do the "Egyptians" around us not know God is Lord because we freeze in our boots?

So today, it doesn't matter where you may find yourself; whether physically strong or challenged the message is the same: put your armor on and GET UP…GET GOING…and witness the power of God. How else are the pharaoh's and the Egyptians in our lives to know and see the glory of God?

I dare you!

I remember going to a house of mirrors when I was a little girl and giggling at all the images that could be reflected from my body. We would race from one image of being a six foot tall giant, to another where we where as wide as we were tall! Even though what we saw was clearly physical it was still a distorted view of what reality was.

The dictionary describes image as, "the visual impression of something produced by a lens, mirror, etc.; a mental picture of something; idea; impression."

Today, the lens we view through can also distort reality either into something it is not or prevent us from dreaming of what could be. Our lens is shaped by past and present experiences, which will have a direct affect on how we perceive God and His ability to work in our lives.

There are many examples throughout the Bible of people seeing through distorted lenses. Two come to mind: one is found in Genesis 17:17; 18:11-12. Both Sarah and Abraham saw God’s promise of an heir through a distorted lens. They both laughed at God when He said they would bear a child at an age when most were becoming grandparents. Their laughter and disbelief did not change God’s plans or fulfillment of those plans.

The other is Mary who also saw through distorted lens when the angel proclaimed she would become pregnant and carry the Son of the Most high God—all through, not the normal process but rather an “overshadowing” of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:28-35). Again, her inability to comprehend the process would not prevent God’s plan nor the fulfillment of that plan to be accomplished.

Both these events would become reality not through anything man could accomplish, but rather through a Power that could neither be manufactured nor prevented.

So what does this have to do with you and me today? What are your dreams…what do you dare hope for?

Paul, in reminiscing about Abraham’s age of bearing children, says, “…the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.” (Romans 4:17-18)

It is God’s power that is at work within us to fulfill the plan that only He has set into motion for our lives. That plan will include things that today may only seem like a dream but can become a reality when we steadfastly look through the lenses God sees through.

I dare you…no I double dare you to dream the “immeasurably more” today not focused on the “now” but looking through God’s lenses to what could be and then allowing God to accomplish it in His timing and through His power!!

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us...... (Ephesians 3:20-21)”

Gentle awakening

Isa 50:4-5 “The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back.” (NIV)

Today before you begin your day and have all kinds of voices demanding your attention, realize that it was God that gently awakened you to listen to His voice today. No matter the ‘means’ of how you were awakened God wants to whisper His hope and His life into you today through His Word…it is worth taking the time for His instructions!

Go into all the world.

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Mt 28:18-20; Mark 16:15).

Have you ever thought, "Lord, how can I go into ALL the world?" Family and job responsibilities and sometimes just our own survival quickly diminish hopes of fulfilling God's call to "all the world." Some of us may never have the experience of going to foreign countries, although we long to fulfill this mandate given to us.

The United States has always been a melting pot--that is our great heritage. But even more so today with "wars and rumors of wars" in foreign countries, people are literally fleeing for their lives and the lives of their children. They look to the United States as a land of freedom and hope seeking to escape injustices.

In God's goodness and grace, today He has brought the world to us! Our neighbors, our co-workers, those we rub elbows with at the mall, the gym or in school may be from foreign lands. Instead of looking at them through eyes of fear and disgruntlement, let's see them through the eyes of Christ. If we are truly Christ followers we will walk as Jesus walked. Jesus walked into the world of the Samaritan women…she walked out in freedom. Their path to True Freedom may just begin right at our own front door. All we have to do is open our door, see them as Christ would, and walk as Jesus did…

"I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come and eat with him, and he with me." (Rev 3:20).

First hand Jesus

Contrast the account of Stephen in Acts 6-7 with the account of the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19 and we see an underlying theme that has crept into Christianity today. That theme is best described in a devotional book I recently found in our library which says; "Secondhand religion is always overpowered by firsthand evil…the impotence of the Church is caused by the secondhand nature of its religion. Jesus is never available if you are preaching a secondhand Jesus. It must be out of one's own depths to the depths of the other person. Only that which comes from the heart can reach the heart."

Stephen presented a "first hand" Jesus that he knew deep within the depths of his heart. This Jesus motivated and compelled him to share the greatest love he ever knew without consideration of his own well being. This heart dwelling knowledge and love of Jesus was not encountered by the sons of Sceva. Oh they knew of Jesus, but so did their attackers.

Our actions will always reveal Who really masters our hearts.

Breaking up for harvest

I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord,
that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’
Hosea 10:12 (NLT)

The cycle of allowing God as the Master Gardener of our hearts:
When we ask Him, He will plow/break up the dry, hard, unfertilized grounds of our hearts resulting in our desire to plant seeds (deeds) of honesty, justice, integrity, goodness, kindness which will then result in a harvest of not only our love for God but those we touch.

As hard as our ground may become God's touch will ALWAYS be able to penetrate...if we open ourselves to His touch.

Be a generous sower

“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously…God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-10

We have not been given to hoard but to give away, whether it be out of plenty or “slim pickings.” With many out of work or working without a paycheck (as in Pennsylvania state government), this reminder is so important for us today. Neighbors, co-workers, family, friends or you may even be in this situation. God’s economic system is not like that of the worlds which tells us to “save it for a rainy day.” The Bible clearly tells us God has given us EVERYTHING so we can be generous on every occasion, doesn’t say “wait until you have to be generous”…be generous NOW. Look around at those in need. Doesn’t always require giving of money, sometimes it may be our time, the sharing of a meal or a ride, sharing a talent/trade God has given you. Bake a cake for your family and give some to a neighbor. Weed a neighbor’s flower bed or if you are a handyman fix something for a neighbor. Give a word of encouragement …all it cost is your time.

“You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of this service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that ACCOMPANIES YOUR CONFESSION of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.” 2 Corinthians 9:11-13

Bless someone today...not to receive, but just to give…………