Moses: Random Pieces Coming Together

"And the people complained against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet." (Ex. 15:24-25a)

As I was reading this passage, I had forgotten that the Israelites were people who knew nothing other than Egypt. For generations they lived, died and worked there. Moses though, was born into a unique situation by the Lord because he was educated and trained as royalty for the first third of his life, then he was in shameful exile in the second third of his life - eeking out an existence as a shepherd in the wilderness.

I think anyone who looked at Moses at that point would have seen a riches to rags story. A man who seemingly had it all, and made a dumb mistake which led to a life of exile. He was part of Egyptian royalty and then he was reduced to tending flocks in harsh conditions.

Although Moses could never have seen or envisioned where his life would go next, it prepared him perfectly for the final third of his life when he was tasked to lead his people out of Egypt to follow the Lord into the promised land. He had the regal bearing and education to stand up to Pharaoh and be a leader. He also had something else that was key - intimate and extensive knowledge of surviving in the wilderness.

Consequently, when his people encountered challenges with the basics, such as a need for water, Moses with the help of the Lord was able to lead them to find it and purify it. I think about my own severely limited knowledge of the outdoors, and I would be terribly lost trying to survive in the wilderness. I would have needed a guide, and for the Israelites, that guide was Moses.

The Lord provides in many mysterious ways and uses our gifts and talents to help others in ways we cannot imagine. I'm sure Moses never knew that he would be the essential piece to free his people and lead them into their promised land.

On a smaller scale too, I'm not really sure how God will use me in the future. I know that I am a small cog in the Lord's grand scheme, but it is impossible to know how the unusual path that my life has taken will ultimately serve me down the line in the future. All the little things that seem so random, will they come together for something meaningful?

Maybe yes, or maybe no - it will be fine either way, but I do know that the Lord is free to do whatever He needs to in my life. I'm His to command and through the life of Moses, I know that He can redeem anything for His greater purpose.

Lord Jesus, help me to stay true to Your path, knowing that You will put all the random pieces of my life together for the good. Thank You that You are a God of hope and redemption - that out of my sinfulness You have desired to clean me and plant my feet on solid ground. My life is Yours - In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Perils of Isolationism

"A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment.

A fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart." (Prov 18:1-2)

Our heart - we are told by society to "follow our hearts". It is a common theme. Even Christians sometimes rationalize decisions as a "burning of the heart".

The Lord is really illuminating the wisdom of Jer 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?". This verse really struck me because the world and even the church at times asks us to follow our heart and our desires.

The verses in Proverbs however, shows the foolish effects of doing exactly that type of thing. When a man pulls back from the body and isolates themselves they are primarily stewing in their own intellect and their own ideas of the world. God's Word becomes less and less meaningful and is supplanted by that man's sin nature because unless we work to maintain our faith, our faith will atrophy and backslide. Left unchecked, it will lead to apostasy.

Sin is sometimes (but not necessarily) a key part of this trend. One of my favorite Christian singer-songwriters abruptly left the industry several years ago to my great dismay. I loved her voice, her music and her songs. After effectively disappearing, she has recently resurfaced with a brand new non-Christian album. The reason for this is because she has been in a same sex relationship and has been living isolated from the church. Essentially, she didn't want to follow the scriptures against homosexuality and ceased fighting against this sin. She mentioned that life is better now because she no longer considers homosexuality a sin to be struggled against. She no longer sings most of her old songs - songs which were about Jesus and redemption. In her case, the desires of her heart were more important than following scripture and she has isolated herself from the church and from any contrary advice to her personal opinion.

That is precisely why we need to have the body of Christ. The Word of God is not convenient. It isn't something that is easy to follow and that is precisely why Jesus said that "narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Mt 7:14) Our sin nature rails against the Word. Speaking personally as a man, left unchecked my own desire to fornicate would run rampant. As men, we are tasked to rein in our physical desires by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is not impossible because men do it everyday.

The job of Scripture is to convict us. It is supposed to hurt. Hebrews 4:12 likens Scripture to surgery - it is living and active, sharper than any doubled edged sword it penetrates to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the attitudes and thoughts of the heart. The Word judges us and helps us to see our areas of improvement. It humbles us, but at the same time it strengthens us to become better, living a life of goodness.

We are not to run away from the conviction of God. Yes, we might feel bad and it might be difficult to overcome the specific sin that we are prone to commit, but if we isolate ourselves we are only headed down the path of ultimate destruction. We may feel good that the weight of the struggle is done, but we are no longer walking with the Lord. We will turn to find that we are only walking with ourselves - the voices of wisdom from the Lord have been shut out.

There is one perspective shift that is necessary to make however, and personally I realize that it is quite useful. Traditionally, it has been the church's position that we need to focus on the fight against sin, but I think that makes it a negative thought process. It makes it seems as if we are missing out on something. Instead - I believe we are called to walk in God's path. We must choose to forego sin and to follow Him. We are no longer losing the chance to sin, but we are replacing those actions with righteous behavior and the goodness of the Lord's ways. We have not lost, but we have replaced.

Lord Jesus, I never really knew how twisted our thinking is in our modern world. We stand in direct opposition to You because we desire the easy route where we no longer fight our sin natures, but instead cave in to our personal desires. Sometimes it is a struggle, but let us not consume ourselves with our sins, but instead choose to walk in obedience to You. Let us fill our minds with thoughts of goodness and righteousness and let our behaviors match that intention. Help me to replace any sinful desires with Your good ways. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Letting God Overcome

"And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." (Ex. 14: 13-14)

Israel was scared. They had just come out of a life of subjugation in Egypt and they appeared to be trapped before a sea. Egypt was angry that they had lost their source of slave labor and sought to destroy the nation of Israel with a magnificent army bearing down on a poor and hapless people.

God however, was on the side of Israel. They were His people whom He had promised to shepherd to their new lives in their own nation. In the face of panic, Moses reminded Israel who their true keeper really was.

It is the same for us as Christians when we encounter trials. I walk through life trying to remember the Lord, but most of the time I'm only doing my own thing - working my own agenda. "What do I need to do today?" "I need to do this immediately." "What do I do to fulfill me?" Everything revolves around me.

However, the Lord did not require his children to do anything when they were facing the deadly armies of Egypt. They were simply to obey. Trust and obey.

The doing is in the obedience, not in trying to gain any kind of control over a situation. The Lord has everything absolutely under control. Every day, every moment, is already planned out by Him into its proper place.

Lord Jesus, I am tempted to be my own God most of the time. Consequently, when trials come, I worry about what I need to do to rectify a situation. However, I simply need to ask You for wisdom and it will come. I simply need to trust that You will set every little thing into its proper place and in its proper time. My responsibility is not complicated when I do that. Let me rest in Your peace Father, and know that it has been arranged for the good. Stepping out of Your order will only strain what You have planned. Help me to rest in You today. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Trusting God With The Outcome

“The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)

Today I’m going to be interviewing for a position that seems like a decent opportunity. I have been prepping and I am feeling discomforted by the whole process. I want to do well for sure, but I don’t know if I am really ready. There isn’t more that I can study or prepare, probably just to do some light review, but what is done is done at this point.

What I started to forget is simple Biblical truth in my nervousness and desire to control the outcome. All this stuff – interviewing, trying to present myself well is all good. People should interview, people should try their best to put their best foot forward. However, God is the ultimate employer. He gives to each exactly what should be given at the proper time.

Whom shall I fear? Do I fear the whims and opinion of man? Do I dwell on what they can do to me? It is to my shame that I realize that I am so often concerned about other men’s opinions that I forget that the Lord is my God. The Lord placed me in certain key positions to have a career in accounting. I cannot say how and why it all happened, but it is the truth. I am what I am today because He saw fit to get me into a Big 4 accounting firm. I know for sure that I didn’t do it all on my own (because I didn’t really deserve it), but He did it. He planned it and opened the door accordingly. Whom shall I fear?

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Prov 9:10-11)

Rest in God’s wisdom and His leading. That is the message for today. I may or may not get this position. That is ok. God is in control and He will bring the right thing at the right time. That much is a certainty. I may have career goals and aspirations, but it is God who has veto power and the plan for my life. If I am to be an accounting manager, He will open that door. If I am to be even a police officer, which would be an odd thing since I have no aspirations to do that, He will open that door. It is God that makes men who they are and what they do.

I had tried to make myself “want” this position and to be motivated by the “want”. I realize that isn’t entirely right. To be driven by want and desire is of Satan. Satan wants us to covet and to seek out our own glories. We will then get wrapped up in the seeking, some made bitter by failure and others made haughty by success. Either way, God is pushed out of the picture.
The Lord instead asks us to simply be, to wait, and to trust. He has a plan and we will strive to do our best where we are at, doing the things we can, but ultimately waiting for HIM to clear our paths.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” (Prov 3:5-6)

God is the director. God is the leader. God has our lives completely mapped out in a good way. God works for the good for those who love Him and have been called according to His purposes (Rom 8:28). As a Christian, I have been called. God plucked me out of the depths and darkness of my sins where I was stumbling around in hopelessness, and He gave me life and life more abundantly.

There is very little I can do to “screw up”. God will still be at my side and God will accomplish what His plan is in my life. As long as I remain open to His leading wherever He prompts, I know that to be true. That is the ultimate definition of fear of God over man.

My path is set before me and it is fine. I no longer have the “want” for this interview to be successful – I simply will be and trust in whatever result occurs knowing that God is ultimately in control. If this position is where I should be, the proper door will open. If not, it will close. Neither result is good or bad.

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your message through Your word today. I really didn’t expect to hear from You when I started journaling out of my nervousness, but You are always faithful and eager to grant wisdom to those who ask (James 1:5). For whatever reason, You have chosen to bless me and I am in a good place. Perhaps this interview is the next step, and perhaps it is not. What I desire is Your ultimate result. I can’t screw up because it will go as You planned. So my prayer today is to simply ask to help me do my best as well as I am able. Help me to be energetic, lucid, concise and even interesting. However, the ultimate result is in Your hands as it should be. May Your will always be done in my life and may I always rest in You. Thank You Lord. In the name of my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, AMEN.

The Earth Will Remain the Same

"The Lord by wisdom founded the earth..." (Prov 3:19)

"The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein." (Ps 24:1)

"While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease." (Gen 8:22)

There are many movements today regarding environmentalism and "saving the earth". From the onset, I would like to clarify that I do regard some of the these movements to be quite beneficial to our standard of living, and it is undoubtable that we live in a nicer and cleaner place because of some of these initiatives. Compare our cities to other places in the world, and it is great to have cleaner air to breathe and cleaner streets to walk upon.

However, many of these movements also have a tremendous fear of the earth somehow dying or changing. These fears are packaged into theories with great warnings that we have to urgently spend lots of money on research, or put a tremendous tax burden upon ourselves to change our behaviors. In addition, we hamstring our lives by preventing our country to use some of the natural resources that we do have.

Now, again to clarify, the non-Christians of the world can believe whatever they want. They do not believe in God, and they don't subscribe to the Bible as holy. That is understandable. However, what about Christians? What does the Bible say to us?

Above in the referenced passages, we see that the Lord created the earth from His wisdom. He spoke and the earth was created. In fact, we see that the Lord owns the earth - it is not ours, it is not owned by Satan. The earth is the Lord's and all of us who are in it.

After the flood in Genesis, the Lord also promised that the earth would always function normally. There would be no great changes that would disturb the working of the earth. Consequently, we do not need to fear climate changes. Yes, there will be some fluctuations in the patterns of weather, but we do not need to extrapolate those changes to means that in 20 years we will all die and be underwater. The Lord is in control.

Science is great. We have many great conveniences that are born out of scientific work and they seem to increase in wonder on a daily basis. It is the job of scientists to also have theories of how things work - but until they are proven through consistent experimentation, they are simply theories.

As Christians, we often clash with the theories, but I don't believe we clash with scientific facts. What we have in addition to theories is the word of God and the presence of God. Christians have a relationship with God and know that He is real because He interacts and counsels us. We are never alone. However, He is also our Lord and as our Lord, we follow Him unquestionably. Part of that Lordship is to take His word as truth. For if we do not do that, we would be foolish to say that we believe in the God of the Bible, but we discard the truths of the Bible given by the same God.

At the same time, when confronted with a scientific theory versus a Biblical promise, what do we acknowledge? It must be the Biblical promise. God is bigger than anything we can do to the earth. God is bigger than the universe because He created it all. If the Lord assures us that the earth will function normally, we will be fine. Carbon dioxide or comets falling from the sky - neither of them will change God's promise to regulate this planet for life. That is truth for a Christian and we need to rest in Him always.

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your assurances through Your Word. Man's wisdom can create grand theories borne out of our fears, but You have promised that the earth will be regulated as long as it exists. The date and time for the end of the earth is likewise not in our hands, but in Yours because You own the earth. It is no one's decision to end the earth - not world leaders, not our actions here on earth, and certainly not Satan's. You and You alone will choose the date and time for the end. Father God, thank You that You always do what You promise and that we can rest even as the world around us panics. Let us carry Your peace with us at all times. In Jesus' name, AMEN.