Catching Up... Ex. 14-20 & Matt. 17-18

Well, it's easy to get behind in life sometimes isn't it? And for any of you joining me in reading through the Bible, don't feel bad when you get behind, it's inevitable. Just catch up if you can, or don't even worry about what you missed (if it's alot) just start up on today's reading and move on. I have been fighting some sinus crud for a couple of weeks and it's gotten the best of me this week. On top of that, as many of you know already, we found out Friday that we're having twins!!! So yeah, wow.....what can you say?! God continues to help me understand that He is in control, not me. But we're very excited. There is a little boy and a little girl in there, so we got a double blessing! Pray for us... :)

Also, today I got to visit an old friend of mine. Heather Barron. I haven't seen her since the funeral of her husband and my friend Michael in June. Heather and Michael let me live with them my first year of seminary for free, which is one of the big reasons I chose Asbury (which is where Michael went as well). God used them in great ways in my life and I am so thankful for their friendship and love. It was great to see Heather today, just like old times - I wish we lived closer...

Anyway, those are my excuses for being a little behind.

There's way too much to cover from all of the Scriptures mentioned in the title of this blog, so I'll summarize, but it's too bad, because it is good stuff! In Exodus, chapters 14-20 take us through all of the plagues God sent on Pharaoh and Egypt to help them recognize His power and glory. Although the Israelites suffer 400 years of slavery, God doesn't forget them. He remembers His covenant and rescues them in an incredible way. Which is why they served Him in complete obedience for the rest of their lives. No, wait - after that miraculous rescue and many awesome works of God, the people continually grumbled to Moses and God as they left Egypt for the promised land. It's so aggravating and hard to believe as you're reading it, but then we take a look at our own lives and realize that we're not much different. I can't imagine how sad we must make God sometimes.

Another cool storyline in the midst of these Exodus chapters is God's provision. He continually provides water, bread (from heaven!), and resistance to the desert. (We'll read later that over the course of all those years in the sun and desert their sandals never failed them!) Once again, we fear for provision in our lives too, but God knows our needs and speaking for our family - He always provides.

Also cool is the Jethro segment where Moses' father in law tells him to train others to help him with his work. I feel Moses. Sometimes I think I'm the only one who can do it (whatever "it" may be) but we have to entrust others and train them to join in on the work to be done.

Lastly in the OT portion we get the Ten Commandments. Too many things to talk about here but...to name a few....what a brilliant list of values; what a simple list; amazing how hard this simple list is to obey; all of this makes Jesus' coming so necessary and once again brilliant. Thank God for His grace and sacrifice and love for us.

Into the NT...once again way too much stuff, but here are the highlights...
-Transfiguration - God's blessing and claim on Jesus - funniness with Peter being a dork
-Jesus predicts His death and resurrection - wow, can you imagine anticipating that?
-Teaching about being humble like children
-Teaching about how to deal with conflict in church - important***
-Teaching on being unforgiving - huge!

Awesome stuff people, check it out.

Busting our Pride - Ex. 9-13 & Matt. 15b - 16

It's amazing how self-centered, self-interested, and self-focused we are. For most of us, we live our lives based on me, or at least we (typically meaning me and my closest friends/family). We figure if we are providing food, shelter, and protection for ourselves and our families that we are good, society-enhancing people. That's how "our world" works isn't it. An often used acronym taught in Marketing is "W.I.I.F.M." - all marketing experts take the customers point of view in order to best do business thinking through - What's In It For Me?! - in order to consider what the business can do to make the customer choose them over the competition.

But throughout the Bible, and especially in today's passages (and yesterday's) God tries to help us understand that it's not all about me. Through many plagues, God helps Pharaoh to recognize that he is not in control. Eventually Pharaoh lets go and let's God's people go. Perhaps you've had (or are currently having) God take your legs out from under you to get your attention.
Maybe you're a little slow (like Pharaoh) and He's had to do it several times to get your attention. I've got some good news/bad news for you. God loves you and desperately wants your attention. If you're lucky (depending on how you look at it) He will continue to "soften you" until you give in. Although that will most likely be painful, at least it will be worth it in the end.

Unfortunately we have skipped some steps in our attempts to make converts to Christianity. We now tell people that:
1. They are sinners
2. They need forgiveness for their sin
3. Jesus died as a sacrifice for their sin
4. If they turn away from their sin they will be forgiven by God and get to go to heaven when they die.

While those things are true they leave one empty. Those things are simply a minmal checklist to get your ticket for heaven stamped. THAT IS NOT WHAT GOD OFFERS IN THE BIBLE.

You see, in today's reading in Matthew 16:24-26 Jesus says, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul?" Did you catch it? Only if we give up our life for God will we find true life. Notice that it doesn't say we will find true death. It's not about what happens after you die, it's about life....now!

If you want an abundant life, you must give up your focus on yourself and focus on studying and living out the type of life that Jesus lived.

Believe me - I'm preaching to myself here as much as to anybody else. It's hard, but it's the only way to find true fulfillment in life and it's the only way to keep from losing your soul. "Is anything worth more than your soul?!"

May we seek a new focus for our lives and truly follow Christ not just talk about it.

Blind Leading the Blind - Ex. 7-8 & Matt. 15:1-20

So Pharaoh continues to have a hard heart and God (through Moses, Aaron, and plagues) continues to soften him. I can't imagine the mixture of faith and fear that Moses and Aaron must've had as they continued to obey God and confront Pharaoh only to have him respond negatively. God forewarned them that He would harden Pharaoh's heart, but still....all the while the Israelites and Pharaoh are getting more and more aggravated with Moses. It's not easy to go against the flow...

Which brings us to the story in Matthew 15 where Jesus, in His usual manner, confronts the religious leaders telling them that they were hypocrites and that they honored God with their lips but not with their hearts. Hilariously His disciples take Jesus aside and say, "Do you realize that you offended the Pharisees?" Ha Ha Ha! Um....yeah, He understood. He simply didn't care because He was too into "tickling ears" but rather transforming hearts.

Which in turn brings me to something I'd like to rant about for a minute. I've been reading an awesome book called "The Divine Conspiracy" by Dallas Willard and it is really changing (or at least reaffirming) my thoughts on being a follower of Christ and making disciples. Dallas Willard, much like Jesus (although much more politically correct) refers to our current church leaders as "blind leading the blind." At least that's how I would summarize his thoughts. For the first half of the book, he teaches on the Sermon on the Mount, then in the second half of the book he teaches about how to truly become a student of Jesus and how to help others truly study and live out that life. The goal he says, is to live your life as Jesus would if He were living your life. Not WWJD, rather how can I do what Jesus would've done in my place, with my gifts, abilities, relationships, etc.

The first thing we have to do is to really decide to be a student of Jesus. I know that's no earth-shattering news. But how many people do you know whose number one priority is studying and living out the Jesus lifestyle? I can count them on one hand. So with regard to ourselves and of course others, who we might hope to make disciples of, we first need to identify what it is that undergirds all of our decisions. Once we have done that (which I don't believe is an easy or a quick process) we must get rid of that and replace it with Jesus. If all this sounds simple, let me just repeat what Mr. Willard says (and I totally agree with): -my paraphrase- Around 1300 years ago the church started making converts in place of disciples and that is what the church on the whole is in the business of doing today. So we make converts in hopes that they become disciples. When in reality these "converts" are only converted to church, not to truly studying and following Christ. So we may only have a handful, if that, of disciples in our churches.

Anyway, I'm obviously rambling, so I'll spare you. But I look forward to more of what God has to say to me and where He leads with these thoughts...they just may save (or ruin, haha) my relationship to the church.

I intend to more truly study and follow Christ.

I Am - Exodus 1-6 & Matt. 14

Today's Scripture readings were so great, because they reinforce the idea that "with God all things are possible." Unfortunately, we need to be reminded of that all too often.

As we enter into the book of Exodus, we see God calling a normal man, a shepherd. Moses is out shepherding one day and he sees the burning bush so he is intrigued. God speaks to him and tells him that He has heard the cry of the Israelites because of the cruelty shown to them by the Egyptians so He has come (in accordance with His covenant) to rescue them. The good news?!?!?! for Moses is that God has chosen to use him to do this!!! Gee...thanks...God. Gulp!

Moses is scared to death and tries several times to make excuses, but it turns out that God is a better arguer, so Moses accepts this mission. God tells him to simply march up to Pharaoh and tell him to let them go into the wilderness to worship God. Riiiight...

A similarly impossible situation occurs in Matthew 14. Jesus has a huge hungry crowd in front of him and his disciples tell Him that He better tell the folks to go take a lunch break. But Jesus has a better?! idea - "You feed them." But Jesus, there are 5,00 men, plus their wives and children, that's alot of tacos... "Feed them." Riiiight....

The answer to the problem both times is "I Am." God tells Moses and Jesus implies to the disciples that He is the answer. Don't hesitate, don't ask questions, don't make excuses....I Am is here.

But God...

How is my family going to make it financially? I Am
How am I going to afford college for three kids? I Am
How are we possibly going to reach our neighborhood for you? I Am
How can we help all of these homeless people? I Am
What about global warming? I Am
What about the war? I Am
What about....

"Be still and know that I am God...." Psalm 46:10