November 8

Apparently I forgot or misplaced this week’s devotional thought.



November 1

I had a thought this week.  It has nothing to do with the service on Sunday.  But it is about the verse where Jesus promises that he will be with us even when two or three are gathered in his name.  Before when I have read that verse, I thought it was great that Jesus would be present when we gather. (Matt 18:20)  But when his is with us, he is not just present but also worshiping and praying and interceding with us.  He is not an observer standing in the corner, he is down on his knees with us praying with and over us.  That is even a greater thought.


October 25

Lifestyle changes are not easy to do.  After living for years one way, to give it up and adopt to a new way of life is very difficult.  But that is what God called the children of Israel to do.  They needed to change who they were and whose they were.  They were slaves to the Egyptians.  As slaves they had to do what their master told them to do.  Now at Mt. Sinai, they are now a freed and redeemed people who were serving a new master, God himself.  And so they need new rules to follow.  And as stated in my message he only gave them two major rules.  Put me (God) first and to look out for those around you in a loving way.  And while they were expanded on here (and in the following chapters and books of the Bible), they are worded this way in Deuteronomy.  These rules have not changed in the 3500+ years since then for God’s followers.  We are to put God first in everything to do and to love our neighbors as ourselves.  And this needs a permanent lifestyle change not so quickie diet.



October 17

Flying our banner as we fight the battles here on earth is an important component to victory.  But we need to remember that “we do not battle primarily against people who want to cheat us, affect our political system in ways we disagree with, or who want to put shows on television [or in our schools] that shouldn’t be there.” (Enns commentary on Exodus pg 361)  “Our battle is truly spiritual, and it occurs in the many situations we encounter every day that vie for our attention and attempt to make us less fit for heaven . . . The battle is all around us, and it is waged in many unexpected and barely perceptible ways: the friendships we keep, fear of the future, the words we use with our spouses and children that show our self-centeredness, our avoidance of prayer, the corruption of simple pleasures that God has given us and so forth.  In other words, the battle does not concern the grand, obvious things that we sometimes think of: the direction our country is headed in or the state of the church at large. (pg 361)



October 11

Paul says in Philippians 4:19, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”  This was true back in the days of the wilderness wanderings after the exodus from Egypt.  And it is still true today.  But like the Israelites we sometimes forget this wonderful promise and complain and grumble like they did.  But there is no need to do that God already knows what we need before we even ask him (Matt 6:8).  This should encourage us to leave it in the Lord’s hands.  But, if you are anything like me, this is easier said than done.  However, it is a good reminder about how God loves us and takes care of us, even to our most basic needs (like water and food).  A good lesson from Exodus!



October 4

Much of the sermon this last week was about the location of Mt. Sinai and where the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea.  But while the place where Mt. Sinai and the crossing is in doubt for the most part, the fact that God did part the waters of the Red Sea for the Israelites to pass through on dry ground is not in doubt.  This was the hand of God reaching down at that point in history, at a particular place, with his people and performed one of the most famous miracles of all times.  It happened.  And even if we do not know the when and where, does not negate the fact that it did happen.  And as we learned, God sometimes brings us to the point in our lives where he will part the waters for us figuratively to bring deliverance in our lives.  He can and he does.  No doubt about it.



September 27

Fall is officially here.  And with it pumpkins, apple cider, leaves changing color and cooler weather.  It is a wonderful time to see God at work.  Imagine a God with the power to change each individual leaf on each individual tree to it’s own unique color.  I am not saying that this is the way God does it, but I know he has the power to do it this way.  After all, he knows ever star in the sky (Ps 147:4) and every hair on our head (Matt 10:30) and every sand on the seashore (Gen 22:17).  So just a few leaves are nothing to him.  Oh praise the greatness of our God (Deut 32:3)



September 20

The devotional Our Daily Bread had a good example of seizing opportunities to display God’s power to the world on Sept 19th.  I did not read it in time for it to be included in my sermon but let me copy it here for you in this post.  It is based in the verse from 2 Cor 2:15, “We are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.”
“I knew a rancher who lived near Lometa, Texas.  His two grandsons were my best friends. We would go into town with him and follow him around while he shopped and chatted with the folks he knew. He knew them all by name and he knew their stories. He’d stop here and there and ask about a sick child or a difficult marriage, and he’d offer a word of encouragement or two. He would share Scripture and pray if it seemed the right thing to do.  I’ll never forget the man. He was something special. He didn’t force his faith on anyone, but he always seemed to leave it behind. 
The elderly rancher had about him what Paul would call the sweet “aroma of Christ”. God used him to “spread the aroma of the knowledge of [Christ]”  He’s gone to be with God now, but his fragrance lingers on in Lometa.
C.S. Lewis wrote, “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked with a mere mortal.”  Put another way, every human contact has eternal consequences. Every day we have opportunities to make a difference in the lives of people around us through the quiet witness of a faithful and gentle life or through encouraging words to a weary soul. Never underestimate the effect a Christlike life can have on others.”
 
A good word from Our Daily Bread. https://odb.org/US/2021/09/18/a-sweet-aroma
 


September 13

God promises us deliverance throughout the Bible not just in the Exodus passages we read during Sunday’s sermon.  Here are a few more that you can depend upon for God keeping his promises. 
  Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
  James 4:7, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
  Psalm 34:4, “I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”
  Psalm 34:17, “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.”
  Isaiah 43:19, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
  And finally Psalm 91 (the entire chapter) has much to say about a God who rescues and delivers us.  I hope that these verses will encourage you this week as we see how God promises us deliverance.


September 6

Well we are in the month of September.  Fall is just around the corner and the winter months are just ahead.  This time of year reminds me of times in my life that are dry and barren.  The green of spring and summer dry of the leaves and caused them to fall off the tree as if they were dead.  We all go through times in our lives when hope fades, difficult times start, and things look lost.  But just like the seasons, God brings us through those times of deadness and dryness into new birth again.  But how does God do this in our lives.  This is what we are going to dwell on in this next sermon series on a way through the wilderness and see what God does during this time.   And just as the first couple of chapters in Exodus show us, many times God starts out behind the scene.  But that does not mean he is not there.  He is just starting to call people who will help us get through the wilderness.