“Please put all your tray tables in the upright position…”

Posted on October 20, 2013 by randscallawayffm

ONE MORE DISASTER.
Part One.

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘I will send just one more disaster on Pharaoh and the land of Egypt. After that, Pharaoh will let you go. In fact, he will be so anxious to get rid of you that he will practically force you to leave the country. Tell all the Israelite men and women to ask their Egyptian neighbors for articles of silver and gold.” Exodus 11, NLT

God is getting His people ready for departure! “Please put all your tray tables in the upright position…” as they say before take-off in the airline industry. They will be leaving their Egyptian neighbors and friends. They will be leaving their bondage, their work. They will be leaving for a new unknown land. They will be required to trust God. Every step of the way.

“(Now the LORD had caused the Egyptians to look favorable on the people of Israel, and Moses was considered a very great man in the land of Egypt. He was respected by Pharaoh’s officials and the Egyptian people alike.)” 

The LORD caused this favor for Moses through all the miracles he performed through him! It is no surprise that the Egyptians have favor mixed with a little reverent fear for this man of God.

“So Moses announced to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the LORD says: About midnight I will pass through Egypt. All the firstborn sons will die in every family in Egypt, from the oldest son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the oldest son of his lowliest slave. Even the firstborn of the animals will die. Then a loud wail will be heard throughout the land of Egypt; there has never been such wailing before, and there never will be again. But among the Israelites it will be so peaceful that not even a dog will bark. Then you will know the the LORD makes a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites.'” Exodus 11, NLT

THEN YOU WILL KNOW that the LORD makes a distinction between the Egyptians and His people. After the miracles God has performed through the plagues that caused destruction to ONLY the Egyptians without causing any harm to His people, you would think that they would know this by now. 

Are WE that stubborn? Does God have to point it out to US over and over before we will know? He knows the difference between whose hearts are completely His.

This part of God’s Story is preparation for the first Passover. The Passover, by the blood of a lamb foretells the future of the blood of THE lamb of God, Jesus Christ. We will take this next part of God’s Story slowly and carefully with much thought and focus, for it IS about God’s saving power for us. Hallelujah! God is great and greatly to be praised. 

AND Jesus is coming back. Are we prepared and ready to leave?

Dear Heavenly Father,
This part of Your Story amazes and moves me. We are eternally grateful for Your saving grace and mercy to us. Words cannot express our gratitude sufficiently. So we will stop and just praise You. In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

DARKNESS – MARCO…POLO! – WHERE ARE YOU?

Posted on October 19, 2013 by randscallawayffm

Have you ever played “Marco…Polo”? This a game where you have to listen for the voice of the one you are pursuing. It can be played while swimming, in the woods where you can hide, or in the darkness of night. You say Marco and the other person must say “Polo” so you can follow the voice until you find them.

The next miracle God performs to show his power is to bring a “deep and terrifying darkness” over the land of the Egyptians but NOT over the land of Goshen where God’s people live.

“During all that time the people scarcely moved, for they could not see. But there was light as usual where the people of Israel lived.” Exodus 10, NLT

There are many in our world who still live in deep, terrifying darkness, afraid to move, afraid of people because of past hurts, afraid of losing jobs, afraid of ________. You can fill in the blank. They call out, but no one in the world is trying to find them. It is not a game of “Marco-Polo” anymore. It is a life lived without Light. Without God.

But there is hope! Call out to God. Seek Him. Listen for His Voice. And You will be found! Immediately.

Pharaoh tries to strike up a compromising bargain with God through Moses. Moses says, no deal. It has to be as the LORD has commanded. All of it.

What is God telling us today? To compromise with the world is to continue to live in darkness with constant, debilitating fear. To fully live in faith and trust in God, without compromise of His commandments, is to live in Light. Will bad things happen? Yes, but living in the Light, we can “see” our way through life’s circumstances.

We cannot be plagued by the darkness if we are truly God’s people.

“‘Get out of here!’ Pharaoh shouted at Moses. ‘Don’t ever let me see you again! The day you do, you will die!’
‘Very well,’ Moses replied. ‘I will never see you again.'”
Exodus 10, NLT

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘I will send just one more disaster…” Exodus 11

Dear Heavenly Father, We have learned about human stubbornness as we have studied Your Word. Today, we resolve to avoid compromising with the “darkness” and stay in the Light of Your Love, Mercy and Grace. When we call out to You, You answer. Every. Time. It is not a game. So, we are grateful for You. We love You. Continue to teach us and grow us!
In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

EVER STEPPED ON A ROACH? YEAH, LOCUST,…KINDA LIKE THAT!

Posted on October 18, 2013 by randscallawayffm

The first house Randy and I bought was a little two bedroom room house in Oklahoma City on the southeast side of town. We paid $7,500 for it! Yes, this was a loooong time ago. But it was a bargain, even then. Our house payment was $70 a month, cheaper than rent, so we bought it. It was a place to start our family.

After moving in with our first newborn daughter, we discovered this house (and the community) had a bad roach problem. I remember well, getting up in the middle of the night, to get a bottle warmed and step on one of these creatures who lurked in the dark, in my kitchen! YUK, there is no worse sound for me than the crunch of a bug under my feet. BARE feet! From then on, I wore slippers.

We had exterminators come. The bugs would pack their bags and go next door until the fumes dissipated, and then come back…with friends! Finally, after three tries, another exterminator came with some “stuff” that he said would do the trick but we must leave for a couple of days. We did. It worked. It was probably an illegal substance. I never asked. He never told. All we wanted was for those pesky varmints to be gone…and they were!

WHY locusts? Maybe a better question is WHY must stubbornness be dealt with in the humanity? Because God is God and we are not! 
It seems He must prove His power over and over to us until we “get it”.

“I have made him and his officials stubborn so I can continue to display my power by performing miraculous signs among them.” –God (Exodus 10)

Yes, the locusts finished eating the last remains of the Egyptian crops that the hailstorm had destroyed. God’s miracle of the locusts swarmed in every crevice of their homes. 

Another point to take to heart, God wants us to tell of His power in His Story to our children and their children and so on…

“You will be able to tell wonderful stories to your children and grandchildren about the marvelous things I am doing among the Egyptians to prove that I am the LORD.” Exodus 10, NLT 

Are we doing this as well as we can? These are not just fun stories to tell on Sunday morning as if it only happens for “Bible time” people, but for us, too! We are to tell of God’s power through His Story. It’s all about HIM.

Pharaoh confesses. “Take away this terrible plague”, he says. “So Moses left Pharaoh and pleaded with the LORD. The LORD responded by sending a strong west wind that blew the locusts out into the Red Sea. Not a single locust remained in all the land of Egypt. but the LORD made Pharaoh stubborn once again, and he did not let the people go.” Exodus 10

When we returned home, we had to deal with all the dead bodies. I wished we would have had a good wind blow our roaches away!

God knows best. Believe it. Follow His lead. He still performs miracles all around us, letting us see His power. We just need to focus and acknowledge them. Yes, God you are God, and I am not.

Dear Heavenly Father, You bring us through so many “disasters” in our lives that show us Your Power, Your will for us, Your Strength and ultimately Your Plan. Open our eyes to see, our ears to hear and our minds, hearts and souls, to take all of You in. Yes, YOU are God, Alone. I believe. I trust in YOU. In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Stubbornness–the greatest plague of all!

Posted on October 17, 2013 by randscallawayffm

“BUT I HAVE LET YOU LIVE FOR THIS REASON”…–GOD

Do you ever ask yourselves, “why am I still here?” My dad, at age 86 says this out loud sometimes as he thinks about this a lot. I have to remind him, often, that God is God and He decides when we are finished and our work is complete. I tell him he has purpose to his family and for God’s church. He is prayer warrior. People who earnestly pray are the most important people you can have in your corner…praying for God’s will for Your best. Yes, as long as we have breath, we will follow the will of our God, declaring HIS glory and power! 

The LORD, God told Moses to go back to Pharaoh with a stronger message to “prove to you that there is no other God like me in all the earth.” God also told Moses to tell this leader that He could have killed him, 

“But I have let you live for this reason–that you might see my power and that my fame might spread throughout the earth. But you are still lording it over my people, and you refuse to let them go. So tomorrow at this time I will send a hailstorm worse than any in all of Egypt’s history.” Exodus 9, NLT 

We must remember and be in awe of our God, the same God who was and is and forever will be, the God who His story is all about in the miracles performed through the plagues. 

Concern is growing among the Egyptians…

“Some of Pharaoh’s officials believed what the LORD said. They immediately brought their livestock and servants in from the fields. But those who had no respect for the word of the LORD left them out in the open.” Exodus 9, NLT

Thought for the day: What is the level of respect that we have for God’s Word? Do we respectfully fear the LORD out of respect for Him? As children should, in a healthy way, to their parents?

Pharaoh admits his faults just to get the hail to stop the destruction. Moses knows Pharaoh’s motives but asks the LORD to stop the hail. God does. When the crisis is over, the stubbornness returns to Pharaoh. “Pharaoh refused to let the people leave, just as the LORD had predicted.” Exodus 9, NLT

Dear Heavenly Father, We repent of our own stubbornness when times are good, to think we are in charge of our surroundings, then You prove we are not. Help us to trust in You in good times and the bad for this is the only way to grow and mature in You. Our desire is to become more and more, in every way, like You and less like our selfish selves. By the power of Your Holy Spirit help us to avoid the syndrome of stubbornness that plagues our mind, heart and souls. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

SOMETIMES IT’S THE SMALL STUFF…

Posted on October 16, 2013 by randscallawayffm

PESKY IRRITATIONS THAT DRIVE US CRAZY!

God intricately created the human being. He knows what the human body can withstand and how our immune systems work. Have you ever had a splinter? Annoying until you remove it. Have you ever had a cut or splinter get infected, causing a boil to form? Think about how troublesome it was and what you had to do to heal. What causes boils? What IS a boil? I looked it up:

There are many causes of boils. Some boils can be caused by an ingrown hair. Others can form as the result of a splinter or other foreign material that has become lodged in the skin. Others boils, such as those of acne, are caused by plugged sweat glands that become infected. Often the exact cause of a boil cannot be determined. (Really? Cannot be determined?)

The skin is an essential part of our immune defense against materials and microbes that are foreign to our body. Any break in the skin, such as a cut or scrape, can develop into an abscess should it become infected with bacteria.

That being stated…God causes boils to form all over the bodies of the Egyptians and their animals! All Moses had to do was throw soot from the furnace into the air to cause this miracle to happen. 

Miracle? you say? Yes, all of the plagues are God’s miracles to show His power and His plan, declaring HIS glory! This irritation was not deadly but annoying…enough to drive them crazy, but not enough to let the Israelite people go. 

“…he (Pharaoh) refused to listen, just as the LORD had predicted.” Exodus 9

God’s Story is about HIM. We will stay focused on that thought as we read about these plagues that are performed by God for the release of His people. Stay tuned!

Thought: What if we thought about OUR story as God’s Story, too? Would our thoughts reach a higher level of thinking? Would we be a more positive thinking people? Would the direction of our lives be different if we knew, without a doubt, that God was in every detail? And would we worry less? Would life be less complicated?

Dear Heavenly Father,
Reading about your miracles in Your Story help us remember that You bring all things together for good to those who love and serve You. Our trust is building. Our faith is stronger because of following this line of thought…that it’s all about You declaring Your glory and power through us. Wow. Keep challenging our thinking, Lord. Do what You have to do to keep us focused on You today.
In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

MAY TRUTH BE FOUND!

Posted on October 15, 2013 by randscallawayffm

BACK TO PHARAOH…

Moses is commanded by God to go back to stubborn Pharaoh to present the same request, “Let My people go and worship Me”. 

As you know, we have a bit of stubbornness in our own country at the moment. “We the People” feel a bit like hostages over the situation. We pray and it seems to get worse. Our elected leaders cannot agree on what is best for us. We, the People cannot agree on what is best for us. Perhaps we need to all turn back to God and see what He thinks? In God we trust? I do.

The next miracle of God is to kill all the Egyptian livestock without the plague even causing the Israelite’s livestock to be ill. Our amazing God! He was and still is and forevermore in control. The same God of Moses is our Almighty God. Believe it! Can we lay down our stubbornness and pick up where we left off with HIS will for our lives? Do we remember Jesus command to help those who are lost FIND Him and to disciple and teach all nations, by His authority given to us, and by His power living in us?

Yes, I think about God as I read HIS Story this morning. These plagues are important to our thinking as we meditate on the Power of our God and what HE wants currently. The plagues were meant to show HIS power not just to pester the Egyptians.

“Pharaoh sent officials to see whether it was true that none of the Israelites’ animals were dead. But even after he found it to be true, his heart remained stubborn. He still refused to let the people go.” Exodus 9, NLT

What is God telling us? Even when Truth is found, we must lay down our stubbornness, and accept it and let it work in us. 

Dear Heavenly Father, We can be as stubborn as Pharaoh at times. Forgive us. Save us from ourselves. We seek Your Truth in all situations and circumstances today. Our desire is to follow where Truth takes us. With so many lies coming at us, help us sort through it all and find YOU. Your Truth. Your Ways. Your purpose.
In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

THERE MIGHT BE FLIES ON SOME OF YOU GUYS, BUT THERE AIN’T NO FLIES ON ME, UH!

Posted on October 14, 2013 by randscallawayffm

As we come to the plague of flies, I am reminded of the old camp chant that got louder and louder. Now, I know where that comes from–the plague of flies!

What is worse than gnats? FLIES! These pesky, little flying annoying creatures were in everything that the Egyptians owned. Swarms of flies filled their homes and covered the ground. Ew. Can you imagine stepping on a carpet of flies. I do NOT like stepping on even one bug and hearing the crunch. “The whole country was thrown into chaos by the flies.” (Exodus 8, NLT)

Imagine the few flies, or even one at a family picnic, while you are trying to eat or talk. ONE is annoying and drives us crazy! But a house full?

As we can imagine, Pharaoh’s mind is blown by the flies! “All right! Go ahead and offer sacrifices to your God,” he said. “but do it here in this land. Don’t go out into the wilderness.”

By God’s hand, there is not ONE fly in the land of Goshen where His people live. Hence, “but there ain’t no flies on me”. Amazing. 

But Pharaoh’s order to Moses, through craziness over the flies, is not good enough. It is a compromise. It does not follow God’s complete command and Moses tells him that, “That won’t do!” Moses stays tough to every command of God, right down to the smallest detail. (Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for that lesson in Your Story, too!) Do not compromise what God has told us to do!

Pharaoh finally gives the go ahead. Moses tells him NOT to change his mind after he prays the flies away. “Not a single fly remained in the land! But Pharaoh hardened his heart again and refused to let the people go.” (Exodus 8, NLT) Ugh.

Dear Heavenly Father, Don’t let us be as stubborn as Pharaoh with You in our lives. Help us to stay strong in the commands You have given to us. Help us live uncompromising when it comes to doing what is right according to Your Word. May we follow You, not giving in, but to do good without growing weary. Help us stand on Your promises. Thank you, LORD.
In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

WHO LEFT THE FRUIT OUT? –PHARAOH

Posted on October 13, 2013 by randscallawayffm
We went on a long weekend to visit relatives. I left a bunch of apples out in a bag on the kitchen floor. We came home to a few gnats. I immediately thought of the apples. Sure enough, there was one apple that had gone bad…”One bad apple don’t spoil the whole bunch, girl” (Everything reminds me of a song, which really annoys my family)…anyway, I got rid of the rotten apple and put the rest in the fridge. I don’t know about you, but I do NOT like gnats. Now, imagine hordes of them in everything you own, on your face, in your eyes, crawling all over you. Ew. Unclean. Nasty.
“This is the finger of God!” said Pharaoh’s magicians. (They could not replicate this miracle.)

“But Pharaoh’s heart remained hard and stubborn. He wouldn’t listen to them, just as the LORD had predicted.” Exodus 8, NLT

WHAT DOES IT TAKE for us to listen to God, Almighty, and turn back to Him, trusting in His ways completely? Our world is made of all of us, working with each other. We all have needs, some greater than others. I wonder if we have become hardened and insensitive by all the heartache, famine, and pestilence that comes at us every day through media? It is as overwhelming as a plague of nasty gnats. It is in our faces, our eyes and noses and we don’t know what to do first. 

This small part of God’s Story, in the process of setting His people free, reminds me that a way to soften our own, overwhelmed hearts is to think of what God wants from us:

“To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8, NIV) One day, one moment, at a time.

Dear LORD, Save us from ourselves. We are overwhelmed with the needs of our world. Help us to remember that You are Creator of all and in all and You are still in charge. You are never overwhelmed. Our complete trust is in You. Help us to listen to You, look around and just go where You send us. Thank You for Your constant reminders, for these thoughts bring peace in our circumstances. In Jesus Name, Amen

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

THE FROGS MAKE PHARAOH A LITTLE JUMPY!

Posted on October 12, 2013 by randscallawayffm

As I read God’s Story of the massive amount of frogs sent to annoy Pharaoh and his people, I am reminded of the story passed around many years ago about the guy who slipped over the edge of the cliff. As he was falling, he yelled a quick pray, “Lord, Save me!” All of a sudden, his fall was stopped as he was caught on a strong root jutting from the mountain. His second prayer was, “Never mind, I’ve got this.” 

Yes, with a similar mindset, Pharaoh begs Moses to take the frogs away. “But when Pharaoh saw that the frogs were gone, he hardened his heart. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had predicted.” Exodus 8, NLT

But WE aren’t like that, are we? After God brings us through a crisis in our lives, we don’t go back to trying to run our lives ourselves…again, do we? This is a time to pause for evaluation of our hearts with the guidance of His Holy Spirit. Do we ask for God’s help only when we think we need it? I don’t know about you, but I need Him every hour….just like the hymn of old.

I am also reminded of the Duck Dynasty episode of Jase and his friends frog hunting at the pond of a country club golf course. “Frogs, the delicacy of the swamp.” I think this plague would have been even too much for him. There’s just so many frogs you can fry up in one day!

Dear Heavenly Father, There is ALWAYS something to think about to correct our lives as we seek to live in obedience to Your will and purpose. Your Story tells us that YOU are still in charge, no matter what and we are not. Help us to live in Your ebb and flow of life, with You directing our thoughts and actions. That’s where Your gift of peace comes from, not from circumstances, but from obeying You. Soften our own hard hearts today. 
In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

YOU’RE GOING TO FIND OUT THAT I AM THE LORD! –GOD

Posted on October 11, 2013 by randscallawayffm

What will it take for the world to know that God is the LORD, the ever lasting, the unchangeable God who loves beyond our wildest dreams, the One who tore down the wall of sin between us with His Son, Jesus, the One and Only God? God’s Word in HIS story this morning jumps out at me, “You are going to find out that I am the LORD.” Exodus 7, NLT

Just as the LORD predicted, Pharaoh’s hard, stubborn heart said no to the first demand to let the Israelites go to worship God. Moses and Aaron said and did exactly what God told them to say and do. Even Pharaoh’s magicians were no match for the miraculous sign of the staff becoming a snake, although they tried.

Can you imagine the magicians first thoughts, “Well, I can do that!” Then when their snakes were swallowed up, “Oh wow, I can’t do that!” Do we try to be God? Do we think we can do the acts of God…without Him? 

Plague One The Blood
“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Pharaoh is very stubborn, and he continues to refuse to let the people go. So go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes down to the river. Stand on the riverbank and meet him there. Be sure to take along the shepherd’s staff that turned into a snake. Say to him ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say, ‘Let my people go, so they can worship me in the wilderness.’ Until now, you have refused to listen to him. Now the LORD says, ‘Your are going to find out that I am the LORD.’ Look! I will hit the water of the Nile with this staff, and the river will turn to blood.” Exodus 7

I are reminded of the Blood of the Lamb as I read this. Many say no this Blood that was shed for us, too. Many are still stubborn and hard hearted, like Pharaoh. Pharaoh thought he had a lot to lose by obeying God, through Moses and Aaron. It’s only just begun.

God still says, “You are going to find out that I am the LORD.” What will he do to help others believe and love him back today? Daily manna for today to think about, isn’t it?

Dear Heavenly Father, We have been stubborn so many times, so we understand Pharaoh a bit. He is powerful for a man. He thinks HE is God. We don’t want to be that way with You. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Do what it takes to help humanity find out that You are LORD. In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment