Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

CAMP RULES!

Posted on December 2, 2024 by randscallawayffm

If you have ever been camping, gone to church camp, or just visited campgrounds for a day to picnic; you know there are rules that are posted for the good and protection of all who come to camp. The rules might seem odd to people who have never set up tents or RV’s at a campsite so they can live in the “great outdoors” for awhile. Randy and I took our kids camping many times in their younger years. We know what it is like to “set up and tear down” camp. We also became accustomed to not only knowing the camp rules but behaving with camp etiquette. The mantra of camp our kids were taught was, “Always leave the campsite better than the way you found it.”

Later in life we would direct church camps of all ages. We were direct and lovingly firm as we taught the campers how to behave with respect for each other’s belongings and bunk area, how to clean up after themselves while helping others, and to leave the rented campgrounds “better than the way we found it.” It was easy to see how some kids had everything done for them at home and others knew exactly the tasks to be done and did it without thinking or complaining. When a dispute at camp occurred; all involved were to come to their Counselor or the Camp Director for resolution. No one was to take the matter in their own hands.

Moses is Camp Director along with his faithful brother who is his back up Counselor for hundreds of “campers” in the desert as they journey to the promised land. After the Ten non-negotiable commandments were given to the campers by God, Himself, the nitty gritty details, occurring when any group of people gather to live in harmony with each other, were explained. This camp of people were former slaves of the Egyptians. The culture they came from was difficult and not their own. God is helping them through Moses to learn a new way of life where brutality will be banned. The “camp rules” God is giving will seem extremely odd to us today because we are not living as they did with the challenges they had to deal with. We have our own challenges with rules and addendums to the rules!

From the descriptions of these new rules; we can readily see and now understand the form of disputes Moses was judging back in Exodus 18 when his father-in-law intervened with the wisdom to form a judging team! We must not get bogged down by the intense detail of the laws with explicit ways to punish; but instead go deeper in our understanding of who God is as He is providing ways to deter sins that dishonor, maim, and/or kill people who He loves! God’s goal is to protect His campers for their own good and for His glory. God is God and no one else. The campers are beginning to know and live this truth.

Exodus 21

“These are the laws you are to set before them:

Hebrew Servants

²“If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything. ³If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him. ⁴If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.

⁵“But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ ⁶then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.

⁷“If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as male servants do. ⁸If she does not please the master who has selected her for himself, he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has broken faith with her. ⁹If he selects her for his son, he must grant her the rights of a daughter. ¹⁰If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights. ¹¹If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money.

Personal Injuries

¹²“Anyone who strikes a person with a fatal blow is to be put to death. ¹³However, if it is not done intentionally, but God lets it happen, they are to flee to a place I will designate. ¹⁴But if anyone schemes and kills someone deliberately, that person is to be taken from my altar and put to death.

¹⁵“Anyone who attacks their father or mother is to be put to death.

¹⁶“Anyone who kidnaps someone is to be put to death, whether the victim has been sold or is still in the kidnapper’s possession.

¹⁷“Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.

¹⁸“If people quarrel and one person hits another with a stone or with their fist and the victim does not die but is confined to bed, ¹⁹the one who struck the blow will not be held liable if the other can get up and walk around outside with a staff; however, the guilty party must pay the injured person for any loss of time and see that the victim is completely healed.

²⁰“Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies as a direct result, ²¹but they are not to be punished if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their property.

²²“If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. ²³But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, ²⁴eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, ²⁵burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

²⁶“An owner who hits a male or female slave in the eye and destroys it must let the slave go free to compensate for the eye. ²⁷And an owner who knocks out the tooth of a male or female slave must let the slave go free to compensate for the tooth.

²⁸“If a bull gores a man or woman to death, the bull is to be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible. ²⁹If, however, the bull has had the habit of goring and the owner has been warned but has not kept it penned up and it kills a man or woman, the bull is to be stoned and its owner also is to be put to death. ³⁰However, if payment is demanded, the owner may redeem his life by the payment of whatever is demanded. ³¹This law also applies if the bull gores a son or daughter. ³²If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull is to be stoned to death.

³³“If anyone uncovers a pit or digs one and fails to cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it, ³⁴the one who opened the pit must pay the owner for the loss and take the dead animal in exchange.

³⁵“If anyone’s bull injures someone else’s bull and it dies, the two parties are to sell the live one and divide both the money and the dead animal equally. ³⁶However, if it was known that the bull had the habit of goring, yet the owner did not keep it penned up, the owner must pay, animal for animal, and take the dead animal in exchange.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Obedience shows our love for God who knows exactly what we need with how to live for Him in ways that show love and honor to Him and to each other.

These camp rules are only the beginning of how the Ten Commandments will be interpreted in daily living. After giving the Ten Commandments, God showed his people how to apply them in everyday matters. Chapter 21 begins the discussion about worship, the care of servants and those physically injured, slaves, thieves, property, and morality. God provides guidelines for his people so their moral life will be pleasing to him. Holiness doesn’t seek to be odd. Holiness seeks to be like God.

Jesus came to earth later to go over these laws of love and honor again. He taught us exactly how to think and behave more like God intended. Jesus reminds all of us then and now that all the Laws hangs on the two most important commands—Love God; Love Others. Hold that thought throughout our study! Meditate on how we can love each other like God loves us—without conditions!

Paul, a devout Jew when Jesus walked the earth, did not believe what Jesus said made it his life’s goal to rid the world of all who believed in Jesus—until that day after Jesus died and rose again and appeared to then Saul with this transforming indictment of his behavior; “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” That day, Paul not only received name change but a heart transplant. His encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damacus with orders to maim and kill more believers in hand was blinded from the Law he had learned from childhood to adulthood and given sight to see the Law of Love which translate all the Laws!

Paul’s former enemies became his rescuers and mentors sent by God to help Paul really know Christ (Philippians 3:10) for who He was and was sent to do—save us and set us free from all our sins! Paul no longer used and abused the Law he knew so well to hate, maim and imprison believers. Paul now knew Jesus, Son of God, the one who came to not only fulfill the Law, but to teach the intent of the God’s Law and deliver salvation from sin by his death and resurrection! All accomplished, as the scriptures foretold, so that mankind could have a new, right and holy relationship with our God, our Creator and Father in Heaven!

Paul, transformed by Jesus, gave his whole being to Jesus who saved him. He preaches the words of Jesus to “campers” everywhere who have formed churches of people groups who love Jesus. Paul wrote without haste to those people groups who were beginning to quarrel with each other, as humans will do, just as they did in the days of Moses. Here are some of Paul’s holy advice to us today:

1 Thessalonians 4:11–12: “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”

Why? A peace-filled life leads nonbelievers to respect believers. People are watching the way we act more than they are listening to what we say. The way we respond to adversity, unfairness of others, disrespect, and other evil ways will show others readily who we truly believe and follow. Yes, our behaviors will indeed reflect who or what we really, truly believe. “Camp” on these thoughts with prayerful reflection.

Lord,

Thank you for these thoughts that transform my thinking and cause me to be more compelled to follow what you say! Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, transform by responsive behaviors, refresh my soul, and restore the joy and peace that comes from knowing and following you.

In Jesus Name, for our good and Your glory, Amen

Thank You, Lord.

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THE NON-NEGOTIABLES

Posted on December 1, 2024 by randscallawayffm

“Look over contracts and read them carefully because there could be a hidden agenda you will not or cannot abide by later.” This was the advice of my practical, law-abiding, believers in Jesus, mom and dad. Every contract has specific stipulations, rules to follow, along with how each party will live up to their commitment. Contracts are signed and notarized in front of witnesses to make it official and binding. Contracts are serious business! Contracts are promises to do what the contract says or the committed signers will be in violation of the covenant between them. What we fail to remember at times is the contract is meant to protect both parties from being wronged by one or the other.

God gave His People a contract with ten non-negotiables to adhere to for their good and His glory. The binding contract of commandments begin with who He is and how He must be honored as the one and only God in a culture of many gods made of metal and stone. With each command, God provides clarity with an explanation. This is God, Himself, speaking the commands! Observe how His people will respond.

Exodus 20

The Ten Commandments

20 And God spoke all these words:

²“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

³“You shall have no other gods before me.

⁴“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

⁷“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

⁸“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. ¹¹For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

¹²“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

¹³“You shall not murder.

¹⁴“You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵“You shall not steal.

¹⁶“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

¹⁷“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

¹⁸When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance ¹⁹and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”

²⁰Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”

²¹The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

Idols and Altars

²²Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven: ²³Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.

²⁴“‘Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. ²⁵If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it. ²⁶And do not go up to my altar on steps, or your private parts may be exposed.’

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

These Ten Commandments are generally the foundation upon which all the laws of our land are based. But as with all contracts; there will be the rebellious who will tirelessly look for loopholes while trying to get what they want. We will soon learn that the Moses culture will be no different than it is today; for “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” in abiding by the non-negotiable commands. The root cause is self.

God’s Perspective

The Ten are clear guidelines for God’s people to follow so that their relationship with him and with others would be healthy and strong. God does not watch and wait for us to slip and fall so He can punish us. God’s delight is in helping us with all the details of our lives as we seek Him. God’s character is that of a good, loving Father who gives us guidelines to live by for our protection and our good. If we do this, says God, all will go well for us. This is God’s way of thinking. Seek God and His wisdom and you’ll find out how He thinks!

Know God. Trust God. Obey God.

Believe in God’s Son Jesus who came to earth to save us from our sins while guiding us back to God’s true intention of the Law, expanding our thinking about abiding by the Law as He fulfilled every aspect of the Law. “You have heard it say, but I say to you…” says Jesus to begin the next lesson of many. Jesus spent a great deal of time preaching on a mountainside using the Ten Commandments as a reference point to transform the thinking of believers. Read Matther 5-7 alongside Exodus and you will see how Jesus explained the Law He came to fulfill and why!

With each explanation followed with examples; Jesus shows how and why we should obey the Law. Jesus expands our minds; which was mind blowing to his listeners on the mountain that day! Jesus, as a Servant, teaches us how to serve when obeying the Law. Don’t stop with simple adherence, doing only what is necessary; show the love of God in you when you are given opportunity to go beyond what the Law requires. The non-negotiables become as way to show who God is to others who do not know Him!

It’s not about you. It’s not about me. It’s all about God. God’s goal becomes our purpose: To become more like Jesus in every way. Jesus sought God often for direction and guidance. Learn to do the same! Jesus gave knowledge and understanding that caused most to say, “We’ve never heard teaching like this!” This is not surprising as there is no one like Our God who sent Jesus, His Son to save us and set us free!

In C. S. Lewis’s book, “Yours, Jack: Spiritual Direction from C. S. Lewis,” he wrote, “Obedience is the key to all doors.” Don’t think for a second that you can heed the wrong voice, make the wrong choice, and escape the consequences. At the same time, obedience leads to a waterfall of goodness not just for you but for your children, your children’s children, your great-grandchildren, and the children of a thousand generations in the future. See the promise in verse 6! This is a non-negotiable with God, too! God’s promises are true and will not be broken, changed, or cast aside by Him. God cannot lie. What He says—He will do! Signed, sealed, and delivered by Jesus Christ, His Son. Believe it and live it! Our behaviors will reflect who we believe.

Lord,

Thank you, Jesus for saving my soul and making me whole. Thank you for teaching me a way to live that not only pleases you but is full of wisdom and spiritual health for us. Thank you for the Help or Your Holy Spirit as our live-in Counselor that guides our steps and tenders our words with your love.

In Jesus Name, For Your glory and our good, Amen

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ONLY GOD IS PERFECTLY HOLY!

Posted on November 30, 2024 by randscallawayffm

“Look, mommy, there’s church!” The toddler shouted this proclamation while sitting in his parent’s grocery cart at the store. He had just spotted my husband, his pastor and good buddy from across the aisles. Randy represented “church” to him so that was his first word for him. Most often, Randy was the first person he would see each Sunday at church his parents. It made perfect sense to the toddler to call him church.

This couple began coming to our church because of our friendship as teachers in the public schools where we taught together. We knew them before they were married. In fact, I introduced them to each other with thoughts that they would be good for each other. It wasn’t long until they agreed. Later, Randy would perform their marriage ceremony!

Later we would share in the joy of welcoming their first child, a son. We, along with the rest of the church, became a significant part of this toddler’s journey since his birth. Randy dedicated the baby in arms in front of the congregation while the parents declared publicly their dedication to raising their son to love and believe in Jesus and follow God’s ways of living. Child dedications are holy and pleasing to the Lord. These events in the church are significantly meaningful to the congregation as we set apart special days dedicated to God seeking God’s blessings over us. God never disappoints! Set apart days, holy and pleasing to God. Holy, set apart days of celebration for all God has done encourages all who believe and want to pay tribute to our Provider, Healer, Protector, Savior and Lord of our lives.

God is the Designer of holy, set apart days for His created and hold a special purpose in our lives of believing and following Him. Holy days are for our good and God’s glory!

Exodus 19

At Mount Sinai

On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt—on that very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai. ²After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.

³Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ⁴‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. ⁵Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, ⁶you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

⁷So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. ⁸The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.

⁹The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.

¹⁰And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes ¹¹and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. ¹²Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death. ¹³They are to be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on them. No person or animal shall be permitted to live.’ Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”

¹⁴After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes. ¹⁵Then he said to the people, “Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain from sexual relations.”

¹⁶On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. ¹⁷Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. ¹⁸Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. ¹⁹As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.

²⁰The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up ²¹and the Lord said to him, “Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the Lord and many of them perish. ²²Even the priests, who approach the Lord, must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will break out against them.”

²³Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, ‘Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’”

²⁴The Lord replied, “Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them.”

²⁵So Moses went down to the people and told them.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“Be ready for the third day”—

God is coming down from His throne in heaven to speak so all will be able to hear Him. Moses is to tell the people to get ready by washing off the daily dust of the desert, stopping their daily tasks, as ways to get ready to hear what He has to say. God will appear to them on the third day.

I am reminded how Jesus, centuries later, would prepare his disciples for the “third day” when He would defeat death in resurrection power and come back alive, scars and all! Jesus, who is “God in the flesh” who came down and is also called Emmanuel, “God with us” explains how He will save us:

“Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.” –Jesus, Luke 18:31-33

This is way we celebrate Christmas—the holy birth of Jesus, “God with us”, God who came down in the flesh to live among us! This is also why we set apart and celebrate Resurrection Sunday (Easter)—the Third Day rising from death to life that assures our Hope of resurrection by believing in Jesus who paid for our sins in full! A life who gives us Life forever! The bodily resurrection is central to the gospel message. “… and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” affirms the bodily resurrection, not a “spiritual” resurrection (1 Cor 15:4). The bodily resurrection gives hope beyond this life.

Praise to God for Our Living Hope!

Peter really is the one who was called “church”! Simon, a disciple of Jesus who learned the power of forgiveness first hand, many times through humbled repentance, and was renamed by Jesus to be Peter “the rock upon whom My church would be built” explains—

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3-9

Believers! Get ready and stay ready for the return of Jesus! He is coming back, you know! All these holy set apart days lead to the return of Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords! We cannot forget that Jesus is with God as God proclaims who He is to Moses, Aaron and to all the “sons and daughters of Jacob”—the lineage from whom Jesus Christ will be born.

God is amazing! His thoughts will always be higher than our thoughts! His Plan to save us was put in place at the beginning of time when He created mankind “in His own image.” Even though this might be hard to wrap our minds around; we can still cling to the Hope, by faith, given to us by God’s Plan as our firm foundation for Life eternal.

How do we get ready to meet God today?

What is our simple response to being set apart for God?

Paul explains the first steps to the church:

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” Romans 12:1-2, MSG

Lord,

I am yours. I give my life, all of it, to you as an offering again today. Only you can make me holy. Only you can cleanse my heart completely. Only you can change and renew my mind. Only you can help me transform by behaviors for my good and your glory. Only you can refresh my soul with your new mercies each morning. Only you can fill me with your joy and peace, not like the world’s happiness which is fickle and temporary, but with pure joy of your salvation at work continuously with me! Yes, it’s all about you in me and me in you—attached for Life! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

“The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.”

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LISTEN TO WISE ADVICE AS IF YOUR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT!

Posted on November 29, 2024 by randscallawayffm

“The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.” Proverbs 27:9

The Bible places great importance on seeking and following wise counsel. God often uses others to direct our paths, and He encourages us to seek wisdom in our decisions. Wisdom from others, especially from those grounded in faith, helps us make better choices and align our actions with God’s plan.

There was a moment, for such a time in my former life, when I accepted the call of God to leave my public school teaching career for another work that I knew would be beyond my abilities, wisdom, and capabilities. But by faith I knew in my heart that if God was leading; God would provide all He knew I would need. If not for God’s intervention in those who also saw His call upon me; I could not have accepted the work before me. In the beginning the work did not have a specific “job description” as the work was forming around who I was as one passionate to “go and make disciples, teaching them to follow Jesus” as a national leader. I had been a volunteer locally, on a state level, and national level while employed as a school teacher. I stepped into a role, led by God, but needed wise advice as the work began to overwhelm me. And God provided.

I was sitting alone one day, thinking about all the tasks added by others to the work God called me to be and do. The work had been accomplished by more than one person; but now their responsibilities, through “downsizing” had been put on my plate. So there I sat on the couch in the lobby with tears in my eyes asking God for help. I was so engrossed in my prayerful overthinking that I didn’t hear others pass by. Suddenly I felt someone quietly sit beside me, put his arm on my shoulder, and said, “The work given to you by others is too much for you. It is not your fault for this dumping; but it is an opportunity given to you to see what God will do in and through you.” This wise man of God gave me more than enough from God’s heart to my soul to encourage me in my new leadership role. God will do what He has called us to do and will equip us along the way. But God will also give us wise counsel by others who have walked the road you are beginning to walk.

“You cannot do this work alone.” This is the most simple but profound advice ever given and God’s Called must listen and heed this counsel. For me, I had been taught a transformational, teambuilding style of leadership at my university while obtaining a masters on this very topic; but now God, through the counsel of my mentor was reminding me to use what I was taught and watch God expand the knowledge! Learn it, Teach it, live it, and apply it was my new goal given by God! I listened and I heard! I wiped away the tears and got to work!

Almost immediately, God would send me all kinds of people as I began form teams to accomplish what He called me to do. God was, is, and always will be amazing! As I look back on that 13-year experience; I learned that breaking the work into “bite size” pieces, forming teams of godly, passionate people ready and willing with their God-given gifts to accomplish each “bite”, would be vital in part and be equal to the overall mission of “going out and teaching disciples of Jesus”. Because…Isn’t that what Jesus did first after going to God for counsel—Form a team? Why, yes, He did! Who are we not to do what Jesus taught us to do? We cannot do God’s work alone.

Exodus 18

Jethro Visits Moses

Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.

²After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received her ³and her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”; ⁴and the other was named Eliezer, for he said, “My father’s God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

⁵Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain of God. ⁶Jethro had sent word to him, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”

⁷So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent. ⁸Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved them.

⁹Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. ¹⁰He said, “Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. ¹¹Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.” ¹²Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.

¹³The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. ¹⁴When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”

¹⁵Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. ¹⁶Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”

¹⁷Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. ¹⁸You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. ¹⁹Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. ²⁰Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. ²¹But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. ²²Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. ²³If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”

²⁴Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. ²⁵He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. ²⁶They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.

²⁷Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life.” Proverbs 19:20

“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” Proverbs 16:9

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

What if we continue to do God’s work alone? What are the dangers?

We become boastful and full of pride which changes our heart’s motivation for doing GOD’S work from a heart for God to a “ME” heart. What we do becomes “MEnistry” of serving ourselves instead of the God-driven ministry to serve others while pleasing God.
We do or manage all the tasks for the praise of others. The praise of others becomes our food for survival which will become a slow poison for our souls.
We stop taking the advice of wise counsel and lean only on our own understanding and perceptions.
We become depressed, tired, and irritable. It takes a lot of energy to be in constant control.
We begin to believe that no one else will do it, so we do it. Recruiting and training others seems too much work so we cease doing it which results less teambuilding which becomes a downward spiral to more depression.
We “can’t even” when so many miss the mark or fail to know the goal of the mission. Whose fault is that?
We overthink, refusing to let go of tasks others can do, feeling we are the “only one” who knows how to do it. And…whose fault is that?
We begin to criticize faithful teams who are doing the task but not in the way we think it should be done. Gossip creeps in to destroy morale.
We become arrogant, offensive, and a leader others run from! And whose fault is that?
We blame others because of our lack of loving, teaching, and encouraging.

“What sorrow awaits my rebellious children, says the Lord. ‘You make plans that are contrary to mine. You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins.’” Isaiah 30:1

“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.” Psalm 1:1

“Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.” Proverbs 13:20

“Don’t do as the wicked do, and don’t follow the path of evildoers. Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way. Turn away and keep moving.” Proverbs 4:14-15

SEEK COUNSEL WHEN MAKING TOUGH DECISIONS—GOD WILL HELP US!

When we face significant life decisions, seeking wise counsel is crucial. God knows that and has already prepared just the right person at the right time for us. The Bible encourages us to ask for advice from trusted sources, ensuring that our choices are aligned with God’s will and purpose for us. Decisions made with wise counsel can bring peace and clarity.

“Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.” Proverbs 15:22
“Plans succeed through good counsel; don’t go to war without wise advice.” Proverbs 20:18 (God will teach us to “choose our battles”.)
“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?”—Jesus, Luke 14:28

All this to say: We cannot do this alone. That’s not what God intended for us. God is not a taskmaster—He is a load lifter! Jesus, God’s Son, who knows taught us:

^“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”—Jesus, Matthew 11:28-30 ESV

Lord,

Thank you for this lesson for your called out leaders. You call, You send, You equip during the entire process of “going and telling, teaching and baptizing” in Your Name for Your glory! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

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MOSES, WE’RE DYING OUT HERE!

Posted on November 28, 2024 by randscallawayffm

“I’m not at maximum comfort!” shouted a voice from the backseat. We had just returned to the car, started the engine, with the air conditioning running. But because the car was not cold in nanoseconds; she felt the need tell her driver the problem—loudly. Our young daughter had learned to read the words under the buttons of our vehicle’s climate controls and felt something needed to be done and be done now to cool her warm body. The other two of our three children chimed in with, “We’re dying of heat and we’re thirsty, too!” I laughing now, but back then, I was hot and bothered by their whine!

I think of this moment in my memories of raising kids as I read the next passage. God’s kids are, well, kids in their growing faith God, their Provider all they need on their journey in the desert. God has freed His people from Egyptian slavery with Moses, Aaron with sister Mirium as the worship leader leading them. God’s kids are fed manna in the morning and quail meat at night. Every day. But now they cry out; “we’re dying of thirst, Moses, what are you going to do about it?” We can hear the grumbly whine of their voices. But wait, don’t judge too quickly. We, too, are a grateful, loving-God-back-people, until we are not a maximum comfort in our lives, right?! God proves daily that He is indeed with us and sees all we need—most times before we know what we need!

Exodus 17

Water From the Rock

The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. ²So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”

Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?”

³But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”

⁴Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”

⁵The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. ⁶I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. ⁷And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

The Amalekites Defeated

⁸The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. ⁹Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”

¹⁰So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. ¹¹As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. ¹²When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. ¹³So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

¹⁴Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.”

¹⁵Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. ¹⁶He said, “Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“He looked beyond my faults and saw my need.” This line from an old hymn comes to mind as I think about how whiny we are as believers of God. We are spoiled by His goodness, provisions, help in times of trouble, peace in the middle of the storms, along with consistent rescue from our failures, sins, and shortcomings. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” writes Paul, the Apostle who helped church groups all over the region know God for who He is and what He has done to save us. Paul taught that we must repent in Jesus Name for our whiny, grumbling words and subsequent sinful behaviors that break God’s heart—within and beyond the church.

But God—God never gave up on His people then and He doesn’t give up on us now. He looks beyond our faults as imperfect humans and gave us His Perfect Son to save us with perfect forgiveness for our sins that separate us from Him. There is no one like our God!

If on this day you are looking for something to be grateful for to God—this is it! Salvation came at a cost; but God thought you and I and everyone else in the world was worth the cost.

We need each other and God knows that, too. We need to hold up the arms of our tired leaders dedicated and anointed by God to do what He says for our good and God’s glory! How precious is the act of the elders who held up the arms of Moses until Joshua, led by God, defeated the enemy! Moses was certainly not at “maximum comfort” in this effort; so God provided helpers until the battle was won. Let that sink in…

Lord,

Thank you for saving our souls, making us whole, teaching us your ways, picking us up when we fall, while looking beyond our faults to give us Jesus. Thank you, Jesus for all you did to set me free. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Amazing grace shall always be my song of praise
For it was grace that brought my Liberty
I’ll never know just why he came to love me so

… He looked beyond my faults and saw all my needs
I shall forever lift my eyes to Calvary
To view the cross where Jesus died for me
And how marvelous the grace that caught my falling soul
He looked beyond my faults and saw all my needs

… I shall forever lift my eyes to Calvary
To view the cross where Jesus died for me
And how marvelous the grace that caught my falling soul
He looked beyond my faults and saw all my needs

(Songwriters: Dottie Rambo; He Looked Beyond My Fault lyrics © Designer Music, New Spring Publishing, Inc., Tomorrowland Music)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bible, Exodus, Faith, God, Moses | Leave a comment

PROVISION

Posted on November 27, 2024 by randscallawayffm

Long ago in a faraway time, traveling in the sixties, was different for me and family. No, we didn’t travel by stagecoach, but a cramped compact car, loaded to the max with clothes to wear and food to eat from the old Coleman ice chest. Mom carefully planned and rationed out each day’s food as an allotment to us so that we would not go hungry on the trip. Traveling west from Oklahoma through Texas panhandle, New Mexico mountains, enduring the heat of the Arizona desert we finally made it to our destination—California! This journey tested mom’s abilities to provide—but she did it! Eating out was not only too expensive for the budget our parents laid out; but restaurants were not that plentiful. We were blessed to find enough opened gas stations along the way so we could relieve ourselves and get enough fuel for the next part of the journey. I remember my mom and dad never failed to give God thanks for each meal and for providing “traveling mercies” at each stop. It is important to realize who provides and to whom we give all our praise!

The Israelites didn’t get out that much for they had spent over 400 years in slavery, at the mercy of Egyptian slave drivers who told them what to think and how to work. They barely survived each day with these horrible working conditions. Their work never satisfied their “bosses” who demanded more and more of them. God heard their cries and saw their need and brought them out from slavery to freedom. But now, there are different needs like finding water to drink on their desert journey. But instead of asking God, they grumbled sarcastically first— (like teenagers on a long trip to California!) How do I know? I was one. Sometimes, I still grumble when perplexed, which hinders my praise.

After God’s provision of water; now God’s Chosen and set free are hungry. After traveling for over a month, the food supply for hundreds of people has run dry. But instead of asking God, they grumble first to their leaders, bypassing God altogether. (We don’t do that, do we?) Mm, let’s be honest. We grumble as if God is deaf and blind to our hearts. How silly and sinful we are to think that God, Our Father cannot hear us, see us, and know exactly what we need when we need it! How utterly sinful is to think God will not provide as He guides us through the desert places of our lives until we arrive where God wants us to be. Sigh.

Exodus 16

Manna and Quail

The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. ²In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. ³The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

⁴Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. ⁵On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”

⁶So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, ⁷and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?” ⁸Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”

⁹Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’”

¹⁰While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud.

¹¹The Lord said to Moses, ¹²“I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”

¹³That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. ¹⁴When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. ¹⁵When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.

Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. ¹⁶This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’”

¹⁷The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. ¹⁸And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.

¹⁹Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”

²⁰However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.

²¹Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. ²²On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much—two omers for each person—and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. ²³He said to them, “This is what the Lord commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’”

²⁴So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. ²⁵“Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a sabbath to the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today. ²⁶Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”

²⁷Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. ²⁸Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? ²⁹Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” ³⁰So the people rested on the seventh day.

³¹The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. ³²Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.’”

³³So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be kept for the generations to come.”

³⁴As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron put the manna with the tablets of the covenant law, so that it might be preserved. ³⁵The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.

³⁶(An omer is one-tenth of an ephah.)

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Moses wrote down all these adventures with God on the journey through the desert. He could have left out the embarrassing grumbling parts, but inspired by God, he did not. We needed to see for ourselves where grumbling leads us—nowhere. We, too, just go around in circles until we realize the depth of God’s unfailing love, mercy, and grace. We will not “arrive” at the promised land of abundant living until pure, holy, relentless faith in God’s provision is depended on with praises and thanksgiving! Being a slow learner in God’s ways; I had to go through a lot of desert experiences to arrive at this truth. God is Jehovah Jireh—The Lord who Provides. Do not question the Lord God who provides daily exactly what we need.

This chapter is my testimony of God’s daily provision. The reason these “writings” of what God places on my heart each day upon reading and studying His Word are called “Daily Manna.”

God is the first one I talk with each morning before beginning the tasks for the day.
He is the one I turn to first to ask questions about the things of life I don’t understand.
He is the One I run to for help for family and friends who are struggling and in need of Him.
He is the One I confess to with all that is on my heart. Confession daily is part of our conversation because Jesus provided the forgiveness I need most.
God is my confidence that I am redeemed and I need to be reminded of that truth daily.
I listen to God speak to my whole being through His Word and the whispers of His Holy Spirit’s voice to my soul.
I have learned that God is the Provider for all I need each day. I cannot store it up, even for another day or week. I must come to him daily, I want to come because HE is Life to me!
He generously provides for that day for tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow He will provide for that day…and the next…and the next. That’s how God works in us and through us. He knows. He sees. He gives enough for what each day will bring. We need Him and He loves to be with us. This is abundant living!
Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

These are just some of the ways to respond with more praise and less grumbling! The real list is endless!

It’s more fun and enjoyable to praise than to grumble. Grumbling is physically taxing and tiring. Praising and thanking reboots our minds, lifts our spirits and reshapes our hearts, our outlook and attitudes. Yes, I choose joyful praise! Hallelujahs to God are a lot more refreshing and fun! When we look for God’s blessings as treasures along our journey; we will begin to see all that God truly provides for us! Every single day.

Lord,

All I have needed; your hands have provided. Great is Your faithfulness, Lord unto me.

In Jesus Name, for Your glory, Amen

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FROM PRAISES TO GRUMBLINGS

Posted on November 26, 2024 by randscallawayffm

I remember a time when I was appointed to be an event planner for our denomination. It was a yearly event that had something for everyone. This event brought people from many states and a few countries to gather for learning, growing in God’s ways, gaining encouragement for their ministries, along with the joy of meeting others from other cultures and backgrounds who had the same needs—Jesus at the Center. We planned separate times of learning during the day for pastors, teachers, youth leaders, women, laymen, youth, children, and infants. We brought in well-known speakers who spoke words of wisdom, select worship bands who led us to praise God, and even a few Christina comedians to lift our spirits. This took a lot prayer, asking for God’s will and provision and He provided. It still thank God for all He taught me as a leader through the trials and victories as youth, young and old adults saw the benefits of believing and following Jesus as Lord of our lives.

But then there was the grumbling a week later as I read the “evaluations” of those present. Most praised God for how He worked in their hearts and filled their souls. But there was the one who angrily let us know that we showed our prejudice against those who preferred tea because only coffee, water, and cookies were served on the breaks. It was a lengthy letter, in all caps, to let us know she was not happy. I cried as I read her words that day in my office. My first thoughts were pity for her, thinking, how did you miss Jesus present with us, His Holy Spirit filling us, with the encouragement seeing many come to dedicate their lives to Christ? How did you miss the praises of all who gathered with God’s Presence still aglow in our hearts?

But we humans do this. We can go from praising God with all that is in us for all He has done for us to grumbling in a nanosecond when the next trial comes that needs to be solved. Lord, I repent of grumbling…for I would rather “shine like the stars” you created so all will know you are God and no one else!

And who knew Moses and Miriam were rock stars?!

Exodus 15

The Song of Moses and Miriam

15 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:

“I will sing to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
he has hurled into the sea.

²“The Lord is my strength and my defense;
    he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
    my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
³The Lord is a warrior;
    the Lord is his name.
⁴Pharaoh’s chariots and his army
    he has hurled into the sea.
The best of Pharaoh’s officers
    are drowned in the Red Sea.^[b]
⁵The deep waters have covered them;
    they sank to the depths like a stone.
⁶Your right hand, Lord,
    was majestic in power.
Your right hand, Lord,
    shattered the enemy.

⁷“In the greatness of your majesty
    you threw down those who opposed you.
You unleashed your burning anger;
    it consumed them like stubble.
⁸By the blast of your nostrils
    the waters piled up.
The surging waters stood up like a wall;
    the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.
⁹The enemy boasted,
    ‘I will pursue, I will overtake them.
I will divide the spoils;
    I will gorge myself on them.
I will draw my sword
    and my hand will destroy them.’
¹⁰But you blew with your breath,
    and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead
    in the mighty waters.
¹¹Who among the gods
    is like you, Lord?
Who is like you—
    majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory,
    working wonders?

¹²“You stretch out your right hand,
    and the earth swallows your enemies.
¹³In your unfailing love you will lead
    the people you have redeemed.
In your strength you will guide them
    to your holy dwelling.
¹⁴The nations will hear and tremble;
    anguish will grip the people of Philistia.
¹⁵The chiefs of Edom will be terrified,
    the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling,
the people of Canaan will melt away;
¹⁶    terror and dread will fall on them.
By the power of your arm
    they will be as still as a stone—
until your people pass by, Lord,
    until the people you bought pass by.
¹⁷You will bring them in and plant them
    on the mountain of your inheritance—
the place, Lord, you made for your dwelling,
    the sanctuary, Lord, your hands established.

¹⁸“The Lord reigns
for ever and ever.”

¹⁹When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. ²⁰Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. ²¹Miriam sang to them:

“Sing to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
he has hurled into the sea.”

The Waters of Marah and Elim

²²Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. ²³When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) ²⁴So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”

²⁵Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.

There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. ²⁶He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”

²⁷Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Moses and Miriam sang praises to God from their grateful hearts! All the verses of their songs described in detail what God done to set them free at last from the bondage of slavery and fear of the Egyptians. All God’s people redeemed sang praises!

Then a few days later, when water can’t be found readily in the desert; they grumble. They are becoming adept at grumbling. We can almost hear that teenage sarcastic tone to their voices, “What are we to drink?” I heard the same when my kids were preteens…what is there to drink in this house? God’s kids are no different.

We often focus on the army behind us and the troubles before us, instead of the path ahead that God has paved for us. God is Provider. Jehovah Jireh. God fixed their water problem and then issued a new lesson of instruction about who God is:

“If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”

God is Healer. Jehovah Rapha.

There will be many lessons that God’s people will learn about who He is and what He does. Their response will be guided by God for their good and His glory for He is Lord. God wants His People to see Him for who He really is—The One and Only God who loves and cares for them like no other god!

Our lesson of response:

God sends help at the hour we need it. We don’t have wisdom for tomorrow’s problems. But we will tomorrow. We don’t have resources for tomorrow’s needs. But we will tomorrow. We don’t have courage for tomorrow’s challenges. But we will when tomorrow comes.

God meets daily needs daily and miraculously. He did then, he does still, and he will for you and me.

Stop and give God praise for all He has provided—in detail just as Moses and Mirium did!

The words of Jesus echo in my mind;

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” –Jesus, Matthew 6:25-34

“Do everything without complaining or arguing. Then you will be innocent and without any wrong. You will be God’s children without fault. But you are living with crooked and mean people all around you, among whom you shine like stars in the dark world.” —Paul, Philippians 2:14-15 NCV

Lord,

Today is a new day. I will rejoice and be glad in it!

In Jesus Name, all for Your glory, Amen!

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A NEW RELATIONSHIP BEGINS

Posted on November 25, 2024 by randscallawayffm

A new glorious relationship with God has begun! Let’s recap what God has done so far for His people. God provided a son to be born of a Hebrew woman at a time when all Hebrew sons born to them must be killed. But this mom hid her son in the buses by the Nile to escape death. The infant son was watched over by his older sister from a safe distance. Now, it “just so happened” that the daughter of Pharaoh came to that very spot to bathe. She discovered the infant in the basket and loved him instantly, giving him the name, Moses. The watchful and clever sister suggests that a Hebrew woman nurse the child for her until he is weaned. The princess loved the idea and even paid the real mom to sustain the life of God’s chosen leader. Then Moses moved into the palace, right into the enemy’s camp! Moses knew who he was and how the Hebrews were mistreated as slaves. As a young man, he sees the abuse with a desire and with a knee-jerk response to rectify the situation; Moses murders to defend the Hebrew slaves and then runs from the scene of the crime. But God had other plans and would prepare his heart and mind to love, trust, and obey Him in a new relationship of trust in God. This new relationship with God is what God wanted from the beginning.

Who else but God can orchestrate such an elaborate plan to bring His people back to Him? Only God! God created a unique way to bring them out from under the oppressive slavery to Pharaoh to a new found freedom with God. This freedom comes with a brand new relationship with God who will amaze them at every step of their journey as they let God lead!

The Hebrews have been told for centuries who to be and what to do, where to live, how to behave, with unrealistically work goals. They were not allowed to think or question. It’s been so long they have lost the ability to think for themselves because that ability was beaten out of them as they served the one who abused them. But God heard their cries for mercy and decided His people had enough. Not only that; God, who desires a new relationship with His people, will display His glory at work in ways that all will see GOD IS LORD and his working on their behalf—they need “only to be still”!

Exodus 14

Then the Lord said to Moses, ²“Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. ³Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’ ⁴And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So the Israelites did this.

⁵When 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!” ⁶So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. ⁷He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. ⁸The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. ⁹The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.

¹⁰As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. ¹¹They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? ¹²Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”

¹³Moses 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. ¹⁴The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

¹⁵Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. ¹⁶Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. ¹⁷I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. ¹⁸The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”

¹⁹Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, ²⁰coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

²¹Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, ²²and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

²³The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. ²⁴During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. ²⁵He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.”

²⁶Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” ²⁷Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. ²⁸The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.

²⁹But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. ³⁰That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. ³¹And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

These verses introduce the disappointing pattern of Israel’s behavior during their march from Egypt to Canaan. As long as everything was going well, they usually obeyed the Lord and Moses and made progress. But if there was any trial or discomfort in their circumstances, they immediately began to complain to Moses and to the Lord and asked to go back to Egypt. However, before we criticize the Israelites, perhaps we’d better examine our own hearts. How much disappointment or discomfort does it take to make us unhappy with the Lord’s will, so that we stop believing and start complaining? “For we live by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

The honeymoon period of any new relationship is one of complete loving trust until something unexpected happens that brings sudden fear, with circumstances that could dismantle our faith unless we stand firm. All humans experience it. But believers in God, who have a trusting relationship with God through Jesus, are given power to rise above it, walk through high waters, on solid ground knowing that God goes before us, behind us, while walking right beside us! When in doubt? Don’t move until we hear from God. Be still and let God do what He does best in His way with His timing.

Indeed, our faith falters briefly at the unexpected. Our trust in God is tested often. Signs of trouble are posted regularly and trials are endured in our imperfect world. Most often, trials and roadblocks are prompted by the Enemy of God, who we cannot see. Sometimes our troubles are a result of our own making. But God is still God. God is always there, fighting for us, working on our behalf in ways that declare His glory and might. But we learn through the testing just how precious we are to God! We are His and He is ours. He watches over by day and by night!

We often focus on the army behind us instead of the path ahead that God has paved for us. When we seek God first, humble ourselves before Him, give of ourselves to Him; God shows and tell us how much we are loved and cared for daily! We need only to look up, thank Him with acknowledgement and praise, as we watch His spectacular glory at work in all the details of our lives! God is always at work! He never sleeps! “My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.” Psalm 121:1

Even when I don’t see it, You’re working
Even when I can’t feel it, You’re working
You never stop, You never stop working
You never stop, You never stop working
Even when I can’t see it, You’re working
Even when I can’t feel it, You’re working
You never stop, You never stop working…

Waymaker, miracle worker
Promise keeper, light in the darkness
My God, that is who You are!

(Way Maker; Songwriters: Osinachi Kalu Okoro / Michael Anthony Oluwole)

“When we have faith in God’s promises, we have peace in our hearts. “Why are you so fearful?” Jesus asked His disciples after he had calmed a storm. “How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). Faith and fear can’t live together in the same heart, for one will destroy the other. True faith depends on what God says, not on what we see or how we feel. It has well been said that faith is not believing in spite of evidence—that’s superstition—but obeying in spite of consequence.” –Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Study Bible

Why does God do what He does? So, the world may know. “And the Egyptians will know that “I am the LORD.” God is God. We are not. God works so we will know who He is—Lord of all! Be still, let go, and know that He is God. (Psalm 46:10)

Lord,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for knowledge of the display of your power for your people all because of your great love for us. Thank you for your power, the resurrection power the brought you, dear Jesus, from death to life. Thank you for making your power continually available to us today! Lead us, Lord, building our faith as we walk on your solid ground through the high waters. You’re still doing it, again and again! Oh, what a Savior!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Christ is my firm foundation
The Rock on which I stand
When everything around me is shaking
I’ve never been more glad
That I put my faith in Jesus
‘Cause He’s never let me down
He’s faithful through generations
So why would He fail now?
He won’t
He won’t!

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CONSECRATE, COMMENORATE, CELEBRATE!

Posted on November 24, 2024 by randscallawayffm

The world only knows one word “celebrate”—meaning, “party hardy”. We celebrate the marriage of two people in love, new babies, job promotions, court settlements, new cars, graduations, etc. But in God’s view of things the word has a sacred, eternal meaning along with consecrate and commemorate. Remembering is a command of God so that we will never forget all He has done for us so that we won’t become proud or boastful thinking we are responsible—which we are not! All we have is owned by God who created all and is in all He has created.

God has done for us what we cannot do for ourselves—save us!

Let’s define the terms biblically and simply before we continue on with what God will do next in the lives of the Hebrews; His now redeemed people from the bondage of slavery to a new way of life holy set apart by God for their good and His glory!

Consecrate: Setting apart a person, as well as a building or object, for God, declaring sacred for God’s divine purpose.
Commemorate: The act of calling to remembrance with solemn respect for what God has done with specific acts included in retelling the Story of God. To commemorate is to also to honor the memory of some person or event by solemn celebration—such as the feast of the Passover among the Israelites. This is, was and always will be an annual commemoration of Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt.
Celebrate: The word “celebrate” is the translation of the Hebrew verb hagag, which means to prepare, keep, or observe a feast or festival; the noun hag, which indicates a feast or festival; and the verb asaa which means to do, make, or celebrate.

These words are used to describe the celebration of the three main pilgrimage feasts-the Passover, the Feast of Firstfruits, and the Feast of Tabernacles-and other special events in the life of Israel. Passover was first instituted by Moses with God’s direction. The celebration of Passover is spelled out fully in Exodus 12:3-40.

Exodus 13

Consecration of the Firstborn

The Lord said to Moses, ²“Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.”

³Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast. ⁴Today, in the month of Aviv, you are leaving. ⁵When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites—the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you are to observe this ceremony in this month: ⁶For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival to the Lord. ⁷Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. ⁸On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ ⁹This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. ¹⁰You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year.

¹¹“After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as he promised on oath to you and your ancestors, ¹²you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord. ¹³Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons.

¹⁴“In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. ¹⁵When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.’ ¹⁶And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”

Crossing the Sea

¹⁷When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” ¹⁸So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.

¹⁹Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.”

²⁰After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. ²¹By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. ²²Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Passover marks the passing from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the promised land. Exodus 12:14 gives the guidelines: “This is a day you are to commemorate, for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord-a lasting ordinance.” It is also known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because “it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come” (Exodus 12:17).

The celebration of the Passover was for a perpetual remembrance, to keep alive for future generations what God had done for the Israelites in redeeming them from bondage in Egypt and guaranteeing freedom for subsequent generations.

Passover was an important aspect of the instruction of the children. When they asked, “What does this ceremony mean to you?” they were taught that “It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites … when he struck down the Egyptians” (Exodus 12:26-27). When the Israelites heard this, they worshiped. This celebration has been passed on from generation to generation, and the Haggada, the telling of the story, has become a vital part of the celebration. It is a constant reminder of what God has done with holy worship of God alone.

Consecration, commemoration, and celebration bonds people to God and to each other. The glue that holds us together is God’s perfect love for us. Our Passover remembrance today takes on even greater meaning for it is Jesus, God’s One and Only Son, who was set apart as the Lamb of God who would take away (remove as far as the east is from the west) the sins of the world! Jesus did what His Father, Our Father, told him to do. As a result, Jesus sacrifice for our sins opened the door to the throne room of God where forgiveness is freely given to all who believe and ask in the Name of Jesus! We are redeemed by the Lamb—We, too must celebrate! Don’t wait ‘til Sunday, celebrate daily what the Lord has done!

As we gather in our set apart, consecrated worship places, on any given day, may we commemorate together all that God has done, is doing, and will do in our lives as we celebrate the coming of the Lord, Jesus, “God in the flesh”. Jesus is The One sent to earth by God. Jesus, the living Word of God moved into the neighborhoods of humanity to seek and to save the lost—as a servant, set apart by God as “Son of Man” who felt all things human and as “Son of God” who was given the power to forgive and save us from our sins. The holy sacrifice of Jesus secured for us who believe the gift of God of eternal life! Celebrate!

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

AND, Jesus is coming back—so we wait expectantly and reverently; because the best is yet to come!

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:1-3

Lord,

I believe. I’m yours. I’m listening, remembering, and celebrating all you have done, are doing and will do in my life. Thank you for setting me apart from the world to be called your child, joint heirs with you, dear Jesus, who saved me. Thank you for cleansing my heart, renewing my mind, transforming my being and behaviors, refreshing my soul daily with the continual flow of joy of your salvation at work within me—reminding me of who I belong to—You! I give my life to you as an offering today. Lead me, Lord.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bible, Exodus, God, Jesus, Passover | Leave a comment

THE LAMB

Posted on November 23, 2024 by randscallawayffm

IT’S FINALLY GO TIME for the Israelites! But before leaving the cruel bondage of slavery to the Pharaoh; Instructions are given that must be followed. It is a matter of life or death for each family. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has given specific instructions to Moses and Aaron for His people, the Hebrew nation, that will secure their freedom from their former way of life of bondage and enslavement.

These instructions are holy and significant; given by our Holy, Perfect God. The guided, specific directions were given to save the lives of His people. The commands for God’s people will indeed change everything in their lives! God established a new calendar that will begin their “year” with this very event! This event is commanded to be celebrated for generations to come with The Story of Redemption from Egyptian slavery that will be told to amazed, grateful listeners!

The Story of God’s Rescue of His People begins with an unblemished lamb taken from the herd, set apart, and made holy unto God—the holy Lamb of God.

Exodus 12

The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread

12 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, ²“This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. ³Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. ⁴If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. ⁵The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. ⁶Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. ⁷Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. ⁸That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. ⁹Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs. ¹⁰Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. ¹¹This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.

¹²“On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. ¹³The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

¹⁴“This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance. ¹⁵For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel. ¹⁶On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat; that is all you may do.

¹⁷“Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. ¹⁸In the first month you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day. ¹⁹For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And anyone, whether foreigner or native-born, who eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel. ²⁰Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread.”

²¹Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. ²²Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. ²³When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.

²⁴“Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. ²⁵When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. ²⁶And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ ²⁷then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped. ²⁸The Israelites did just what the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron.

²⁹At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. ³⁰Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.

The Exodus

³¹During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. ³²Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.”

³³The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. “For otherwise,” they said, “we will all die!” ³⁴So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing. ³⁵The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. ³⁶The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.

³⁷The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. ³⁸Many other people went up with them, and also large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. ³⁹With the dough the Israelites had brought from Egypt, they baked loaves of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.

⁴⁰Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. ⁴¹At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord’s divisions left Egypt. ⁴²Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come.

Passover Restrictions

⁴³The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the regulations for the Passover meal:

“No foreigner may eat it. ⁴⁴Any slave you have bought may eat it after you have circumcised him, ⁴⁵but a temporary resident or a hired worker may not eat it.

⁴⁶“It must be eaten inside the house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones. ⁴⁷The whole community of Israel must celebrate it.

⁴⁸“A foreigner residing among you who wants to celebrate the Lord’s Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat it. ⁴⁹The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner residing among you.”

⁵⁰All the Israelites did just what the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. ⁵¹And on that very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

When I see the blood, when I see the blood,
When I see the blood,
I will pass, I will pass over you…

This is the message: The blood of the unblemished Lamb of God saves us from death.

God protected the Israelites, not because they were better than the Egyptians, but because they were His people, the people of His Promise—namely Jesus, the Messiah, born from this generational line who will save the world!

God gives grace to his followers—whether through the blood of a lamb or the blood of the Lamb, Jesus—not based on merit but on his loving-kindness.

God redeemed His people by first releasing them from bondage and then bringing them out of oppression by others in power to a new way of life with Him who had all power to save them. God redeems people today by breaking the chains of sin that entangles us and hold us down to a free life with him by believing in the Lamb of God, Jesus who bled and died to remove all our sins.

God reconciles us to Him. Jesus removed all the barriers to come to God. By sacrificing His blood, He paid the price to redeem us. He paid our sin debt in full by this act of God’s love. No more lambs to kill to merely cover our sins because the Lamb of God, Jesus died and rose again to remove our sins! Forever! “Our sins remembered no more” by God! We are redeemed, set free, once and for all, to love like He loves us!

God makes us right with Him because of Jesus, His Son. God made him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2Corinthians 5:19, 21).

Max Lucado writes of God’s message of redemption;

“The perfect record of Jesus was given to you, and your imperfect record was given to Christ. Jesus ‘suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God’ (1Peter 3:18). As a result, God’s holiness is honored, and his children are forgiven.

By his perfect life Jesus fulfilled the commands of the law. By his death he satisfied the demands of sin. Jesus suffered not like a sinner, but as a sinner. Why else would he cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” (Matthew 27:46)?

God makes perfect then makes us holy. God does what we cannot do so we can be what we dare not dream, perfect before God. He justly justifies the unjust by His perfect Love, generous grace, and merciful kindness as a gift.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8

Accept the gift of salvation with open arms, a seeking heart, a grateful mind, and a believing soul who is ready to be filled with Life eternal.

Believe and be saved by the blood of the Lamb.

Lord,

Our hearts swell with gratitude for the story of redemption which began with your Hebrew children in need of salvation from bondage, slaves to all that was not of you. We are the same as slaves to sin. You knew that. So the Lamb of God was sent to save us and set us free!

Thank you, Jesus for the blood you shed, the excruciating pain you bore before death, the going to hell and back for us as the Victor over death, and then rising from death to Life in power—a power available to us for the asking! God, You’re amazing! You are indeed the wonderworking God, who made a way for us to reconnect with you! Thank you, Father. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Holy Spirit to guiding us to Truth 24/7.

In Jesus Name, Amen

What needed to be paid was paid. What had to be done was done. Innocent blood was required. Innocent blood was offered, once and for all time.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bible, Exodus, God, Jesus, Passover | Leave a comment

Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

CAMP RULES!

THE NON-NEGOTIABLES

ONLY GOD IS PERFECTLY HOLY!

LISTEN TO WISE ADVICE AS IF YOUR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT!

MOSES, WE’RE DYING OUT HERE!

PROVISION

FROM PRAISES TO GRUMBLINGS

A NEW RELATIONSHIP BEGINS

CONSECRATE, COMMENORATE, CELEBRATE!

THE LAMB

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