Month: October 2022

Do This in Remembrance of Me

1 Corinthians 11:24

I’m amazed at how God’s Word can be so familiar and yet filled with fresh insight when I ask Him to show me what He wants me to see as I read. I’m currently reading in Exodus about how God sent Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh asking him to let God’s people go from their bondage in Egypt. Each time Pharaoh refused, his heart was hardened. Each time the Lord sent plagues throughout the land of Egypt.  Pharaoh would relent and agree to let the people go, but then change his mind and refuse.  But each time God made a provision to save His people from these plagues that the Egyptians suffered.

Finally, God told Moses and Aaron His plan to kill the firstborn of all people and animals throughout Egypt at midnight.  He gave instructions to His people that would save them from this final plague of death. Each household was instructed to kill a lamb and apply its blood to the lintel and doorposts of their homes.

For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians, and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to smite you. And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever (Exodus 12:23).

What God spoke to my heart this week was how this scripture illustrates what God did to save us from bondage to sin and death.  He offered His own Son as the Lamb of God who takes sins of the world (John 1:29)).  Just as His people in Egypt had to put blood on the lintel and doorposts of their homes, we have to personally receive Jesus’ sacrifice — His blood, that takes away our sin.  I spent time thinking back over my life and my sinful choices that could have led to God’s judgment.  I had to confess that so often I take for granted God’s love, grace and mercy, His promise of eternal life.  But the price He paid was the ultimate cost – the sacrifice of His own Son.  I’m filled with renewed gratitude for the price He paid to save me. 

In 1 Corinthians 11:24, Paul writes about the last Passover supper Jesus shared with His disciples: 

The Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.  In the same way, He took the cup also after supper, saying “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.

As believers, we celebrate the Lord’s supper by taking communion together. The bread and the cup remind us of Jesus’ body which was broken and His blood that was shed when He was crucified.  That is the provision God made for us to be freed from our slavery to sin and receive His salvation.  The “promised land” for believers is eternal life with Him.  He asks us to remember!

PERSONAL REFLECTION

I encourage you to spend some time with the Lord thinking about what your life would be like without Him.

Ask Him to give you a fresh awareness of the price He paid to save you, and a heart filled with gratitude.

If you haven’t yet received His offer of salvation from sin, you can pray and confess your sin and invite Him into your life as Lord and Savior.  Find a friend who knows the Lord who can help encourage you in your new relationship with the Lord. 

My New Book is Now Available!

I’m excited to share with you that my new book was just published last week! It is available on Amazon.com. If you’re interested in purchasing a copy, you can search for this complete title on Amazon.com. If you click on the image of the book you can “look inside” and see the first 28 pages, including the introduction and table of contents.

Please contact me if you have any questions: sjspokane000@gmail.com

O Lord, Why?

Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you brought harm to this people?  Why did you ever send me?  Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all.”

Exodus 5:22-23

Have you ever cried out to God asking, “Why?”  “Why are you allowing this?”  “Why has this person suffered for so long?”  “Why aren’t You answering my prayers?” Reading this week in Exodus about Moses and the people of Israel has been a good reminder to me of the truth about God.  We can’t often see His purpose for what is happening in our lives, or in the world. But He is working out His sovereign plan, and I want to fully trust Him.

I’m captivated by the display of the Lord’s sovereign plan for Moses’ life and the lives of His people who have been suffering cruel treatment as slaves in Egypt.  The Pharaoh saw that the Hebrews had grown in numbers and feared that in a time of war, they would join the enemies and fight against Egypt. To prevent that, he demanded that all Hebrew male infants be killed at birth. 

When Moses was born to Hebrew parents, his mother placed him in a basket and hid him in the reeds of the Nile River. In God’s sovereign plan, Pharaoh’s daughter discovered him and eventually raised him in the palace as her own son.  God’s plan could not be thwarted by the edict of the cruel Pharaoh.

Fast-forward many years, and we learn that Moses had to flee Egypt because he had killed an Egyptian who was mistreating a Hebrew slave.  We pick up the story where God calls Moses from a burning bush in the wilderness.  God tells Moses that He has a plan for him to lead the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt to the land of Canaan which God had promised hundreds of years earlier to his ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Moses argues with God, explaining his own inability to lead the people. “I have never been eloquent…I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”  The Lord answered, “Who has made man’s mouth…Is it not I, the Lord? Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.”  But Moses responded, “Please, Lord, now send someone else.”  God’s patience was put to the test with Moses, but He chose his brother Aaron to be the spokesman for Moses.

In chapter 5, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh (as God had instructed them to do!) and requested that Pharaoh let the people of Israel go to the wilderness to celebrate a feast to the Lord.  Pharaoh refused, and instead harshly demanded an increased workload.  They were given the impossible task of gathering their own straw to make bricks without decreasing their required quota for each day.  They were beaten when they couldn’t meet Pharaoh’s demands.  Eventually, the people of Israel turned against Moses and Aaron and blamed them for their miserable situation which was now much worse.

 Notice Moses’ reaction in Exodus 5:22-23. He returned to the Lord with the impossible situation.  “O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people?  Why did You ever send me?  Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all.”

The Lord doesn’t make any excuses.  He simply responds to Moses and reveals His plan to release the people of Israel from captivity in Egypt and to keep His covenant to bring them to the land which He had promised.  Moses goes back to the people with God’s promise, but because of their cruel bondage, they wouldn’t listen to him.  Moses tells the Lord, “If Your own people won’t listen to me, how will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am unskilled in speech?”  As we continue reading Exodus, we see God’s miraculous provision to release His people from captivity as He had promised. 

What lessons can we learn for our own lives from God’s plan for Moses?  The most important lesson for me is God’s sovereignty over EVERYTHING.  Our own weakness does not derail His ultimate purpose for our life. He promises to provide everything we need to accomplish the tasks He calls us to do. He promises to “complete the good work He has begun in our lives” (Philippians 1:6).  I want to remember to stop focusing on my own weakness, and the circumstances which seem impossible to me. Instead of asking “Why, Lord,” I want to simply trust His plan for my life.  I want to remember that God has a purpose for whatever He allows His people to go through.  He hasn’t forgotten us!

PERSONAL REFLECTION

What excuses have you made for not being the person for the job He has called you to do?

Have you ever blamed God as Moses did for not doing something you thought He had promised?

How has God spoken to your heart in this message from Moses’ life?

This is the Way; Walk in it

Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it, whenever you turn to the right or to the left.”

Isaiah 30:21

Priscilla Shirer has written a Bible study series called “Discerning the Voice of God.”  We just watched the first DVD session this week, and I love the illustration she gave from her own experience as a young gymnast.  She described her love for the balance beam, even though she claimed not to be very good at it.  But she talked about her coach, how he would stand behind her as she was on the balance beam.  His biggest concern was to make sure that her entire body was in alignment with the beam.  It wasn’t enough to just have her feet positioned one in front of the other.  Her hips, her shoulders, her head all had to be in alignment with her feet.  Otherwise, she would not be able to maintain the correct balance.  The coach wouldn’t give any further instruction for the more difficult moves until her body was correctly aligned.

As I listened to her description, my mind went immediately to Isaiah 30:21 Your ears will hear a word behind you, This is the way, walk in it, whenever you turn to the right or to the left. The Lord is our “coach” watching to see if we are living in alignment with His truth and His will for our life.  I’m reminded to be asking Him daily to show me any area that is out of alignment with His will and His purpose for my life.

The Lord is always with us.  And He loves us, He knows us, and He knows the plans He has for our lives.  Am I intentionally asking the Lord for His will for each day?  Am I spending time in His Word and asking Him to teach me what He wants me to hear?  Am I taking time to “Be still” in order to listen to what He has to say?  Am I willing to be obedient when I hear Him say, “This is the way, walk in it?”

If I’m not spending time with Him, it is so easy to get “out of alignment and off balance.”  I can become anxious about the assignments I have for the day.  I can become frustrated when things aren’t going as I had planned.  Even “little things” can be reasons for becoming upset and angry.

Priscilla’s illustration is such an encouragement to me to be aligned with God’s plan and to be asking Him to show me any areas where I am out of alignment and losing my balance.  I choose to trust my “Coach!”  I want to remember to pray each day, “Lord, please align my heart and mind and will with Your mind and heart and will. Keep my eyes focused on You.”

PERSONAL REFLECTION

What evidence in your life shows that you are listening to God’s voice?

What choices do you make to be sure you are in “alignment” with God’s will? 

Is there anything you need to change in your priorities to make sure you have the time to listen to His voice?

Sometimes we may need to begin with a prayer asking God for the desire to be obedient to His will instead of focusing on our own plans. 

Stuck in the Mud or Standing on the Rock?

I waited patiently for the Lord; and He reached down to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of destruction, out of the mud; and He set my feet on a rock making my footsteps firm.

Psalm 40:1-2

An incident from childhood makes this verse especially meaningful to me and brings it to life.  As a young child, my family visited friends in a rural area on the outskirts of town. All the kids went out in the yard to play baseball.  One ball was hit hard enough to land in the muddy field next to the yard.  I ran out to retrieve the ball.  When I reached it, my feet began to sink deep into the mud until it was up over my shoes.  I tried to take a step but couldn’t move without losing my balance.  Somehow, I stepped out of my shoes, but that only made me sink into the mud with bare feet.  It was terrifying!  One of the other kids heroically came to rescue me, but she also became completely stuck.  I remember my dad coming out when he heard us screaming for help.  He wisely laid large wooden planks across the muddy area so he could walk out and pull us out of the mud.  How wonderful it was to feel something firm under my feet again!

            Sin is like that mud.  We just sink deeper and deeper.  We get stuck in it, and there seems to be no way out.  Have you experienced that?  When we are faced with a temptation, we may be aware that the particular attitude or action would not be pleasing to God.  But we can easily justify it — It’s what I really need.  And no one will be hurt by it.  I’ll only do it this one time.  No one is perfect anyway.  We don’t mind getting our feet just a little dirty.  But that one wrong choice can turn us in a direction leading away from God.  We get in deeper and deeper.  God never leaves us, but we can no longer experience closeness with Him while we are choosing to go our own way.  Life gets out of balance.  The joy and peace we had in walking with the Lord are gone.  Nothing is satisfying.

            But our Father is waiting for us to call for help.  No matter what you or I have done, no matter how deep we are stuck in the mire of sin, God is eagerly waiting to rescue us.  Psalm 18 describes what it is like to be trapped in sin and then the joy of being rescued.  I love verse 19: He rescued me because He delighted in me.  Notice that He delights in us while we still need rescuing!  He doesn’t wait until we have completely cleaned ourselves up to tell us that He delights in us.  The experience of God’s grace and mercy in rescuing me from the pit of destruction has changed my life.  He “set my feet on a rock,” and that rock is Jesus.  My heart is full of joy and thankfulness.  He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God … (Psalm 40:3).

PERSONAL REFLECTION

How have you experienced being stuck in the miry clay of sin?  How did it start? 

What steps did you take to become free?

Perhaps you are in a situation right now.  Are you holding onto something that God is asking you to let go of…a hurt from childhood?  Anger?  A relationship?  Bitterness?  Are you spending your time on something that is not God’s best for you?  He delights in you and promises to set you free if you come to Him in faith and obedience.  How will you respond?

Updating My Operating System

Not my will, but yours be done

Luke 22:42

(I posted this message last year, but I think it’s worth repeating.)

After my morning quiet time alone with the Lord recently, I asked my husband what he had been doing in his office.  He said, “I’m updating my operating system.”  At that moment, I realized, “That’s what I’ve been doing too!” He was referring to his computer, but I was referring to God as my “heart system manager.” 

My time with God each morning is setting my focus on Him in worship, listening to Him through His Word and prayer, and committing to do what He has planned.  I ask Him to align my heart and mind with His.

 Believe me, it hasn’t always been this way!  For so much of my life, I was under the influence of legalistic teaching.  “Don’t go to movies, don’t go to dances, don’t wear skirts above the knees or wear two-piece bathing suits…”  It was all centered on outward behavior, following all the rules to please God.  I would have early morning “quiet times” (the earlier the better for “good Christians”). So often I would fall asleep during those times.  But at least I could check it off my list along with reading a chapter or two of the Bible!

Thankfully, God has shown me instead that He is my Shepherd who knows me by name, loves me, and has a plan for my life. He has invited me (and you!) into a loving relationship, not a legalistic list of duties to perform.  Jesus came so that we could know God, and was willing to give up His own life to pay the penalty for the sins of the world.  We can have the assurance of salvation and eternal life with Him.  We can have peace no matter what is going on in the world and in our personal life if we receive His offer of forgiveness and turn our lives over to Him as Lord and Savior.  We can trust Him to orchestrate our activities and choices throughout the day if we have surrendered our own will and plans to Him.

 Here is a poem I wrote many years ago.  It came to me after a time of struggling in my relationship with the Lord.  I pray it will encourage you.

Be Still

“Be still and know that I am God,” you say,

But how can I be still?

I have such as busy day;

Bible study, my job, a luncheon at one.

Maybe later, Lord.  Right now I must run.

Like Mary, you’d like me to sit at your feet,

Quietly listening to the words you will speak.

But, like Martha, there’s so much to be done.

Maybe later, Lord.  Right now I must run.

“Come and lie down in green pastures and rest.”

When my work is caught up, Lord,

I’ll do my best.

So many things need my attention.

Maybe later, Lord. Right now I must run.

Why am I so weary?

Where has the time gone?

Forgive me for running when you’ve asked me to come.

Often the “good things” are not your best.

You invite me to come to you, and I will find rest.

I’m willing to be quiet now;

Teach me your will.

Now, Lord, right now, I’m ready to be still.

Renewed by your Spirit

Like an eagle I’ll fly;

No longer running, but quiet inside.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

I encourage you to spend time with the Lord for an “update of your operating system.” What is He showing you that needs to change?  Maybe rearranging priorities? Maybe an attitude adjustment?  Trust that He is there to walk through it with you.

Consider writing a prayer of renewed commitment, not just for the New Year, but for your daily life.