Act Right (Lev. 24-27)

 ¹ “‘Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the LORD your God.
 ² “‘Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD. 

Back in the day there were many issues with idol worship and the worship of other Gods. God makes it very clear that this is not acceptable in His sight and He is a very jealous God. Later on in this section we see what happens when one is disobedient to God. Although the idols and ornate stones are not as common today, we have created our own idols. Nothing has changed in the human race and the view God has on how He feels about us worshiping things other then Him. What are these things you ask?

Have you ever thought that maybe your Job is your idol or the relationships you have with the opposite sex or even best friends. What about the addictions you may have in your life? Some very prevalent addictions come to mind like drugs, alcohol or perverse behavior. This does exclude things like cell phones, facebook and even food. Some of these things that are mentioned are not inherently bad. They become bad when they take the place of God in your life. They begin to move in and take the rightful throne of God in your life. We must realize that regardless of the "magnitude" of the idol in our life, God views them all the same.

What are some of the idols in your life that should not be taking the place of God?
How can you change your behaviors to put the Lord first in your life?

Slavery Over Freedom (Ex. 13-15)

I regularly find myself scared of the unknown. Human nature is to stick with what we know rather then head of into the unknown. We would rather continue a life of misery then try something new. We regularly retreat to the slavery of sin rather then the freedom of the unknown life without it and with God.


 ¹⁰ As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. ¹¹ They 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? ¹² Didn’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!” 

How could it be that human nature leads us to want to live as a slave with no future or freedom? As believers we have had the opportunity to cast of the chains of our slavery (sin) and travel off into the unknown land of seeking God. The problem for most though, is that God is unknown. They can wrap their minds around the known, no matter how rough it is. They can't seem to understand Christ and salvation. Our jobs as a Christian is to take the place of Moses in our friends lives, helping them navigate out of slavery into the freedom that can be found in a relationship with Christ. The question is, will you work to the front and lead in a new direction or fall to back and complain about not being comfortable?

No Compromise (Ex. 7-10)

Today's scripture is extremely convicting for me. Today we see Moses and Aaron stand strong against Pharaoh. Moses makes it very clear what the Lord is asking of Pharaoh.


 ²⁵ Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land.”
 ²⁶ But Moses said, “That would not be right. The sacrifices we offer the LORD our God would be detestable to the Egyptians. And if we offer sacrifices that are detestable in their eyes, will they not stone us? ²⁷ We must take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, as he commands us.” 

What I have found to be convicting in today's scripture is the fact that we are all quick to compromise the will of God. Moses made it very clear to Pharaoh what God had asked of him and would except nothing less. We regularly sell the Lord short with little or no expectancy of what great things He wants to do and can do. I urge you to consider what it is in your life you are compromising on. Do you expect the best from the Lord or are you compromising? Better yet, are you compromising in your walk with God? Meaning, are you giving God your best or are you sitting on the side lines not fully devoted?

I Told You So (Gen. 40-50)

Last post we talked about Joseph and his brothers selling him into slavery. Today we are gonna finish the story. Joseph went from living in a Captain of the Guards home, to jail, to be in charge of all of the land of Egypt.



 ³⁹ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. ⁴⁰ You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”

Joseph in Charge of Egypt

 ⁴¹ So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” ⁴² Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. ⁴³ He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command,^[b] and people shouted before him, “Make way^[c]!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. 

Once upon a time God gave Joseph a dream that he would do something great. It took a long time and some sick twists but got accomplished what He wanted to through Joseph. If Joseph had given up or gotten distracted he would not have reached his full potential.

One of my biggest problems is that I am not a very patient person. I want it done yesterday and this obviously does not work out well for me being that I am on God's timing. I regularly get distracted and start doing something else if it doesn't happen in my time frame. The question is though, what if I waited? What if I trusted God to do what He said He would? I may have had the opportunity to see some amazing things happen. We must realize that God wants to do something in our lives that is great, but it is not going to be our way or our timing.

Family Drama (Genesis 36-40)

Have you ever had an experience in your life with a sibling where you were just sick of them being the favorite or the center of attention? My sister and I would trade of being this sibling. During her volleyball  season, which was all the time, she was the focus. Mom and Dad were always at her games and I was sick of her being the center of attention. During football season we would switch roles and she would feel this harsh feelings about me. We see that this has been happening for a while now between siblings.

Joseph has a dream that he interprets to mean that  will rule over and lead his brothers.

5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”

8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.

His brothers have had enough of the favorite mentality. They lure him out to the woods and push him into a cistern. After some conversation they decide to sell him into slavery. From there the story continues to take some crazy twists. I am not going to ruin it for you but I want you to think about what crazy twist are occurring in your life? are you cursing God or are you coming to grips with the fact that this maybe the only way He can get you where He wants you.

MMA Smack Down (Gen. 30-36)

We are playing catchup here because I didn't have a chance to write the last couple of days. We will get you back on track in a couple of days. The truth of the matter is, you should still be reading regardless of this blog or not.

When I was a kid I was regularly apart of these royal rumbles with my cousins. We would fight for hours over the silliest things like Lego's and Tonka trucks. We would fight and fight and fight. We really should have been brothers. The new craze these days is the Ultimate Fighting Challenge. Men and woman train to stand toe to toe in an octagon surrounded by an 8 foot chain link fence. They get locked in and fight until one gives up or is knocked out. Anything goes in these matches. The idea for the MMA, I believe, came from today's reading. There is a Holy smack down between Jacob and a supernatural being.

²² That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. ²³ After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. ²⁴ So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. ²⁵ When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. ²⁶ Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
   But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
 ²⁷ The man asked him, “What is your name?”
   “Jacob,” he answered.
 ²⁸ Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,^[f] because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
 ²⁹ Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”
   But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.
 ³⁰ So Jacob called the place Peniel,^[g] saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” 

As we enter into the season of our Daniel fast I encourage you to find out what it is you need to wrestle with the Lord about. It may be that you need to stop wrestling and submit to the plan God has given you for your life. There may be some decisions that need to be made and your not sure were to go or what to do. Intentionally seek the Lord and look for His will.

Blessings, Lies and Decite (Gen. 27-29)

In an era of "everybody gets a trophy" and "your all winners" we will find it difficult to understand the favoritism that occurs in today's reading. As a society we try to do all that we can to treat everyone equally. Everyone gets a trophy on sports teams to celebrate their participation. It doesn't matter if that player scored the game winning goal or sat on the bench for the season. Parents do not choose favorites amongst their kids and treat them all equally, in most cases. This was not the case for Esau and Jacob.

Isaac, their father had fully intended to bless his son Esau. Jacob tricked his father and received the blessing that was intended for his brother. Jacob not only successfully received his brother inheritance but also the blessing of prosperity given by their father.


 ²⁵ Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing.”
   Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. ²⁶ Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.”
 ²⁷ So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said,
   “Ah, the smell of my son
   is like the smell of a field
   that the LORD has blessed.
²⁸ May God give you heaven’s dew
   and earth’s richness—
   an abundance of grain and new wine.
²⁹ May nations serve you
   and peoples bow down to you.
Be lord over your brothers,
   and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.
May those who curse you be cursed
   and those who bless you be blessed.” 

At the end of this passage we see an interaction between God and Jacob. After God makes a promise to Jacob, Jacob wakes and says something that cuaght my eye.

²⁰ Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear ²¹ so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the LORD^[f] will be my God ²² and^[g] this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.” 

What journey are you afraid to take? God has set up a journey for all of us but we regularly forget that the God of the Heavens will help us along the way. When we step into the will of God and walk faithfully we receive His guidance and blessings. I'm not saying that you will be rich or famous because you are following God. What I am saying is that God has your back and it is time to follow Him where He has lead you.