Stop Praying. Look.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft! (Exodus 31:1-5 NLT)

When God wanted to have a tent (tabernacle) built,  He gave people the skills necessary to build it.  Not only that, He provided other people the financial resources (gold, jewelry  etc.) needed to build it.  They pulled their resources and skills and did what God was calling them to do.

So Aaron said, "Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me." All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, "O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!" (Exodus 32:2-4 NLT)

The same people used the same skills and the same resources available to them to turn against God.  There intentions may have been good, but their actions were bad.  They wanted to worship God, but instead they made a statue worshiped it instead.  They used their skills and resources in the wrong way.

Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. "Not everyone who calls out to Me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of My Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to Me, 'Lord! Lord! We prophesied in Your name and cast out demons in Your name and performed many miracles in Your name.' But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Get away from Me, you who break God's laws.' (Matthew 7:20-23 NLT)

Prayer is simply a conversation with God.  What kind of conversation do you think you will have when God is looking at you and your life?  God is Holy.  How about you?  Do we really think God is going to be interested in giving us what we want when we show by our lives that we're not interested in what He wants?

Maybe what we should to is stop before we pray and take a good look.  Look at God.  Look at yourself.  Look at your life.  Before we go to Him with our task lists of things for Him to accomplish, we should look at  His task list for us to accomplish...then do it.

"Anyone who listens to My teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears My teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash." (Matthew 7:24-27 NLT)

Greater than The Law

Place the Bread of the Presence on the table to remain before Me at all times. (Exodus 25:30 NLT)

"You must bake twelve loaves of bread from choice flour, using four quarts of flour for each loaf. Place the bread before the LORD on the pure gold table, and arrange the loaves in two rows, with six loaves in each row. Put some pure frankincense near each row to serve as a representative offering, a special gift presented to the LORD. Every Sabbath day this bread must be laid out before the LORD. The bread is to be received from the people of Israel as a requirement of the eternal covenant. The loaves of bread will belong to Aaron and his descendants, who must eat them in a sacred place, for they are most holy. It is the permanent right of the priests to claim this portion of the special gifts presented to the LORD." (Leviticus 24:5-9 NLT)

I watch the political arena this time every year and I find myself thinking about the issue or rights all the time.  It seems as if we vote for candidates based on what they are going to give us: lower taxes, more money, better security, religious freedom, the right to marry, etc.  We get so caught up on what we have the right to do.  We focus on the constitution, the bill of rights, amendments, laws, and justice appointments.  Since that is the kind of power we are giving our political leaders, I guess it makes sense that we focus on these things.  I think we can forget, though, that there is something greater than the constitution and politician-given rights.

David was running from King Saul - the political leader who was turning corrupt and wanted to kill him.  David needed a place to stay, a way to protect himself, and some food to eat.  He asked a Levitical priest for help.

Now, what is there to eat? Give me five loaves of bread or anything else you have." "We don't have any regular bread," the priest replied. "But there is the holy bread, which you can have if your young men have not slept with any women recently." "Don't worry," David replied. "I never allow my men to be with women when they are on a campaign. And since they stay clean even on ordinary trips, how much more on this one!" Since there was no other food available, the priest gave him the holy bread—the Bread of the Presence that was placed before the LORD in the Tabernacle. It had just been replaced that day with fresh bread. (1 Samuel 21:3-6 NLT)

The priest gave David bread that was supposed to be reserved for the priests alone.  It was set apart as holy for the priests.  They were given the right to hold on to that bread.  The priest saw, however, that there was something more important than his rights at stake here.  David and his followers needed food.  The priest put aside his rights to do something greater.  He fed his future king.

I think we can get so caught up in the discussion about our rights, that we forget a more important principle.  Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.  The government offers me the right to do all kinds of things that I choose not to do simply because they don't honor God or build up His people.  God's plans, His agenda, His desire for our lives is far more important than our rights.

Pharisees in the New Testament era were upset at Jesus because his followers were picking grains of wheat, cracking them open, and eating them on the Sabbath.  The Pharisees laws said that was harvesting crops and, therefore, work that was forbidden.  They asked Jesus why he didn't stop his followers from doing such things.

Jesus said to them, "Haven't you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He went into the house of God, and he and his companions broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. And haven't you read in the law of Moses that the priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath? I tell you, there is One here who is even greater than the Temple! But you would not have condemned My innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: 'I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.' For the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!" (Matthew 12:3-8 NLT)

There are things more important than the law.  Our forefathers understood this.  They approached our independence as a country with great struggle and trepidation.  They were going to be breaking the law in a way that had the penalty of death.  When they wrote their reasons, though, they pointed the world to one greater than the law.  They pointed us to God.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed..."

There is one greater than the law - the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth - of all that is seen and unseen.  He is the one who gives us rights.  He is also the one who teaches us not to use our rights for selfish gain, but to build up His Body and to point people to Him.  Everything else...well...just because we can, doesn't mean we should.

See Him. Follow Him.

Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle. Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle. Now whenever the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out on their journey, following it. But if the cloud did not rise, they remained where they were until it lifted. The cloud of the LORD hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and at night fire glowed inside the cloud so the whole family of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys. (Exodus 40:34-38 NLT)

Every day my pattern begins with reading God's Word.  I don't do it out of obligation.  I don't do it out of fear.  I don't do it because I believe there is some command God has given us to read a chapter a day or something like that.

I do it to draw near to God.

I want to get to know Him better.

I want to understand the world around me better.

I want to be ready when I meet Him face to face.

So...I read.  Some days it is easier.  Others are a struggle.  Every day is worth it.  It helps me refresh and renew my mind, just as Paul wrote to the church in Rome.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2 NIV)

You want to know what God wants you to do?

You want to see Him so you can follow Him?

You want a friend in God?

Start renewing your mind with His Word.

It's worth every minute.

Talking to a Friend

It was Moses' practice to take the Tent of Meeting and set it up some distance from the camp. Everyone who wanted to make a request of the LORD would go to the Tent of Meeting outside the camp.  (Exodus 33:7 NLT)

Inside the Tent of Meeting, the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend...  (Exodus 33:11 NLT)

I don't have a lot to share with you today.  Instead, I'm going to spend the time speaking with a friend.  Perhaps you can use your "reading time" speaking with the same friend. ;)

Chosen By God

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft! "And I have personally appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the gifted craftsmen so they can make all the things I have commanded you to make: (Exodus 31:1-6 NLT)

My oldest daughter just returned home from college last night.  It's an exciting time in her life because she just graduated with her Associates Degree from Bible College.  Next year, she transfers to a new school to continue working towards a Bachelors Degree in Art, Interior & Architectural Design.  Wow, they grow up way too fast.

We've known she's had the art and design abilities from the time she was very little.  We didn't have to "teach" her to draw, sketch, or paint.  She just seemed to "know" how to do it at an age-appropriate level all the way through her life.  At times, she wasn't interested in pursuing the use of these talents, but now she wants to use them for His purposes.  We don't completely know what those are, but she continues to use them today while looking toward tomorrow.

Each of our children are differently gifted like this.  Our middle child has a pension for dance and music.  She has to work hard at it, but her heart's desire has carried her along to becoming an excellent performer and teacher at a very early age.  She's just now graduating high school.

Our youngest seems to have a predisposition to math, science and technical knowledge.  At the same time, he has a desire to fashion and use words accurately and powerfully to make his points.  This later desire is a bit ironic because he struggles the most with reading, spelling, and vocabulary - the building blocks of powerful language use.  He has all of these things in common with his father.

I share our family dynamic with you because Traci and I are convinced that our three children must have come from three different sets of parents sometimes.  They are so different.  That being said, we also know that they are put together by God for His purposes.  Our job, as their parents, is to help them discover these gifts, talents, and purposes.  It's actually a pretty fun part of the walk together with God.

Notice that the LORD specifically selected the craftsmen He wanted building the objects that would be used in their times of worship.  He knew who He had made with these specific gifts and talents.  Moses simply needed to get the people God had appointed to do these tasks.

What about you?  To what ministry have you been chosen by God?  Do you know what it is for today?  Do you know what you should be working toward for the future?  Are you being faithful to the call?

The First Commandment

"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. "You shall have no other gods before me. "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. You 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, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:2-6 NIV)

When I was a young boy taking my religion classes in school, we studied and "memorized" the list of ten commandments.  The first commandment went something like this:

"I am the LORD your God.  You shall have no other gods before me."

I knew this was the official commandment in the Bible, because we paid such great attention to detail.  The word "LORD" was in all capital letters just like in the Bible.  The word "God" was capitalized when talking about the real God and was in lower case when talking about false gods.  Plus, who uses words like "shall" anymore.

Later on, when Traci and I started working as volunteers in children's ministry together, we found ourselves teaching the ten commandments to the children as well.  We used the "abbreviated" version for the younger audience, knowing this would communicated better with them.  "Don't worship idols."  Yep, they understood that and memorized it pretty well.

Now that I look at the list again, though, I find myself a bit dumbfounded at the length of this command.  It isn't the little children's version.  It's not even the religion-class "official" version I thought I had learned.  It's the actual command in the actual Bible that actually was carved in stone.  Do me a favor right now.  Scroll up to the top and read the entire command, then come back to this spot.  Go ahead.  I can wait.

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Think about that command a moment.

What would your life be like if you really followed it?

What would your relationship with God be like?

How would it simplify things?

What would you be passing on to your children and your children's children?

How about we start today....

...putting God first.

Dinner with God

Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the LORD had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. He 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. Now I know that the LORD is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly." Then 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. (Exodus 18:9-12 NIV)

I read three chapters from the book of Exodus today and I was wondering what passage I would choose for today's writing.  There are so many powerful things shared in these three chapters.  God miraculously provided manna in the morning and quail at night six days a week.  The miracle included provisions for a seventh day of rest.  He brought water from a rock - enough for millions of people to drink in a desert every day.  When the Amalekites attacked, we see the power of prayer even in physical battles we face.  Jethro gives Godly advise to help Moses lead millions of people wisely.  Truly, there was much to choose from.

What struck me today, though, was a much simpler, often overlooked part of the story.  They thanked the LORD for all He had done, offered sacrifices to Him, then ate a meal together "in the presence of God."

The miracle of manna and quail pointed the people to a day of rest with God.  The water from the rock was constant reminder of God.  The battle with the Amalekites encouraged prayer to God.  The division of labor to thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens was to spread the wisdom of God.  God wants to be involved in our lives.

When they had a meal in the presence of God, though, it was more relaxing.  It was a time of reflection.  They were enjoying the presence of God.  They were walking together with God.

Do you need God to do "big things" to get your attention, or do you take the time when things are calm to simply enjoy His presence and share a meal with Him?  Maybe it's time to have dinner with God.

A sign on your hand. A reminder on your forehead.

This 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. You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year. (Exodus 13:9-10 NIV)

And 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." (Exodus 13:16 NIV)

My children went through a phase of life when they would wright reminder notes to themselves on their hand.  I really didn't understand this practice, since it wasn't allowed at my schools growing up.  "Why do you write on your hands instead of a notebook or a calendar?"  "Cause my hand is right here and every time I use my hand, I see the reminder.  I can forget to look at a notebook or calendar."  They were right.  It was a reminder they did not easily forget.

Growing up in the Roman Catholic Church, though, there was a symbol I was encouraged to put on my body.  On the Wednesday that was forty days before Easter, we would receive ashes on our forehead.  The ashes were a reminder that we are dust and will return to dust.  I bit depressing, I admit, but it was intended to remind us that life was short and that we should be thinking of eternal things...like being with God.  It was a great lead in to reminding us the price Christ paid for us (Good Friday) and that he is victorious over death (Easter Sunday).  Whenever someone who wasn't  Roman Catholic saw us that day (Ash Wednesday), they would tell us about the "dirt" on our forehead and we would have a chance to explain.

When the Israelites were ready to be set free from Egypt, God gave them two observances to remind them of this momentous day.  One sign was a week-long festival of unleavened bread.  It would remind them of the fact that they left so quickly, they couldn't eat bread with yeast in it.  There wasn't time to wait for the bread dough to rise.

The second observance was one of redemption.  They were to redeem the firstborn animal of all their flocks and redeem their firstborn sons.  This would remind them that their firstborn sons were spared on the night the angel of death passed over their homes, but the firstborn sons of the Egyptians were not spared because of Egypt's rebellion of God and harsh treatment of God's people.

Both of these signs, God said, would act as a sign on their hands and a symbol on their foreheads.  Why on their hands?  They were to remember these events themselves and never forget.  Why on their foreheads?  They were to share the story with those who hadn't heard it yet.  Usually, that would be their own children.  These events were to be passed down from generation to generation, never to be forgotten.

What has God done for you?  What has He done in your life?  Do you have reminders built into your life that will remind you of these things?  Do the reminders give you an opportunity to share what He has done with others who don't know?  Do they give you an opportunity to share these things with your children, passing them down from generation to generation?

What are the signs on your hand?  What are the reminders on your forehead?

My Plans. His Plans.

...Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh. The LORD had said to Moses, "Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you—so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt." (Exodus 11:8-9 NIV84)

Have you ever found yourself fighting with God?  Moses did.  We already looked at the fact that Moses' anger was a weak spot.  He murdered a man because his anger got out of control.  That put him in the wilderness for over 40 years to calm him down.  Now, at the ripe young age of 80, Moses is being called by God to face Pharaoh. It wasn't going so well...at least not from Moses' perspective.

God sent Moses to ask Pharaoh to "let My people go."  Pharaoh refused.  God brought a plague.  Pharaoh let them go.  Pharaoh changed his mind and brought them back.  Variations of this patter continue time after time after time again.  When's Pharaoh going to get it?  Why does it have to be this hard?

Moses leaves Pharaoh after one of these confrontations "hot with anger."  Anger over what?  Was he angry that Pharaoh wasn't giving in?  Was he angry that it was taking so long?  Was he angry that the Egyptians would once again pay for Pharaoh's stubbornness?  Was he angry that Pharaoh was just wrong...and needed to change?  It doesn't say.

Whatever the reason, though, Moses has no good reason to be angry.  You see, God's plan was working it's way out exactly as God knew it would.  In fact, God had told Moses that the plan was going to work out that way.  This wasn't just about setting God's people free.  It was about setting the Egyptians free as well.  God was taking the time necessary to show the Egyptians that Pharaoh was not a god.  He was showing Pharaoh that fact as well.  By the end of the struggle, "The LORD made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh's officials and by the people.  (Exodus 11:3 NIV84)  Egypt was plundered.  Pharaoh was dead.  The Egyptians knew who God really was.

Often times, our anger or frustration comes from not getting our way.  Even when we are trying to do God's work, we may find ourselves not getting our way.  But when we walk closely with God, we walk in His ways and there is no anger.  Not only that, as we draw near to Him, He draws near to us.  We start to understand His ways a little better each time.  Then we find ourselves able to simply do our part and watch as our Amazing God does His.

Don't fight for your plans.
Do your part of His.

I Was Wrong

Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand. The next day, when Moses went out to visit his people again, he saw two Hebrew men fighting. "Why are you beating up your friend?" Moses said to the one who had started the fight. The man replied, "Who appointed you to be our prince and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?" Then Moses was afraid, thinking, "Everyone knows what I did." And sure enough, Pharaoh heard what had happened, and he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian.(Exodus 2:11-15 NLT)

Probably the most difficult thing for any of us to do is admitting when we were wrong.  We find ways to make jokes, change the subject, hide what we did, justify our actions, and even "change the rules" so they say that what we said or did was OK.  But we were wrong.  There's no way to change it.  We were wrong.

God knows when we are wrong.  We can't hide it.  We can't fight it.  We can't even change the rules to make it seek OK.  God made the world.  He made you and me.  That gives Him the right to make the rules.  When God says something is wrong, it's wrong.

I don't know if you ever really thought about how hard it would have been for Moses to bring the ten commandments down from Mt. Sinai.  Think about it.  Moses murdered a man.  He let his anger get the better of him.  Sure there were extenuating circumstances.  Sure, the man was doing something wrong himself.  But Moses didn't respond justly.  Moses wasn't fair.  He was just angry.  Then he looked both ways to make sure the coast was clear, killed the man and hid the body.  He was wrong...just wrong.

God made that clear to Moses when He handed down the ten commandments.  "You must not murder." (Exodus 20:13 NLT)  There it is.  It's written in stone.  His anger got the best of him.  He killed a man and it wasn't an accident or justified.  He was wrong.

Moses had to face his family, and God's family after doing something so wrong.  He didn't try to justify his actions.  He didn't try to change the rules.  Instead, he submitted to God and repented of his sin.  He changed his ways.  And, he taught God's people the truth...even though the truth said that he was in the wrong.

We can learn a lot from Moses here.  We should let God change us rather than trying to change God.  We should admit and repent of our sins when they happen, rather than trying to justify or cover them up.  Not only that, we should teach our children the truth even if the truth says that we were wrong.  We need to be willing to say, "I was wrong."  That way, we return to God and stop the cycle.  Think about it.  This is the only way it will work.