Luke 5:20-23
And when he saw their faith, he said, "Man, your sins are forgiven you." And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, "Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'?
Today I've got a quick thought on a quick piece of Scripture. Check out this part: "...Jesus perceived their thoughts...".
One thing that we have to remember as Christians is that our Savior was not half god and half human; He was fully God and fully human: he was painfully aware of his purpose on Earth.
When people thought hurtful thoughts about Him, He heard them. When He woke up in the morning, He knew how many days He had left. And when He washed the disciples feet as a sign of sacrifice and service, He washed Judas' feet knowing exactly how Judas would betray Him.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Burning Bush - Part 3: Meaning for Us
So here we are, finally at the third and final post in our series on the burning bush. Today's is definitely my favorite section: what the burning bush miracle and surrounding story means to us. We've already talked about what it meant to Moses, and if you haven't read that post yet, you should. I'll draw a lot of parallels between what the miracle meant to Moses & what it means to us. Let's dive right in.
In Exodus 3, we see God call Moses to play a major role in God's plan. We've already talked about Moses' past as an orphaned murderer, etc, so if we see God using Moses in such a major way after all he has done, we should easily accept that God wants to call us too. God not only calls Moses, but throughout their relationship, God reveals himself to Moses in ways that he could have never imagined. I think that part of the story is very important because it shows that God doesn't just want to use us to do His bidding, but He truly wants to know us.
The next portion of the burning bush story has God telling Moses to remove his shoes because he is on holy ground. We have already discussed, in the previous post, that it was God's presence there that made the ground holy. With that in mind, think about what we know about God's presence in the lives of Christians: when we accept Christ, God's Spirit dwells in us. Knowing that we have God's presence with us at all times, everywhere a believer walks is holy ground.
God tells Moses that he has seen His people's troubles; Moses didn't have to tell God about it, He already knew about their troubles, felt compassion on them, and had a plan to rescue them which he begins to carry out through Moses. Our situation as Christians is no different: we experience troubles, God sees them and feels compassion for us, and He has a plan to rescue us. The only difference is that our rescue is permanent and eternal; God has offered His son for our rescue. In Christ, we are saved.
As the story of the burning bush draws to a close, God sends Moses out and says that He will be with Moses just as God promises to be with us through His spirit that dwells in us. And in the same way as Moses: God's spirit is not only in us to comfort us, but to provide the power that is not optional, the power that is required for anyone who desires to accomplish the plan that God has for them,
In Exodus 3, we see God call Moses to play a major role in God's plan. We've already talked about Moses' past as an orphaned murderer, etc, so if we see God using Moses in such a major way after all he has done, we should easily accept that God wants to call us too. God not only calls Moses, but throughout their relationship, God reveals himself to Moses in ways that he could have never imagined. I think that part of the story is very important because it shows that God doesn't just want to use us to do His bidding, but He truly wants to know us.
The next portion of the burning bush story has God telling Moses to remove his shoes because he is on holy ground. We have already discussed, in the previous post, that it was God's presence there that made the ground holy. With that in mind, think about what we know about God's presence in the lives of Christians: when we accept Christ, God's Spirit dwells in us. Knowing that we have God's presence with us at all times, everywhere a believer walks is holy ground.
God tells Moses that he has seen His people's troubles; Moses didn't have to tell God about it, He already knew about their troubles, felt compassion on them, and had a plan to rescue them which he begins to carry out through Moses. Our situation as Christians is no different: we experience troubles, God sees them and feels compassion for us, and He has a plan to rescue us. The only difference is that our rescue is permanent and eternal; God has offered His son for our rescue. In Christ, we are saved.
As the story of the burning bush draws to a close, God sends Moses out and says that He will be with Moses just as God promises to be with us through His spirit that dwells in us. And in the same way as Moses: God's spirit is not only in us to comfort us, but to provide the power that is not optional, the power that is required for anyone who desires to accomplish the plan that God has for them,
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Burning Bush - Part 2: Meaning for Moses
In my last post, we started talking about the burning bush and how it (from a scientific perspective) might have happened. Today we'll begin to dig in to the spiritual meat and will talk about what the burning bush meant for Moses (and Israel). In the next post, we'll finish our series with a look at what this miracle means for us.
At the time of the burning bush, Moses is taking care of his father-in-law's sheep in the region of Midian. Now, think to yourself, what is Moses doing in Midian? Aren't the Israelites suffering in Egypt? Oh right, Moses ran away after he murdered someone. So, from what we know about Moses: first his mother floats him down the river, he's found by a woman in Pharaoh's household, he murders someone, and now he's a shepherd; interesting career path.
The first part of the burning bush story has God revealing himself to Moses and then warning Moses to take off his shoes because he is on holy ground. Now what is it that makes this ground holy? We've discussed Midian; is it inherently holy? No. What makes this ground holy is God's presence there.
Next, God tells Moses that he has seen His people's affliction, has heard their cry, and knows their suffering; he then reveals that he will be sending Moses to rescue them. For Moses, this is what we'd consider his official 'call' from God; this is where God turns an orphaned royal stepchild, murdering shepherd into a savior (lowercase s).
Finally, Moses, among the most reluctant of Biblical characters, asks God how he could possibly go before Pharaoh, etc. God responds with little more than "I will be with you", not only as a comfort to Moses, but answering his question "How?" Not only is God's presence comforting to Moses, but it is necessary.
At the time of the burning bush, Moses is taking care of his father-in-law's sheep in the region of Midian. Now, think to yourself, what is Moses doing in Midian? Aren't the Israelites suffering in Egypt? Oh right, Moses ran away after he murdered someone. So, from what we know about Moses: first his mother floats him down the river, he's found by a woman in Pharaoh's household, he murders someone, and now he's a shepherd; interesting career path.
The first part of the burning bush story has God revealing himself to Moses and then warning Moses to take off his shoes because he is on holy ground. Now what is it that makes this ground holy? We've discussed Midian; is it inherently holy? No. What makes this ground holy is God's presence there.
Next, God tells Moses that he has seen His people's affliction, has heard their cry, and knows their suffering; he then reveals that he will be sending Moses to rescue them. For Moses, this is what we'd consider his official 'call' from God; this is where God turns an orphaned royal stepchild, murdering shepherd into a savior (lowercase s).
Finally, Moses, among the most reluctant of Biblical characters, asks God how he could possibly go before Pharaoh, etc. God responds with little more than "I will be with you", not only as a comfort to Moses, but answering his question "How?" Not only is God's presence comforting to Moses, but it is necessary.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Burning Bush - Part 1: Intro
Exodus 3:1-12
Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, "I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned." When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then he said, "Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." And he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
I recently took a look at this passage as part of a Sunday morning series: Miracles in Exodus. We took a number of the miracles in the book of Exodus and really looked at them in-depth: how does science help us better understand this miracle, what it meant to Moses (or Israel), and what it means to us as present-day Christians. Our focus throughout this series was really on God's provision.
Well, my favorite miracle in Exodus is the burning bush, so I would like to take three blog posts and take a look at it. Today, we'll take a brief look at how science helps us better understand this miracle. Keep an eye out for the next two posts.
At this time, Moses is in Midian, taking care of his father-in-law's sheep. There are a couple of important facts about Midian that will help us better understand the burning bush. First, Midian had a history of volcanic activity; this was important for Moses because volcanic soil is very fertile (good for grazing) and helps explain why shepherd hung out in this area. Midian also contained (contains) many natural gas deposits.
With those two facts in mind, we can offer two highly-plausible explanations for the natural occurrences that God might have used to orchestrate the burning bush. Both explanations revolve around the fact that volcanic activity leads to deep cracks in the soil and both explanations are forms of what I call "The Cracker Barrel Effect". If you have never been to a Cracker Barrel, they always have a huge wood fire going in the fireplace, but when you look closely, you notice that the fire is assisted by a steady stream of natural gas. The same situation is likely for the burning bush: with known deposits of natural gas and volcanic gases and the presence of deep cracks in the soil (from volcanic activity), either flammable gas could easily escape and be ignited by intense heat or another ignition source.
Pretty interesting, right? I hope you'll check back for the next two posts where I'll really get into the spiritual implications of the burning bush.
Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, "I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned." When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then he said, "Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." And he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Then the LORD said, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" He said, "But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain."
I recently took a look at this passage as part of a Sunday morning series: Miracles in Exodus. We took a number of the miracles in the book of Exodus and really looked at them in-depth: how does science help us better understand this miracle, what it meant to Moses (or Israel), and what it means to us as present-day Christians. Our focus throughout this series was really on God's provision.
Well, my favorite miracle in Exodus is the burning bush, so I would like to take three blog posts and take a look at it. Today, we'll take a brief look at how science helps us better understand this miracle. Keep an eye out for the next two posts.
At this time, Moses is in Midian, taking care of his father-in-law's sheep. There are a couple of important facts about Midian that will help us better understand the burning bush. First, Midian had a history of volcanic activity; this was important for Moses because volcanic soil is very fertile (good for grazing) and helps explain why shepherd hung out in this area. Midian also contained (contains) many natural gas deposits.
With those two facts in mind, we can offer two highly-plausible explanations for the natural occurrences that God might have used to orchestrate the burning bush. Both explanations revolve around the fact that volcanic activity leads to deep cracks in the soil and both explanations are forms of what I call "The Cracker Barrel Effect". If you have never been to a Cracker Barrel, they always have a huge wood fire going in the fireplace, but when you look closely, you notice that the fire is assisted by a steady stream of natural gas. The same situation is likely for the burning bush: with known deposits of natural gas and volcanic gases and the presence of deep cracks in the soil (from volcanic activity), either flammable gas could easily escape and be ignited by intense heat or another ignition source.
Pretty interesting, right? I hope you'll check back for the next two posts where I'll really get into the spiritual implications of the burning bush.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Restrained
Exodus 36:3-7
They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, and said to Moses, "The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the LORD has commanded us to do." So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, "Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary." So the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.
This passage really hit me hard. What an awesome example of what a group of people can accomplish when they allow the Lord to stir up their hearts (Ex36:2)!
I mean, take a look: the Israelites gave of themselves so much that the had to be 'restrained'! They had given more than enough to accomplish what God was calling them to. What would this sort of sacrifice look like in modern Christianity? How do church leaders compel their communities to this point?
As a church staff member, I get a unique perspective on the needs of a community and on the people's willingness to provide. What is it about this passage that makes it personal for you?
They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, and said to Moses, "The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the LORD has commanded us to do." So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, "Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary." So the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.
This passage really hit me hard. What an awesome example of what a group of people can accomplish when they allow the Lord to stir up their hearts (Ex36:2)!
I mean, take a look: the Israelites gave of themselves so much that the had to be 'restrained'! They had given more than enough to accomplish what God was calling them to. What would this sort of sacrifice look like in modern Christianity? How do church leaders compel their communities to this point?
As a church staff member, I get a unique perspective on the needs of a community and on the people's willingness to provide. What is it about this passage that makes it personal for you?
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Silent Fight
Exodus 14:14
"The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."
A great quote from a frustrated Moses. Talk about short and sweet: How many trials and struggles in my own life would have been so much faster and smoother if I had taken Moses' advice?
We need to begin to view silence as the first line of defense and not the last resort. God will fight for you. Will you let him?
"The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."
A great quote from a frustrated Moses. Talk about short and sweet: How many trials and struggles in my own life would have been so much faster and smoother if I had taken Moses' advice?
We need to begin to view silence as the first line of defense and not the last resort. God will fight for you. Will you let him?
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Repetitive Instruction
Exodus 12:14-20
"This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you. And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever. In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread."
In this passage, God is establishing Passover. When I first read this passage, I had to do a double-take. I said to myself, "Is it just me, or did God just repeat himself?" But then I thought, "How many times, in my life, has God had to repeat himself?" It seems that many times, I act as a disobedient child and have to be told the same thing over and over before I act on it. Do you all see that in your own lives? How do you grow from that?
"This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you. And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever. In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread."
In this passage, God is establishing Passover. When I first read this passage, I had to do a double-take. I said to myself, "Is it just me, or did God just repeat himself?" But then I thought, "How many times, in my life, has God had to repeat himself?" It seems that many times, I act as a disobedient child and have to be told the same thing over and over before I act on it. Do you all see that in your own lives? How do you grow from that?
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