13:14 - What are you doing in faith that is getting your kids to ask you questions? Our faith should be different enough from the world that our curious kids see a difference in us and ask about it. Do they ask you about how or why you give? Titus asked me the other day what a tithe was (19% of income). It was a great chance to teach him and I just kind of tosses out an answer quickly. Pay attention to the questions your kids ask because they are trying to understand your values so they know how to live.
14:1-4 - Sometimes God puts us between a rock and the Red Sea and we need to trust that if He put us there there is a good reason for it. Actually, the worse the circumstances look when God has put us there (not when we have) the greater the opportunity to see God work. How many times in life does God lead us to something tough and we get mad at God when in reality He is just getting ready to show us something really incredible. There are no partings of the Red Sea unless you are in a position that needs one. Maybe it isn't that God doesn't move miraculously anymore, but that we don't allow Him to put us in positions where He could do it.
14:14 - I love this verse. "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." I won't lie, I am like an ADD kid who has had 20 Red Bulls sometimes in the midst of difficulty. I am running everywhere trying to "help" God and trying to figure things out and control things. God says that if we would just stand still, faithfully trusting God, He would fight for us and win. I try to secure buildings, shake up the church, grow the body, change the community when in reality I ought to faithfully do what God has called me to do and wait on God to do the changing. I can;t tell you how many times I have seen something I genuinely believe God wants to do and then I go and try to help Him. The best thing for me to do is to do whatever He asks, but not get in His way by trying to do more than He asks.
14:31 - Red Sea episodes develop reverence and faith in us.
15:17 - Interesting prophecy about the temple.
15:24 - We quickly forget or walk away from God when our physical needs (any needs?) aren't met. WOW! Sometimes I am a pretty faithless person. If God can lead me this far away from all my messes up and fears and habits, shouldn't I have enough faith the believe He will provide for me once I get here? Man, I am such an Israelite sometimes.
15:26 - "I am the Lord who heals you." Love the verse. I think it is really interesting that God expresses what the conditions are for our healing as well. So many people want to take everything God says out of context and hold Him to it. God is always true to His word in context.
16:3 - People will often choose meat over freedom. We do. We choose buying more stuff over being financially free. We choose to watch things that will inflame our lusts or our fears or our discontent. We choose relationships that hold us back rather than relationships being free from what hurts us unnecessarily.
16:4 - Often times, after God makes a promise He gives us the chance to exercise our part in it. Check out 15:26 and then come back to 16:4.
16:24 - When you put faith and obedience to God 1st He can and will change the natural laws.
16:29 - The sabbath was a gift to the Jews. God gives us rest.
17:15 - "The Lord is my banner."
Love, Michael
No comments:
Post a Comment