Passover

 Now the LORD gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron while they were still in the land of Egypt:  "From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you.  Announce to the whole community that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice.  If a family is too small to eat an entire lamb, let them share the lamb with another family in the neighborhood. Whether or not they share in this way depends on the size of each family and how much they can eat.  This animal must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no physical defects.  "Take special care of these lambs until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then each family in the community must slaughter its lamb.  They are to take some of the lamb's blood and smear it on the top and sides of the doorframe of the house where the lamb will be eaten.  That evening everyone must eat roast lamb with bitter herbs and bread made without yeast.  The meat must never be eaten raw or boiled; roast it all, including the head, legs, and internal organs.  Do not leave any of it until the next day. Whatever is not eaten that night must be burned before morning.  "Wear your traveling clothes as you eat this meal, as though prepared for a long journey. Wear your sandals, and carry your walking sticks in your hands. Eat the food quickly, for this is the LORD's Passover.  On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and kill all the firstborn sons and firstborn male animals in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the LORD!  The blood you have smeared on your doorposts will serve as a sign. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.  (Exodus 12:1-13 NLT)

Let All People Praise the Lord

"Praise, the LORD, all you Gentiles!  Laud Him, all you peoples!  For His merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the LORD endures forever.  Praise the LORD!  (Psalm 117:1-2 NKJV)

Because of the gift God has given us in Christ, all Gentiles should praise Him!  For He has provided salvation to us all.  His merciful kindness truly is great toward us!

O LORD, Truly I Am Your Servant

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.  O Lord, truly I am your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have loosed my bonds.  I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.  I will pay my vows to the LORD now in the presence of all His people, in the courts of the LORD's house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.  Praise the LORD!"  Psalm 116:15-19 NKJV

Have you ever wondered how the psalmist could offer such devotion and praise to God when he mentions death?  Maybe he understood that to be 'absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.' and maybe he knew that 'death has lost its sting'.  Many times, we focus on earthly things because that is what we see and touch and hear but for Christians, there is so much more!  We have life after death.  Let's try to focus on eternal things today!

I Will Take Up the Cup of Salvation

"What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me?  I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.  I will pay my vows to the LORD now in the presence of all His people."  Psalm 116:12-14 NKJV

How can we show our gratitude for all God has done for us?  We can rejoice in our salvation, call upon the name of the LORD and let our life be a witness for Christ!

For You Have Delivered My Soul

"For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.  I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.  I believed, therefore I spoke, 'I am greatly afflicted.'  I said in my haste, 'All men are liars.'"  Psalm 116:8-11 NKJV

Do you cry out to God for help when you are in trouble?  The psalmist believed God and cried out to Him when he was afflicted.  Have you ever chosen to believe God when others thought it was foolish?

Gracious is the Lord

"Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yes, our God is merciful.  The LORD preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me.  Return to your rest, O my soul, for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you."  Psalm 116:5-7 NKJV

Isn't it wonderful to know that when we are 'low' God saves us?  In this passage, the simple may refer to the humble or those with childlike faith.  I am asking myself if I have childlike faith because I want the last part of that passage, 'return to your rest, O my soul, for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.'  Rest.  Doesn't that sound marvelous?

Then I Called Upon the Name of the LORD

"The pains of death surrounded me, and the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow.  Then I called upon the name of the LORD: 'O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!'"  Psalm 116:3-4 NKJV

When was the last time you were in pain and anguish?  Is it now?  Is trouble and sorrow surrounding you?  God is able to deliver us out of all our troubles.  Psalm 34:15-19 says, "The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.  The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.  The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.  The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.  Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all."  Take comfort and know that God will deliver you!

I Love the LORD

"I love the LORD, because He has heard my voice and my supplications.  Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live."  Psalm 116:1-2 NKJV

Do you ever stop to think of all the reasons you love the Lord?  Sometimes it is good to take a moment and reflect on all the prayers we have prayed that God has answered!  What has He delivered you from?  How has He provided for you?  What has He blessed you with?  God is so faithful and has proven His love for us in extraordinary ways not the least of which is the gift of His Son.  As we enter into the season of celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus, lets be very mindful of the gifts and mercies of our God!

Discerning the Call - Part One (Walking on Water)

Matthew 14:28-29 says, "And Peter answered Him and said, 'Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water'.  So He said, 'Come.'  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus."  Some people say Peter was acting out of his impulsive nature while others say he was acting out of his faith and devotion to Jesus.  I think it is a little of both.   Peter was being impulsive because he had obviously not thought it through carefully because when he did, his faith faltered but his faith, although imperfect, is evident in that he trusted that it was Jesus and that Jesus had the power enable him to walk on the water.  Peter recognized that he was not the one in charge of water-walking...God is! 

We all have a calling and God is the One who calls.  We cannot choose our calling so how do we know what our calling is?  First, we must recognize that we are a reflection of God's image.  God works all day and we were created to work as well.  (Psalm 104 is a wonderful depiction of what God does each day!)

Second, we must take our calling seriously.  We should all use our gifts and talents to serve God.  1 Corinthians 12:7 says, "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all".  "Arthur Miller writes that this is what lies at the heart of seven-days-a-week faith:  'It is using one's endowed giftedness to serve the world with excellence and, through that service, to love and honor God!'"  We are all on a mission from God.  If God's kingdom is to be manifested in earth right now, it will have to be through us.  Matthew 5:13-16 tells us, "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." 

An important question to ask ourselves is, 'Do I take my calling too lightly?'

The Choice - Part Two (Walking on Water)

Regarding our spiritual growth, if we will risk our possible brokenness and failure, our faith will grow.  Our faith is like a muscle which needs to be exercised and fed in order to grow!  Peter chose to step out of the boat and because he did, he has walking on water to put on his resume'.  Peter's faith may have faltered, but the others who chose to stay in the boat were the real failures because they chose safety over growth.  How about us?  Are we willing to risk stepping out of the boat?  If we will not, then we risk stagnation and an unfulfilled life full of regrets.  There are a couple of questions that are worth taking a few moments to really consider.  When I get to the end of my life, what will be my biggest regret?  And, what can I do so that doesn't become a regret?

Matthew 25:14-30 is the account of the parable of the talents.  Before a man left on a long journey, he decided to distribute his goods to three of his servants.  To one, he gave five talents, to another two talents and to the other, one talent.  What is interesting is that the one with five talents and the one with two talents both doubled their talents before their master's return but the one with only one talent hid his talent and did nothing with it.  His excuse was fear of the master but the master was not impressed with that reply.  Sometimes we allow fear to keep us from being faithful but our excuse is not any more acceptable to God than the servant in this parable.  Maybe this servant played the comparison game that we sometimes play.  He may have thought I don't have what they have or I can't do what they can do so I will do nothing.  Scripture tells us in verses 26-30, "But his lord answered and said to him, "You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gathered where I have not scattered seed.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to the one who has ten talents.  For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Ortberg makes several profound statements in his book, "Therefore our lives are not about self-preservation and fulfillment, but are to be acts of stewardship.  To fail to be good stewards of what God has given us is a form of robbing him."
"You may feel that , from a human perspective, what you have to offer doesn't count for much, that it will never be very visible or dramatic.  Jesus made it clear:  There is no truth in such a perspective.  We serve the Lord of the Gift."
"He can take what you have to offer and make a difference that matters for eternity.  You have no idea what your potential is.  For there is no reward like the reward of the opened gift."