Numbers 33; Psalm 78:1-37; Isaiah 25; 1 John 3

Children are so important.  It does not matter what age of the world we look into, children play an incredible role as we see them as a gift to our families.  When I think of the one and final plague in Egypt – the one that finally turned Pharaoh decision – it was the loss of every family’s first born.

They set out from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the day after the passover the Israelites went out boldly in the sight of all the Egyptians, while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, whom the Lord had struck down among them. – Numbers 33:3-4 NRSV

Being a Christian Education Coordinator in my church helped me focus on the children and their families.  It was there that I learned how weak our education perspective was compared to other faith traditions.   I spent 17 hours a year with my kids in direct biblical education while the others were closer to 400 and 600 hours.  I lot of that had to do with traditional celebration periods, but still, it was engagement with God’s Word.  So it is no surprise to see this call to action in the Psalms —

He established a decree in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children; that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and rise up and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; and that they should not be like their ancestors, stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God. – Psalm 78:5-8 NRSV

Here I am today – I am called a child of God.  I know I need to spend time getting to know my Father.  This world is not where my hope lies, it lies with my Him.

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he[a] is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. – 1 John 3:1-3 NRSV

My prayer today is similar to the one Isaiah prayed —

O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you, I will praise your name; for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. – Isaiah 25:1

As Your child Lord, I yield myself into Your hands that you may shape me and mold me and then may I be used by You to glorify Your name. Amen.

evanlaar

Advertisement

Exodus 40; John 19; Proverbs 16; Philippians 3

It is so hard to come to terms with the purposes that God has laid before my life and yet those plans He has for me are what makes me the follower of Jesus I am today.  I was anointed for the journey I was about to undertake as a joint heir in the kingdom of God.

Then you shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furniture, so that it shall become holy -Exodus 40:9

When will I learn that the power of purpose does not reside in my title, or position?  When will I realize that the purposes of God are being carried out in my life regardless of what others may or may not be thinking?  When will I rest in Jesus because the power all resides in God our heavenly Father?

Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” – John 19:11

The Book of Wisdom sets it pretty straightforward, my purpose lies in committing my work, every day, to the Lord.  He has made everything for its purpose – especially me.

The plans of the mind belong to mortals, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.  All one’s way may be pure in one’s own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit.  Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.  The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble. – Proverbs 16:1-4

Every once in a while when I am in a room and people are asked to share where they graduated from, I find myself in a bit of a pickle – I never graduated.

Imagine how I felt today reading Paul’s thoughts on his own education and then defining what real purpose was all about.

Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.  More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ,[e] the righteousness from God based on faith.  I want to know Christ[f] and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death. – Philippians 3:7-10

Lord, in those moments when I feel so inadequate, without purpose and value, thank you for drawing me into You.  You are my everything and whatever You have me to do, may my life be one of anointing, may my life be one marked with holiness.  May I be the vessel You choose to use. Thank you so much.

evanlaar

Esther 3-5, Revelation 12

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.  They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore, rejoice you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” Revelation 12:10-12

For if, you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14

Satan desired to destroy the nation of Israel through Haman. God placed Esther as Queen, precisely at that point in time, to rescue the Jews. If she had not acted, her family would have perished and a deliverer would have come from another place.

The nation of Israel gave birth to the Messiah, who gave his life for all mankind. Jesus, the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world, won the victory over sin and death. Even though the blood of the Lamb defeated Satan, the devil still roams about the earth, seeking to devour, kill and destroy. His hatred toward God’s people has not changed over the centuries. TV news has become his publicity department.

Our voices must not be feeble or hesitant in speaking the truth. Like Esther, we have a part to play in God’s plan to broadcast the Good News of salvation through His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. God desires that our neighbor, mechanic, grocer, co-worker, classmate etc. will not perish, but have everlasting life.

Today, God calls us to share Christ for such a time as this.

yicareggie