“Do Not Harden Your Hearts”

April 4, 2024

April 4, 2024

Read Numbers 24, Psalm 95-97

We have a responsibility to respond to the Lord when He works in and around our lives. Psalm 95 challenges us; “Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert, 9 where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did” vv. 7-9. This passage is echoed by the author of Hebrews as a warning for us not to turn away from the Lord. Our free will is one of the greatest gifts that God has bestowed on us. The ability to choose to love and freely give or reject that which God has placed before us is powerful. We should be cautious to not continue to away from the Lord like the Israelites did in the wilderness and like so many others have done. It is a scary thing to consider that our hearts would harden and cause us to miss out on the blessings of God because we continually rejected the Lord or continually participated in some form of sin that turned us deaf to the voice of the Lord. Have you become hardened of heart in some way or area? Do we allow the world to influence us in ways that are dangerous to our eternal destiny?

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, verses, or themes stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Frogs, Boils, and Darkness Oh My!”

February 3, 2024

February 3, 2024

Read Exodus 8-10, Psalm 34

Has the Lord ever gotten your attention with something that you have seen or experienced? Maybe it was a close call with a vehicle, a poignant conversation that hit you right between the eyes, or maybe you were caught in a sin but given some grace to repent and change. In Exodus 8-10 we find God trying to accomplish something similar with Pharaoh with the plagues. God told Moses to go before Pharaoh and give him a chance to let the Israelites go or he would bring about plagues that Egypt would face. God knew what it would ultimately take, Pharaoh losing his own first born. He told Moses this ahead of time. (Exodus 4:23) Back and forth Moses and Pharaoh would go, each time Pharaoh would change his mind and not allow the Israelites to leave. Several of the plagues seem to be a direct attack on an Egyptian god, but not all ten plagues specifically describe an Egyptian god as they were known. God seemed to be sending Pharaoh a message I am greater than the gods in Egypt that you worship. Do you that God would do something today to get your attention like he did Pharaoh? Could it be when we are out of our relationship or walk with God that He would try to get our attention and bring us back under his will? Take your time as you read through the chapters. Some of the plagues the Egyptian magicians could replicate, some they could not. Some of the plagues affected all of Egypt and some only affected the Egyptians and God protected the Israelites from harm. One interesting fact that stands out to me is when Moses asks Pharaoh when he would like the frogs to go away. Pharaoh’s response is “tomorrow” v. 8:10. Why not right now or yesterday? Had Pharaoh become accustom to them or was he just willing to put up with them? It makes me wonder. What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“You’re Not the Boss of Me!”

February 2, 2024

February 2, 2024

Read Exodus 5-7, Psalm 33

Have you ever heard a child make this exclamation before? “You’re not the boss of me!” They may have referred it to another adult, a teacher, or a person of authority over them. In Exodus 5-7 we have a similar attitude coming from Pharaoh. God tells Moses to speak to Pharaoh. You know… “Let my people go….” Naturally, Pharaoh responds “Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go” v. 2. Pharaoh may not have heard of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, so he consequentially had no desire to listen or obey him either. We can find the same mentality today among people. They neither know or fear the Lord and their behaviors and speech reflect this attitude. Honestly, who would blame them? When my kids were growing up, sometimes they would come home from school and talk about something that someone did to them or their friend. I would try to remind them that most likely they were not Christians or faithfully living out God’s design for their life. The phrase, “non-Christians will do what they do or just comes natural to themselves” was often repeated. We might not live in a polytheistic culture today in America but that doesn’t mean that people don’t have their gods. The gods just change from Ra, Chemosh, and Molech to the gods of self, materialism, and other things we worship and deem important. The ultimate issue of a god is who has the authority over my life and determines how I live my life. Some might have one god they worship; others might have a pantheon of gods they have amassed for themselves. Christians often use the phrase “Savior and Lord” when referring to Jesus. We have Jesus as our Savior, but is he also our Lord? Does Jesus have authority, lordship, or is he our “boss?” Not just in one or two areas of our lives, Jesus commands us to love God with our “whole heart” (Mark 12:30-31). What areas of your life do you struggle to relinquish control to the Lord?

Psalm 33 is a beautiful psalm that has many familiar phrases in it. It praises the Lord for his creation, his righteousness and just actions. Verse 12 says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.” The psalmist recognizes the “blessing” that comes from allowing God to lead and be our boss. When many people see the word “blessing” they might be tempted to jump to an idea of finances or material goods. That might be one way to look at it, but “blessing” is really about an attitude of happiness or joy. Some translations of the Bible capture this by says “Happy is…” rather than blessed. When we recognize God as the ultimate authority in our lives, he will bring us blessings.

What other words, themes, or phrases stand out to you as you read these chapters? Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon