"OMG" = Profanity in God's Ears

Gonna step on some toes today. But sometimes we need a little toe-crunching to help us see things we've ignored or let slip or simply didn't know. Today I'm taking on the vastly popular phrase: "Oh my God!" You hear it on TV, on the radio, in movies. You hear it from friends and co-workers or even in your own home. You see it written in texts, Tweets and Facebook messages, usually shortened to "OMG." It's catchy, to be sure. It's easy to utter when you're surprised or scared or happy or whatever.

But I'm here to tell you: OMG = Profanity in God's ears.

From the very beginning, God was to be revered by man. And not just God himself, but his very name! In Genesis 4:26 we see that "men began to call on the name of the Lord." God himself told us not to misuse his name in Exodus 3:15 and Deuteronomy 5:11 when he gave us the Ten Commandments:

"You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD your God will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." (NIV)

I like the way the Message Bible puts it:

"No using the name of GOD, your God, in curses or silly banter; GOD won't put up with the irreverent use of his name."

King David declared "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth." Psalm 8:1

The Prophet Joel wrote, "And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved." (2:32)

Jesus himself told us to pray, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name..." (Matthew 6:9) Merriam Webster defines "hallowed" as "holy, reverent, sacred." Jesus is telling us that God's name is holy.

This week I've been reading in the book of Ezekiel. In chapter 20 God is speaking to Ezekiel the Prophet about Jerusalem's disobedience. Three different times God says this about his name:

"But for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations..." (v's 9, 14, 22) 

God's name is important to him! (Also see Ezekiel 36:21-23)

He doesn't want it misused. He doesn't want it to be the word-of-choice when we feel the need to utter an exclamation of some sort. He sure doesn't want it used as a curse word. In fact, Revelation 11:18 tells us God will reward "those who reverence your name."

While I'm on my soapbox I'll go ahead and add that the name of Jesus Christ is the same as God's name. Saying "Jesus" or "Jesus Christ" in a way that is irreverent is breaking the third commandment just as surely as if you had used the name of God. God is Jesus. Jesus is God. Keep his name holy!

It makes me sad when I hear God's name used in vain. And if it makes me sad, I can only imagine how God feels. =(

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This week's Prayer Shout-Out countries are:
USA, Germany, France, China, Vietnam, Latvia, Ireland, Kenya, Russia

MOVE ON!!

I absolutely LOVE IT when God speaks loud and clear through His word!!

Lately I've been struggling with what I believe is the call God has given me to write for Him. Actually, I'm not doubting the call or Him. I'm doubting myself and my ability to accomplish the task. Yes, I love writing. Yes, folks tell me I have a talent for it. And yes, I've had some things published.

But daily...hourly...I wrestle with the doubts.

"What do I know about writing?!"

"My writing stinks!"

"No one will ever buy this stuff!"

On and on they go.

Today, however, God reminded me through His word--delivered by our amazingly gifted pastor, Pastor Joe Champion of Celebration Church--that my dreams of writing have been put in me by God, for God, and will be completed with God!

My job in the whole process is to keep going forward! In Exodus 14, the Israelites are trapped, or so they think, between the Dead Sea and Pharaoh's army. But look what verse 15 says:

"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on."

The Living Bible translates this verse, "Quit praying and get the people moving!"

MOVE ON!!

GO FORWARD!!

Stop whining and doubting and move on! Move on to your dreams! Move on to all that God has planned for you!

Ephesians 2:10 is a verse I've claimed many times over the years and continue to claim, especially as I move on in the crazy world of writing-for-publication:

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

God already knows the work He created for me to accomplish during my time on earth. All I have to do is listen to Him, follow His lead, and know that He is in control.

Whew!

What's holding you back from your dreams?

MOVE ON!!

Final thoughts from Exodus...

Well, I finished reading the book of Exodus this morning. Very interesting, to say the least. Sometimes confusing, mainly because I don't have answers to all the WHY questions I have. Like:

WHY did God chose to let the Israelites become slaves in Egypt?
WHY didn't God simply strike down Pharaoh?
WHY did God harden Pharaoh's heart?
WHY did the Israelites whine so much?
WHY were the Israelites so disobedient?
WHY were Moses and Aaron from the Tribe of Levi, but Jesus came from the Tribe of Judah?
WHY? WHY? WHY?

But I also know that I've learned a lot re-reading this book. I've shared some of those lessons here on my Blog. If you didn't catch them, they're under the "Exodus" label.

So, tomorrow I'll dive into Leviticus. Admittedly, that is one of my least favorite books of the Bible to read. Lots of laws. God gave His people a lot of laws! As I was reading through some of the laws listed in Exodus, and then read the specific instructions regarding the Tent of Meeting--how to build it and how to furnish it--I realized one very important thing:

God is a God of order!

Life is evidence of that. Our planet. Our universe. Our bodies. Everything was created with perfect order and perfect purpose. But like the Israelites and their descendants, we tend to forget that and try to do things our way, which usually makes a big mess out of God's perfect order!

I don't have all the answers to my WHY questions. And I'm sure I'll have plenty more by the time I finish Leviticus!! But what I do know is this:

God gave us His word so that we would know Him!

If you're not in a daily Bible study, I encourage you to start today!! Hey, you might even join me in Leviticus! :)

God can fix what is broken...

I live in fear of accidentally breaking something of value when I'm in the homes of my elderly clients. Some of them own expensive knick-knacks, vases, etc. Other items don't have much monetary value but do hold sentimental value. In the 13 years I've worked in private homes, I have only broken three items--two didn't matter; one sorta did, but not so much that my client was mad. Whew!! (Hardwood floors and/or tiled floors are very unforgiving!!)

Moses broke something of value. We're talking real value! And unlike my accidents, Moses did it on purpose!

He'd been up on the mountain talking to God and received the stone tablets God wrote the commandments on. But because Moses was gone so long, the Israelites gave up on him and had Aaron fashion a god of gold for them to worship. They apparently got pretty boisterous in their revelry over this new god, because THE God told Moses to go down from the mountain and put a stop to it. Moses obeys, and what a terrible sight he beheld when he reached the camp! There is the golden calf, sitting front and center, with the whole Iraelite community worshipping it!!

What did Moses do?

Exodus 32:19 tells us:

"When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces."

OH!! The tablets!! How could he?!

I've been angry enough to break things in my life. I'm not proud of those moments and truly hope I've outgrown that kind of temper-tantrum. I think Moses was probably sorry after the deed was done, too. I mean, those were tablets God himself had written on! (Ex. 31:18) One-of-a-kind, irreplaceable tablets, right?

Wrong.

Instead of gathering up all the pieces of the old tablets and putting it back together like a puzzle, God made new ones.

"The Lord said to Moses, "Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke." Ex. 34:1

You know what this scripture tells me?

No matter how broken our lives, our spirits, our hearts, our relationships--God can fix it. Just like those broken tablets. He can give us new life, a new spirit, a new heart, healed and new relationships!

Nothing is impossible with God! (Luke 1:37) Trust Him with your broken things. He CAN and WILL fix them!!

What Does God Look Like?

The other day one of my elderly clients asked me what God looks like. I'm not sure why she thought I would know, but we had an interesting discussion about it. I'd actually just read Exodus 24 that morning. Verses 9-11 say:

"Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself. But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank."

Years ago I wrote "WOW!" next to this. Imagine being invited to see God!

But notice that Moses does not describe God's appearance. The only word picture he gives us is of the sapphire-like pavement under his feet.

Today's reading came from Exodus 33. Moses and God are talking when Moses asks if he can see God's glory. God agrees under this condition:

"There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back, but my face must not be seen." (v. 21-23)

Ahhhh. Now I see why Moses didn't describe God back in Ex. 24. Apparently he and the others didn't actually see God's face when they were in His presence.

Isaiah saw God, too. In Isaiah 6:1 he says:

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted and the train of his robe filled the temple."

No description here either, but what an awesome image this must have been!!

My elderly client also wanted to know if I thought Jesus looked like the picture she has hanging near her bed. You know the one. We've all seen it and even had similar pictures in our homes. (My Mom has the one my Grandma owned hanging in her room.) The man in the picture does have a sweetness about him. His face is very serene and peaceful. So it this what Jesus will look like when we see Him?

I told my client: I don't think so.

Why don't I think Jesus looks like that portrait? Well, for one, that picture is simply one artists idea of what Jesus looked like. We know Jesus would have had dark hair and eyes because of the region he lived in. But other than that, the Bible doesn't give us any real description of him. You know what that says to me? It says that Jesus was a very ordinary looking man.

But does He still look like He did when He was on earth?

Again, I don't think so. After Jesus rose from the grave, He appeared to many. Yet...

In Luke 24:16 the two disciples walking to Emmaus don't recognize him.
In John 20:14 Mary Magdalene doesn't recognize him.
In John 2l:4 a boat load of fishing disciples, including Peter and John, didn't recognize him on the shore.

I think Revelation 19 explains why. John, still recording the revelation that Jesus gave him, gives this description of Jesus in verse 11-16:

"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped with blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."

That description doesn't sound like the meek and mild Jesus who walked the earth and was hung on a cross by an angry mob!

All of this tells me we can't really answer the question, "What does God look like?" We are obviously not supposed to know. But will we know someday?

YES!

Revelation 21:3 says, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people and God himself will be with them and be their God."

I can't wait for that day, folks!! The day I see God!

WOW!!

Are you using your gifts?

Me thinks God is speaking to me about gifts today!! Why do I think that? Let me show you.

1. As I was reading Exodus 28 this morning, these words jumped out at me:

"Tell all the skilled men to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest."

God gave Moses very specific, very detailed instructions about the tabernacle and all that was needed to serve God and His house. Aaron and his descendants were chosen by God to serve as priests and God wanted them to wear special priestly garments when they entered the House of God. The words above--"to whom I have given wisdom in such matters"--are clear evidence that God gives different gifts to different people. I am no seamstress. I was not given that gift and I would have made a mess of it if I'd tried to sew these special garments. But there were men in the crowd of Israelites who did poses that gift...because God had given it to them!! So they used their gifts and sewed beautiful garments for Aaron and his sons so they would be ready to serve God in the Holy Place.

2. After I'd finished my Bible study, I got out "THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE" book which I'm re-reading. Chapter five is all about how we see our lives. Example: like a circus, a roller coaster, a merry-go-round, a party, etc. God, however, sees our lives differently. Pages 44-45 talk about how life is a Trust. Rick Warren writes, "Our time on earth and our energy, intelligence, opportunities, relationships, and resources are all gifts from God that He has entrusted to our care and management." He points to the story Jesus told about the businessman and the talents as evidence that God does not want us to waste the gifts He's given us. (Matt. 25:14-29)

OK. So far God has shown me through scripture and through an inspiring book that He has given each of us gifts to use. But God wasn't finished with the lesson. Guess what our pastor preached on today?!

3. Pastor Joe Champion of Celebration Church finished up his awesome 4-part series entitled "What's Your Status?" by talking about "What's Your Status...with Your Gifts?" Pastor Joe used the scripture in Matthew about the talents as well to make the point that we all have a choice about what to do with the gifts God has given us. One of the many things I jotted down in my note-taking was:

"You don't want to come to the end of your life and have to give back the gift God gave you unused!!"

Yow-za!!!

God has certainly made it abundantly clear to me today that He has given each of us gifts to use for His glory and His purposes!!

Lord, I want to be faithful with the gifts you've given me. My heart's desire is to use them to bring YOU glory!!

What about you? Are you using your gifts?

Where do you meet God?

God gave Moses very specific instructions on how to make the tabernacle and all that would go into it. I'm talking every detail, down to the color of yarn they were to use in sewing the curtains. It's an interesting read and reminds me that God is all about the details. Just look around if you don't agree. Nature. Human life. It's all about the details!

In Exodus 25:10-22 God tells Moses how to make the ark that would later hold the stone tablets God would give him with the commandments written on them. God refers to these tablets as the Testimony (Ex. 25:21). One very specific detail about the ark were the cherubim. A cherubim is, in my limited understanding, a winged creature with a human head and a body of a lion or bull. We're first introduced to cherubim in Genesis 3:24:

"After [God] drove [Adam and Eve] out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life."

God told Moses to have two cherubim crafted from gold and placed on top of the ark, facing each other with their wings lifted upward yet looking at the cover of the ark.

Why so specific?

Because...

"There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites." Ex. 25:22

God still wants to meet with us, just as He wanted to meet with Moses.

In Matthew 6:5-15 Jesus gave us instructions on how to meet with God. Verse 6 says:

"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

I also like the way The Message Bible paraphrases this verse:

"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace."

I love my quiet time with God. I don't have the ark and the cherubim or the tabernacle, but that doesn't matter. Every morning, while the house is still, I close the door to my room, sit in my favorite chair where all my Bibles and devotionals are within reach, and spend time in God's word. Then I spend time on my knees. On days when I am in a rush, woke up late, or whatever, and I don't do this, I notice it! If God is going to be the center of my day, then I need to start it with Him!

What about you?

Where do you meet God?

If meeting with God on a daily basis isn't one of your habits, you can start today! It is never too late to meet with God!

God's Name...

Have you ever wondered what God's name is?

Is it God? Or is God who He is rather than a name for Him?

Hmmm.

This morning I read Exodus 23:21. God is speaking to Moses and the Israelites:

"Do not rebel against him [the angel God sent to lead the people]; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him."

God gave the power of his Name to the angel and warned the people they'd better listen to him or else!

Last night during our family devotions we read the story in Luke where Mary and Joseph have Jesus circumcised:

"On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived." Luke 2:21

The writer of the devotional said Jesus went without a name his first eight days of life. I hadn't thought of it like that before, but in some ways he's right. The birth certificate, if you will, hadn't been filled out yet.

But Jesus did have a name. A beautiful name! A wonderful name! And God already knew it! Jesus had a lot of names, in fact. He was God. He is God. And God has a lot of names!

Here are just a few that deeply touch me when I think of God:

God the Father
God the Creator
God Most High
El Shaddai (God Almighty)
I Am!
Adonai (Lord)
Jehovah (Lord)
Lord my Rock
My Redeemer
Shepherd
Alpha and Omega
Savior
Christ, the Messiah
KING OF KINGS
LORD OF LORDS
Friend
Comforter
Wonderful Counselor
Word of God
Holy Spirit
Spirit of Truth
Truth

God goes by a lot of names. Who is He to you?

Eagles' Wings and Treasured Possessions....

As I continue my study in the Book of Exodus, I'm amazed by the love and patience God showed the Israelites. I mean, think about it. I'm only on chapter 19 and this is what we've seen already:

1. God heard their groaning in their slavery to Egypt. (Ex. 2:25)
2. God called Moses to rescue His people from Pharaoh. (Ex. 3-12)
3. God provided guidance, protection and provisions for His people. (Ex. 13-16)
4. God promised them a home in a land He would give them. (Ex. 13:5)

You would think that all of the above would be enough to make the Israelites humble and thankful, wouldn't you? So, were they humble and thankful?

Nope.

They grumbled and complained from the moment they left Egypt. "We're gonna die!" "We're hungry!" "We're thirsty!" Waah, waah, waah.

Sound familiar? If not, then you aren't listening to the folks all around you.

Yet God continued to show His mercy and love to them. Just today I read the most beautiful words--a beautiful promise--that God made to them.

"You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possessions. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."

WOW!!

What an amazing, beautiful promise!! What an amazing, beautiful God!

Did you know God still wants us to be his treasured possessions? That's why He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to the world to die on a cross. So that you and I and everyone who will believe on Him will not perish but have everlasting life with Him! He'll carry us on eagles' wings, freeing us from sin just as surely as He freed the Israelites from Pharaoh.

Are you one of God's treasured possessions? You can be!

God Knows Exactly Where You Are...

...And Other Truths Found in Exodus.

As I'm reading through Exodus these days, I'm thrilled to see so many truths pop out at me! Things I may have missed in other readings or simply forgotten about. (I am getting old, ya know!) I wanted to share some of them with you so you too can thrill over God and His amazing love and power!!


1. God Knows Exactly Where You Are.
One of my favorite scenes from the movie "The Ten Commandments" is when Moses touches the Red Sea with his staff and God opens a path for the Israelites to walk through. Huge walls of water are on either side, held back by the hand of God. But that didn't happen simply by coincidence. God placed the entire Israelite community--remember, it was a few million people plus livestock!--at the edge of the Red Sea for a purpose (Ex. 14:2). He knew Pharaoh's army would pursue the Israelites and he knew the Israelites faith was too small to believe God could save them. So God put them between a rock and a hard place so He could show them His glory and power. Are you between a rock and a hard place? God knows exactly where you are. Let Him show you His glory and power!

2. God Will Provide All Your Needs.
If there is one lesson to take away from the book of Exodus, it is that God will provide for His people! Beginning in Exodus 2:24 we see that God heard the cry of the Israelites because they were in slavery in Egypt. Verse 25 says, "God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them." So He freed them, sparing them from the worst of the plagues He brought upon Egypt in the process. He led them through their journey (Ex. 13:21). He made a way for them through the sea--on dry ground, no less!! (Ex. 14) When they were thirsty and could only find bitter water, He made it sweet (Ex. 15: 22-25). When they were hungry He gave them bread in the form of manna and quail (Ex. 16). Make no mistake about it, folks! God WILL provide all your needs if you trust in Him!

3. God Always Has a Plan.
The entire book of Exodus reveals God's plan for the Israelites. Nothing "just happened" out of coincidence or bad luck. There was purpose in all of it. In one of my favorite books, The Purpose Driven Life, Pastor Rick Warren writes:

"You are not an accident. Even before the universe was created, God had you in mind, and he planned for you his purposes. These purposes will extend far beyond the few years you will spend on earth. You were made to last forever!"

Ephesians 2:10 says: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do."

God has a plan for you! God has a plan for me! When we take matters into our own hands--like the Israelites did in Ex. 32 when they declared Moses dead and made a golden calf as their god--we mess up that plan. Yes, God can fix it, but wouldn't it be better to simply follow the original plan in the first place??

One thing is certain. We serve an amazing God!! Just read Exodus and see how truly amazing He is!!

But what about you?

Pharaoh did not acknowledge God, not even after the plague of the firstborn (Exodus 12). If your memory of Exodus is a little rusty, think about the movie "The Ten Commandments" with Charlton Heston. Haven't we all seen that movie a gillion times? But it made a lasting impression on most of us, especially as the Angel of Death (a.k.a. green fog in the movie) moved through Egypt killing the firstborn of every household that didn't have lamb's blood on their door post. You would think that Pharaoh might finally, finally acknowledge God after losing his own son, but no...he didn't. He wouldn't.

Our pastor spoke on Matthew 16:13-16 yesterday.

"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Phillippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (NIV)

Who do you say God is?

Pharaoh couldn't answer that question. He admitted he didn't know God in Exodus 5:2. He'd seen one miraculous sign after the other, but still he refused to acknowledge God. The folks in Matthew were like Pharaoh. They couldn't accept that Jesus was God. Instead they said he was John the Baptist, or Elijah, or Jeremiah, or even one of the prophets. I wonder why it was easier for them to accept that he was a dead man come back to life rather than accept that he was the Christ, the Messiah they'd long awaited.

But what about you?

Do you believe Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God? Jesus went on to bless Peter (Matt. 16:17) because of his faith in who Jesus is. Jesus will bless you, too, if you believe in Him and acknowledge that He is indeed who He said He is--Immanuel, God with us.

Pharaoh had a choice.

You have a choice, too.

What is your answer when Jesus asks, "But what about you?"

Do You Know God?

Do you know God?

There's no question that God knows you. He created you. He formed you in your mother's womb. He knew your name before you did. He knows every thought you think, every word you speak, and every hair on your head.

But do you know God?

Pharaoh did not know God. He even says so in Exodus 5:2. Moses has come to him--in obedience to God--and asked Pharaoh to let the Israelites go because the Lord God has commanded it. 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."

I have a notation I wrote a few years ago beside this verse. It says, "Sad!" And it really is. It's sad that Pharaoh wouldn't acknowledge God and clearly didn't want to get to know Him.

I know people like that. There are millions of them out in the world. They have no place in their lives for God. They're busy. They're educated. They're rich. They're poor. They're living life and have no need for God.

I was one of those people a long time ago. I knew about God, like Pharaoh, but I didn't know God, like Moses. There is a difference. A huge difference. A person can know all about God and still not know the God of Heaven, the Creator of all things. But I know God now. We talk every day, quite often in fact. I read His letters to me every morning. I see the blessings He's given me all around. He sent His son to save me from my sins because He loves me so much. And one day in the not-so-distant future I'll go live with God for all eternity.

It's easy to know God. There's nothing difficult or mysterious about it. Pharaoh never did know God.

Do you know Him?

"I will be with you." ~ God

Do you ever wonder where God is in your life? I know I have days when I do. It's usually those days when everything under the sun is going wrong.

Moses had days like that. Back in Exodus 2:11-15 we read that Moses committed murder. Others knew about it and Pharaoh tried to kill him when he found out. Moses ran away and probably would have never gone back to Egypt if God hadn't told him to. Moses didn't want to go. Do ya blame him? But God had a plan and a purpose in asking Moses to go. And He made him this promise:

"And God said [to Moses], "I will be with you." Ex. 3:12

As I read those words this morning, other familiar words came to my mind.

"And surely I will be with you always, even to the very end of the age." Jesus said this in Matthew 28:20.

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." The author of the book of Hebrews reminds us in chapter 13, verse 5 that God made a promise way back in Deuteronomy 31:6 that He would never leave us.

"Do not be afraid or terrified because of them [your enemies], for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

Moses needed God with him to go back to Egypt and free the Israelites.

The disciples needed Jesus with them to go into all the nations and proclaim the Good News.

God's people needed Him with them to defeat their enemies.

You and I need Him with us today to accomplish all that He has for us to do.

And guess what?

He promised He would be with you and me! If you're having one of those days or weeks or months or years when you just don't feel like God is there, read these verses and be reminded that He is always with you! He promised He would be.

And God keeps his promises!

Intended Harm vs. God's Goodness...

I finished reading Genesis today. Woot! What an interesting book full of interesting people. I'm tempted to read it through again, but no, I'm ready to plunge into Exodus tomorrow.

For anyone who doesn't think Genesis is relevant, I want to share something I read this morning and how it came to life in my mailbox a little while ago.

In Genesis 50:19-20, Joseph reassures his brothers that he's not going to turn on them now that their father Jacob is dead. He says to them, " Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."

To recap, Joseph's ten older brothers were so jealous of him and the favor he had with their father that they sold him to slave traders when he was a teenager. Fast forward a dozen-plus years and we find that Joseph is a powerful ruler in Egypt. Famine is all over the land and his brothers must come to him to beg for food. But Joseph doesn't hold a grudge and invites them along with his father to live in Egypt under his protection.

These brothers, however, apparently hadn't gotten over the guilt of what they'd done to Joseph. Not only had they sold him, but they'd first plotted to kill him. Now that their father is dead, their guilty hearts can't quite grasp that Joseph has truly forgiven them and won't punish them for their evil deed.

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good..."

Several years ago friends of ours suffered a major spiritual attack. The attack was so great that the family was irreparably broken. The marriage ended, an ungodly union was formed, and the children were left to deal with it all. It was obvious Satan meant harm--serious harm--to this family.

Fast forward to today.

The oldest daughter is now in her early twenties. When her family broke apart, it would have been understandable if she'd turned her back on God. But she didn't. Instead of running away, she ran to Him. When I checked the mail today, there was a letter from her. In it she explains that God has called her into full-time ministry! She'll be part of an intern program this fall where she'll not only learn how to be a leader of excellence, she will also travel the world as a missionary and global aid worker. What an amazing journey!

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good..."

What about you? Have you suffered harm? Don't let it stop you from experiencing the good things God has for you!