Tag Archives: salvation

Exodus 12: the beginning

” The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt,  “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.” (v. 1)

He gave them their beginning, marking their rescue as the start of their year for the rest of their days. A reminder, always, of when God took them out of slavery and into freedom.

My date is today, April 2nd, and I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t always think about my rescue when this date rolls around each year. But, the memory of it is embedded in me all the same. The date, the place, the sounds going on around me as I physically sat in a chair repeating a prayer while also, somewhere in my soul, falling in a broken heap at the feet of Jesus. That’s when He gave me my beginning.

This conversation God had with Moses in chapter 12 is almost like an artist painting on a canvas, telling the story of thousands of years. The Israelites, and you and I, escaping death through the blood of a perfect, unblemished lamb.

God marked the day for them, and for the generations to come. “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.” (v. 14)

In other words, this day is worthy of remembrance for you, and for those coming after you. Make much of it.

The blood of Jesus was applied to my life on the second day in April 1989, and on that day God marked my beginning. The generations that come won’t see my years of slavery. They won’t be witnesses to the darkness of my oppression, but instead, they will know the testimony that His blood has put on my life. Thirty-six years ago Jesus rescued me and in doing so, He changed the course of not just my life but the lives of my family.

This chapter in the book of Exodus, which I have read at least a dozen times if not more, hit me different this time, as I realize that God marked out their beginning, and told them to celebrate it for all time.

My rescue is no less worthy of remembrance, and neither is yours. He wants His people to celebrate what He has done for them, to remember it, talk about it, so the generations to come will know.

This was the beginning.

Exodus 11: The Last One

“There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.’ Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.” (v. 6-7)

This was it. The negotiations were over and there would be no further discussion. God’s last blow to Pharoah would bring him to his knees (for a minute) and the Israelites would go free… every single one of them.

{What we, you and I, must wrestle with is the fact that God hardened Pharoah’s heart so that he would not let the Israelites go. To help with your wrestle, I recommend this article by Tim Mackie, Chief Education Officer for the BibleProject.}

The relationship between God and Moses fascinates me, and puts a longing in me. God told Moses every detail of what was going to happen. Be real, when was the last time God told you every detail of what He was about to do? Me? Never. He’s given me blurry glimpses of things I didn’t quite understand, and given me words to speak to others that usually only made sense to them, but that’s it.

I want what Moses had with God, but I really don’t want the assignments Moses had from God. Perhaps that’s why I get blurry pictures and words I don’t understand. I want the good part but not the hard part. Something to ponder for later.

What I keep staring at is that even under the threat of death to his firstborn son, Pharoah decided he would not let the Israelites go. The hardness of his heart was complete, and was a danger to all of Egypt. Perhaps he thought there would be more chances, more room for negotiating. More time.

And that’s the thing. We all think there’s more time, more wiggle room when it comes to the things of God, especially salvation and eternity. I’ll lay down that sin soon, but not now. I’ll consider following Jesus, but not right now. Later, when I’ve got my shi stuff together. Someday, one day, maybe tomorrow I’ll think about all of that.

But there will always be a last time for God’s mercy, because there will always be a last breath we take and we have no idea when that will be.

Pharoah would find out that this was the last plague, the last chance, the last time Moses would make an offer, and the price of ignoring that last one would devastate an entire nation.

How many has there been for you? How many times have you heard or felt the call of God in your life? How many times has God told you to lay that sin down? How many times have you felt the urging of the Holy Spirit to turn around and come back to God?

I pray that we all heed whatever God is putting before us quickly. Before it becomes the last one.

On That Day

Two blind men following Him around seeking mercy. “Do you believe that I can do this?” (Matthew 9:28)

pistis. It means “belief with the predominate idea of trust (or confidence) …” (Strong’s)

“Now without faith it is impossible to please God…” (Hebrews 11:6) Same word. Same meaning.

But there is a scene that Jesus describes that puts the pistis rubber to the roman road.

The people in this scene are “many”. The place is before the throne. The time is on that day.

On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name?’ Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!’ (Matthew 7:22-23)

The fact that He called them lawbreakers tells us that they were still under the law, not under grace, and therefore, they were not saved.

The many who will say Lord, Lord will be those doings works while remaining under the law because they put their trust in their works and not in Christ. They used the name of Jesus while not actually knowing Him or being known by Him. The fact that they were were casting out demons and doing miracles did not mark them as belonging to Christ. Even Satan can do miracles.

“The coming of the lawless one is based on Satan’s working, with every kind of miracle, both signs and wonders serving the lie, and with every wicked deception among those who are perishing.” (2 Thessalonians 2:9)

So, to the one who thinks you can do enough good things to make it to heaven, please, lean in for just a minute.

You can’t. You can’t do enough. You can’t prophesy enough, do enough miracles, serve the poor enough, be kind enough, or good enough. You can’t give away enough stuff, pray enough, fast enough, or cast out enough demons. No matter how long you live, you will never do enough to earn one single thing from God, especially salvation.

Because on that day, your eternity will not depend on what you did or didn’t do. It will only depend on whether or not you trusted in Jesus’ atoning work on the cross to be enough.

pistis. Full trust, full dependence, full confidence in His blood to be enough for your salvation. His atonement to be the finished work on your behalf. His payment of your debt. His righteousness for your unrighteousness.

The scene Jesus painted for His disciples of the “many” standing before Him, will be a scene that comes to life one day. On that day, I pray that you and I will stand before Him with only one claim to eternity. His blood.

Thank You Jesus, for saving a wretch like me. May every work I do on this earth be done out of love for You, not a need to be good enough for You.

Declaration & Praise: Day 9

“When there is a prolonged blast of the horn and you hear its sound, have all the troops give a mighty shout. Then the city wall will collapse, and the troops will advance, each man straight ahead.” – Joshua 6:5
“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back with a powerful east wind all that night and turned the sea into dry land. So the waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with the waters like a wall to them on their right and their left.” – Exodus 14:21-22

Nothing will stop my God. No wall, no sea will hinder Him from getting me to the place He has for me.

I declare today that the full power of God cannot be imagined by man. His power breaks down barriers, pushes back anything in His way, lays out giants, opens prison doors, holds the sun still, raises dry bones into an army, open graves and calls the dead to life.

Power, real power, belongs to God alone, and nothing can stand against it. No giant of sickness or loss can rage greater than the power and love of my Healer, my Deliverer, My Savior.

His plans for me cannot be thwarted. No enemy can change my destiny in Him or take me from Him. Nothing will ever stop His goodness toward me, nothing will take His love from me or take me out of His hand.

There is no power that will ever be able to stand against the power of the God who is for me and not against me, the God who formed me, set eternity in my heart, and rescued me from the dominion of darkness by the power of His cross. The heavens and earth and my life all come to be by His power.

Here in the power of God I stand. My God is for me. Who can be against me?

Forty Days of Praying the Word of God: Day 16

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16

“When He had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”

John 19:30

Thank You for such love, Lord. Thank You that it was not Your desire that we would perish in our sins. Thank You that the atonement is finished, and eternal life is given to those who believe and truss in Your Son’s finished work on the cross.

Help me walk worthy of the price that was paid for my sin. Help me to never take it for granted, but to always see it with gratitude, with humility and wonder – to see it for what it is – You took the punishment for my sins so that I could live. Oh Lord, what kind of love is this?!

I pray Lord, for the strength to walk in the it is finished gospel. Help me to stop trying to redeem myself from my sins, to stop trying to earn eternal life, to stop trying to be my own savior. I pray for a resting to come to my soul, a resting in the truth that redemption is finished.

And I pray for courage for Your Church, Lord. Courage to preach the whole gospel, as it is written. I pray that we will not soften it or water it down, but that we will boldly put forth the truth that all who will not believe Jesus, and who will not put their trust in His finished work of redemption, will perish.

Give us hearts that break at the thought, Lord! Set a fire in Your people that burns for those who are perishing, a fire of urgency to reach them with the truth that can save them. I pray for a great revival in Your Church, a revival of the gospel message, and a desire to see it go forth into the nations, into our workplaces, our neighborhoods, and yes, even into our churches.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Forty Days of Praying the Word of God: Day 10

“I am sending you to them to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’”

Acts 26:18

Father, I pray for those in my life who do not know You, especially to the ones I cannot reach, and I pray that You will send Your people to them. I pray that the power of the Gospel will tear away the veil that covers the eyes of their understanding and compel them to turn, be forgiven and become sanctified by faith in You.

Jesus I’m so thankful that You are a pursuer of the lost, that You don’t wait for us to stumble upon You, but You seek us out. So I pray with confidence, asking You to go where they are, find them, and save them.(Luke 19:10)

I pray that into the harvest fields You will send Your people, that the few laborers will become many and that we would speak Your Gospel with boldness and courage. (Matthew 9:37-38, Ephesians 6:19-20)

Father, I ask that You would draw my friends and loved ones who do not know You to Jesus, so that they can be reconciled to You by His blood. (John 6:44, 2 Corinthians 5:18)

I pray for a revival for circumcised hearts, unveiled minds, and an outpouring of repentance, that the lost would begin to flood Your Kingdom with the power of Your Holy Spirit within them. (Deuteronomy 30:6; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Acts 2:38)

I pray that by Your Spirit, the lost will come to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent, and so find eternal life. (John 17:3)

In the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Giving of Thanks

Got up early. Checked the thawing status of the 22-pound bird that the two of us will sit down to later today. Two of us, who waited until the last minute to decide I wanted to make a small, but traditional Thanksgiving meal, so the only turkeys left were bigger than both our heads put together, and frozen. So he’s been swimming in the bathtub all night. Oh, I know. I can hear what you’re thinking. But thawing our turkeys in the bathtub, well, that just goes way back in my family, and as far I know, no one has died from it yet. Besides, leaving our homes and breathing around humans that don’t live with us are also unsafe, so as far as I can tell, we’re all rollin’ the dice these days.

But that’s not where I was going with this story.

It was my time with Jesus this morning. It actually started a few days ago, as I found myself looking back over my life for some reason, recalling both pain and pleasure, hard and easy, dark and light, sadness and joy. As I took a step back, I became overwhelmed with gratitude for the life God has given me.

The good, the bad, the ugly, and the hardest of the hard parts. The abuse that broke a little girl, the losses, the insecurity, the bad marriage that followed a bad marriage, the hopelessness and cancer and Covid – all mixed in with sporadic good memories of childhood and family and good friends and sitting on the roof eating Kool-aid mix and riding dirt bikes and playing marbles in the dirt, tetherball and hide & seek and being loved, and then children and grandchildren and a marriage that survived and the great big hope that now rests in me.

It surprised me to be thankful for it all, until I understood why.

In years past, when we went around the table to name what we are thankful for, it always went something like this:

I’m thankful for my family. For my health. For my freedom. For my job. For…all the good things in my life. None of that is wrong, or bad. But let’s shift it slightly.

I’m thankful to God for my family, health, etc. Now the focus is not on what we have been given, but who has been the Giver. But that’s not the full shift. This morning I discovered why I feel gratitude for all of the things in my life that, frankly, I’d prefer to forget.

Every bit of it has led me to know God. I’ve known so much mercy, healing, and saving because God is so good to pursue those running from Him. I’ve experienced His nearness in dark places because He is Emmanuel and He came into the dark to comfort me and speak words of kindness to my soul. I know the power of the blood of Christ to save a wretch like me because I was lost and He wanted me to be found.

God didn’t just show up on April 2nd 1989 when a man asked me if I was done living the way I was living and ready to accept Jesus. My heavenly Father didn’t listen to my prayer and then choose to come and stand next to me. He had been there from the time I took my first breath. He was there through all that was done to me through the free will of humanity, all that I did to myself and others through that same free will, and still, He chose to pursue me, to save me, to heal me, and to use every choice that had been made to show me His goodness and His love. He has stayed through all the parts, both good and bad. Never wavered. Always drawing me, inviting me to come closer, to lean in, to look up, and to know His heart.

And now, I can’t take my eyes off of Him. Every part of my life is His, and He is why I have any reason at all to be thankful…He is why any of us can give thanks today or any other day. Today, I give thanks to God, for Him. And I will allow that thankfulness to wash over me again and again as I remember my family and every other blessing in my life.

Give thanks to the Lord, because He is good. He alone is God and is above all titles of men, and He is worthy of our giving of thanks.

He struck down the firstborn of Egypt and brought Israel out from among them with a mighty hand and outstretched arm, and He is still striking down the enemy and bringing us out, so give Him thanks.

He divided the Red Sea and brought Israel through it and He continues to make a way for us when there is no way, bringing us through. Give Him thanks

He led His people through the wilderness and He is the one who leads us through ours, so give Him thanks.

He made a promise to give His people a home and He kept that promise and we too have a promised land and He is still a promise keeper, so give Him thanks.

He remembers the low estate of His people and He frees them from their enemy and He is still remembering and still freeing and let us give Him thanks.

Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.

(from Psalm 136)