The House You're Building

[8] Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof [9] and said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. [10] For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. [11] And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. ( Joshua 2:8–11  ESV) Scripture: Read Joshua chapter 2 Devotional:  Do you remember as a child, playing hide and seek? When a friend was counting down, you ran around in a panic looking for a place you could fit that would not be too obvious.  Someone always counted too fast and you were left with a not so good ...

  Introduction Sometimes when a group of moms go out together, they start recounting their labor experiences.  These are never my favorite stories as the bones of the story are all roughly the same, there was lots of pain and then a baby.  Moses’s mother on the other hand had a unique story to tell and we are privileged to hear it again in this section of Exodus.  Instead of showers and visitors, she broke the law by giving birth and keeping her son.  She hid him for months and then made the courageous decision to set him adrift on the river, hoping for a miracle.     And one did come, God had plans for Moses to lead His people from Egypt.  No matter what is happening around us, what are circumstances may be, God in His sovereignty looks ahead and positions us right where we need to be.       Scripture Read Exodus 2-4:17   Chapter 2:1-22 Moses Born and Flees to Midian Moses was born to parents...

Introduction :   If you’ve ever been to a performance, you know there is a certain amount of anticipation before the curtain rises.  Attendees find their seats and settle in their coats and handbags.  They may make conversation with those around them or check the programs.  Ushers roam the isles and children make last minute visits to the restroom.  When the curtain rises, hushed attention now shifts from the waiting to the experience you have come to see.  The same can be said of the first chapter of Exodus.  The first paragraph serves as a transition, a summary of where the people have Israel left off from Genesis.  The curtain rises and we see what God has planned next for His people.     Scripture :  Read Exodus Chapter 1.    v. 1-7 …they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong When we pick up the narrative at the end of Genesis, the sons of Israel were already in Egypt. ...

Recently I just got back from a trip—my first time on an airplane in over a year!     Like many of my friends, we took for granted before the pandemic how easy it was to travel and it felt amazing to get away.     When you’ve been gone from home for a week or more, usually other than laundry, one of the first things you need to do is hit up the grocery store.     In my day-to-day I’m a “Clicklister.”     I order my groceries online and pick them up after work on Friday.     Working full time, I love the convenience of having someone retrieve my weekly list for me, saving me a longer trip.     Since I usually don’t go in the store, this trip took longer than usual. Things were moved in different places and I had a big list, being out of produce and pantry items I had let dwindle.  When my overfull cart was unloaded and the cashier had finally totaled up my purchase, she asked if I wanted to round-up to the nearest doll...

  Tough choices.  There is nothing like being in a situation where you have to really weigh things.  I’m not talking about a pro-con list.  That is usually what people do when the decision they have before them is not emotionally based.  I’m talking about being in a situation where the heart is involved.  Where you feel like you might lose-lose.  There doesn’t seem to be any light at the end of a tunnel of apprehensive feelings.    I’m living in one right now.  I have a big decision to make.  It’s not big from the world’s perspective, like a move or a job change, but it’s big for my heart.  My counselor recommended this week that I approach it from a spirit of curiosity, not make decisions but just notice my feelings and why I was having them.     This advice has been super helpful.  For me noticing the why became determining the origin and it led me down the...

While Jesus was here on earth, He offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the One who could rescue Him from death.   And God heard the prayers because of His deep reverence for God.     Hebrews 5:7 NLT                 Last week in Proverbs we studied the fear of God.   When I read this verse this morning I had to share it as a devotional and follow up to last week’s thoughts.   The Greek word in verse 7 for deep reverence is eusebeia meaning godliness, holiness, piety, a reverence out of respect.   It’s the combination of the two together that creates the correct posture of the heart.   The necessary view of God that is willing to trust, submit, and move forward.   I can admire someone, but not put them above me in life.   I can recognize the authority of someone over me, but concede begrudgingly to their power.   When the two st...

Prepare Your Heart:   Read Job chapter 28.   Reflect on the differences found between man and God as described in this chapter.   Pray about your fear of the Lord and ask Him to give you a holy reverence for His name and character. I remember when I first became interested in the thought of what it means to fear the Lord.   That was a strange concept for me, as I had been at place in my faith where I was comfortalbe with the idea of God as the Savior Jesus, who was also my friend.   To fear Him didn’t seem like an emotion that would bring me closer to God.   I would recommend a book to you called The Joy of Fearing God by Jerry Bridges.   A quote from the inside flap reads, “For most of us fear is something we try to avoid.   And fearing God hardly sounds like an occasion for joy.   But the fear of the Lord is actually the key that opens the door to a life of true knowledge, wisdom, blessing, and joy.” Today we will look at Go...