39th Week Exodus Chapters 10-14 (Click on title for Video Intro)

Click on Title for Video Introduction

Monday, Exodus Chapter 10

Exodus 10

Verse 16

Jeanie Boldt

May 7, 2008

Verse 16:  Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. Now forgive my sin once more and pray to the Lord your God to take this deadly plaque away from me.”

THOUGHT

This verse really sounded sincere to me. If I didn’t know how the rest of the story went, I would have really believed that this was the break through. However, Pharaoh’s confession of sin was not sincere; he only wanted Moses to stop the plaques. True repentance involves a change of mind that leads to a change of life.

In one of Rory and I’s marriage enrichment classes it shared a great way to apologize for a wrong that you had committed to your spouse. First of all, “I’m sorry” is so automatic and very easily said without true heart-felt forgiveness. They shared with us to first of all admit that you have done something to hurt your mate and share how you see their pain. Second of all ask for their forgiveness and then pray and ask the Lord to forgive you also. I believe remembering these steps really bring us true peace with our mates and a gift of loving forgiveness with our Lord.

PRAYER

Father, I hate it when I do things here on earth that go against Your will and way. We cannot see Your pain but Your Spirit must be disappointed. I am asking forgiveness of all those things that have wronged You by our world today. Please forgive me if I have hurt or offended anyone. Your love is too special for us to allow Satin in. Be with each Salt Shaker!! May they feel Your love as they too ask for Your forgiveness.  AMEN

Tuesday, Exodus Chapter 11

Exodus 11

Verse 5

Jeanie Boldt

May 8, 2008

Verse 5:  Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the salve girl, who is at the hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well.

THOUGHT

I guess this verse just touched me so since it is soon approaching Mother’s Day. Can you imagine one of your children having to die because of a person having a harden heart toward God. Well, here on earth it does happen. Children are abused sexually, used for pornography, experimented with doing drugs and never - not even one day in their life loved by a MOM or DAD.  How sad is our world getting to be. People are so far from the Lord. The absence of Christ hurts the children. May we love the little ones. Pray for the abused children daily. Pray daily that someday every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus the Christ is Lord of Lords. There should not be abused children.

There are times that I have to hold children down so that the physician can perform a treatment or laser on them. At that moment I feel like such a mean nurse all the time knowing that it is for their own safety. After the procedure the child is placed immediately in the arms of the MOM or DAD.  What joy and peace and relief we hear in their cry. What hugs they receive and what holding tight the child does. May each little one living know the loving arms of their MOM and DAD and that security.

PRAYER

Father, how awful it is to sacrifice a child or not to pay any attention to the nurturing and loving of that human being. Please hold us all accountable to help little ones in need. We pray that all those who parent children will have loving hearts and not hearts of sin without love and caring. Thank You for the MOMS of this world who share the love of Jesus with their little ones. They are angels sent from You. Bless each MOM, GRANDMA, AUNT and SISTER in the Salt Shakers and hold us each accountable to raise the little ones knowing You more deeply with each passing year of their life.  Thank You for the gift of a child. AMEN

Wednesday, Exodus Chapter 12

Exodus 12

Verse 14

Jane Jones

May 22, 2008

Verse 14:  “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.”

THOUGHT

We have arrived at the last straw. God tried all the plagues and still Pharaoh’s heart stayed hard. So He exercised the Passover. He took the first born in Egypt, from the first born of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prison, who was in the dungeon, and He even took the firstborn of all the livestock. Pharaoh and all his officials got up at night...there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead. How wonderful that must have been for God to ‘pass-over’ the homes of the Jews and save the first born son.  

Micah and I had so fun last night. I picked him up on my way home from work, and he had supper with TJ and I. Micah and I worked outside while Tom mowed. Micah helped haul grass and sticks with me. Then he rode the three-wheeler in the dirt and made roads. He was so proud of them. We had fun playing with the balls and hauling rocks in the three-wheeler.

Back in this Passover time, had the Lord’s direction of the blood of the lamb not have been followed, Micah would have been a ‘first born’. I couldn’t help but think how many people’s hearts were broken because of Pharaoh’s hardened heart.

PRAYER

May we learn from this story, Lord, that You are true to Your Word. We pray that we will learn to obey Your commandments and lean upon Your Word. AMEN

Thursday, Exodus Chapter 13

Exodus 13

Verse 17

Jane Jones

May 22, 2008

Verse 17:  “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter.”

THOUGHT

I have another grandchild story that gets to the point of this verse very well. Once in a while when Micah is playing at our house, Maddie, the neighbor’s dog comes down to play. It is as if Maddie can sense when Micah is at our house. Now Maddie is the nicest dog in the world, loves children, and wouldn’t hurt anyone, but does Micah know this. No. Maddie is taller than Micah and looks like a miniature pony to Micah. Micah is on guard the entire time Maddie is there. Micah loves it when Maddie goes to the grove of trees. Micah says, “Nana, Maddie go night-night”. To avoid Maddie, Micah will go the longest path possible just to avoid any danger he thinks he might experience with Maddie. He takes the longer route.

God does always work in the way that seems best to us. Instead of guiding the Israelites along the direct route from Egypt to the Promised Land, he took them by a longer route to avoid fighting with the Philistines. If God does not lead you along the shortest path to your goal, don’t complain or resist. Follow him willingly and trust him to lead you safely around unseen obstacles.

PRAYER 

It is so amazing that as little children at the age of one we know that sometimes the longer road is the one to take. Please help us follow Your steps even though at the time we don’t understand that it is the longer road You wish us to take.  AMEN

Friday, Exodus Chapter 14

Exodus 14

Verse 15

Jane Jones

May 23, 2008

Verse 15:  Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.”

THOUGHT

Have you ever prayed and prayed about something for a long time and had a hard time making up your mind on what to do? I can think of two examples immediately. The first one is when TJ and I married; we debated and debated about which church to attend. It was a huge decision for us. But once Carrie’s and Matthew invited us to Orchard Hill Church, we attended once and fell in love with it. It felt like going home. We prayed and prayed about it and finally two years later we decided to start attending OHC. Why did our action take so long?

The second example is my passion for the church and families in Jamaica. I pray daily for direction about what I am to do for the church and for the family we have ‘adopted’. I finally put the email out this week to get moving on it...’Project Backpack’.

It is just like Moses and the Israelites. In verse 15 the Lord told Moses to stop praying and get moving! Prayer must have a vital place in our lives, but there is also a place for action. Sometimes we know what to do, but we pray for more guidance as an excuse to postpone doing it. If we know what we should do, then it is time to get moving. I find myself very guilty of this.

PRAYER

Forgive us, Lord for the times we procrastinate and not put our prayers to action. Prayer is not enough. Please forgive us if we put all the burden and pressure on You as we remove it from ourselves. May we ‘get moving’ in what Your desires are. Lead us this week, Lord, on the long or short path, whichever You feel is best for us. AMEN