FreshBread

Today’s Reading is Exodus 13, Job 31, Luke 16, and 2 Corinthians 1

Today’s Key verse is: Exodus 13:16-18

16Again I say, this ceremony will be like a mark branded on your hands or your forehead. It is a visible reminder that it was the LORD who brought you out of Egypt with great power.”

17When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them on the road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest way from Egypt to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18So God led them along a route through the wilderness toward the Red Sea,[a] and the Israelites left Egypt like a marching army.

Following the story of the children of Israel is powerful. When you really study it we can learn so much about ourselves. Today we read the story of the “Passover.” God commanded the children of Israel to celebrate a great feast and to take the blood of a lamb and paint it on the doorpost. When the angel of death came, he would “pass over” the houses with blood on the doorframe. God told the children that this meal (to be celebrated every year) would be a reminder of what God did for them, by bringing them out of Egypt.

It is so easy to forget in the course of a busy day what God has done for us. It is so easy with the pressure and concerns of the day to forget that God has set us free from the bondage of evil and sin! What ways do you have in your life to remind you of what God has done? That is the purpose of gathering together each week. We have allowed church to become something “good Christians” do instead of an opportunity to remember and give God praise for what He has done. Gathering together is NOT an information time it is a remembering time!

I also find it interesting that God did not lead the people on the shortest route. He knew them and what they would do, so He lead them a different way. God is also leading you today. Remember, (there is that word again) that God knows you better then you know yourself and His greatest desire is for you to trust and have a growing relationship with Him and it is for that reason that He leads you the way that He does. Just some thoughts to ponder today… Have a great one and we will see you Sunday….I am pumped!!!!!!! It is going to be a GREAT DAY!

Scott

Today’s Reading is Exodus 12:22-51, Job 30, Luke 15, and 1 Corinthians 16

Today’s Key Verse: Luke 15:29

29but he replied, `All these years I’ve worked hard for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends.

The older brother had a hard time with the father’s excitement. WHY? Was it because he felt like he was earning his “keep” and so to rejoice over a brother who wasted so much “love” was not fair? How do you feel when God blesses someone that has not followed Him, run from Him or wasted His Love? I believe if we can look at who we really are and remember that we too are people saved by the grace of God – that every minute we have with Him, serving Him is a privilege we can then rejoice when another brother comes home!

Take a walk with God today and let Him remind you where He rescued you from!

Scott

Today’s Reading is Exodus 11-12:21, Job 29, Luke 14, and 1 Corinthians 15

Today’s Key Verse: Luke 14:15-24

15Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a privilege it would be to have a share in the Kingdom of God!”

16Jesus replied with this illustration: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. 17When all was ready, he sent his servant around to notify the guests that it was time for them to come. 18But they all began making excuses. One said he had just bought a field and wanted to inspect it, so he asked to be excused. 19Another said he had just bought five pair of oxen and wanted to try them out. 20Another had just been married, so he said he couldn’t come.

21″The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was angry and said, `Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the city and invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.’ 22After the servant had done this, he reported, `There is still room for more.’ 23So his master said, `Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. 24For none of those I invited first will get even the smallest taste of what I had prepared for them.’ “

So who has a share in the Kingdom of God? A parable is a story with ONE POINT. It is not to be dissected and looked at from every angle. When we do that sometimes we are in danger of inventing meanings. So who can have a part in the Kingdom of God? It is a great question and one that I wonder if the church has mixed up the answer to.

Let me ask you this question? Would Jesus spend more time trying to get a law passed about what marriage is or would He be partying with folks on the streets of San Francisco (before you answer that read Matthew 9:10). If that question bothers you, I invite you to join us tonight at FreshPraise. We are looking into 1 Samuel and talking about “Using God!” instead of following Him.

The man in Jesus’ story invited anyone and everyone to attend. It is interesting that Jesus follows this story in Luke 14 with a statement that must have thinned out the crowd:

25Great crowds were following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26″If you want to be my follower you must love me more than[a] your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters–yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me.”

There is enough in these two passages to ponder for a day. I hope you can join us tonight as we dive (and I do me dive…this will not be safe for those who only like to dangle their feet) into God’s Word. BE READY TO THINK……It is going to be GREAT!

Scott