Growin' Up Gregory

God has recently instructed Moses to lead the people out of Sinai toward the land He has promised them.  But, God has sent them out with an angel and told Moses that He would no longer be with the people.  How would Moses respond when the one who called him to this task at the burning bush and who has led him this entire way was now deserting him?  We will see that Moses' faith and relationship with God had grown so close that he was able to ask the hard questions, the serious questions, about where their relationship stood and if God would continue to lead them or not. Read Exodus 33:12-16. Look at what Moses asked God for in v13: "Show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight."  'Moses had been speaking with God on a more intimate level than anyone in human history save Adam and Eve before the Fall.'  Yet he was still pursuing God's presences, still pursuing getting to know God better.  One day, hopefully you gra...

Here we are.  Moses is up on the mountain getting instruction from the Lord.  Meanwhile, the Israelite people have rebelled and turned their back on God asking Aaron to build them an idol to worship.  They have completely tossed Moses and God to the side and bowed down to a golden calf.  God is furious at the people to say the least and has told Moses that He plans to destroy them and start over and "make a great nation of you (Moses)." (Ex 32:10)  If you are one of these Israelites, you just turned your back on God.  He knows.  He's mad.  What do you want to happen next?  Moses begins to plead with the Lord, "O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?  Why should the Egyptians say, 'With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume (destroy) them from the face of the earth?'  Turn from your bur...

In Moses' absence, we have seen the Israelites quickly turn away from God and begin to form idols to worship instead of remembering the commands and promises of the one true God.  So what happens next?  What happens once we begin to idolize something and place it over God in our life? In Exodus 32:7-10, as the people are worshipping the golden calf at the base of the mountain, the Lord says to Moses, "Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.  They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them.  They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped and sacrificed to it and said, 'These are your gods, O Israel!' "  The Lord continues, "I have seen this people and behold, it is a stiff-necked people.  Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you." A lot of times, when Thomas is ...

Think about your favorite athlete, TV personality, or celebrity.  It could be a Super Bowl winning quarterback, a player with an enviable work ethic, or someone with success and popularity beyond our wildest dreams.  Think about what it would be like to hang out with someone like this.  Now ask yourself, "Do I tend to idolize individuals like this or put them on a pedestal?" It's fine and good to have role models and to appreciate someone's talent and work ethic.  But there is a difference between appreciation and worship.  How do these athletes and celebrities compare to God?  Does he value them more because of their name or position?  Remember that God is the only one deserving of our worship and we need to ask Him to remove any idols from our lives.  Most church people would scoff at the notion that they have an idol.  But how does it start?  Where does it go?  And what are the consequences?  Let's see how this played ou...

We've seen God's Ten Commandments that tell us how to live in relationship with him and observe the Sabbath.  Now let's look at what he says about how we are to live in relationship to each other. 5. "Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you." - Ex 20:12 This is the first commandment given to us regarding our relationships with others.  Why would God place it first?  Because it shows that the family unit is also part of God's creation.  Honoring our parents is a way of showing that we accept and believe in God's design for the family.  Parents are to raise, support, and disciple their children.  But even if they do not, children are still to respect and honor their authority.  We do this by treating our parents with respect now and also by caring for them when the roles are reversed and they are in need of care in their elderly years.  This is also the only command ...

We saw that the first three of the Ten Commandments centered on our view and relationship with God.  In His fourth commandment, He gives us instruction that has been preached, debated, practiced, and discussed for centuries. 4.  "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.  On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant." - Ex 20:8-10 God established the rhythm of life at creation by working the first six days and then resting on the seventh.  No, God did not need to rest, but He rested in order to show us that is necessary for both functionality and enjoyment.  This day of rest also serves as a reminder for both the people of Israel and for us that we are not sustained by our works, but by the mighty hand of God. The question is often asked, 'Is the Sabbath still a command that God expec...

We have all probably wondered what it would be like to be able to live a life doing anything we wanted with no rules and no consequences.  But the fact of the matter is that the rules and laws that we live under are actually there to protect us, not restrict us from enjoying life.  While they may rule out some things, they actually can lead us to much better.  As we look at the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), we will see that rules are good.  And God's rules don't just tell us what to do and not to do, they reveal to us who He is, his character, and they should shape our actions and our worship. In the first couple verses (Ex 20:1-2), God reminds the people of who He is and what He's done for them.  The law was never intended to establish a relationship with God.  God prefaced his law by reminding the people of what He had done for them and showing us that who God is serves as the motivation to follow the law.  And the people of Israel would need ...

For several days now God has provided bread for the Israelites to eat, delivering on His promise to Moses earlier in the week and satisfying their grumblings about hunger.  He has provided for His chosen people in miraculous fashion yet again. In today's verses, Exodus 16:22-26, it is now the sixth day and the people have gathered twice as much food.  So much so that the leaders felt it necessary to report this to Moses.  Moses responded telling the people, "This is what the Lord has said: 'Tomorrow is a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord.  Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil, and set aside everything left over to be kept until morning.' "  So the people did as Moses commanded and set the leftover food aside until morning, and it did not stink or have maggots in it.  Then Moses told them, "Eat it today because today is a Sabbath to the Lord.  Today you won't find any in the field.  For six days you will gathe...

The Israelites, now free, still managed to find something to complain about to God, their hunger in the wilderness.  But God doing what He does, provided for them.  In Exodus 16:11-16, we see how God chooses to respond to these rather ungrateful people.  The Lord tells Moses, "I have heard the complaints of the Israelites.  Tell them: At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will eat bread until you are full.  Then you will know that I am the Lord your God."  In the evening, quail came and covered the camp.  And in the morning, a layer of dew surrounded the camp.  When the dew evaporated, there was a fine flake-like thing on the ground.  When the Israelites saw it, they asked, "What is it?" because they didn't know what it was.  And Moses answered them, "It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat.  This is what the Lord has commanded - 'Gather as much of it as each person needs to eat.  You may take a cou...

The Israelites have had a difficult time.  They were oppressed for many years in slavery, finally set free, only to be chased by the Egyptian army and cornered at the Red Sea.  They questioned Moses and God.  But God, doing as He always does, responded to their fears and rescued them. The Israelites have cried, complained, and grumbled to God.  They have faced difficult circumstances and at times even lost hope.  But God has delivered yet again.  In the midst of the people's feat and questioning, God provides an escape.  In Exodus 14:29, "The people of Israel walk on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left."  The Lord saved the Israelites that day and the people saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore as God brought the waters back together through Moses (Ex 14:26-28). God has once again set his people apart.  "By saving His people and judging their enemies, God demonstrated that He...

We have now seen the Israelites trapped between the Red Sea on one side and the pursuing Egyptian army on the other.  They began to become filled with fear and think irrationally and responded by questioning their leader Moses, and even God himself.  Let's look at how God responded to their fear, and how he responds to our fear today. God's response to the troubled Israelites was not one that we imagine of the typical loving and king Father.  However, his response was quite fair and just.  The Lord said to Moses, "Why do you cry to me?  Tell the people of Israel to go forward" (Ex 14:15).  God was not ignoring the cry of his people, nor was He turning his back on them.  God had already promised to deliver them and He had shown them his power over nature, Pharaoh, and all the false gods of Egypt.  The cry of the Israelites at this juncture demonstrated their lack of faith.  This is the same God who in Exodus 2:23-24 heard the cries of the pe...

In the previous post, we saw where Moses and the Israelites we seemingly trapped.  They had the Red Sea on one side and were being pursued by the Egyptian army with all its horses and chariots on the other.  The people were fearful, and one could argue rightly so given their circumstances.  But they fear revealed a deeper problem, a lack of faith in God, their deliverer. As the people cried out to Moses saying that it would have been better to live in slavery in Egypt than to die in the wilderness (Ex 14:12), Moses was once again looked upon to lead.  How would he respond in these desperate times?  Moses did what we need more leaders to do today, he pointed them back towards God.  In Exodus 14:13, Moses said, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today."  Moses reminded the people of God's pending deliverance.  God had not brought the people this far from slavery in Egypt and now heading towards fre...

Have you ever found yourself in a dilemma that seemed to have no way out?  Every way you looked had signs of danger.  Any choice you considered risked hurting someone you care about and had great risk with no reward in sight.  Many of us have found ourselves in this sort of pickle, trapped between a rock and a hard place. In Exodus 14, the Israelites found themselves in such a situation.  They were fleeing Egypt on foot in pursuit of freedom after Pharaoh had set them free.  But God hardened Pharaoh's heart (Ex 14:4) and he began to pursue the people with his army of horses, chariots, and horsemen.  The Egyptians caught up with the Israelites between Migdol and the Red Sea.  When the Israelites saw the army coming, they cried out to the Lord and questioned Moses, "Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness?"  (Ex 14:10-11). The Israelites had just witnessed God's infinite power by inflicting...

During my recent study of Moses, there were two very profound revelations that I felt spoke directly to me, two things I gathered that gave great cause for self-examination in my life. The first came as we see Moses' excuses for why he can't be used by God.  Moses witnessed miraculous signs, even participating in them, and heard the audible voice of God with very clear instruction.  Yet even with God's reassurances, Moses felt unqualified, unworthy, and sadly unwilling to respond to God's call. I was the complete opposite many times and this pointed out a glaring sin of pride in my life.  Any time I have been asked to speak, share, do a devotion, or anything like that; and any time someone has ever told me they enjoy anything I write, I have felt a feeling of pride, of accomplishment, of self-satisfaction.  I have at times allowed myself to think that I had any ability or skill outside of what God gave to me, outside of what He enabled me to do....

We have seen through the last couple posts that God has called Moses to do something that seems much too difficult for him to accomplish.  Read Parts 1 and 2 if you haven't already as they pretty much intro this post. Prior to picking up with Moses' next excuse, God gave him several signs in Exodus 4:1-9.  He turned Moses' staff into a serpent, then back to a staff; turned Moses' hand leprous by placing it into his cloak then restoring it in the same manner; then told Moses that if the people would not listen and believe these signs that he could take water from the Nile and pour it on the ground and it would become blood. Yet after not only witnessing, but performing these miraculous signs through God, Moses continues with the excuses.  In Exodus 4:10, Moses says to the Lord, "I am not eloquent...I am slow of speech and of tongue."  God responds to Moses by asking, "Who has made man's mouth?  Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind?  Is ...

When God called Moses to take on the task of leading His people out of Egypt, Moses began giving God excuses, questioning himself and the Lord.  We often begin to find excuses as to why we can't do something that seems to challenging or isn't our greatest passion.  And just as God did with Moses, He answers our questions and concerns today. The first question Moses posed to God in Exodus 3:11 was, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?"  God's answer to Moses had nothing to do with Moses' skills.  God simply said, "I will be with you."  The answer to Moses' question of 'Why me?' was more dependent on God's presence for its power than on the abilities of Moses.  God still works that way in people today.  He doesn't choose the greatest and mightiest to use.  God uses regular ordinary people to show His greatness, not ours.  As long as God is with you, you can do it, you can get through...

Have you ever been asked to do something that seemed impossible, or that you felt totally inadequate for?  Or perhaps there is a challenge that you just don't see how you can complete or accomplish the goals that have been set?  It could be anything; a job offer, a duty or task being assigned to you at work, a test coming up, or a physical challenge.  This can sometimes leave us wondering how we are supposed to go on.  We may seek out motivational and inspirational quotes and image to help us trudge along and keep moving forward, all the while still feeling like we are doomed to fail.  In Exodus 3:10, Moses was given such a task.  He was asked to go to the Pharaoh and lead the Israelites, who were being used as slave labor at the time, out of Egypt.  Let's look at who Moses was when asked to do this: -  He was living in exile in the wilderness having fled from Egypt. -  He had fled Egypt for killing an Egyptian out of anger -...

It seems like for the past few weeks all we've heard about has been storms.  The United States has been hit hard by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma and meteorologists are currently watching Jose to see what it's going to do.  These storms have caused many deaths and a tremendous amount of damage.  People have been glued to computers, phones, and the news to check on the both the anticipated track of these storms and the aftermath that they have left behind.  These storms are somewhat like our lives as it has been said that there are two kinds of people in this world; those in a storm, and those heading into a storm. In Exodus 2:23-25, there was a group of people, the Israelites, who had been being oppressed by the Egyptian king for many days.  When he died, they groaned and cried out for help.  Their cry to help came up to God.  And He heard their groaning and remembered his promise to them. Why were the Israelites, God's chosen people, being left to l...

There are people who do things everyday that seem to go unnoticed.  They may be the ones who turn the lights and AC/heat on at work before you open, the ones who clean up after hours, the ones who get the call about an issue at midnight when everyone else is sleeping.  These people often prefer to remain nameless as they do their work because it's the right thing to do and not for someone else's praise.  They don't get their name in lights and often don't receive the recognition they deserve, but their impact is always felt. In Exodus 1:15-22 there is a similar story.  The new king of Egypt has taken reign and greatly fears the Israelite people.  He has imposed strict manual labor and harsh conditions on them but their numbers continue to grow.  Out of an increasing fear for these people, he now plans to ramp up his attack against the people.  He orders the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah to kill the sons of the people but allow the daughters to l...