Smiling with God...

“This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feat and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.” Exodus 12:11 It is the last day, and God knows it. He knows that the Israelites are about to set out in the desert. He knows that this is going to be a crazy time where all kinds of things will be happening. He knows that without preparation the people will not know exactly what to do. God knew this and sent warning to the Israelites to be ready. It is cool to read how God is getting the Israelites ready and on the move. He spells out the exact thing you are to do. However, often times I read stories like this and I say, “Oh cool! Wish God would do that in my life.” Well quite often he does, but not always in such a way like how the Israelites know it. However, God says stuff like, “get ready” or like, “prepare”. Yet sometimes I ignore it or just set it off to the side. Learning more about God you see hi

“Now there was a man named Joseph a member of the Council, a good an upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. he came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid.” Luke 23:50-53 This is interesting. Joseph, a member of the Council, who disagreed with them came and buried Jesus. Here it is that someone was a secret disciple. It doesn’t mention it here, but this is exactly what John, and Matthew refereed him as. Joseph was a secret follower of Jesus but was not open about it. He fought for Jesus, but not in the realm where it was obvious. He was not really like all the other disciples who followed him around and was very public about it. He was very private about it but when it came down to it. He came out and finished the job. Funny you would think al

Moses returned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.” Exodus 5:22-23 Must have been very interesting to be Moses right at this time. I mean we already know the end of the story, and yes, the people did get let go but, here we see that at this moment nothing is happening. In fact what is happening is opposite. Instead of the great miracle Moses was expecting, he was faced with a unshakeable Pharaoh who did not want to give in. Instead seeing an instant miracle, Moses was then charged with a long and lengthly process for the freedom of Israel. But maybe something needed to be learned or an expectation or a plan needed to die. Maybe the process was for Moses to give up what he was expecting and then let God do what he needed to do. It comes to the point where Moses even questions

“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” Luke 18:1 From here on out Jesus talks about an unjust judge, who grants justice to a woman who hounds him constantly. Imagine that, bothering someone into getting what you want. It’s not unheard of, you see it with everything in life that if you stay persistent then something will happen. And at the end she got what she was asking for. The lesson Jesus gives is to be in steady persistence in prayer. It seems as if God desires that your prayer be hardcore and constant. And that you don’t give up. You keep on, you press on, till you get the answer. So what does that mean for me? In reality there are many things that I want to pray for and there are many things that I feel as if needs to be done. But how really how are my prayers? I usually pray for something then I forget, and then I move on. I need to really be persistent in my prayers and I need to really dig deep and pra

“I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with very much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with very much.” Luke 16:8-9 Normally when I hear this verse it is a combination of what God wants for us and how we need to be a better steward of our money. While yes, that is true, it seems here that this verse implies that we use money and our wealth to get others to come to the Lord. Weird but I see how it is true. Jesus here seems to be implying that we need to have an openness about things that we need to use whatever resources we have to reach the Kingdom. God has trusted us with a certain status of wealth, or skill or whatever, but we need to use that to reach others and touch lives. This is a little tough for me. I have to understand that whatever I do, whatever I get, or however it comes by that I

“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.” 2 Timothy 2:1-6 After hearing a sermon regarding this passage, I was moved to do this journal to analyze exactly how this applies to my life. Also upon hearing this sermon I was also moved to study this passage more in depth. After all that studying and all that research. I walked away with so many lessons. Here in this passage,

“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:13 Good gifts. God gives us good gifts. Even though we don’t deserve. Today’s devotion also led me to read from Genesis and how Jacob took away Esau’s both birth rite and blessing. And God still blessed him very much. And he didn’t even deserve it. Jacob was a pretty sneaky guy to take all of Esau’s blessing away. Now, granted Esau should have taken his blessings and birth rite more seriously, it doesn’t negate the fact that Jacob conned his way into getting it. But still God blessed him. There are many things that I don’t deserve, and it is only because of God’s grace that I am at the point where I am now. However, sometimes I feel as if God doesn’t really distributes gifts correctly. I ask sometimes, why this person has this and that person has that. Kind of silly. But really, does God have a formula

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42 Choosing what is better. That is the lesson here. It’s not that Martha was doing anything wrong, it was that it it wasn’t the best thing at that time. Jesus didn’t rebuke her, or discount what she was doing. All He said was that Mary chose the better thing to do. See what Jesus did was he stripped it down to what was most important. He took it down to what was the bare minimum, sitting there and fellowship with Jesus. To be fair, maybe it was Martha’s love language to be of service, or maybe she was really trying to please God through what she was doing and by doing so she asked help from Mary. It’s not like Jesus was stopping Martha, all he said was that ONE thing is needed. You know this verse makes me pause and think. In my life as I try to walk, am I missing the one thing th