PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Exodus 14 (click the link)
KEY VERSES:
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! (Exodus 14:15, NLT)
REFLECTIONS:
This is such a critical passage to be reading, especially close to the New Year, where hopefully you’re seeing your life in a fresh, new way. I feel like there is an immense need for an exodus in our day—not so much a physical one, but an exodus or an exorcism of the mind and heart. In Exodus 14, the Israelites were incredibly dependent on the word of the Lord to come so they would have direction for where to go next. What I find absolutely fascinating and eerily prophetic for our time is that Moses tells the people to “just stay calm” and “the Lord himself will fight for you” in verse 14, but then God replies in opposition to Moses by saying, “Why are you crying to me? Tell the people to move!”
Now don’t get me wrong, I am not in the slightest arguing that the Lord does not fight on our behalf, but I am saying that WE MUST MOVE! We pray for ourselves and other people (orphans, slaves, imprisoned, sick, etc.) hoping the Lord fights for us, without ever moving. There are more often than not things we can do to be an answer to our own prayers. For example, I was talking recently with someone I have great respect for, and I was shocked and disappointed when they told me, “Nothing is going to be perfect until Christ returns,” in response to a discussion we were having about the injustices in our world today. I don’t question the statement itself, but I hated the context in which it was said. This person used the statement as a terminal response, as if that blanket expression ends all discussion and acts as a practical excuse for lack of action. In fact, there is so much we can and should be doing in response to injustice. As I read Exodus 14, I felt like what this person said was just like Moses in verse 14. As if: “Well, I know things are bad, and I know God is going to save us/make this better, so we might as well just sit here and watch.” God encourages something different—much different. Jobs are no reason to stay bound to a place or lifestyle; the disciples dropped their nets. Kids are no reason to stay bound to a place or lifestyle; it wasn’t only adults that followed Jesus.
I’m afraid that North American Christianity largely consists of studying Scripture and having a personal relationship with Jesus in your heart. But when I read the Gospels, I don’t find these as the sole focuses of Christianity (or even the main focuses). Jesus calls for action. He says things that, judging by today’s standards, are absurd, utopian, and naïve (maybe how you feel about this devotional). He constantly tells people to drop everything and follow Him. Just read the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)! Maybe I’m a little too fired up or not fired up enough, I don’t know which, but I do know that there is so much injustice in the world and so much need that it is hard to sit still and call myself a Christian. I don’t need another “journey through the Old Testament” or a “study of Paul’s letters” to know what to do. Just like the Israelites leaving Egypt, we need a new dependency on God’s Word—not in that we study the Bible 24/7, but that we do the Bible 24/7. Its time for an exodus—its time to move.
Maybe for an example or some inspiration, here are some accusations against 2nd century Christians that I just love:
“The Christians form among themselves
secret societies that exist outside the system of laws… an obscure and
mysterious community founded on revolt and on the advantage that accrues from
it… They form a rabble of profane conspiracy… They despise temples as if they
were tombs… Half naked themselves, they despise honours and purple robes… Just
like a rank growth of weeds, the abominable haunts where this impious
confederacy meet are multiplying all over the world… They love one another
almost before they know one another… To venerate an executed criminal and… the
wooden cross on which he was executed.” (The Octavius of Minucius Felix)
“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter… Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” —Jesus
PRAYER:
Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.
Amen.
WHO AM I?
My name is Jordan Bland. I love telling people Michael Jordan was named after me, and watching their expressions of shock and amazement before they actually think through it. I love breakfast tacos, and I hate soup. Here’s me when I was 5 years old:
No comments:
Post a Comment