Beyond Sunday: Unstoppable Hope

...by Bobby Jackson

Hope you had a great Father’s Day!

Andy shared a difficult and profound truth with us this week. Could it be that, good and bad, my story is worth telling? Should I keep the bad chapters of my life because GOd is able to be seen in those as well? That’s a tough thing to wrap my grey matter around. I want to forget pain in the past and not view it again, but Andy reminded us that there is a deeper hope that comes from seeing God at work in our entire story.

I was thankful for David’s testimony, weren’t you? To hear that things have not been great or turned out rosey felt like real life for so many people. BUT, the difference David noted between the despair of a friend and some true level of peace in his life was a relationship with Jesus. I, too, am thankful for how God can and does work through my story.

This verse rang through my mind all morning:
Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Can you see God at work as you love Him and follow His purposes?

18. The Ten Plagues (Exodus 6:28-11:10).

by Wesley Blackburn

Wow.

That's all I can really say after reading this passage for today. Part of me wishes that I could have been in Egypt to see all that God did in the land, but a big part of me is glad that I wasn't... all the death and destruction happening in the land very well could have scared me to death!

The account of God's work in Egypt becomes even more amazing when you know the whole cultural milieu of the time as well. Each and every one of these miracles served as a direct insult to an Egyptian god. Seemingly, with each additional miracle, God was saying to the Egyptians, "Look how much bigger, stronger, and better I am than the stupid gods you worship."

No doubt, this is what part of what put Pharaoh so on edge in this story (in addition to the simple fact that he saw his kingdom crumbling all around him). I mean, imagine how angry you'd get with someone if they continually attacked your God, your way of living and worshipping. It's no wonder that Pharaoh continued to grow stubborn. That's not an excuse for Pharaoh, but simply one simple man's observation.

And the story of the Ten Plagues makes me think about my heart in respect to how it pertains to God. Is the work of God being done all around me and I don't even notice it? Or even worse, is the work of God being displayed all around me and I refuse to notice it? We all have a "God box;" a way that we view and see God. For some, this just means we don't believe in God at all. For others, it means that we believe in God, but only think He can work in pre-defined, particular ways. Pharaoh was being hit with something that was outside his "God box" (namely, that he was wrong about who God was/is); I wonder sometimes if I harden my heart and refuse to embrace the undeniable and unexplainable presence and power of God in my life.

One thing's for sure... things are set up for God to do some of His greatest acts yet. Stay tuned!

17. The Burning Bush (Exodus 3:1-4:17).

by Jaci Sutter



Here it is, the day before my blog entry was due and I am finally sitting down to write it. I am very nervous, as this is a whole new journey for me. Not only have I never blogged before, reading the Bible is a whole new journey for me as well. I will give it a try though, so here it goes. I was happy that the story I got to read this week was a familiar one. I have seen this story every year in the "Ten Commandments" and also the award-winning Veggie Tales version "Moe and the Big Exit."

Exodus 3:1-4:17 is the story of when the Lord first appeared to Moses on the mountain in the form of a burning bush. He called to Moses, and told him how he was not happy with the way his people where being treated in Egypt. He asked Moses to go back to Egypt and ask the Pharaoh to free his people from slavery.

When I was reading these verses the first thing that stood out to me was Exodus 3:4. When the Lord appeared to Moses, it was not until Moses moved towards the Lord that the Lord called upon him. I think that the reason this spoke to me is because of how I live and have lived my life. I was always someone that believed in God. I was a "fan." I knew that God was there and I knew he listened to my prayers and forgave my sins. But it didn't go much further then that. It was not until I moved closer to God and my relationship with him that God started to work in my life.

I also liked how it seemed like Moses was thinking of reasons why he could not do what it was God was asking him to do. In Exodus 4:13, Moses just comes right out and asks the Lord to send someone else to do the task God has set before him. But God always came back with a answer to his question. It reminded me a lot of when we did the on the spot baptisms, remembering how Greg was stated all the reasons not to get baptized and then one by one, took all the excuses away.


What I am taking away from these verses is that the Lord has a plan and a journey for all of us. He will not leave us on this journey and he will always be there to help us when we need help!

16. The Birth of Moses (Exodus 1:1-2:25).

by Bobby Jackson

What a crazy scene and a crazy time! How could people behave like this? No wonder Warner Brothers made this into a movie; you couldn’t write as twisted a plot even from the very beginning of Moses’ life.

How heinous to kill babies by throwing them into the Nile River? How heinous to kill an Egyptian soldier and try to cover it up? Yet Moses was used by God. I think it is interesting that the Nile god became known as the god who destroys the Israelite babies. Maybe that is why it was striking enough to Pharaoh’s daughter that this baby was being saved by the Nile that she rescued him and allowed Moses to be her son.

The God who involved Himself in Egyptian history is the same God of today. His character is consistent. I think it is important to ask ourselves as we read especially these books of history, “What do we learn about God is all of this?” Two things come to mind for me: 

1.  When God makes a promise, He WILL keep it. “God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob” (Exodus 2:24).

2.  God is often working upstream or in the background of our stories. God had a plan for Moses from the very beginning of his life. And that makes me wonder, what is God’s plan for my life? For your life?

15. Joseph Reveals His Identity (Genesis 45:1-46:7).

by Wesley Blackburn

So now, the story of Joseph draws to an amazing conclusion.

After spending all this time with his brothers, Joseph could no longer bear to hide his identity from them. He reveals that truly he is their long lost brother, and that he'd like for his brothers to come and join him in Egypt.

This is a moment where many of us (including myself) would probably crumble. Joseph had all this power; in fact, he was the second most powerful man in the entire known world at the time. He could have used this power to get back at the brothers that had so terribly wronged him many years ago. Who would have blamed him?

But as Joseph drew his brothers near, he told them, "Do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you... God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance" (Genesis 45:5, 7).

Man, I am blown away by the maturity in that statement. After all the junk that Joseph went through: being sold into slavery by his brothers, being unjustly accused of raping a woman and then thrown in jail, and even helping a man get out of jail and then being forced to wait for two long years, Joseph had a right to be angry. He had all the right into the world to have his brothers at least thrown into jail, if not killed.

But Joseph understood the truth of Romans 8:28 before it was even written: God uses all things for the good of those who love Him. One of the things I've personally been wrestling with lately is the issue of the justice of God. I believe God is good and loving, but my heart just absolutely breaks when I seem to hear story after story lately of how God is apparently absent in people's lives. Joseph's a prime example. How could God allow Joseph to be treated so poorly by his brothers? How could God allow Joseph to get thrown into prison unjustly? How could God allow Joseph to sit in prison for years, despite doing everything right?

But in thinking through the story of Joseph, I thought about what would have happened had Joseph not been thrown into prison. What would have happened if Pharaoh's cupbearer had remembered Joseph? Well, Joseph would have been let go, and probably would have travelled home. He would be nowhere to be found when Pharaoh's dream would have happened, and surely this severe famine would have killed many, many more people. Furthermore, Joseph would never have become second-in-command over all of Egypt, and the nation of Israel would not have been given a place to grow and prosper like they did in Egypt under the protection of Joseph.

It's so tough to remember, but we need to have an attitude like Joseph's; even when we are in the waiting rooms of life, we will still be seeking how God wants to transform us and use us in every circumstance. It's this understanding that allowed Joseph to declare at the end of his life to his brothers that "you intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:20).

Joseph was truly one of the most incredible men of the Bible. I only hope that one day, God can transform my heart, mind, and attitude to be a little bit more like his.

Beyond Sunday: ONE PRAYER Unstoppable-Opportunities

...by Jo Anne Stas

What is next for me? I’ve been thinking about that statement ever since Jared asked it on Sunday. He gave us a variety of possibilities ranging from taking small steps like reading our Bibles regularly to taking big steps like leaving the comfort of our own country to serve on a mission trip in a foreign land. The size of the possibility doesn’t matter. What matters is whether or not we are willing to take the next step. I know for me, I can tend to get caught up in the thinking about the next step. Thinking about whether or not I’m making the right decision or whether or not I’m following God’s will. I can even get caught up in praying about the decision; waiting to hear a definite answer from God before I make a move.

After struggling with next step decisions many times, I finally realized that I don’t have to have it all figured out and often times, I don’t have to have a definite answer from God because there are some next steps that I know if I take the step, it’s a good thing. It’s a good thing to regularly read my Bible and spend time in prayer. It’s a good thing to serve at my church and in my community. I can’t go wrong if I take steps in those directions. What makes some steps harder than others though, are the details of the decision; when I have to choose between two, often times, good things. Should I serve in this area or that? Should I help launch this campus or that? Should I send money to this ministry or that? No matter the decision, the uncertainty of the next step is where faith comes in. I know God is not asking me to figure everything out. If He was I wouldn’t need Him. He’s asking me to step out in faith and let Him figure out the details. Instead of being paralyzed with indecision, I have to say, “Lord, I’m not sure if this is what you want, but I’m willing to try.” Sometimes I step in the right direction, sometimes I don’t. But every time I learn something.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
1 Timothy 4:7-8

14. The Brothers Return (Genesis 43:1-44:34).

by Dan Smith

These two chapters are full of information, but the four items that stood out to me are:

1. Judah becomes a leader. When the food is starting to run out from their first trip to Egypt, Israel (Jacob) tells his boys to go back and buy some more grain. But Judah says to Israel that the man (Joseph) says not to come back with Benjamin. Israel is upset because he doesn’t want to lose his last son from his wife Rachel. Judah steps up and says, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. I myself will guarantee his safety: you can hold me personally responsible. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all of my life.” From this point on, Judah becomes the spokesman for the brothers. His tribe would become preeminent among the 12 tribes and he would be an ancestor of Jesus.

2. Brotherly love. When the brothers came back to see Joseph, he finally saw his own mother's son. Joseph was deeply moved and went to find a place to weep. Even after all that his brothers had done to Joseph, he still loved them deeply.

3. Prophecy comes true. When the brothers see Joseph, they present him with gifts and bowed down on the ground before him fulfilling the prophecy from Genesis chapter 37.

4. Joseph having some fun. You would have to think that Joseph was having some fun at his brother’s expense by having put the silver in the sacks of grain. Also, when his brothers were eating with him he had them seated in their birth order. And finally, by putting the silver cup in Benjamin’s sack without anyone’s knowledge, Joseph had to be having some fun.

A lot has transpired in Joseph’s life, going from the favorite son to slave to Pharaoh’s number two. He was part of a large family then all by himself in Egypt. But through it all, there was one constant in his life, and that was his belief in God. That belief got Joseph through all of his trials and that same belief can get us through our own as well.