January 31

There is an encounter with The Living God, our Creator that can only be discovered in a corporate gathering, in the midst of our spirutual family, unique from how we experience Him alone... Exodus 25:8. Are you living life as a spiritual orphan? Do you have a church family? If you plan to begin visiting some to find one, I recommend paying attention to the countenance of the faces of the people there, if they look like funeral faces...keep searching because God is alive!

Pastor Fred

January 28

Our family is enjoying the CNBC Biography series, learning about people who have had a generational impact on history. These men and women displayed uncanny determination in seeing a vision through to fruition, often even beyond their own expectations. And although you and I may not be the next Henry Ford, Richard Branson, or Oprah Winfrey... spiritually, our legacy could far surpass their temporal imprint on history.

Exodus 20:6 promises that a life live in loving obedience to God will have a lasting impact for a millennia! The New Living Translation renders it this way, "But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love Me and obey My commands." I may never be featured on CNBC in their Biography series, but may my life be counted in the heavens as releasing an unfailing love legacy far beyond the horizon of my days!

Pastor Fred

*examiner link

*Niger link

January 27

Ever visited the Outer Banks in North Carolina? On the sound side, the body of water between the outer band of islands and the mainland, on really windy days, the water will be pushed out into the sound a 100 yards or so...water several feet deep pressed by the wind, revealing terra firma.

Various channels will run programs that endeavor to explore the miraculous events in Biblical history, and they will invariably reference events like what happens in the Outer Banks to dismiss the Biblical depiction of a supernatural, sovereign intervention, like the crossing of the sea by the Israelites. However, there are other details that we must not overlook. For example, the Exodus account states that they crossed over on dry ground. A sea bed with water removed would still be muddy for months before millions of people could cross, followed by an army of chariots. And speaking of the army, if the Israelites crossed at a shallow spot, why is the description "walls of water" and then, how did an army drown in only a few feet of sea? The rebuttal is that the writers were given to hyperbole to enhance the naturally occurring event, what does your heart say?

The manna is another example. Many naturally occurring phenomena are offered as explanations, but the account isn't just about the manna. The manna came systematically missing the same day every week, the Sabbath. Regardless of how much manna people gathered, a little or a lot, they ended up with the same portion after cooking. If they stored extra, the manna spoiled, except once a week to store extra on the Sabbath, then it remained fresh for an extra day... miracle or natural phenomena/hyperbole?

I agree, there have been times in history where for lack of scientific understanding, people have defaulted to superstition. Once cannot be an honest student of history and not acknowledge this. However, this same penchant of mankind in history to use superstition to fill an intellectual gap is the same vulnerability that is dismissive of the possibility of intervention by a sovereign God. When we face the limits of our humanity, we feel vulnerable and grope desperately for something tangible to ground us.

God help us to see with greater clarity the moments where you are moving miraculously and too accept that there are times when however mundane, there may be reasonable, earthly realm bound explanations. May we not let these two continue to be mutually exclusive in this temporal world... physical law that at times is transcended by an omniscient Creator...and may we be the most secure resting in the hands of our God!

Hey, to all the readers in Afghanistan, thanks for checking out The Way Today!

Pastor Fred

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January 26

We tend to be circumstance centric instead of being camp concentrated. The lesson we take from the Israelites trapped between the sea and the Egyptian army is a lesson in perspective. If we are focused on our circumstances, we fear. If we are focused on which camp we are in, we will have faith. When we are in the camp of God...position always trumps situations!

This is emphasized through God's command in Exodus 15:26, "If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then..."

God's grace empowers us to be free, not to liberality in sinfulness but rather strength for a life pleasing to God...a life lived in His camp!

Pastor Fred

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January 25

I am at one with God, rescued from myself, just as if I'm perfect, because Jesus paid it all. May there be something deep within us all that compels us to this confession. There are four words that give rise to this declaration, in order: atonement, redemption, justification, and propitiation. Each word is expressed through each of the four phrases. I hope those four words inspire you to do some research to learn more about them!

In John 1:29, John the Baptist proclaims referencing Jesus, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!". To the predominantly Jewish audience in attendance, that phrase had great meaning...Exodus 12. Picking up from our line of thought from yesterday, there is only one way to conquer Pharaoh in each of our hearts, Jesus.

Beyond intellectual ascent, we must cross the threshold of devotion, a vow to live for Jesus if His sacrifice is to be upon the doorpost of our lives!

Pastor Fred

January 24

As we continue reading through the Bible together this year...if you are new to the blog, visit biblegateway.com and select the Old/New Testament reading plan. I am using the New Living Translation this year. Each day you read a portion of the Old T and a portion of the New T...ultimately reading through the entire Bible in 12 months.

So, back to todays reading. I am intrigued by how the plagues have begun to distinguish between the Israelites and the Egyptians. Initially there was no distinction among the people affected by the plagues. I believe this in part due to God creating a picture of our spiritual lives. Before we begin to wrestle with the reality of the existence of God and the epiphany that He has a plan and destiny specifically for each of us, there is a singularity to our existence. However, once we begin to sense God speaking to us about surrendering our lives to Him, making worshipping Him the foundation of our lives, we have the inception of an inner duplicity. The Apostle Paul in Romans writes about the two at war within our humanity. We must choose who will rule in our hearts, our Pharaoh (self rule) or our Moses (Godly rule).

The order of the plagues is intentional, making the last two especially instructive. The ninth plague was of darkness, symbolic of the inward condition of our lives if we continue to self govern, Pharaohing Exodus 10:22 states that there was however light as usual where the Israelites lived. I want the Moses in me to rule. I want the light to overtake the darkness. I want exodus from my inner duplicity and live with a singular purpose of being a God worshipper!

We'll continue with this line of thought tomorrow, drawing on the significance of the 10th plague...thanks fo reading!

Pastor Fred

January 23

Exodus 7-8...being an instrument of revealing the glory of God to the world is unavoidable. The only question is whether or not it will be to our destruction or for our immeasureable blessing. Who am I? Pharoh or Moses?

Pastor Fred

January 22

I've thrown my 7 iron down for the third time...still no snake! I must not have a Moses calling, but I still have my moments of lacking faith. Really though, which took more faith, believing your staff would become a snake after being cast to the ground or picking it back up by the tail...Moses on Animal Planet!

The person in the story who was rockin the faith was Aaron. There was no facebook in ancient Egypt. Aaron had not seen his brother Moses in 40 years, nor heard from him. Aaron is praying one day and bam...God speaks, "Wander out in the desert toward Midian to meet Moses." Really? GPS? No. Mapquest? No. Tracking device? No. A favorite show our family watches is I Shouldn't Be Alive. Have you watched? They can't even find people with helicopters! Aaron, working some Divine triangulation. He not only believes he heard from God and goes, but he is led by God supernaturally to the exact spot to find him! Aaron is bringing the faith!

Fast forward a handful of centuries to Matthew 14...Jesus, "Oh ye of little faith." I fail in my faith more than I prefer to admit. I am Peter. I am Moses. Lord, help me to Aaron up in my faith.

Pastor Fred

January 21

Exodus 3:12 is the revelation that we must all live within..."I am with you..." When we abide in the conscious awareness that our heavenly Father is ever present with us, not just humanity as a race, but attentive to our individual lives... shalom, peace displaces all fear, anxiety, and doubt.

I am struck this morning too at the grandiose promise that God gives Moses during the burning bush encounter. Here is a people, quite possibly numbering in the millions who are enslaved by the Egyptians and have been for centuries. God is saying that in totality, the entire ethnic group of the Hebrews is going to be freed, will give birth to a new nation of people, they will settle and live in some idyllic place (flowing with milk and honey), and that the Egyptians are going to voluntarily endow them with all their personal riches upon their departure...and this 80 year old man who has been in exile for the last 40 years is going to lead them...really!

Because Moses had an "I am with you..." revelation, he could believe in the seemingly impossible promises of God.

Let's believe together...He is with us!

Pastor Fred

January 20

Remember, in Genesis 49, we are not reading the impetuous thoughts of an aged father dealing with grudges against his sons during his final days. Jacob is a prophet. He is speaking words over his sons that are being supernaturally revealed to him by God.

Chapter 50:19...words to live by!

I love 50:25...because hundreds of years later, we see the Israelites of the Exodus Generations keeping this promise, come on! Any promise kept is worth celebrating...a promise that was passed down for generations over centuries...bring that kind of devotion to our culture!!

Pastor Fred

January 19

Matthew 13 can be troublesome. Whenever the text appears to imply that God is withholding from someone what they need to change, He appears callous. This creates a significant conflict for us because Scripture repeatedly describes God as "a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, rich in steadfast love and truth" and yet here is Matthew 13.

Why would God withhold revelation from someone, revelation they need? We must remember that Scripture also teaches a principle that people are held accountable according to their understanding. We don't punish our children for being childlike, only when they are foolish. Foolishness is when we know better. If God knows that we are not ready to live up to the revelation, abide by it, out of graciousness He withholds that truth. He chooses to let us remain in ignorance until He sees our hearts are ready to walk in the righteousness of the revelation that awaits us.

Pastor Fred

January 18

Here is a compilation from the last few days...

If we try to understand any text of Scripture by itself, we will inevitably error. For example, we need Hebrews 12:14 to understand Jesus' intentions in Matthew 10:34-37. The writer of Hebrews exhorts us to live at peace with everyone. Was the Holy Spirit forgetting Himself in the inspiration of these two texts? Certainly not! In Matthew 10, Jesus is not speaking of relational conflict but rather value conflict. Jesus comes with a sword to divide our values, those that are God breathed and those that are God threatening. He uses the value of family as an example. If we are loving our families according to a Biblical pattern, it will never compete with God!

There is however another context we must consider. For followers of Christ who have families that threaten to disown them if they embrace Christ, then there is certainly an eternal choice one must make. Hebrews says that must "make every effort..." as sometimes even when we are walking in a Biblical pattern of grace and humility, people may still reject us due to our faith. The distinction here is they are choosing to reject us...we must, as followers of Christ, always be open to reconciliation, but never at the expense of our devotion to Jesus.

Again in Matthew 12:18, Jesus touches again on the them of family. He is not saying that our church family is to displace our earthly family but rather we need to allow the human heart to love to the extent it is capable...that we can have both an undying love for God's family and our earthly family together. One does not have to compete with the other, one does not have to displace the other...the human heart was made by God to hold within itself co-existing passions!

Genesis 41...if we are suffering in innocence, may we never mourn the loss of the wealth and influence of Potiphar's house because God is trying to bring us to Pharoh's house!

Genesis 45:19-20...If we do not forgive those who have sinned against us, we cannot be reconciled to our Father!

Pastor Fred

January 15

We have a powerful picture given to us in Genesis 36:6-7...there is no competing with the favor of God! Esau represents earthly effort, blessing that comes from effort apart from God while Jacob, as imperfect as he was, is a man who worships God and puts his trust in Him...the favor and blessing that comes to life in relationship with God always exceeds whatever we could have obtained on our own.

In Genesis 37 we are reminded two great truths regarding vision: Be careful with whom you share your vision and also, do not judge another's vision impetuously.

Remember, at the heart of every temptation is the same lie, that there is something to gain from sin. (Genesis 37:26)

Reciprocity has a BIG bite! (Genesis 37:35)

The sin of Onan is often an interesting conversation. Here is my take...that whenever we have a sexual encounter that is solely for the purpose of self-gratification, we sin. This sacred gift from God should always be in the context of divine purpose, symbiotic. Onan clearly was just enjoying himself at her expense. That is never Godly. The other great context for ALL sexuality is marriage!

Pastor Fred

January 14

Here are some truths born out of the reading for today in Genesis 33-35. See if you can find the verses that speak to them.

1.) humility in us brings about grace in others

2.) we find in our children the faults we fail to conquer in ourselves

3.) death often brings about reunions in families that would have otherwise been impossible

Searching for truth as we read Scripture is an essential ability if we are to be changed by His Word... beyond just being informed!

Pastor Fred

January 13

In Matthew 9:16-17, Jesus gives us insight into the greatest miracle Scripture promises, the indwelling Spirit of God within His children. "Within His children" is a critical phrase. Not everyone has God within. Everyone is part of His creation, but only those who have made a vow of devotion to Jesus have the promised Holy Spirit (John 1:12-13)

Jesus gives us two analogies in Matthew 9 that seem at odds with each other at first glance. The patch analogy speaks of shrinking and the wineskin analogy speaks of stretching.

In the first parable, Jesus is trying to help us see that God miraculously enables Himself to fit within us, an act only possible by an all powerful God. In the patch analogy, we are the garment and He is the patch. We are incapable of repairing ourselves! We need a God patch!

In the wineskin parable, God is the new wine and we are the old wineskin. Here, God miraculously enables us to stretch, that in our grossly sinful state, to not be destroyed by the indwelling presence of an absolutely holy God. If it were not for Jesus' death on the cross making atonement for our sin, we would not be able to withstand God's presence, especially living inside of our humanity!

God shrinks, we stretch...eternal life!

Pastor Fred

January 11

What a jubilant, rapturous moment when Sarah finally had her son! I preached on hope recently, the capacity we have to long for "things" as we read in Hebrews 11:1. Hope is the seed bed of faith. I long to be a part of experiences like this, experiences that Sarah had, a supernatural, destiny being born in a way that only heaven could bring. Still, I long for them with reticence. I understand that great blessings bring both great responsibility and sacrifice. I think we all connect with the responsibility aspect of tremendous blessings but it is the sacrifice aspect that often eludes us. Sarah had the story, the testimony...of giving birth at the end of her life, what a declaration! However, she stepped into eternity at the age of 127 (Gensis 23). She only had the joy of being a mother for 27 years. Trust God implicitly. Hope for heaven stories. Accept responsibility. Embrace Sacrifice.

Then, after her death, Abraham is approaching the second half of his second century...and he's looking for a wife...Keturah. Anyone recall her? She is so obscure, overshadowed by Sarah and the story of Isaac. Yet, she is vital to the narrative! In Genesis 25, God gives us her children...one of them is Midian, the people who become Moses' refuge (Exodus 2). God is always at work protecting the story of your destiny!

Pastor Fred

Pastor Fred

January 7

Genesis 18:2 is the key to 18:18-19a. "Abraham is to become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him..." Why we ask? We find our answer a few verses earlier in verse 2. "He looked up, and he saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed to the ground." God chooses humility.

Abraham was one of the richest men in the entire region. No doubt he had a reputation as a fierce warrior too, having previously (chapter 14) defeated 5 kings and their armies to rescue his nephew Lot (whom he is about to save once again, which is a powerful picture of grace). And yet here he is, on his knees in deference to strangers.

Paul writes in Philippians 2:3b, "...but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves."

How are we doing in deference today?

Pastor Fred

January 6

Genesis 16:1-3...husbands, may we heed this text! Listening to our wives' words is not enough; we must hear what is really being said, the cry of their heart. Let me take some liberty here and re-write what Abram (his name has not yet been changed by God to Abraham) should have heard...

"Abram, it is not fair that I have not been able to have children. God is against me. If He wanted, He could cause me to have children tomorrow and yet He has abandoned me. There is no hope for me in life. I know deep in your heart you despise the day you met me. Because of me, your hope to see the promise of a family fulfilled is ruined. Every day you are surrounded by women. Every day you see women who could give you the children you desire. Leave me and embrace them. I'm no good for you."

Abram, "Okay..."

Really Abram! Come on men! Let's be men! May we hear the hearts cry of our wives, may we hear beyond the words spoken, may we never add to their pain, may we be life unto them.

Pastor Fred

January 5

Isaiah in chapter 64, verse 6 reminds us that all our righteousness is as filthy rags. So when Jesus says in Matthew 5, verse 20 that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees we will not enter heaven, He is referring to the righteousness that we can only possess through grace. No amount of effort can secure a place in heaven for us. 1 John 2:1b-2, "...Jesus Christ the righteous One. He Himself is the propitiation (price paid, satisfying a debt) for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world." Are you covered?

But Jesus interestingly in that same chapter in the Gospel of Matthew, verse 19, acknowledges that within heaven, there are degrees of greatness. We all enter by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9), but clearly, in Jesus' owns words, our efforts in obedience matter; we are graded. How great have you been this week? How great have you been this past year? If we went to heaven today, what would our greatness grade be?

Pastor Fred

January 4

My three sons...do you think Shem feels a little overshadowed? "Japheth...descendants became the seafaring peoples..." "Ham...ancestor to Nimrod who was the first heroic warrior...built his kingdom in the land of Babylonia...cities of Babylon...Ninevah..." "Shem...the older brother of Japheth..." Really! His identity first mention is through a sibling! Shem might have had some identity issues.

Do you feel this way? Do you feel like your identity is obscured by others around you? Don't dismay. God has a magnificent plan for your life, even when it feels dubious. Take Shem for example. Ultimately, Shem was the envy of Japheth and Ham. Travel through your Bible a few millennia and come to Luke chapter 3, finding the genealogy of Jesus...who is there...Shem!

Don't despise your obscurity! Every person with purpose, every purpose sacred!

Pastor Fred

January 3

In Genesis 8 we find the great contrast between the raven and the dove. Which are you, am I...some of each for most of us. The raven is the picture of a person who goes to a place prematurely and languishes there rather than remaining where one is and continue flourishing. The dove is the picture of a person who wisely waits and flourishes, recognizing that the time to depart has not yet come. The risk here is that the person might wait too long. Imagine if the dove had never left the ark. The ark that once was a refuge eventually became desolate and the flooded earth emerges as a paradise. Even when we see something in our future that proves to be a new source of flourishing, often replacing our present, the timing of God is always vital!

Pastor Fred

January 2

Some Cain questions that will serve us well when we are considering acts of generosity, our material response to Jesus.

First, is my gift sacrificial? Notice that Abel gave from his best and Cain just gave "some.". If there is no sense of material loss, then chances are we have only given a "some" gift and not a "best" gift.

Second, is my gift obedient? God has much to say about what we give and to whom. When God killed the first animals to create clothes for Adam and Eve, He was instituting the principle of a life sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin, a prophetic moment for what Christ would be for us. So Cain's sacrifice was not in keeping with what God required, an animal sacrifice. Cain gave what he wanted to give instead of deferring to God's demand. We do not have animal sacrifices anymore but we do have a God who speaks! Are we listening, are we giving what He asks and to whom?

Finally, is my gift cheerful? Not only did Cain fail in giving sacrificially and obediently, but he gave begrudgingly. 2 Corinthians 9:7 reminds us that God loves a cheerful giver. This great text in Genesis confronts us with the sobering reality that we are either being accepted by God or controlled by sin. The attitude of our hearts when we give is a key determiner of which path is ours, God acceptance or sin controlled.

Give well!

Pastor Fred

January 1

In reading Genesis 1-3 this morning, I was struck once again by the words God spoke of Adam and Eve that are known as the "curse of sin." We must not forget that the pain and hardship referred to by God are not merely physical.

The vulnerability of every woman, the Eve in her, still looks for relational affirmation elsewhere that only God can give. She seeks fulfillment in her children and husband that only God can provide. She strains relationships, demanding of them what they cannot supply, Creator love.

In the same way, man equally suffers. Our vulnerability, the Adam in us, still looks for purpose affirmation elsewhere that only God can give. We seek fulfillment in our tasks, our careers, our projects, our endeavors that only God can provide. We strain the manifold purposes of life, demanding of them what they cannot supply, Creator respect.

We may be vulnerable to the curse, but we can be free from its control... as devoted followers of Christ, we have been liberated from the power of the curse! Romans 7:24-24, "What a wretched man/woman I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

Pastor Fred