Within These Walls

13 And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 

14 The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

Exodus 14:13-14 NKJV

Who or what's the thing you fear most? Imagine running from it until you're backed against the wall - or in the Israelites' case - the Red Sea. Try as you might, there's no getting out of that situation. Behind you is the wall of the whole Egyptian army. In front of you, all you can see - as far as you can see- is a sea so wide (190 miles wide!) and no boats or ships to transport one Israeli, let alone the great multitude that stood at its shore.

And in the face of these two woeful walls, Moses doesn't say, "Start swimming" because he knows that won't work. And he doesn't say, "Get ready to fight" because that's a lost battle waiting to happen. He boldly proclaims our Promise for Today,  Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever."  And he goes on to declare, "The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

When faced with fight or flight options, there isn't anything within us that would choose the tactics Moses proposed: 

Don't be afraid.

Stand still.

Just watch...

To which God added HIS walls. Verse 21b-22, ...the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.  God's walls that got the Israelites safely to the other side of the sea were the same walls that destroyed the enemy. 

The walls that seem to have you boxed in are not your end. 

Don't be afraid. Stand still. Just watch... God's got this.

Prayer:

Father,

           Thank You for Your Word - the Truths that light our way when there seems to be no way. Thank You, Father, that we are safe within Your walls. Manifest Your presence so that we are able to do as You commanded - Don't be afraid. Stand still. Just watch. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Losing to Gain

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?
Mark 8:35-37 NLT

What'd He say? Hang on and we lose it? Give it up and we keep it? It's the type of thing that confuses those who don't know Jesus as their Savior. Stuff like the last shall be first, and in our weakness He is strength, or like our text, If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. One of the best - Peace that passes all understanding. It makes no sense to the unbeliever. You really can't get a grasp on it until you have a hold on Jesus.

We're living in perilous times. I catch a lot of conversation from where I sit at work. People worry about everything - the country, their jobs,  their finances, their futures. They're worried about their homes being broken into and being robbed because the news and the Internet keep writing stories of increased robberies and burglaries. It's amazing to hear - it all revolves around money. You mess with people's money and it gets crazy. Of course, if the job (money) is their source for life, it's totally understandable. If that's all they have, what do they do? I don't know. I can't answer that.

That's another one of those wonderful things about the Lord. He is NOT diminished by interest rates or elections or world financial fiascos. He does NOT lose value in tough times or when the Dow tumbles. He is immoveable, unshakeable, Rock solid. You want a better interest rate? Increase your interest in Him. You want job security? He's always looking for workers. You want a financial institution that cannot be affected by today's market or some Fed in Washington? Matthew 6:19-21 NLT reads, (Jesus speaking), Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

How do you store up treasure in heaven? Matthew 19:21 tells us, Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me. So let's revisit today's text - If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. Losing to gain. That's upside down. However, if you want a sure thing - there's only One Way...Jesus.

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?

Prayer:

Father,
             It's true, Your ways are not our ways. We don't always understand. But some things we don't have to understand. Lord, cause us to walk in obedience to Your Word - to walk by faith in You, rather than in what we see. Help our unbelief. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Let's Finish This

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.

1st Corinthians 9:24-25 NLT

People worldwide will watch the Olympics when they're on. Every day, you get a medal count - who's ahead in a particular sport, who's won the event, which country is leading in totals. It's all very exciting! And we feel as if we are involved even though we're not participating. We erupt in cheers when they win - we groan in commiseration when they fall or falter. We win, we lose - we're passionate about it and it's not even our prize! So I hate to bring it up, but a year later, do we even remember the names of the winners and losers? No, not for the most part.

God the Father never forgets who we are. He keeps total track of us at all times. He's watching to see how we will finish the race. Are we disciplined in our training? Do we persevere? Will we get back up - even if we've fallen - and finish the race? Hebrews 12:1 tells us, Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 

The finish line is just ahead. See it? Let's finish this.

Prayer:

Father,

          Your Word lights our way. It is in the discipline of it that we learn to stay focused. Increase our knowledge and wisdom, Lord, so that we are able to accomplish Your plan for our lives. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen