Tag Archive | Obedience

Exodus 23

Feb4

Good evening y’all. Today we are looking at Exodus 23.

This chapter is a continuation of the laws God gave to Moses for the children of Israel.

Exodus 23: 1-12
While reading this chapter, I asked myself how would I have fared based on these instructions that God laid out for the children of Israel. Would I pass if I was to be judged based on those laws?

We could argue that those laws are old testament laws and therefore don’t apply to us (seeing as we are operating under the new covenant) but I realised that those laws were all summed up by Jesus in His teachings.  This means they are still applicable to us today 🙂 . If we read Matthew chapter 5, we will see Jesus talking about the laws of Moses and how they apply to us. Infact in verse 17 of Matthew 5 He said:

“Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.(NLT)

I have listed out some of the instructions from verse 1-12:
– Don’t spread false rumours
– Don’t give false testimony against another
– Don’t follow the crowd to do wrong.
– If you find a lost item, return it back to the owner.
– Don’t walk away from people who require help
– Don’t cheat a poor person from what’s rightfully their’s just because they are poor
– Don’t sentence an innocent person
– Don’t take bribes
– Don’t oppress foreigners

Matthew 7: 12 says: “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.(NLT)

This verse rightly sums up everything we have been reading so far from chapter 21. If only we would treat others the same way we would have them treat us, the world would be a better place to live in.

So today, let’s examine ourselves using God’s word as the standard

Exodus 23: 20 – 33
God promises them his presence in the form of an angel. He wasn’t going to leave them alone to journey through the wilderness.  (I love me some God 🙂 He’s always thinking about us and how to make life easy for us). The angel was going to protect them and lead them safely to the promised land.

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If they obeyed and followed His instructions, there were benefits/blessings that they would enjoy such as:
– Guidance
– Protection
– Deliverance from enemy
– Provision
– Divine health

In like manner we can relate this to the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  God has given Him to us to help us on our journey here on earth. He is there to teach and guide us on how to live our lives.

“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.  He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you”.(John 14:16-17 NLT)

We are to obey the Holy Spirit and yield to His leading. That’s the only way we can be pleasing to God and enjoy the blessings He has for us.

Verses 24 and 25 reminds us that even though we are living in this world we are not of this world and so shouldn’t imitate the world or their ways of doing things.

“You must not worship the gods of these nations or serve them in any way or imitate their evil practices. Instead, you must utterly destroy them and smash their sacred pillars. “You must serve only the Lord your God…”(Exodus 23: 24-25a NLT)

This is also made clear in Romans 12:2

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”(Romans 12:2 NLT)

Let’s examine ourselves today. Colossians 3:1- 2 says
“So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, then act like it. Pursue the things upon which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what Christ is doing — that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.”(MSG)

Let’s stop hiding under the blanket of grace. Its time to get up and start doing what is required of us. Shall we continue in sin and say grace abounds? God forbid!

Prayer:
Dear Lord we thank you for today. Thanks you for your word. Pls help us to live in obedience to all that you have commanded. Thank you Lord. In Jesus Name we have prayed.

Thanks for joining today.

Have a wonderful night 🙂

***With God all things are possible***

Genesis 31

Oct28

Good morning y’all. Today we in chapter 31 of Genesis. In this chapter Jacob leaves Laban and starts his journey back home.

I’m gonna use the Soap method today.

Be blessed 🙂

S – Scriptures that stood out for me

Genesis 31:5 NLT: He said to them, “I have noticed that your father’s attitude toward me has changed. But the God of my father has been with me.

Genesis 31:7 NLT : but he has cheated me, changing my wages ten times. But God has not allowed him to do me any harm.

O – Observations :
O1) God is aware of everything thats happening to us and is always with us. Even when we are being mistreated he is aware and he is working out something on our behalf. Jacob said in verse 5 and 7 “but the God of my father has been with me” and “but God has not allowed him to do me any harm“.

O2) God made provision for him. Verse 8 and 9 tells of how God provided for him even though Laban meant to cheat him and not give him his rightful wages. God made things work in his favour.

For if he said, ‘The speckled animals will be your wages,’ the whole flock began to produce speckled young. And when he changed his mind and said, ‘The striped animals will be your wages,’ then the whole flock produced striped young. In this way, God has taken your father’s animals and given them to me. Genesis 31:8-9 NLT

O3) Jacob obeyed God’s instruction and left Laban as God told him to do. Obedience to God is key to us enjoying his blessings.

O4) God protects his own. Laban found out Jacob had left. He was furious and went about to find him but the Lord appeared to Laban and warned him to leave Jacob alone. God is able to keep us and protect us from harm. Remember in Chapter 28, God promised Jacob He will protect him and bring him back to the land He promised his father’s. I believe this was God fulfilling that promise.

O5) Don’t be quick to make a rash statement. Jacob was quick to say whoever stole the gods will die. I guess he said that cos he never expected any of his family to be interested in idols seeing as they all know he worships the God Almighty. Had he known Rachel had stolen the gods, would he have spoken differently?

O6) One sin always leads to another. Rachel stole the gods and and lied to cover her actions.

O7) Jacob acknowledges Gods help in his life. Verse 42 says “in fact, if the God of my father had not been on my side—the God of Abraham and the fearsome God of Isaac —you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen your abuse and my hard work. That is why he appeared to you last night and rebuked you!”

Jacob understood that all he had was by God’s help. He didn’t take the glory for himself, rather He gave all the glory back to God.

O8) God is always looking even when no one else is looking. We can hide from man but we can’t hide from God. He sees everything even up to our innermost thoughts.

A – Application
A1) Continue to do the right thing even when we are being mistreated.

A2) Be ready and willing to obey God’s instruction

A3) Trust God to provide and protect us

A4) Be quick to give the praise and glory back to God for all He has done for us.

P – Prayer
Dear Lord we thank you for today. Thank you for your word. Today we ask for your help to continue to do the right thing even when we are being mistreated. Give us the grace to trust you to take care and protect us. Help us be willing to obey your commands and be quick to give all the praise and glory back to you. Thank you Lord. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Thanks for joining today. Pls feel free to share your thot on the chapter 🙂

Have a blessed Tuesday and remember to give all the praise and glory back to God 🙂

***With God all things are possible***