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Too Young To Die

His nickname was “G.” G’Metrik Caldwell and I played football together in high school. He used to come over to my house and hang out. We were extremely good friends. He was one of the most amazing athletes I had ever seen.

Yesterday, G was shot and killed. This makes the second close friend in the past two months who have died. Nathan Horn died last month. Both are too young to die. Living in North Carolina allows me to be away from the situation, but the grief remains.

I loved both of these guys like brothers. I grew up with them. I lived life with them. I played sports with them. Here is the deal, God has a plan. These two men made bad choices. But don’t we make bad choices?

Everyday we are faced with choices. We never know when it is our time to go. Before I go, I want to know for sure that my sins, my bad choices, my failures, and my flaws are atoned for.

And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall fast and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse before the Lord from all your sins. (Leviticus 16:29-30 ESV)

This is known as the Day of Atonement. It is also known as Yom Kippur. God gave Aaron a long list of duties to perform in order atone for their sins. One of which is sacrificing a bull. When I say a long list, I mean a LONG list. There is so much for Aaron to do.

Why do I bring that up? I bring that up because these sacrifices point to the ultimate sacrifice. They point to the ultimate atonement that took place on Calvary.

As Aaron had a long check off list to perform, Jesus checked off the list for us. In one moment, he took all of your sins (past, present, and future) and wore them through pain and suffering. Nathan and G both knew Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. For that I am thankful.

Now, this I want to extend to you. Do you know Jesus? This is not a scare tactic to get you to believe in Jesus. The facts remain: death is inevitable and unexpected. Jesus offered his life to atone for your sins so that you might live with him for eternity.

Next Step: Prayer. If your children do not know Jesus, pray for them. If your parents do not know Jesus, pray for them. If your best friend does not know Jesus, pray for them.

I’m so thankful that Jesus is my Savior. He gives me hope beyond measure.

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It May Be Friday…

Expectation is a powerful thing.  Consider this research article from the Huffington Post:

In the study researchers from the University of Turin in Italy gave patients intravenous injections of morphine on two consecutive days to help with the pain associated with dental work. On the third day the same patients underwent similar procedures but were given an injection of saline they believed to be a powerful painkiller.

The results are astounding. Patients given the placebo reported a much higher pain tolerance than you would normally find when given morphine. Think about this for a moment. The placebo was more effective than morphine in treating pain. In this case, the body’s own dispensary of natural painkillers served as a better treatment protocol.

Moses and his people experienced the power of expectation. They spent an enormous amount of time and money sewing, building and assembling the tabernacle. Its one purpose was worship. They expected God to show up. As a matter of fact they gave so much that Moses had to instruct them to quit giving! Once it was built, notice what happened:

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys. (Exodus 40:34-38 ESV)

God showed up! Notice that God didn’t show up because the people expected him; God showed up and because the people expected him, they worshiped. There were people other than the Hebrews who saw the tabernacle. Only the people of God saw God’s glory!

It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming.

What are your expectations for worship this Sunday? Do you expect God to meet you there? The Hebrew people were guided by worship. “Throughout all their journeys” they followed the cloud. When the cloud moved, they moved. When the cloud settled, they settled.”

It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming. Prepare your heart today for Sunday. And worship expectantly.

William Carey, the “father of modern missions” from the late 1700’s/early 1800’s said, “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.”

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A Disastrous Word for Difficult People

The people have blown it. While Moses is on the mountain receiving the law, they decided they couldn’t wait any longer. So they asked Aaron to make a golden calf for them. He did and they worshiped the golden calf even saying, “These are the gods who brought us up out of the land of Egypt.” They attributed that fantastic miracle to a golden calf they could make with their own hands.

Aaron built an altar in front of the golden calf. The next day they offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. “And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.”

And God got angry.  The way you get angry when you provide for your children and they forget what you’ve done.

God got angry. The way you get angry when you work 50 hours a week and your children think you owe it to them.

God got angry. He spoke to Moses: “I have seen this people and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.”

God was furious. Moses pleaded with God and God listened to Moses. He sent a plague on the people—which was gracious in light of the fact he wanted to destroy them. God was so angry.

In his anger God promised them His power:

The LORD said to Moses, “Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give it.’ I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” (Exodus 33:1-3 ESV)

God would not go with them–he would send his angel who would fight for them. Sadly, this would have been enough for most of us. But wait, God “sweetened the deal.”

In his anger, he promised them his provision:

Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” (Exodus 33:3 ESV)

Milk and honey. That’s like pumpkin spice and latte. Fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Corn on the cob and fresh tomatoes. That’s everything you’ve ever wanted or needed. Case closed. Deal made. Most of us would have been content with God’s power. Surely now his provision would be enough. Thankfully they weren’t.

In their repentance, they begged God for his presence:

When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the people of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do with you.’” Therefore the people of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. (Exodus 33:4-6 ESV)

To them this was a disastrous word. Moses would later say, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring me up from here.” How about you? Are you content with what God can give, not who God is? Are you satisfied with the good things of God without enjoying His good presence? Do you want God for who He is or what He can give you?

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Rules, Rules, Rules

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s. (Exodus 20:12-17 ESV)

Don’t do this. Don’t do that. Rules, rules, rules. This is one of the biggest hindrances for an atheist about Christianity. These final six commandments are the epitome of following orders.

“We should be able to do what we want because this is a free country!”

I’m sure you have heard that phrase before. But what would this world be without a little “Law and Order”? (See what I did there?) Seriously, though. The first four commandments deal with worshipping the one true God. The final six deal with the morality of our decisions. These are NOT unreasonable requests.

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. (Exodus 20:12 ESV)

Kids: This is an important commandment. One that you can’t stand sometimes. So let me ask you this:

Question: When should we obey our parents?

Talking Points: What if I told you there was a time you didn’t have to obey your parents? Do I have your attention now? Here is the answer…you should always obey your parents. The only exception to the rule is if your parents ask you to sin or do anything that contradicts these commandments.

If they ask you to take the trash, you take the trash. If they ask you to clean your room, you clean your room. You should obey them not only because they are an authority figure in your life, but also because God has commanded it.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s. (Exodus 20:17 ESV)

What does this mean? Don’t be jealous of stuff your friend has! An example: this past week, my friend got a new truck (beautiful truck). A truck that I want. I even told my friend that I was jealous. Should I be jealous? No. Why? Good question. Let’s talk about it!

Question: Why should I not be jealous of my friend’s new truck?

Talking Points: My first reason is found here in Scripture. God clearly commanded in this passage not to. No questions asked, right? Here is the skinny: my identity doesn’t need to be found in whatever car I drive. When I become jealous of my friend’s possessions, I place that possession above my desire for God. God has provided me what I need to live on. I shouldn’t crave more than I need. Instead, I need to be thankful that I have these things.

God should be my #1 at all times. Disobeying these commandments reveals the true nature of humanity: greed, idolatry, etc. These are things we try to fill in the void that lies in our hearts. These evils will never fill this void. Jesus Christ is the only one who can.

God sent him to die for us. This was done to forgive us of our greed, idolatry, etc. Thanks be to God that I have a good, good Father who loves me that much!

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Worship Wars

Every day we engage in an gruesome war, a colossal battle. Multiple opportunities vie for our attention. Work wants more attention. Family demands devotion. Sports scream for more time. God knew this would happen. Before there were iPods and iPads, God called this. His 10 Commandments bear out the reality that our devotion will deviate, that our desires will become distracted. Consider the first four commandments:

And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. (Exodus 20:1-8 ESV)

When you consider God’s commands to have no other gods, what gods come to your mind that people have instead of God today? Do you see any of these in your life? Your family?

You shall not make any idols (carved image). What images do we tend to worship in our culture today? (Movie stars. Athletes. Academically elite.)

You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain. What do you think it means to take God’s name in vain? As a parent how does it feel when your child says your name but doesn’t respect you? In that moment, he or she is using your name in vain. So it is with God. God will not be used–he is to be revered and respected.

Remember the Sabbath. Slow down. Take a break. Remember God. Worship him. What are your worship habits? Do your children know Sunday worship is a priority? Or is it something you do when it is convenient?

You will worship something.

Make sure it is the Lord God.

What joy.

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A Divided Sea

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. (Exodus 14:5-8 ESV)

This is a dark time for the people of Egypt. This is directly after the ten plagues. The last of these plagues being the death of the firstborn; including Pharaoh’s firstborn. Through all of this pain and turmoil, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened.

It is interesting that God chose to harden Pharaoh’s heart. Question: Why did God harden Pharaoh’s heart?

Talking Points: One of the reasons God chose to harden Pharaoh’s heart was so that God could prove to them once more how powerful he is. Only God knew what was about to partake. He knew that Pharaoh would be filled with anger and would chase the Israelites. His anger led to the Israelites crossing the Red Sea

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. (Exodus 14:21 ESV)

What an amazing sight to see!! All Moses had to do was stretch his hand out over the water and God split the entire sea in half. There was dry land to walk on right in the middle of the schism.

Question: As an Israelite, how would you react to such an event?

Talking Points: The same God who performed the ten plagues and delivered you from Pharaoh has just split an entire sea in half. That would blow my mind. The power of God has no bounds. As creator of this world, he has complete control and dominion over its properties. It would be a fascinating site, but a little scary.

Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses. (Exodus 14:30-31 ESV)

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Why You Want God to Pass Over You

The Passover The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. (Exodus 12:1-7 ESV)

Talking Points: What do you think is the significance of killing a lamb? Remember when Adam and Eve sinned? They tried to cover themselves with fig leaves, which of course didn’t work. God killed an animal and used the animal’s skins to cover them. Sin always requires a sacrifice. The only way God will “pass over” the houses of the Israelites living in Egypt is if they have the blood on the doorposts.

The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:13 ESV)

The people obeyed God. Note that God did not passover them because they were his people. He passed over them because the blood of the lamb was applied to their doorposts:

At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead. Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as you have said. Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!” (Exodus 12:29-32 ESV)

How does this point forward to the cross? Where is the blood applied to us so that God, in his judgment, passes over us? Jesus’s blood shed on the cross cleanses us from all sin. When applied to our hearts we are clean and accepted.

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Waiting: God’s University

Years have passed. Joseph is almost 40 years old. His dream that got him in such trouble has taken him from the pit, to Potiphar’s house, and to the prison. Now he is Prime Minister of Egypt. Perhaps he reflected on that dream so many years ago:

Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. (Genesis 37:5-8 ESV)

Now, years later, they show up. He never realized his dream would come to fruition like this. He was no longer a smug teenager; he had become a responsible adult. His ego had long ago been checked by suffering and the harsh reality of responsibility. His brothers and father got hungry–so hungry that Jacob sent Joseph’s brothers to Egypt to get some food. When Joseph saw them he wept. As a matter of fact he sent them out of his presence so they couldn’t see him crying and his weeping could be heard throughout the palace.

As a teenager Joseph never saw the dream playing out like this. As a grown man he had a dilemma. Would he accept the ones who sold him into slavery? No doubt he had already forgiven them. Now he had the upper hand. Now he could make them serve him. Would all those years in Potiphar’s house resisting the advances of Potiphar’s wife now be avenged? He could make them pay for his forgotten years in the prison.

It’s funny how waiting on God often has more to do with preparing us for His plan for our lives than the actual plan itself. God will accomplish His purposes. We call that the sovereignty of God–His ultimate control over the course of human (and your personal) history. We spend much of our lives in training. There are some things God has for you that you simply cannot handle right now.

Waiting is God’s opportunity to refine you, to mold you into the man or woman He intends you to be. Your experiencing God in the waiting years enables you to handle the responsibility of the fulfillment of His plans. In case you feel alone, consider this list of “Who’s Who” in God’s story:

  • Abraham was 100 and Sarah 90 when Isaac was born.
  • Moses spent 40 years on the backside of the desert…and returned to Egypt at the young age of 80!
  • David was God’s anointed king–and ran from Saul for at least 7 years.
  • Paul the Apostle met Jesus on the Damascus Road and went into training for most likely 10 years before he ever preached!
  • And most profoundly, Jesus, the Son of God, was born to Mary and lived in obscurity for 30 years before performing his first miracle or preaching his first sermon. God in human flesh was the Christmas gift that wasn’t fully unwrapped for 30 years!

Waiting is the norm in God’s economy.

You may feel that you are in a holding pattern…that nothing significant is happening. You’re in good company. And God isn’t finished with you yet.

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Brotherly Love

Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, “Make everyone go out from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it. And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. (Genesis 45:1-3 ESV)

Question: After your brothers had sold you into slavery, what your reaction be if you saw them like this?

Talking Points: Not only did Joseph survive everything, but he is now in a place of great power. He holds the key to life in his hands because he is in charge of the food being spread. For you, would there be unresolved anger? Bitterness? Maybe you would have a case of the “look at me now” fever.

In the preceding verses, Joseph put his brothers through a lot of trouble to get food. He wanted them to bring Benjamin (the youngest brother), but Jacob would not allow it. When Joseph saw his brothers love for young Benjamin, Joseph knew they were different than when they sold him into slavery. He greeted them with open arms.

Joseph had every right to be bitter towards his brothers for their actions that happened years before. But he wasn’t.

Question: What does Scripture tells us about holding a grudge?

Talking Points: Scripture plainly states that holding a grudge is unacceptable. If someone has wronged us and they are apologetic, we are to forgive them. When someone has wronged us and they aren’t apologetic, we are to forgive them.

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14-15 ESV)

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (Colossians 3:12-13 ESV)

Scripture tells us that we are to love one another with brotherly love. That kind of love is a covenantal love. A covenant says that even when you let me down, I will still love you. When I let you down, I trust that you will love me as well.

This week, let’s find ways to treat each other with brotherly love. Here are a few starting points:

  1. Listen to one another’s burdens.
  2. Enjoy fellowship with each other.
  3. Go out of your way to know someone deeper.

These are a few examples. We will begin there.

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. (Romans 12:10 ESV)

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My Talent, His Glory

Joseph is in prison. Two men are down there with him. One is a cupbearer and the other is a baker. They both have a dream. Joseph has the ability to interpret those dreams.

Two years later, Pharaoh has two distinct dreams that were very similar. He called magicians and wise men, but none could interpret them. The cupbearer told Pharaoh about Joseph. So, Pharaoh called Joseph to be brought out of prison.

And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” (Genesis 41:15-16 ESV)

Joseph knew without a shadow of a doubt that this talent to interpret dreams was not from his own power. This had to be God giving him the power.

Question: What talents or gifts do you have that you aren’t giving God the credit for? 

Talking Points: Music, athleticism, intellectual capacity, etc. The list goes on and on of talents that we have. For some, we use these talents to glorify God. For some, we use these talents to glorify ourselves. We were placed on this earth to glorify God.

Without God, we would not have these talents. Without God, we would not exist. We need to recognize that our abilities are beautiful gifts from a loving Father who freely gave them to us.

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.” (Genesis 41:39-40 ESV)

After Pharaoh had shared his dreams with Joseph, he interpreted them. He also told Pharaoh that he should choose a man to be head over Egypt before the famine hits. Pharaoh chose Joseph to be that man because of his wisdom.

Some might say Joseph’s talents helped him rise to power. He started at the bottom (in prison) and now he is head over Egypt. We often see that in our culture. People like Donald Trump who began in a tiny business office in Brooklyn and is now a very wealthy business man. His business mind is what made him so successful, right?

Joseph used his talent to glorify God. By no means was Joseph trying to rise to power. He told Pharaoh the truth about his dreams. He was rewarded by his faithfulness.

Question: What was Joseph’s reward?

Talking Points: One could say rising to power to be head over Egypt is his reward. I believe the answer can go further. He had lived over two years as a prisoner. He was not raised out of that pit. After this conversation with Pharaoh, he married Asenath. They had two children. He no longer lived a life of misery. Yes, it was wealthy. Yes, he had power. But he was able to live a better life after his brothers sold him into slavery.

Our talents may take us to big things. Most of the time, they don’t. Joseph had a renewal of circumstance because God blessed his talents. When we glorify God, He blesses us with a renewal of Spirit.