The Golden Calf

(Exodus 32:1–6)

While Moses was on Mount Sinai communing with God, the people of Israel were fashioning an idol to worship in the Lord’s place.

Fueled by ignorance, shamelessness, a short memory, and old religious assumptions from the place of their former captivity, the Israelites rushed headlong into one of the most remarkable displays of indiscretion in the Bible.

********

It’s easy to criticize the Israelites.

But we also tend to worship what we can touch and easily manage.

Even while we are basking in the light of revelation from God, we can be drawn back into the familiar and the comfortable.

We need to be vigilant against subtle idolatries and human religious instincts.

God has called us into an entirely new way of life.

*******

Remember, God's wrath against the golden calf.

Overcome Evil With Good

Do not be overcome by evil,
but overcome evil with good.
(Romans 12:21)

What is the defining evil or idol of our area?

We must confront it.

We may be persecuted if we become a threat to the evil around us.

But as Christians, we are called to be the salt and the light of the world!

We are called to make a difference.

We must do something.

We must begin prayer meetings.

We must reach out to the people affected.

Then, after some time, we may see fruits.

We may also see threats against us.

But it is okay.

We know we are making a difference, in our lives and in the lives of others.

We will then learned to be more sensitive to the needs of our brethren who are facing the same battles.

We will then able to fight our own battles better.

We will then feel so much better, because we are not a hypocrite anymore.

Oh, Let us respond to the defining evil around us and overcome it with good.

Oh Lord,
I need Your power and strength
to effectively overcome the evil I experience.
Help me stand strong in my opposition to the evil one.

Show Yourself Faithful

The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them. (Genesis 40:4)

Joseph is an example in the Bible of faithfulness in the face of tribulation.

Wherever he was, Joseph lived for the glory of God.

The Lord was with him and gave him success.

*******

Joseph demonstrated that he could be trusted in a variety of settings, thereby showing himself dependable.

He was faithful over small things, so God was able to set him over large things.

*******

Most of our failures come with the small things.

It rarely occurs to us that the challenge of the moment is to demonstrate ourselves faithful at that point.

But if we persevere, then and only then, will we be trusted with greater responsibilities and opportunities.

Show Yourself Faithful !!!

Singing Praises To God

After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise Him for the splendor of His holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the LORD, for His love endures forever." As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. (2 Chronicles 20:21-22)

The singing of praises amid difficulties in life has tremendous spiritual power to help us win our spiritual battle.

Paul and Silas set the biblical pattern in the prison in Philippi. Their prison cell singing was heard all the way to the throne room of God. Since heaven is God’s throne and the earth is His footstool, this created an earthquake!

Many great preachers survived their prison terms by frequently memorizing and singing hymns to God to buoy their spirits.

We should worship God with spiritual songs, hymns and psalms, and learn to memorize them. They will come in handy when we need them.

Let us always sing praises to the Lord God.

Lord, help us to rejoice and sing praises to You, especially when we feel the challenges of spiritual warfare.

Walk By Faith

…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:2-3)

• This letter was written to first century Jewish believers who were severely persecuted. Some were considering giving up their faith in Jesus.
• This letter talked about the superiority of Jesus over anyone else and everything else.
• The author slowly built his case to culminate in the great faith chapter (Chapter 13), where he pointed out that some great men and women of faith lived to see the fruit of their faith while many others died prematurely because of persecution.

So, how do we walk by faith? We walk by faith by keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus ! Not fixed on our problems or difficult environment of opposition.

Jesus was the pioneer and perfecter of faith. He endured opposition to the point of crucifixion. So we follow His example and we will also patiently endure because of the joy we know that is yet to come.

Take your eyes off your surroundings, your problems, your fears and your suffering. Keep them fixed on Jesus your Lord. In so doing, you will bring glory and honor to God.

Family Love

Bringing Children To The Lord

Fathers, do not exasperate your children;

instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
(Ephesians 6:4)

James Hudson Taylor (21 May 1832 – 3 June 1905)