The events that surrounded the birth and early years of Moses life are certainly not news – I’m sure we are all familiar with the story. I invite you to re-read this account with fresh eyes..as if you did not know ‘the rest of the story’. Please read Exodus 2:1-10.
A succinct summary of this passage is as follows: Jocabed (a Levite woman, enslaved in the land of Egypt) had a baby named Moses. Under orders of Pharaoh all male Hebrew babies were to be killed. Jocabed hid Moses until he was three months old. In an attempt to save the baby’s life, he was set in a basket and put into the Nile. The baby was rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter. Through a series of events the baby was given back to Jocabed to be raised until he was old enough to return to Pharaoh’s daughter to be raised as her son.
As women, we probably have many questions about this account. The facts are there but our minds may go to the emotions behind these facts. Today Pastor Grace gave us some excellent insights into these events and how we can apply these insights into our own lives and circumstances.
Pastor Grace first spoke of Jocabed’s desires. She desired to spare the life of her son. We can only imagine the anguish of her soul. Some things we will never know this side of eternity. Did the Lord give her peace? Did she sense His presence? Did she hear His voice? Did she have confident trust in the Lord as she put that basket into the water? Keep in mind, she did not know how this would turn out.
Pharaoh’s daughter also had desires. She must have wanted a baby. We know that she was compassionate. She knew the baby she was going to claim as her own was a Hebrew boy, destined for death. Did she risk the wrath of her father? It seems that she loved Moses and desired to do what was best for him.
Through God’s sovereignty Moses is returned to his biological mother to be raised for a time. She was even compensated financially for this. The baby was now safe in her home. We can surmise that he was raised in the ways of the Lord – being given a firm foundation before he was returned to the Pharaoh’s palace. I wonder if the neighbors marveled at what the Lord had done!
God was able to meet the desires of both these women. Ephesian 3:20 comes to mind. “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” As we have often heard Arlene say..she wants God’s imaginations for her life. They are so much better than her own. These women could not have imagined how God would work in their circumstances. Looking at this with a fresh eye, there is no way that these events could have turned out as they did aside from the hand of God.
So what can we take from this? We can take those dreams, people, circumstances that are precious to us and put them in a basket and trust God with the outcome. In God’s Word, time and time and time again we see Him intervening in the lives of ordinary people in ways that can only be attributed to Him. He WILL bring about His purposes. He is good. Above all, He is glorified and makes Himself known through impossible circumstance to a watching world. Halleluiah!!
As far as ‘the end of the story’ goes…In Exodus 2:1-10 God works very personally in the lives of these two woman. He fulfills their desires and they are blessed. As a young child we can surmise that Moses was also blessed to have the love of two mothers who were devoted to him. But what about God’s desires? These women couldn’t have known the plans God had for Moses. We know. This was so much bigger than saving a single Hebrew baby. Moses became a ‘friend of God’. Through Moses God redeemed the Israelite nation from hundreds of years of slavery and led them back to the Promised Land where they would be established as a nation and as God’s Chosen People. Wow!!
So what will you put in your basket???
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
The Jig Is UP!
The jig is up.
The cat is out of the bag.
The ship has sailed.
You might be wondering “what is with the colloquialism overload this morning?” I would too, but it’s just my way of perpetuating the drama surrounding the much anticipated announcement for the Tuesday Morning Women’s Bible Study course material for this year. But more about that in a minute. First let’s give a brief recap.
This past Tuesday we gathered together to resume Women’s Bible Study and we studied together Psalm 84. In particular, we focused on verse 5 of that Psalm.
“Blessed are those who strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.”
We learned three key points regarding this verse:
1) We can set our hearts on all kinds of things during our stay on planet earth but God promises us that if our heart is set on one thing in particular, we will be blessed. That one thing is pilgrimage. While in the Old Testament, their pilgrimage was of a physical nature as they were commanded to travel to Jerusalem three times a year to meet with God, ours is a pilgrimage of a spiritual nature. Just as they were on a journey that brought them closer to God, so are we.
2) We also learned that the word 'blessed' in this passage is a powerful blessing that indicates “very favorable circumstances”. We examined together how the word blessing has been very much watered down in our culture and we don’t truly comprehend or maybe even recognize what is truly a Biblical blessing. God wants to do incredibly favorable things in our lives as we set our hearts on moving forward spiritually with Him.
3) Lastly, we learned that this journey is primarily one of the heart. It isn’t how well we are doing but how well our hearts are doing.
Read this version in the Amplified Bible:
“Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.”
Throughout the class we drew parallels between a road trip that you might take with your family or friends and how our pilgrimage might mirror that kind of adventure. We examined different road signs, detours, and distractions that one might encounter on any road trip and used them as illustrations to put a more tangible perspective for our spiritual pilgrimage. During that time we spent some time talking about our traveling companions and how vital it is to be sure that you are traveling with others who are either going to the same destination as you are or who traveled that way before. If someone has taken the trip in the past, wouldn’t it be wise to learn from their experiences.
Ok so I won’t keep you in suspense any long. This is the part of the blog where we springboard into our announcement regarding our course material. Drum roll please……we will be studying the ‘Women of the Bible’.
Why ‘Women of the Bible’? Maybe you are thinking “been there, done that”. Perhaps you don’t feel the need to examine a subject that has often been studied to death. But hear me out. This past summer I have been seeking the Lord diligently for His will for Tuesday mornings and this is what He brought to the forefront over and over. When the Lord repeatedly brings something in my life with that kind of consistency and urgency, I know He is up to something. I believe that He is about to bring a freshness and a relevance to our burden driven lives through the women of the Bible.
2 Corinthians 10:11 tells us that “these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us.”
We women have issues, don’t we? To be honest, and scripture will back me up on this, there ain’t nothing new under the sun. They had issues too. For example, there are women who dealt with (and I will do this alphabetically) abuse, adultery, betrayal, bitterness, childlessness, choices, dignity, dissension, dreams (all of this and I have only gotten to the “d’s”) and God in His tender mercies recorded them so that we might we able to relate and learn from them. God is that relevant. He knows what we are going through as women and He wants to speak to us about all our hardships and painful hurts. His desire is to bring wholeness and healing. I believe He will do that not only as we study His word but as we fellowship with other like-minded sisters in the Lord. My heart is filled with excited expectation in what’s ahead. Not only is my heart filled it is set!
So how does this work? We will gather for a teaching each week and then separate into smaller discussion groups after the message. The Bible study that we will be using is ‘Women of the Bible’ by Jean Syswerda. It is a workbook for the very excellent book “Women of The Bible” by Ann Spangler and Jean Syswerda.
During the group time we will be going over several questions from that homework. Now here is the thing, if you don’t like homework you don’t have to do the homework to participate in the groups but I will tell you emphatically that there is nothing like homework and getting into the Word of God one on one with the author. I know from personal experience that when you engage with a “set heart” in that venue, He will honor that and teach you amazing things that you couldn’t know other wise. I am speaking from experience. I love Bible study and it is a daily habit for me. Aside from prayer and Bible verse memorization (okay that is for another day) nothing has dramatically affected my spiritual life like it. I encourage you to engage in the study but it is by no means mandatory. Just come!!! We would love to meet you.
If you can’t come out, you can follow us here on the blog. In the upper right hand section of the blog you will see a picture of the Bible study and the woman that we will be working on that week. That would mean that whatever woman is listed there, that is the one we will be receiving a teaching on and discussing in our small groups the following Tuesday. I also want to note that the homework is very short, only about 3 or 4 pages and you will have a whole week to work on it.
We are also doing something else new. Every Wednesday our precious sister Linda will be blessing us with a weekly column called “Here’s the scoop on “ This will be a recap of the highlights of what we learned that week on each woman. We are really looking forward to this ministry and seeing her insights.
Ok, I think I have written enough for today. I am sure there are details that I might have left unwritten. Please feel free to either email me or Linda or you can post your question here. We are also on Facebook so you could join us there ( MWC Womens Bible Study)where we will post all the info as well.
How I hope you join us this year. I am believing God for a Holy Spirit power packed time of worship, study, and fellowship that will change us and spoil us for the mundane. You in? Is your heart set for a blessing? Are you ready to start your pilgrimage and walk in those blessings God has promised in Psalm 84:5? Then why not begin your journey with some traveling companions and join us on Tuesday’s this year. We look forward to seeing you there.
“O the happiness of a man whose strength is in Thee, Highways [are] in their heart.” Psalm 84:5 (YLT)
The cat is out of the bag.
The ship has sailed.
You might be wondering “what is with the colloquialism overload this morning?” I would too, but it’s just my way of perpetuating the drama surrounding the much anticipated announcement for the Tuesday Morning Women’s Bible Study course material for this year. But more about that in a minute. First let’s give a brief recap.
This past Tuesday we gathered together to resume Women’s Bible Study and we studied together Psalm 84. In particular, we focused on verse 5 of that Psalm.
“Blessed are those who strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.”
We learned three key points regarding this verse:
1) We can set our hearts on all kinds of things during our stay on planet earth but God promises us that if our heart is set on one thing in particular, we will be blessed. That one thing is pilgrimage. While in the Old Testament, their pilgrimage was of a physical nature as they were commanded to travel to Jerusalem three times a year to meet with God, ours is a pilgrimage of a spiritual nature. Just as they were on a journey that brought them closer to God, so are we.
2) We also learned that the word 'blessed' in this passage is a powerful blessing that indicates “very favorable circumstances”. We examined together how the word blessing has been very much watered down in our culture and we don’t truly comprehend or maybe even recognize what is truly a Biblical blessing. God wants to do incredibly favorable things in our lives as we set our hearts on moving forward spiritually with Him.
3) Lastly, we learned that this journey is primarily one of the heart. It isn’t how well we are doing but how well our hearts are doing.
Read this version in the Amplified Bible:
“Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.”
Throughout the class we drew parallels between a road trip that you might take with your family or friends and how our pilgrimage might mirror that kind of adventure. We examined different road signs, detours, and distractions that one might encounter on any road trip and used them as illustrations to put a more tangible perspective for our spiritual pilgrimage. During that time we spent some time talking about our traveling companions and how vital it is to be sure that you are traveling with others who are either going to the same destination as you are or who traveled that way before. If someone has taken the trip in the past, wouldn’t it be wise to learn from their experiences.
Ok so I won’t keep you in suspense any long. This is the part of the blog where we springboard into our announcement regarding our course material. Drum roll please……we will be studying the ‘Women of the Bible’.
Why ‘Women of the Bible’? Maybe you are thinking “been there, done that”. Perhaps you don’t feel the need to examine a subject that has often been studied to death. But hear me out. This past summer I have been seeking the Lord diligently for His will for Tuesday mornings and this is what He brought to the forefront over and over. When the Lord repeatedly brings something in my life with that kind of consistency and urgency, I know He is up to something. I believe that He is about to bring a freshness and a relevance to our burden driven lives through the women of the Bible.
2 Corinthians 10:11 tells us that “these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us.”
We women have issues, don’t we? To be honest, and scripture will back me up on this, there ain’t nothing new under the sun. They had issues too. For example, there are women who dealt with (and I will do this alphabetically) abuse, adultery, betrayal, bitterness, childlessness, choices, dignity, dissension, dreams (all of this and I have only gotten to the “d’s”) and God in His tender mercies recorded them so that we might we able to relate and learn from them. God is that relevant. He knows what we are going through as women and He wants to speak to us about all our hardships and painful hurts. His desire is to bring wholeness and healing. I believe He will do that not only as we study His word but as we fellowship with other like-minded sisters in the Lord. My heart is filled with excited expectation in what’s ahead. Not only is my heart filled it is set!
So how does this work? We will gather for a teaching each week and then separate into smaller discussion groups after the message. The Bible study that we will be using is ‘Women of the Bible’ by Jean Syswerda. It is a workbook for the very excellent book “Women of The Bible” by Ann Spangler and Jean Syswerda.
If you can’t come out, you can follow us here on the blog. In the upper right hand section of the blog you will see a picture of the Bible study and the woman that we will be working on that week. That would mean that whatever woman is listed there, that is the one we will be receiving a teaching on and discussing in our small groups the following Tuesday. I also want to note that the homework is very short, only about 3 or 4 pages and you will have a whole week to work on it.
We are also doing something else new. Every Wednesday our precious sister Linda will be blessing us with a weekly column called “Here’s the scoop on “ This will be a recap of the highlights of what we learned that week on each woman. We are really looking forward to this ministry and seeing her insights.
Ok, I think I have written enough for today. I am sure there are details that I might have left unwritten. Please feel free to either email me or Linda or you can post your question here. We are also on Facebook so you could join us there ( MWC Womens Bible Study)where we will post all the info as well.
How I hope you join us this year. I am believing God for a Holy Spirit power packed time of worship, study, and fellowship that will change us and spoil us for the mundane. You in? Is your heart set for a blessing? Are you ready to start your pilgrimage and walk in those blessings God has promised in Psalm 84:5? Then why not begin your journey with some traveling companions and join us on Tuesday’s this year. We look forward to seeing you there.
“O the happiness of a man whose strength is in Thee, Highways [are] in their heart.” Psalm 84:5 (YLT)
Friday, September 2, 2011
What's Ahead For the Fall
**** important update**** The date for opening day has been changed from September 13th to September 20th.
Hello Everyone;
Hello Everyone;
As the days become shorter and the nights take on a cooler edge, I am forced to face the reality that summer is drawing to its natural end. While I am hesitant to say goodbye to relaxed lazy days at the beach with long strolls along the boardwalk, I know that each season brings its blessings.
As autumn approaches I am always reminded of fresh beginnings. The air always seems clearer and trees take on a brilliant display of color that characterizes this time of year. Pumpkins, hot apple pie with ice cream (of course), mums, hayrides, Bible study, walks in the woods…. What, did you say Bible Study? What does that have to do with Fall? Everything!! One of my favorite particulars about autumn is the advent of a new season of studying God’s word. Just love the fresh start!
If you don’t regularly attend a Bible Study, you might be wondering why would anyone study the Bible? What does a Bible Study even look like? Is it boring? Is it relevant? Will I fit in or will I feel excruciatingly out of place? Will I be the only one who doesn’t know what is going on? (The answers to the last four questions are no, definitely, absolutely will fit in, and no everyone feels that way in the beginning)
If you regularly attend Bible Study this time of year, then you are probably wondering what book of the Bible we will be examining. Will we be focusing on the New Testament or the Old? Will we be spotlighting different topics? Will we be highlighting just one area of concentration? Will there be homework, will there be memorization and will there be coffee???
There is only one way to answer all of these questions. Come out on September 20th at 9:30 and discover them for yourself. The teaching will be on Psalm 84 and the title of the message is “Pressing the Reset Button”. We will be looking at this psalm of pilgrimage and how we can apply it to our spiritual lives today.
Which leads me to ask, how is your spiritual life these days? Has it gotten a little relaxed? Do you feel like your missing something spiritually? Do you sense that there should be more? Has your quiet time gotten dull and boring? Perhaps all you need to do is to press the reset button. Maybe a fresh start is the prescription that will bring life to what is stagnant? If that is you, why not come out and join us?
That first day we will not only sit under a teaching on Psalm 84, but we will also unveil our course of study for the year. In addition, we will uncover the other things God has for us in the upcoming year. You won’t want to miss it. God has given us ideas for all kinds of wonderful surprises; teaching ideas, blog ideas, event ideas, and evangelist ideas, to name a few. I am certain He has a wild year prepared for us and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds.
So here are the particulars:
September 20th, 2011
Time: 9:30 am
Place:37 Vanderburg Road
(732) 332-9600
Free childcare is provided.
One thing I am certain of and can declare on the authority of His word, God is all over Bible Study, I can assure you of that. Anytime a group of women get together to fellowship around His word, He can’t help but be moved over it and I believe He will make that known to those who are engaged in it. (Malachi 3:16-18) I am sensing such a pouring out of His love and Spirit on this upcoming year as we gather together with the sole purpose of wanting to know and love Him more, that I, for one, am chomping at the bit to begin.
To my old friends, I miss you so much and am greatly anticipating seeing you again. To new friends, I am really looking forward to meeting you and having the opportunity to witness how God captures your heart through the love of other women and His word. He did mine.
So who is ready to press their reset button?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)