Sonshine's Journal

Are you a person that forgets and needs reminders from others about your promises? Humans do forget, but what about God? Does He forget? Is it wrong for us to remind Him of His promises? He is eternal and everlasting from the beginning to the end. Why then did Moses remind God? Stop and consider this, it wasn’t because God had forgotten, but God loves to hear what He has promised. He loves to have people, who are the forgetful ones, to remember His promises! One author said it like this: “Exodus 32 highlights God’s unwavering commitment to His covenant, using the interaction with Moses to demonstrate that while He is just, He is also deeply merciful and responsive to prayer.” 

Today, stop and recall the promises of God not to remind God but so you don’t forget. 

 Num 15:40 Thus you will remember and obey all my commandments and be holy to your God.

Imagine being in the audience and seeing what you have crafted come into view. It must have been awe inspiring for the chosen tailors. If you were to ask them what they did they would say, I designed the garments in my mind given by the Spirit of God. 

With wisdom and discernment these unnamed tailors were blessed by God to establish the garments for the priesthood. The Spirit has given us a ringside seat to see the craft from beginning to end and it is a picture of what He does for us spiritually. We were chosen from eternity past, given the tailor made garment fit perfectly for our work in the kingdom. Paul gives us a glimpse of what that looked like in Galatians ch 5: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  Again: “Stand firm therefore, by fastening the belt of truth around your waist, by putting on the breastplate of righteousness, by fitting your feet withthe preparation that comes from the good news of peace,” 

Each part of our spiritual garment is designed to bring glory to God. As you dress each day stop and thank God for His tailors given to dress you. 

As God prepares the people to begin their act of service, He qualifies it what that statement means. So what is a willing heart? Here is one definition that I found: “A willing heart means having an eager, joyful, and genuine desire to participate, serve, or obey, rather than being forced or grudging; it’s about an internal “want to” that drives positive actions, whether it’s helping others, seeking spiritual guidance, or pursuing personal goals with passion and purpose.” That sums up what this phrase means but how often do we use it without thinking about the motivation of the person’s heart? We often say words but stop when asked what does that mean and how am I to understand it for myself? 

As the people began to share out of their abundance, it was the heart that God saw. When you offer your weekly gift to the church, can you say you are doing it with a willing heart? This week, stop and consider and ask yourself if you are giving because your heart is ready or are you doing it begrudgingly? 

Just as Isaiah wrote: For He says, ‘Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there.'” God is a God of order, of beauty, of perfect time and place and He did it for Himself and for the new world He created. Paul noted that God is not the author of confusion but of order and peace. 

Where today do you find that you are struck by the disorder of this universe? This did not happen by His design, but because mankind chose to intercept His creation with the act of sin.  Therefore, it is imperative that we read carefully the accounts of His creation with great understanding and reflection and then humbly bow before Him in gratefulness and seeking His forgiveness. 

Moses was indeed the leader of his people by God’s command, but when you have such a large gathering there are times when there will be disputes. Moses was not only the leader God chose but he was endowed with mighty wisdom for this task, however, even a task this large can deplete the energy of a leader. Jethro had come to see what was taking place and he saw how hard Moses was working and said “this is not good, you will wear yourself out!” Jethro then guided Moses to establish a group of honorable men to help carry the load and be judges of the people. In essence, Jethro was an efficiency expert and Moses took his cue from him with one condition: “if you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and allthese people will be able to go home satisfied.” 

We all need efficiency experts in our churches. Jethro may have been a wise counselor but he also prefaced his idea with seeking God and His commands. Often we are called to help in the guiding people with wisdom and discretion. The NT author, James continues this thread of thought: “If you are in need of wisdom, ask God who gives liberally.” 

Do you need a wise counselor to help in the work of your family and/or your church? Trust God to direct you to a man like Jethro and you will soon learn that many hands make work light. 

Solomon was given the blueprints and the materials to build the temple for God. God gave him a set of principles for Him to bless him: “if my people, who belong to me, humble themselves, pray, seek to please me, and repudiate their sinful practices, then I will respond from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.” [2 Chron 7:14]

Those same principles are just as fitting for us today. First we must be His people and we become that when we accept Christ and His salvation. Secondly, we must be a people of humility. Thirdly, it must be a part of our daily practice to pray not just for ourselves but for our family, our nation, our church, our government officials. Fourthly we must seek as a primary rule that we desire to please God first and foremost.

Lastly, we must repudiate, give up, end, remove any sinful practices. 

How is it going for our nation today? Many would say we have lost our way and I agree. Why don’t we then follow those same principles? It is because we are unwilling to admit our sin and sinful practices. From here on let’s put God’s principles as first and foremost so that God can heal and bless our land. 

The last plague finally made Pharaoh change his mind, yet as he called Moses to himself to release the Israelites, he had one request. It is the one we most often hear from unbelievers when they realize they are without hope: “bless me also” or in our case it is “pray for me.” Rather than relinquishing their will, they know our prayers are effectual and so they request prayer or blessing. It is sad to read that no matter what God has sent their way, Pharaoh and our unbelieving friends or relatives request prayer. They will not bend the knee to God yet they desire prayer from us. They recognize our belief in Jesus but still reject His salvation. Does that seem odd to you? 

So if you are in a situation such as this how do you pray? It is my hope that you continue to pray for their hearts to be softened and they accept Christ. Yet, down through the centuries, the episode here is repeated over and over. Do they think our prayers of blessing will take them from earth to heaven? Only one thing answers that question: submit to God and seek His salvation. So today as you listen and pray, ask God to heal their hearts so they can believe. Keep praying beloved friend. Keep loving. Keep the channel open for their hearts to be changed. 

Men want God to be their genie and work at their demands but our God works on His timetable,not ours. When God seeks to test the heart, He often uses trials to reveal the true heart of man. Pharaoh is a perfect example and men today follow his example in many ways. Just like King Agrippa when Paul spoke to him about his sin, he answered, “you almost make me a Christian.” Moses asked Pharaoh when the plague should be removed and he replied: tomorrow. Delay is a compromise that God does not honor. 

If God is calling you to salvation, do not delay for you do not know if there will be a tomorrow. Today is the day of salvation, not tomorrow or the next day or the next day. 

Moses is being tested by God just as we are.James tells us that we are to see trials as opportunities to rejoice, but here Moses is not only not rejoicing but he is complaining. Then we see Pharaoh as the unbelieving man  whose heart is hardened more and more. Paul told the Corinthians that the evil one hardens their heart so they cannot see the beautiful Savior, so do not be surprised when they say as he: Who is the Lord that I should obey Him? This should encourage us to speak more and more, pray more and more because we have Pharaoh’s in our lives. As you pray, remind yourself that they cannot see the beautiful Savior because they are blind. 

Is your heart hard for those who are unbelieving or are you just excusing your not speaking for Jesus? Moses was being stubborn when God told him to do thus and so when God had prepared him for this task. He knew that Pharaoh was increasingly stubborn but it was because he was blind to the Master. 

Pray that God remove the stubbornness out of the unbelieving. Pray for yourself that you are not stubborn in speaking for Him. 

If we were to look at a newspaper front page that told about this chapter, it might read: 

• “New Pharaoh, New Fear: Israelites Multiply, Egypt Enslaves!”

Thus begins the story of the nation of Israel from few to many and with it comes the fear of their multiplication from the new Pharaoh. Men fear many things, but one is certain, without God as the center of your world, what you see is multiplied in your eyes as fear. The new Pharaoh’s fear was his guiding factor. Kill the baby boys was his answer. 

Yet, what God has planned is not directed by humanity. What God says, He will do. Into this we find one newborn that will lead the nation back to God and to a land that God had set aside for them, but first this child must grow and the Israelites must learn to trust.   Thus we begin the journey of the Israelites through the life of Moses who was spared the death knell. Watch, read and see the hand of God as He orchestrates life and the movement of His people from Egypt to Canaan. 

Where has God directed you from eternity past to where you are today?