February 2023 – Page 3 of 3 – Sonshine's Journal

February 8, 2023February 8, 2023

The Spirit of Wisdom

Exodus 28-29 Gifts are precious. They may be tangible, but not always. God told Moses about preparing the garments for the priests, and as He did, He specifically said that He had gifted chosen certain men with the spirit of wisdom. Paul told the Ephesians that he prayed that God would give them this same trait. What is that? Who needs it? Is it something only God gives?

The Apostle John told the inquiring disciples that after His departure, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, would be sent to them from the Father and would cause them to remember everything He had said to them. The Holy Spirit is given to us by enlightening us or providing us with the spirit of wisdom as we study scripture. Paul prayed that God would give the Ephesians that gift along with revelation in their growing knowledge of him so they could know the hope of his calling and what is the incomparable greatness of his power.

When we accept Messiah, we are anointed with this trait. Pray and ask God to fill you with the spirit of wisdom so you can discern truth from error and so you will grow into maturity. Where do you need this spirit of wisdom today, and will you ask the Father to bestow that gift upon you?

February 6, 2023February 6, 2023

God’s Rule Book

Exodus 21-24 Do you like rules, or do you balk at them? Why do we need them? Can’t we decide for ourselves what will work? God knew that men needed rules to bring order out of chaos and peace to a functioning society. But, unfortunately, since time began, man has balked at rules, and today we are seeing the pervasive result as our crime statistics are rising.

Then God invites the elders and Moses to a dinner party on the mountain. They see His presence and bask in His glory. After, Moses gives an order to them to wait for him as he goes to speak with God and takes Joshua with him as his assistant. Will they pass the test as the days pass on one after another?

These chapters offer us a glimpse into our mindset and our behavior. We are given tests to assess our willingness to abide by God’s plan. We are given rules to help us organize our lives and a test of waiting to see if we will be faithful.

Where are we failing? Where are we passing? Each day is a new day to examine ourselves in both areas.

February 5, 2023February 5, 2023

Honor Your Parents

Exodus 20-21 The family unit was the key to the prosperity and longevity of the Israelites. They went to Egypt as 60 persons and left with a company of 600,000. They have been prolific. Three times God specifically mentions parents in his declaration to the Israelites. First, they were to honor their father and mother so that they may live a long time in the land the Lord your God is giving to them. [Ex 20:12] God reminds them that the penalty for striking a father or a mother is death. [Ex 21:15] And again, God reminds them of the penalty for disgracing their father or mother. [Ex 21:17]

Imagine our country, our families, and our churches if we followed those three rules. We would be blessed, and the next generation would be blessed as well. Our parents honored us as children, and now it is time to honor them. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Take a moment and consider how you might honor your parents, and if yours, like mine, are deceased, honor their memory. Share stories and tidbits about your parents with your children and others. This way, you will add to your years in this land and their posterity to the remaining children.

February 4, 2023February 4, 2023

Complaining Grieves the Heart

Exodus 16-18 The Israelites have been walking toward a mountain, but right now, they can only think of one thing: they are hungry, and there is only one person to blame: Moses. Paul told the Ephesians that God had blessed them with every spiritual blessing, but if Paul had been there and said that to them, they would do just as these Israelites: complain. Unfortunately, we are just like that more often than not.

How quickly we forget the blessings that God has provided. How quickly we only think of what satisfies us right now. We, like them, only want our physical needs met, and it has to be NOW! It is easy to complain when life is not what we think it should be. It is easy to complain and blame others when life is hard. It is easy it is to complain when our wishes are not met at the moment.

Complaining grieves the heart of God, the people around us, and the leaders He has put over us. Instead, stop and count your blessings, name them one by one, and see what God has done.

February 3, 2023February 3, 2023

God is Patient

Exodus 12-15 Short Memories

We remember in Exodus 5:2, Pharaoh had said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey him by releasing Israel? I do not know the Lord, and I will not release Israel!” After ten plagues, you would have thought he would now know the true God, but Pharaoh is stubborn and resistant. He has lost his firstborn but foolishly thinks he is greater than the God of Israel.

In the meantime, the Israelites have left with riches untold, and God graciously provided an escape route for His people. But as often is the case, like them, we look back, not forward. How often are we blind to the riches that God has given us? The sight of the Egyptian armies scares them; they think there is escaping and begin to murmur. They murmured before when Pharaoh increased their workload and, just like then, so now they say to Moses, didn’t we say leave us alone and let us serve the Egyptians? We have short memories. They and we would rather be like the Prodigal son and serve the pig master than the Mighty God. Yet, God is patient.

We wonder why God is so patient with us. The answer is because of His plan to show Himself strong, and He loves us more than we can understand. Also, the truth of Jer. 29:11 is still true: He has a plan not to harm us but to give us a future filled with hope.

February 2, 2023February 2, 2023

Questions and Answers

Gen 10-12 God is radical. He asks us to do things that seem so out of character, but we must remember the prophet Isaiah’s words: God’s plans are higher than ours. [Is 55:9]We can only see what is before us, but He can see beyond that to the purposes He has planned.

Question: Why would a loving God take the life of the firstborn? Why do children die? Why, why, why? We may never know all that God has planned, but He has a higher purpose, and it may be this: As a loving God, He wanted to protect the firstborn from what He knew lay ahead. I don’t have the answers, but I do know this: Pharaoh is stubborn and resistant to the Lord. With each advancing plague, the magicians are proven false. Even they admit this is the finger of God–translated, Pharaoh; you had better listen up and obey! But, Pharaoh is like many even today, unwilling to submit to God. The NT reveals that same attitude in John 9 about the story of the blind man. The Pharisees were like Pharaoh, seeing the evidence but refusing to believe.

A radical God often asks us to do what seems radical, extreme, or unreasonable, but if we submit and trust Him, we see Him at work.

Trying to put myself in the shoes of the Israelites, Moses, and Aaron, and then in the shoes of the Egyptians. Am I stubborn like Pharaoh or submissive? Do I trust and believe God can and will, or do I still think my way is best?

February 1, 2023February 1, 2023

Two Hearts

Two hearts Exodus 7-10 Welcome to February and our thoughts of hearts. In today’s reading, we see two different hearts. Moses’ heart was waffling when he heard what God wanted him to do, and it took a mighty work of God to get him to leave Midian and return to Egypt. God sometimes does that with us as well. We drag our feet, but when push comes to shove, we step out, and then, wonder of wonders, we see all that God has promised was precisely as He said! Jesus once said, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!” [Luke 24:25] God is Jehovah Jireh, and He provides everything we need!

In sharp contrast is the unbelieving Pharaoh. God has already told Moses what to expect, so it is not a new revelation when he meets this man who thinks he is God. But what is surprising to us is what we see even today. He says show me a miracle, and then I will believe. What a sham! They won’t believe because they are like the Pharisees in John 9. They see the evidence, and instead of believing, their hearts grow callous and hard.

Are you like a Moses, dragging your feet, or like Pharaoh who, even with evidence, refuses to believe?