IS GOD ANGRY AT YOU?

 

IS GOD ANGRY AT YOU?

Ex. 4:14a Then the LORD became angry with Moses. NLT

This short statement causes me to pause and think. God became angry with Moses. Why? Moses kept making excuses as to why he couldn’t obey God’s call on his life. God had prepared Moses for this moment of service. He had 80 years of life under his belt. He was ready to step up to the plate and lead the Israelites out of Egypt because God had made him ready. But, Moses tried to convince God that he was not the man. Instead of trusting God, he let his fears control him. I wonder if we too make God angry when we try to find excuses for not obeying him.

What do we do to make God angry? God makes it clear that He gets angry over sin. Do we make Him angry when we chose to delve into sin? Do we make Him angry when we take Him for granted? Does He get angry when we show Him so little respect? Is He angry over our futile attempts to “worship” Him? Does He get angry when we so freely toss His name around, like He was one of us? Does He get angry over our lack of interest in pursuing holy lives? Does He get angry when we let the allurements of sin captivate us instead of Him? I wonder to what extent we make God angry. Are you making God angry?

Living in relationship with God requires much from us. We have to work hard to keep ourselves properly connected to Him. God is with us, but He is not one of us. We must never forget that. God is holy, Jesus is holiness personified, and the Spirit is holiness empowered. We must fight the tendency to lose respect for God. We must fight the tendency to not revere Him. We must fight the urge to sin against Him. We must fight the fears that would cause us to not obey and serve Him. Let us resolve to give the Lord the best of our hearts and lives. Don’t give God just cause to be angry with you.

WHO ME?

 

WHO ME?

Ex. 3:11 “But who am I to appear before Pharaoh?” Moses asked God. “How can you expect me to lead the Israelites out of Egypt?” NLT

I can identify with Moses. I have often wondered about my ability to do what God has given me to do. I have looked in the mirror of my life and knowing what I know about me has caused me to question my ability to do God’s bidding. And therein lies our problem. We look at ourselves and see our limitations instead of looking at God and seeing His abilities. I have never lacked the ability to do God’s bidding when I step out in faith and trust the Lord to help me. If I had not trusted the Lord to help me, I probably would never had ended up in the ministry, even though I knew that it was what God wanted me to do. He enabled me to do it. There were others who said I would never make it. Over 50 years later I am still doing it. With God, all things are possible.

Don’t question what God has given you to do. He knows you better than you do. He knows what you are capable of with Him as your strength and power source. He can see in you what you cannot see. He is in your future as well as your present. Who are you to do what seems like the impossible? You are God’s child called to serve Him. You are chosen by God to do great things for Him. You are gifted by God to do His bidding, whether you can see it or not. You have an important role to play in God’s kingdom.

It’s not a matter of ability; you can do all things through Christ who gives you the strength, power, and ability to do them. It’s a matter of the will. Will you trust the Lord today and obey Him? Will you set out to do what He has given you to do? Obey the Lord and watch how He will bless many others through you.

It is Satan who casts doubt in us. He does not want us to trust in what God can do. He doesn’t want what God wants for us. He will use every means possible to keep us from being the servants God wants us to be. You have a choice to make. Are you going to trust God and do what He has given you to do, or are you going to listen to Satan and find excuses for not doing it?

The Lord has great plans for you. He knows what you are capable of. Trust Him. He will not let you down. You can do anything He gives you to do through Christ who strengthens us and the Spirit who enables us.

PAY ATTENTION

 

PAY ATTENTION

Ex. 3:4 When the LORD saw that he had caught Moses’ attention, God called to him from the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. NLT

The Lord caught Moses’ attention. I wonder how often the Lord has to work to catch our attention. We often have a tendency to get distracted and wander away from God. When we do, He has to do something to get us back on track and focused on Him. Maybe you can think of ways that have happened for you.

We are far more likely to pay attention and hear from God during our times of need. When our needs are exposed and we realize that we can't do anything to satisfy them, we think about God and cry out to Him. When tough times come our way and we see no way out, we turn our eyes heavenward. When sickness comes that threatens to turn our lives upside down, we turn to God. When we sin against God and feel the shame and guilt of it, we turn to God. When we get too comfortable with God and no longer revere or respect Him like we should, God has to get our attention. God will work in a multitude of ways to help us refocus our hearts on Him.

We need to recognize what is going on when God is trying to get our attention. Why is it necessary for God to have to get our attention? What do we need to change in order for us to be more in tune with God in our lives? Are we taking the needed time in His Word to hear what God has to say? Do we pray enough so that we can hear and recognize His voice when He speaks? Do we want to know what God wants us to hear, understand, and do?

Sometimes we let our circumstances dictate how we feel about ourselves, life, or God. Instead, we need to turn our eyes upon Jesus and look in His wonderful face. We need to pause in His presence and renew our love and commitment to Him. We need to pause and listen to what He desires to say to us. We need to be like Moses and respond to God when He calls us.

It’s interesting that God called Moses by name. God knows us by name! Think about it. You are known personally by God. He does not mistake you for someone else. He knows exactly who you are and where you are at all times. You are a somebody to God!

Don’t get so wrapped up in the busyness of life that you no longer can hear the voice of God calling you. Don’t get so wrapped up in yourself that you can’t hear Him. Don’t get so wrapped up by life’s circumstances that you can’t hear Him.

God is calling your name today and he has something important for you to hear. Will you pause and listen?

GOD'S CHOSEN VESSEL

 

GOD’S CHOSEN VESSEL

Gen. 50:19-21 But Joseph told them, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God to judge and punish you? As far as I am concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil. He brought me to the high position I have today so I could save the lives of my people. No, don’t be afraid. Indeed, I myself will take care of you and your families.” And he spoke very kindly to them, reassuring them. NLT

Jacob had died and now Joseph’s brothers became afraid. Joseph had the power and authority to make life miserable for them. In most people’s eyes, they were justified in their fears. The natural thing to do would be to get even with them for what they had done. But, Joseph was not like most people; he was a child and servant of God.

God has a knack for turning the evil intentions of man into good. God had a job for Joseph to do and He worked things out in such a way that Joseph ended up in the right place at the right time to do the right thing to enable God’s promise to His children to be fulfilled. God’s greater plan was to create a nation of people who He could call His own. He included Joseph in His plan. Joseph was placed in Egypt to become the go-to person for people to survive the severe drought and establish a safe place for Jacob’s family to live and prosper instead of dying because of the drought. God used Joseph to preserve His people. Joseph understood his role and humbly used his role to take care of his brothers and their families.

Blessed is he who understands that who and what they are in life are a part of God’s plan to redeem souls. You are in a unique position to influence people for Christ that no one else can. God has made you the way you are with the gifts you have to make a difference for Him in the world. Blessed is he who humbly serves the Lord with all his heart, mind, and soul in a lost and dying world.

GOD'S PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE

 

GOD’S PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE

Gen. 45:4-5 “Come over here,” he said. So they came closer. And he said again, “I am Joseph, your brother whom you sold into Egypt. But don’t be angry with yourselves that you did this to me, for God did it. He sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives.” NLT

Joseph had ascended to the highest-ranking position in Egypt next to Pharaoh himself. He was in charge of food distribution and had been dealing with his brothers. They had not recognized him, but he had recognized them. He had treated them harshly, but not in a mean-spirited sort of way. His brothers had come back a second time to buy grain to live on. They had brought with them their youngest brother, Benjamin, with them. It was the only way they would be able to purchase grain from Joseph.

Joseph had removed himself from their presence a couple of times because he had been overcome with emotions. He was now at a point where he felt he could be reunited with his brothers and so he told them who he was. Now, it would have been easy for him to have taken advantage of the situation and gotten even with them for what they had done to him years before. But, Joseph did not hold a grudge against them. He saw it as part of God’s plan for his life. He understood that God had orchestrated his life and that everything that had happened to him was a part of God’s plan of fulfilling His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We might say that he was an optimist rather than a pessimist.

God does have a plan for each of our lives. We may not think that our life experiences are a part of His plan, but they are. Everything we go through in life works together for our good and fit into His plan for us. He works things out for our good. God knows where He wants us to be in our faith walk and works to get us there. There are important lessons for us to learn in all of our experiences, both good and bad, that help us to become the best we can be in Christ. Blessed is he who sees his living as good and beneficial for him as he strives to fulfill God’s plan for his life.

TRY TO DO SOMETHING

TRY TO DO SOMETHING!

Gen. 42:1 When Jacob heard that there was grain available in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you standing around looking at one another?” NLT

Jacob and his sons were caught up in the middle of a severe drought that had settled in on their part of the world at that time. It was a drought that God had revealed to Pharaoh in his dreams. Joseph was able to understand and interpret the dreams for Pharaoh. As a result, Joseph was elevated to a position in Egypt second only to Pharaoh, to oversee the grain surplus and impending drought.

Word soon reached Jacob that there was grain in Egypt and so he had a family pow-wow. He chided them for not doing something about their situation. Their food supply was rapidly being depleted and yet they were still hanging around home. Jacob asked them why they were standing around looking at each other instead of taking the initiative and going to Egypt to buy some food.

How do you respond when there is an obvious solution to problems you may be having? Do you stand around looking lost, or do you assume responsibility and seek to resolve the problem? You will never solve problems or overcome troublesome times by doing nothing to help yourself. You need to get busy and address the issues and try to find a solution for it. You may, or may not be, successful in your efforts, but at least you will have the satisfaction of trying, which in my opinion, is a success all by itself. It is far better to try and fail than it is to fail to try.

GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE

 

GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE

Gen. 41:14-16 Pharaoh sent for Joseph at once, and he was brought hastily from the dungeon. After a quick shave and change of clothes, he went in and stood in Pharaoh’s presence. “I had a dream last night,” Pharaoh told him, “and none of these men can tell me what it means. But I have heard that you can interpret dreams, and that is why I have called you. “It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. “But God will tell you what it means and will set you at ease.” NLT

Pharaoh was ruler over Egypt. He was the most powerful, rich, and influential person in Egypt. He lived a life of luxury. Yet, he was a troubled man. Pharaoh had two dreams and no one could explain them to him. He was surrounded by learned men who served as his counselors and catered to his needs. His cupbearer had spent time in prison with Joseph and had a dream two years earlier that God gave Joseph the meaning of. He remembered what Joseph had done and told Pharaoh about him. Pharaoh quickly called for Joseph to be brought to him out of the prison.

It was a day that Joseph had been longing for. He did not like being locked up and had asked the cupbearer to remember him, but he had been forgotten. What is important for us to know is that Joseph did not moan and groan about his situation. He continued to do positive things and helped whomever he could.

Joseph had a chance to draw attention to himself. Many in his situation would have done just that. After all, didn’t he deserve a break? But, Joseph did not see it that way. He saw it an opportunity to again bring God honor and glory. He directed the attention to the Lord and gave Him the credit for what he was able to do.

Let us always do the right thing and give the Lord the honor and glory. It is not about us. Anything that we can do we can do because of what God has done in us, gifted us to do, and given us opportunity to do for Him. May our passion always be to draw attention to our Lord and not us.