Flip out, yo.

“But now the Lord who created you, O Israel, says, Don’t be afraid, for I have ransomed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up– the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, your Savior, the Holy One of Israel… I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me and honored and I love you. Don’t be afraid for I am with you.” -Isaiah 43:1-5

Have you ever read something from the Bible and had the thought, “This is for me.” ?

It is so absolutely crazy that the Creator of me and you and everything around us… claims us as His own. AND. It’s not just a “claim” that groups all of us together as one. He calls me by name. He calls you by name.

He knows me. He created me. He RANSOMED me.

I have done nothing to deserve this; and I am pretty positive that I can never pay back what has been given to me.

I was a prisoner to my own sin and He paid the large debt off that I owed.

“I, yes, I alone am he who blots away your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.” -Isaiah 43:25

Why?

Why did the Creator of everything do this for me? for you?

Because He loves us.

And not the typical love that we are all too familiar with… The “roman candle firework, Hollywood hot pink love”- John Mayer (what can I say.. I’m a fan of Johnny Boy )

But real love.

Patient love. Kind love. Love that NEVER EVER fails.

I am precious to Him.

“”How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!”-Psalm 139:17

So then, how should I react when I cannot feel His love? How should I react when I go through tough stuff in life?

Should I flip out?

Maybe a little… jk.

God promises to ALWAYS go with us and be with us and love us, even if we can’t feel it.

And God doesn’t go back on his promises; and that is something to flip out about! (in a good way)

He will always come through for us.

 

The dots.

I am in the middle of the story of Moses.

Of course most people know that the story of Moses is about how the Israelite people were in bondage and slavery to the Egyptians. AND God used Moses to  set them free.

BUT did you know that the Passover originated during that time?!

I was reading through Exodus and I came across why the Passover originated… it was really a way for the  Israelite’s to praise God because they were FINALLY going to be free from the many years of slavery.

And after I read that, I began to connect the dots.

In the New Testament, Jesus celebrated the Passover right before His death on the cross and then resurrection three days later.

Jesus’ death and resurrection insured our freedom from the bondage of sin.

I just think it’s cool how the Passover showed the Israelite’s that God was going to free them; and then hundreds of years later Jesus celebrated the Passover and then freed us.

 

Holy Ground

“Take off your shoes, for you are standing on holy ground.” -Exodus 3:5

I’m in awe of God’s holiness. I understand that God is up close and personal; but there is something that is so majestic and mysterious about his holiness. Can you imagine being Moses, standing there as the God of his ancestors, the creator of anything and everything talked to him?

And it’s crazy because God is so holy, that even the ground on which Moses stood as he talked with God became too precious to have Moses’ shoes on. How mind boggling is that?!

And with God’s holiness is His goodness. You can’t be holy without being absolutely good and boy God sure is both.

I’m taken away with wonder of His presence. In God’s presence, loneliness becomes friendship and fear becomes courage.

I want to be in God’s presence, like Moses was, stand on holy ground.

I want friendship with God. Not just “Ah, yeah. God? I’ve heard of Him.” but like, “DUDE. Me and God are tight.”

Father,

Take me into Your presence, not because of who I am or because of what I have done but because of who You are and what Jesus did.

confusing..awesome

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” -Galatians 5:1(NIV)

This verse is so confusingly awesome.

I’ve read it many times, over and over again. I’ve always grasped a little bit of its meaning; but I’ve never really understood it fully.

It is for freedom that we have been set free.

The reason Christ set us free is so that we CAN be free. I know it sounds like I’m just repeating myself, but just think about it for a minute.

Jesus wants us to be free!

Free from the leeches of sin in our lives that destroy us! Free from past regrets and mistakes, free from bitterness!

And that is really cool of Jesus! He brings us freedom from this stuff that weighs us down and consumes our lives!

God’s heart.

I’ve been reading through Genesis and I came across the story of Jacob and Esau. Esau and Jacob were brothers; Jacob basically stole Esau’s birthright and his blessing from their father and Esau literally hated his brother for that.

 Jacob really messed up in his relationship with his brother and Jacob ended up fleeing the land that his family lived on!

So………fast forward a couple of years and Jacob ended up going BACK to the land that his family lived on!

He was going to meet his brother that he wronged many years ago, and he brought all these gifts for Esau as a peace offering because Jacob really didn’t leave his home on good terms!

And of course, you expect his brother to be all, ” Why are you back here? I HATE YOU. You did me wrong!” but just wait.

“Then Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming with his 400 men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and his two servant wives. He put the servant wives and their children at the front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last.  Then Jacob went on ahead. As he approached his brother, he bowed to the ground seven times before him.” -Genesis 33:1-3

The anticipation of how Esau will respond to his brother is killer!

 ”Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept. “-Genesis 33:4

!!!!

I totally see God’s heart in this story. I see what he is all about.

Restoration. Forgiveness.

I think back on all the times that I have sinned and messed up in my life; and I’ve been scared to go to God. I mean why go to God if He is going to scream at you and tell you how much you’ve wronged him.

But what I thought about God ^^ , isn’t who He is.

This is something I have slowly realized about God, His grace is just awesome.

The way that Esau reacted to his brother Jacob, is the way that God reacts to me and you.

God’s heart is forgiveness and grace and restoration.

all.

“Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” -Genesis 22:2

This is CRAZY.

Abraham’s son, Isaac, was supposed to play a HUGE part in fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham! How was Abraham supposed to have “descendants as numerous as the stars”, when God wanted him to sacrifice his only son?! I’m sure that thought crossed Abraham’s mind multiple times on his trip to the mountain.

If  you don’t know the rest of the story… Abraham took his son to the mountain and attempted to sacrifice him BUT an angel stopped him.

Then the angel said something that really caught my attention,  “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.” (Genesis 22:12)

Abraham didn’t hold anything back from God.

Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son.  His son was his hope. His hope for God’s promise to come to pass.

How trusting is that?

He gave it all to God.

I don’t have a direct point for this post, but I just want to think about this idea: Give everything you have to God. Your hopes and dreams, your fears and worries. Give it all. He’s got your back.

 

Name Changer.

“What’s more,” God told him, “I am changing your name. It is no longer ‘Abram’ (Exalted Father), but ‘Abraham’ (Father of Nations)–for that is what you will be. I have declared it.” Genesis 17:5

I’ve sung songs about God calling me by a “new name”, but I’ve never quite understood what it meant. I’ve always thought it was kind of strange for God to be like, “No, you do not look like a ‘Madison’, I shall call thee ‘Jessica’!”

But I get it now.

Names back then actually meant something. (Although names nowadays do too, most people aren’t named their name because of its meaning.) The names in Abraham’s day seemed to have power behind them, almost like they would become what their name was. When Abraham introduced himself to people, it’s not like they just heard him say “Hi, I’m Abraham”… they heard him say, “Hi, I’m ‘Father of Nations”.

How stinkin’ radical is that?!!

God saw Abram and knew that his name didn’t suffice for who he WAS going to be. He WAS going to be a father of nations.

I think that’s something cool about God. He gives us new names. New futures. He doesn’t see my past as who I am.

I have a new name!

I’m not the same person I used to be!

How cool is that?!

And it’s not like this whole “name changing” thing is Old Testament! Jesus changed Simon’s name too, ” Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it” (Matthew 16:18)

I like that God’s a name changer.