Friday, 1/23/2015

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. ~ Thomas Edison

EXODUS 4-6

Moses objects and questions God.  God responds by giving him a magic staff that turns into a snake and the ability to make his hand leprous and then have it healed upon putting it into his robe.  His next excuse is that he doesn't speak well, which God responds by having his brother Aaron speak for him.

Moses agrees to go and gathers his wife and children and makes his way to Egypt.  Upon arriving he confronts Pharaoh who objects to the request.  In fact Pharaoh increases the work load and actually makes them start making bricks without supplying the straw.

The people begin to groan and object to Moses' attempts at freeing them.  

...“May the Lord look on you and judge you! You have made us obnoxious to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”  Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.” (5:21-23)

MATTHEW 16

The Pharisees and Sadducees approach Jesus again and try to find a way to trap him in his words.  They ask him to show them a sign and he rebukes them.

He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away. (2-4)

Later Jesus is asking the disciples who they think he is...Simon responds that he is the Christ.  Jesus affirms him

 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter,and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be  loosed in heaven.”  Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. (17-20)

Jesus then begins to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and be crucified.  Simon objects and tells him he will not allow that to happen. Jesus rebukes him and tells them all the true path of being his disciple.

 “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.  What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?..." (24-26) 

JOURNAL 

My ways are certainly not God's ways.  I can completely understand the people's frustration when Moses comes to save them and their workload and suffering only gets worse. In the same vein the disciples are perplexed that Jesus must die.  None of it makes sense.  At least not knowing how the story ends.  Why do things have to get worse before they get better.

This again is God's way. But it is not the way I want it to happen.  I see it all the time in my own life, when I think things couldn't get worse and I see an obvious answer, God will slam the door or unravel my logical plan. It is infuriating and disheartening, it has led to sleepless nights and many sessions of pounding on the steering wheel, feeling alone and isolated. 

But...God's ways are not mine...and somehow in ways I never see coming, I begin to see that he is here and he has never left me.

Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:7-9)