Acts 15:5; 10-11 (NASB) But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.” v. 10 Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

My son is really into buckles right now. He will buckle himself into his booster seat, and then cry for me to come help him, because he doesn’t know how to unbuckle it yet.  Whenever I go to place my two month old into her infant swing or her car seat, I have to first unbuckle the straps (that he came by and buckled earlier), and then put her in and buckle them again. He’s just creating an extra step for me.

Many of the Jews that were believers in the early days of Christianity wanted the Gentiles to follow the Jewish laws that they had always followed (including circumcision). But Peter was adamant that God had sent the Gentiles the Holy Spirit, so He had accepted them. Jew or Gentile, they were all saved the same way, through Jesus!

Like the Pharisees, we often create extra and unnecessary steps in the name of religion. Sometimes we put these buckles on ourselves, trying to make us good enough for God’s grace. Other times we attempt to buckle in others, by telling them they need to behave a certain way before they can call themselves Christian. But it’s not our job to put constraints on God’s grace. It’s our job to point out how marvelous His grace is!

-Kevi

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Psalm 199:18 (NASB) Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law.

My microwave has several pre-programmed buttons, but I never used any of them, because I never learned how they work. Whenever I needed to defrost something, I just put in some random numbers and checked on it after a few minutes and hoped for the best. Well today I finally noticed the sticker on the inside of the microwave door. It tells you what each of the pre-programmed buttons does. Wow, so all I had to do was open my eyes and read that sticker, and now I can enjoy all the help the microwave has to offer me.

God’s Word has so much help to offer me, but I have allow God (and the Holy Spirit more specifically) to open my eyes to all it has to say.

In hindsight, it seems so silly that I never took the time to learn how to use my microwave. I don’t want to regret not taking the time to read God’s Word, the benefits are immeasurable!

-Kevi

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Romans 13:11-14 (NASB) Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

With a new baby in the house, you get woken up at odd hours. The most difficult part for me is not knowing when I will be woken up next. My two month old is actually sleeping great, and only wakes up once a night, usually around 5 or 6 am. But that is so close to when my toddler wakes up for the day that sometimes they tag team me, and my day starts before I know it!

Paul didn’t want the believers in Rome to be caught off guard by the beginning of their eternity. He encouraged them, and all of us, to be ready to face the new day. That means putting aside darkness (our sin) and embracing the light. I don’t want to have any regrets about what I could have done for God’s Kingdom, if I had only woken up sooner.

-Kevi

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And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. Exodus 14:21-22

Later today, Evelyn will be trying out karate. Last night, we were talking about the lesson, and while she has wanted to try it for months, she began to worry if she would hurt the instructor's feelings if she didn't like it. After reassuring her it would be fine, and that she didn't have to decide right away and daddy would speak with the instructor, we prayed.

First I prayed. And my prayer went something like, "Lord, Evelyn is Your child and we know You speak to the hearts of Your children, so please speak to her heart and let her know if karate is something she should do. Please give her peace about it, and speak to her heart about what you want her to do this year." 

Then, Evelyn prayed, "And Jesus, it's okay if you don't tell me all of your plan, because then it can be a surprise! And I know you have good things planned for me, Jesus."

Wow! Talk about being put to shame! I told Joe I want to frame her prayer and place it on our wall! How much more joyful and stress free my life would be if I would just pray, "Just surprise me, Lord! I know You've got this!"

I'm quite confident that the Israelites had no idea that God was going to part the Red Sea. What a surprise it was! And how much more peaceful their circumstances would've been if they would've just remained confident in God and joyfully anticipated the surprise. Can anyone else relate?

Longing to have joy unspeakable and full of glory in my Red Sea trials,

Lori C.

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Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.  John 13:7

Since the sermon Sunday, I've really been pondering providence. "Throughout most of the Bible, God helped people in ordinary, providential ways rather than supernatural ones." (Robert J. Morgan)

Take Moses for example. Long before he was stretching his hand over the Red Sea and leading the Israelites across, he was delivered from death as a baby by being placed in a basket and floated down a river. There isn't anything supernatural about that, but God worked a providential miracle by placing Pharaoh's daughter in his path, and giving his sister Miriam the words to say that would return Moses to his mother. 

All of this reminds me of how I detest grocery shopping. -Stay with me here.- The only reason I go grocery shopping is because the only thing I dislike worse is being asked, "What's for dinner?" So I drag myself to the store. But can I tell you, that God has shown me His providential ways at grocery stores? By simply speaking to others, people have opened up about life. Once, a woman was arguing with her husband after she had turned her daughter in for meth use the previous day because the daughter refused rehab. We prayed right there, in the middle of Wal-mart, crying like babies. But more times than not, I 've barreled through my day and ignored many who might have needed a kind word or deed. 

Most of us can probably look back on our lives and see how God moved at specific times, but I would guess that rarely it was the way we were expecting or predicting (like, in a grocery store). The God who will deliver in His own, unique way has placed you on this earth by no accident. Someone you encounter today may be facing a Red Sea crisis. Your encounter will be no coincidence. And you might not know now, but you will know hereafter. 

Excited about His work through you,

Lori C.

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And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.   Exodus 14:13-14 KJV

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Acts 7: 17-19 (NASB) But as the time of the promise was approaching which God had assured to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt, until THERE AROSE ANOTHER KING OVER EGYPT WHO KNEW NOTHING ABOUT JOSEPH. It was he who took shrewd advantage of our race and mistreated our fathers so that they would expose their infants and they would not survive.

Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the responsibility of teaching my children. If I don’t teach them to brush their teeth every day, will they have bad teeth? If I don’t teach them good manners, will they grow up to be rude? And if I don’t teach them Pepsi is better than Coke, will they make the wrong choice one day? (I kid!)

Joseph was well respected in his time in Eqypt, second only to the Pharaoh. But over time, the new Pharaohs missed that history lesson and weren’t taught how an Israelite named Joseph had saved Egypt from famine. As a result the new Pharoah tried to destroy God’s people.

There are many examples in the Old Testament of the Israelites not passing the teachings of God onto their children, with disastrous results. I want to learn from their mistakes, and pass on God’s teachings to the next generation.

-Kevi

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John 13:35 (NASB) “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

My son is learning his animals, but he doesn’t know them by their names, he knows them by their sounds or their actions. A dog is a “woof woof” and a rabbit is a “hop hop.”

The name “Christian” may not mean much to those outside the church, but they will know us by our words and our actions. May those words and actions always point towards Christ’s love!

-Kevi

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