Moses, Me and Jesus
Posted by Brandon Steele on 11/09/2011
Courtney and I have been getting up early in the mornings to read the bible and pray together, to set our hearts on the things that matter for the day. Today we finished reading about Moses. It’s kind of a sad story, but for some reason, this morning it really hit me. We got through reading the end of Deuteronomy and I just started crying. I’m pretty sure this was a first for me. Not crying, I cry all of the time, but crying because of scripture. I’m not exactly sure why it hit me the way that it did. Maybe it was the thought of death and the way I always tend to become more emotional, more sentimental anytime I think of someone passing away. I’m pretty sure though that the reason it affected me was because I realized just how much Moses loved the people of GOD. I realized that they were his church. They were the people that he walked and lived and played with. They were the people he raised his children with and went on vacation with. They were his family. And what we know about family is that there is no one we love more than them. But, on the other side of that coin is the reality that no one makes us more frustrated than family. Am I right? And this seemed to be true for Moses. There is this story is Exodus 32 where Moses goes up on Mount Sinai to meet with GOD and to receive His commands. He’s was there for forty days and the people decided to make idols for themselves (I’m not really sure why they did this. I think they wanted to have a tangible, physical expression to go in front of them as they traveled and since Moses was gone, so they thought, they formed something for themselves.) GOD saw what the people were doing and it infuriated him so much that he made up his mind to destroy them. Yet Moses interceded for his people and their sin. He begged GOD to withhold his anger and wrath and for some reason, GOD did. Moses went down the mountain and when he saw the people worshipping their man-made idols, his own anger burned against them. He was so disappointed that his people would forget all that GOD had done and would so quickly turn against him. Listen to his response, “You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for you.” And listen to what he said to the Lord, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed. They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin-but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.” Did you hear that? Moses begged GOD to forgive them and if he wouldn’t, he asked GOD to punish him instead. Do you see the depths of the love and commitment Moses had for the people of GOD? You don’t get upset with someone or love someone like that unless they are family.
And then I started thinking about all of the years that he had so faithfully led the people in the desert. He was the one that cried out to GOD for food and for water for the people. He was the one that settled their disputes and went to GOD on their behalf for wisdom, discernment and his favor. He put up with a bunch of whining, a bunch of forgetful, a bunch of cowards for his entire life. He was so unbelievably committed to them, but at the same time, there was no one he walked more closely with than GOD. When GOD said move, Moses moved. When GOD said speak, Moses spoke. His life truly was one that delighted GOD, because he constantly and continuously obeyed him.
And then there was this one time that Moses didn’t obey the words from the Lord’s mouth. The people were being their usual selves, whiners, and Moses begged GOD to give the people water, for they were in the desert and they were thirsty. GOD gave Moses and Aaron his staff and told them to speak to a rock and water would flow from it. Moses struck the rock though, instead of speaking to it and because they did not honor GOD in the sight of the people, GOD told them they would not lead them into the promised land of Canaan.
It might seem unfair to us that GOD wouldn’t allow Moses to enter the land after all he had done for the people. I don’t really want to engage that discussion right now, but I will say this, GOD was and is always just and he had always been faithful and good and GOD didn’t owe Moses anything. Moses should have listened to and obeyed GOD fully because he of all people knew GOD and knew his Holiness.
Anyways, I write all of this because I believe Moses truly loved the people of GOD and he followed GOD and led the people faithfully for a long time, but he was disobedient and was not able to lead the people to where GOD wanted them to be.
And I think this is what hit me this morning, that Moses was in a way pointing us to, foreshadowing and creating in us a longing for Jesus. Jesus, like Moses, loved the people of GOD. Jesus, like Moses, interceded for and led the people of GOD. And Jesus, like Moses took ownership of the people of GOD. There are so many ways in which Moses was like Jesus and yet if Moses is all we have, then we’re left stuck in the desert, disappointed that he wasn’t able to deliver us to where GOD wanted us to be.
And yet Jesus showed up and did all of the things that Moses didn’t. He fully obeyed every word from the mouth of GOD from the time he set foot on earth, to the time he departed. He comforted and loved and led his people and through his blood, his perfect, sinless, life-giving blood, he was able to deliver the people to where GOD wanted them to be. Moses was a wonderful leader, but only Jesus was faithful in delivering us.
Today, I’m grateful for Moses and his part in moving the people of GOD, and I’m grateful for a savior that didn’t leave us stranded away from home, away from GOD.
I want to love the people of GOD like Moses and like Jesus did.
I want to be obedient to GOD in everything, just like Jesus did.
I want to let the Great Deliverer lead me and bring me to where GOD wants me.
brandon
(See Exodus 32 and Numbers 20)
Scriptures from Sunday
Posted by Dave Clayton on 06/27/2011
Yesterday was such an incredible day with our church family. I can’t even begin to express how much I enjoyed worshipping with our church family. Many of you have asked if I could post the scriptures I shared during our time together yesterday. I read different passages at our 4 worship gatherings, so here is a combined list of those scriptures. I encourage you to take some time looking them up and reflecting on our great God as He is revealed in His Word. I love you guys – Dave
Genesis 1:1-3
Colossians 1:16-24
1 Chronicles 29:11-13
1 Timothy 6:15-16
Isaiah 40:12-15
Exodus 34:5-7
Numbers 23:19
Deuteronomy 4:24
Deuteronomy 4:31
Deuteronomy 6:4-5
Joshua 1:8-9
2 Samuel 22:32-33
Psalm 33:11-13
Psalm 37:30-31
Psalm 46:1-2
Psalm 48:14
Psalm 50:6
Psalm 54:4
Psalm 59:9-10
Psalm 62:7-8
Psalm 68:19-20
Psalm 73:26
Psalm 84:11-12
Psalm 94:22
Psalm 116:5
Proverbs 30:5
Isaiah 61:1-3
Matthew 22:32
Mark 1:15
John 4:24
John 6:33
Romans 5:5
Romans 6:23
Romans 14:17
1 Corinthians 1:9
1 Corinthians 4:20
1 Corinthians 10:13
1 Corinthians 14:33
2 Corinthians 9:8
Galatians 6:7-8
Ephesians 4:24
Hebrews 4:12
1 John 1:5
1 John 4:16
Revelation 21:3
Psalm 115:3
1 John 4:7-9
Psalm 36:5-7
Lamentations 3:21-23
Deuteronomy 7:9
2 Peter 3:9
Deuteronomy 32:4
Psalm 45:6-7
Exodus 34:7
Psalm 7:10-11
Isaiah 61:1-3
Psalm 99:5
Habakuk 1:13
Isaiah 57:15
Romans 1:18-20
Nahum 1:3-7
2 Thessalonians 1:6-9
Hebrews 10:26-31
Isaiah 55:8-11
Revelation 1:7-8
Revelation 1:12-18
Revelation 4:8
Revelation 4:11
Revelation 5:9-10
Revelation 5:12
Revelation 19:6-8
Revelation 22:12-14
Romans 8:14-15
Galatians 3:26
John 1:12
2 Corinthians 5:17
Galatians 3:26-28
Galatians 4:6-7
Romans 8:17
2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Ephesians 2:10
Ephesians 2:19
Philippians 3:20
1 Corinthians 6:17
John 15:15
Romans 6:18
Ephesians 4:1
Colossians 3:3
Matthew 5:14
2 Peter 1:4
Colossians 3:4
Colossians 3:12
1 Thessalonians 5:5
Romans 8:37
1 Peter 2:5
1 Peter 2:9
1 Peter 5:8
John 3:3-6
1 Peter 2:11
2 Corinthians 2:14
Ephesians 2:8
Revelation 5:9
Revelation 19:7
Dwelling with God
Posted by Dave Clayton on 06/26/2011
60 Day Challenge : New Testament
Posted by Dave Clayton on 05/31/2011
I’ve got a fun challenge for you.
How would you like to read the entire New Testament with me in the next 60 days?
Now I know it sounds crazy, but just hear me out. This might stretch you a little bit, but it is anything but impossible. If you spent roughly 30 minutes a day reading the scriptures, you would finish the entire New Testament in the next two months. Pretty crazy huh?
I firmly believe that nothing will change your life and your relationship with God quite like choosing to spend time in his WORD every day. I dare you to try it.
HOW THIS WILL WORK
My goal is quite simple. I want us to read the New Testament together, and share what we are discovering as we read throughout the day. This is how we will do it.
ONE : The Plan
Now some times the hardest part is just knowing how to get started. I have posted the reading plan that I will be following online. You can download it HERE. I encourage you to print it off and place it somewhere visible as a reminder each day. This always helps me stay on track.
TWO : Connect Online
Each day, I will be tweeting about the things that are capturing my heart and attention as we read the scriptures together. You can follow along HERE and HERE, but more importantly, I’d invite you to chime into the conversation by adding your thoughts as well. For those of you that will be tweeting what you are reading, use the hashtag #NT60. This will help everyone follow along throughout the day.
I am praying that hundreds of people will step up to the challenge of reading through the New Testament this summer. Feel free to spread the word. I look forward to reading with and learning from each of you beginning June 6th!
Love, Dave
Christmas Reading Plan
Posted by Dave Clayton on 12/01/2010
For those of you that need a little help to stay focused on the things that matter most during this Christmas season, I’d encourage you to take a few minutes each morning to focus your heart and mind on Jesus. Although, we know Jesus was not born on December 25th, there is something really nice about pushing pause on all the chaos, all the shopping, all the things that cause us stress to reflect on one of the greatest moments in human history — God entering the world on our level, through the birth of Jesus.
If you need some help getting started, here are some great readings for the next 25 Days of December.
Christmas Reading Plan*
Dec 1: Luke 2:21-40
Dec 2: Matthew 1
Dec 3: Luke 2:1-20
Dec 4: Mark 9:33-37
Dec 5: Matthew 4:12-17, Isaiah 9:1-3, Matt 5:14-16
Dec 6: Acts 20:35, 1 John 4:10
Dec 7: Exodus 25
Dec 8: Matthew 25:31-46
Dec 9: Isaiah 9:6-7, Revelation 19:1-16, 1 Timothy 6:11-16
Dec 10: Matthew 1:22-23, Isaiah 7:10-15, John 1:14
Dec 11: Genesis 1, Isaiah 1:18, Psalm 51:1-10
Dec 12: Revelation 2:1-5, 1 John 3:1-3
Dec 13: Psalm 150
Dec 14: Acts 15:22-31
Dec 15: Luke 1, Jeremiah 32:17
Dec 16: Matthew 2:1-12
Dec 17: Galatians 4:1-7
Dec 18:Isaiah 58, Matthew 6:16-18
Dec 19: Luke 11:1-13
Dec 20: John 1
Dec 21: John 21:25
Dec 22: Psalm 100
Dec 23: Matthew 25
Dec 24: John 3:16
Dec 25: Luke 1:26-56, Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:1-40
* This Christmas Reading Plan is courtesy of YouVersion.
Under Age
Posted by Dave Clayton on 03/09/2009
When is it that we become adults? I know the legal answer is 18. But come on, I don’t think any of us are really under the allusion that we were adults on our 18th birthday. Maybe we could buy cigarettes, vote, and join the army, but at the end of the day we all knew we weren’t actual adults.
Or maybe it is when we go to college, leave our parents’ homes, get jobs, find spouses, or any of the other things that seem to be the proverbial exit ramps of childhood. However, all of us know plenty of people that have conquered any or all of the above milestones, yet adulthood has still alluded them.
I think this is a huge issue in church. I have so many friends, most of them in their mid twenties, who are just floating through life. They are great people, who are making good choices, working good jobs, going to good churches, but no one has ever given them permission to grow up…so when it comes to church they are still waiting for everyone else to call the shots, take the lead, make a difference.
I wonder why so many of us will spend our 20’s pouring our time, energy, passions, and talents into our careers, yet when it comes to church we are spectators at best? What would happen if we quit waiting for permission, quit complaining about the way things are, and quit offering our critiques? What would happen if we simply grew up, and allowed our lives to do the preaching?
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” – 1 Tim. 4:12
Is our generation leading the charge by setting an example for the believers in the way we talk, the way we live, the way we love, and the way we pursue purity? If not, what are we waiting for?
Six Minute Abs
Posted by Dave Clayton on 03/07/2009
I was thinking today about this friend I had in college who bought one of those ridiculous ab machines. You know the kind…it is the belt that supposedly vibrates your gut into a rock hard six pack. You’ve probably seen the commercials. They always show some woman from the eighties, with a feathered haircut, wearing a hot pink blouse with shoulder pads and those khaki pants that come up way too high on her waist. Inevitably the commercials show her doing a variety of daily tasks, all the while vibrating her way to better abs.
As ridiculous as this seems, people like my friend from college and millions of others blow countless amounts of cash on workout gimmicks because they buy the lie the ad is selling…”You can have a better body without much effort.”
That basic desire seems to be one of my biggest challenges. I want always want the payoff, but I don’t always want to put in the effort to get there. That is why most of us hit the gym hard in January, but are back to our old ways before Groundhog Day.
This afternoon, as I was reading through 1 Timothy, one tiny verse really captured me:
“…train yourself to be godly.” – 1 Tim. 4:7b
It made me ask the question, “How am I training myself to be godly?”
It struck me that if physical training typically takes a lot of time and effort over a long period of time, then is spiritual training any different? I often find myself longing to deepen my relationship with God, but am I willing to put in the time–day in and day out to get there?
How are you training today to become the man or woman of God you want to be tomorrow? Don’t waste your time on shortcuts.
1 Timothy 1:15-16
Posted by Dave Clayton on 03/06/2009
Yesterday as I was reading through 1 Timothy, a verse really jumped out and grabbed my heart. “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” – 1 Tim. 1:15-17
I really meditated on this verse yesterday, and it hit me that the reason we so often fail to join God in his mission is because of our failure to truly embody this verse. The times that I give up on people, get discouraged, or feel hopeless are the times when I have forgotten that I alone was reason enough for Jesus to come to this earth. Jesus’ sole reason for becoming human was to save people like us.
That is amazing. Have you lost sight of that? I know I often do.
I was also really challenged by the second half of that verse were Paul says that our new lives now serve as an example of Jesus’ unlimited patience to those who still don’t believe. As you go through your day today…getting ready for the weekend, ask yourself this question:
Is my life displaying the unlimited patience of Jesus to those that don’t know him?
God I pray that our lives will display your mercy and unlimited patience to those we come in contact with today. I pray that your word will transform our hearts, and renew our minds. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Man Verse
Posted by Dave Clayton on 03/05/2009
Just so you know, I continually fight the temptation to give these blogs a cool and catchy title. Occasionally I am tempted to rip off a title from some obscure Fallout Boy Song, but I am always scared some of you might think I was being serious.
Anyways, I want to share a short verse that has been challenging me all week. The verse is simple, yet unbelievably challenging. It is the type of verse some guy would get tattooed between his shoulder blades because he likes the way it sounds–but when push comes to shove it is a tough verse to live out.
“Therefore dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
I love the war language.
Stand firm. No matter what the enemy is throwing your way, how tough life has been, the temptations that are knocking on your door, old habits seeping back in, etc…stand firm.
Let nothing move you. Does this define the way you respond to sin, fear, doubt, or temptation?
Give yourself fully to the work of the Lord. I am great at giving part of my life, my work, my thoughts, and my dreams to God, but it is so difficult to give myself fully to his work.
I love that verse. So challenging. Good night.
One Day at a Time
Posted by Dave Clayton on 02/26/2009
When I got home from work yesterday, I found myself suddenly bombarded with stress. It had been a great day at the office, but before I knew it, I found myself overcome by worry regarding the things I needed to get done. As I sit here this morning reflecting back on how I felt yesterday afternoon, I can’t help but think of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6 where he says:
“Don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” - Matthew 6:34
I wonder how different my life would look if I took these words of Jesus seriously? What if we didn’t worry about tomorrow because we knew that…
1.) We aren’t even guaranteed there will be a tomorrow
2.) Jesus says when tomorrow gets here we will find things to worry about then as well
3.) And God simply tells us he will give us strength to get through each day
As I read this verse, it seemed as though God was saying “Just live in the present David. You do such a good job dwelling on the past, and worrying about the future, but I want you to live in the moment I have given you — not with reckless abandon, but with purpose.”
I am going to try to take Jesus really seriously today. I challenge you to do that as well. Have a great Thursday.
