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The effects of this constant gathering….(devo reflection)

Exodus 16:19 Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”

I am the queen of squirreling things away in case I need them for later. I do it with food (a random bag of chips, a “sweet treat” that I don’t want now but might at some point, a bottle of water that I know I’ll drink…eventually). I do it with things–things that I don’t need, don’t want, but I might….someday.

Exodus 16:20a However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning…

I don’t know how much I’ve ever paid attention to the effects of this constant gathering, this constant fear of being without, this constant, self-reliant squirreling away. But it feels terrible, the emotional equivalent of manna being full of maggots and stinking.

Exodus 16:20b …but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.

Lord, You are my Shepherd. I lack nothing. I know this is true, and yet, I fear, I scrounge, I squirrel away manna that was never meant to be kept. Forgive me. Lead me beside quiet waters. Refresh my soul. Help me to fear no evil, Lord, because You are with me. Your rod and staff comfort me (Psalm 23:1-4). I don’t want to be a grumbling Israelite, hoarding manna that You freely provide because You love me. I want to be Your faithful, trusting servant. Help me, Lord. Amen.

Exodus 16:21 Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. 

Have a blessed day.

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Help me to trust…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 16:2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 

I can so empathize with the Israelites in this passage. How many times have I taken this attitude in my own life? “Lord, Things are fine! Why do they have to change? I don’t want them to change. I don’t like change. I understand where I am right now. I know what to expect. I don’t want to have to figure out the unknown.”

Exodus 16:3a The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt!…

As I am typing this reflection, God has brought to mind the end of my first year of teaching. I was miserable, but I would have stayed because it had become familiar. But God said to trust, and I did, albeit kicking and screaming. And 14 interviews later, I ended up here, where I met my husband, started a family, have taught so many wonderful young people, have made so many dear friends.

Exodus 16:3b …There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted…

Lord, You have shown me again and again that I can trust You, that You will provide, that You will make a way for me. Forgive me that trust is still so hard. Help me, when I am afraid, to remember all the times that You have provided for me daily, even when my path was uncertain. If I cannot fully conquer my fears, then help me to trust You in spite of them. Amen.

Exodus 16:3c …but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

Have a blessed day.

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Quiet my soul…. (devo reflection)

Zechariah 3:1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him.

Reading today’s scripture brought Exodus 14:14 firmly to mind: “The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” Joshua doesn’t utter a word in this exchange. He allows the Lord, the angel of the Lord, to fight for him.

Zechariah 3:2 The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”

Maybe if we are on a holy battlefield with God and the devil that “be silent” part is easier. In life it’s often not. We feel the need to explain, to justify, to defend, usually to no avail. It makes me wonder how differently battles in my life, battles with human, fleshly, fallible people just like me, would turn out if I more often took Exodus 14:14 to heart, remaining silent and allowing God to fight for me.

Zechariah 3:3 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel.

Lord, You plucked me from the fire. You cleansed my soul and exchanged my dirty rags. You stood up for me in the face of Satan, claiming me as Your beloved child. And all You asked of me was repentance and return. You didn’t need my help at all. Yet still I feel the need to defend myself to others instead of being calm and quiet and letting You fight for me. Forgive me. Quiet my soul within me. Draw me closer to You. Amen.

Zechariah 3:4 The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes. Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.”

Have a blessed day.

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Words of comfort…. (devo reflection)

2 Chron 32:7 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him.”

These words bring me great comfort—“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged…, for there is a greater power with us….” With the turmoil I feel these days, these are words of comfort. God is here. He’s got me. I’ll be ok—even as the storm rages—because He is holding me. Thank You, Jesus.

2 Chron 32:8 “With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said. 

Immanuel, God with us. (Matt 1:23) The LORD will fight for you; you need only be still (Exodus 14:14). God is here. He’s got me. I’ll be ok—even as the storm rages—because He is holding me. Thank You, Jesus.

2 Chron 32:21 And the LORD sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the commanders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace….

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that You are here, that You’ve got me, that I WILL be ok because I am Your deeply loved child. Help me to cling to Your promises. Help me be mindful that You are taking care of me on every side. Draw me closer. Amen.

2 Chron 32:22 So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of others. He took care of them on every side.

Have a blessed day.

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Little by little…. (devo reflection)

Deut 7:22 The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you.
Patience is a virtue that I have a tremendously hard time with. I don’t mind being patient as long as it can happen right now. But that’s not how God works. He often works little by little, bringing us slowly to changes and understandings for our good and His glory.
Exodus 23:29 I will not drive them out before you in a single year….
Sometimes, like in Deut 7:22, He tells why His way, little by little, is the best way. More often, He just asks us to trust that He knows what He’s doing, even if we don’t understand.
Exodus 23:30 Little by little I will drive them out ahead of you, until you become fruitful and possess the land.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You see the bigger picture, that You have a plan, that You know what You are doing, even if we don’t understand. Help us to keep walking in faith, Lord, even when we are uncertain or afraid. Help us to trust and obey, to know that You are making a way, little by little. Draw us closer. Amen.
1 Cor 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.
Have a blessed day.

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A heart so focused…. (devo reflection)

Numbers 14:12 “I will strike them down with plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they.”
If I were Moses’s mother, I would be very proud of his spiritual growth. He’s come a long way from asking God to “Please send someone else” (Exodus 4:13). God has offered Moses the opportunity to be a founding father of Israel, on par with Abraham and Isaac. He is willing to wipe out all the Israelites and start over with Moses.
Numbers 14:13 Moses said to the LORD, “Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By Your power You brought these people from among them.” 
But Moses doesn’t even appear to consider the offer. His heart is so focused on shining God’s light and caring for God’s people, that he launches immediately into the reasons why God should show mercy (because it will diminish His glory—the Egyptians will assume He isn’t powerful enough—and because showing mercy to the Israelites will show His grace and love). There seems to be no thought at all about what Moses might gain from the situation, showing a true servant’s heart.
Numbers 14:15-16 “If You put all these people to death…the nations who heard this report…will say, “The LORD was not able…, so He slaughtered them in the wilderness.’”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this glimpse into the heart of one of Your servants. Help us to always focus on shining Your light and nurturing Your people, with no thought to our own egos or personal gain. Draw us closer. Amen.
Numbers 14:19 “In accordance with Your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as You have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.”
Have a blessed day.

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Echoes…. (devo reflection)

Numbers 12:1 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses….
I clearly see a parallel in Numbers 12 between Moses and Jesus. I was surprised when commentary didn’t mention the similarities. First, like Jesus, Moses does not spring to his own defense when he is falsely accused. He knows who he is and trusts God to know his heart. Jesus’s response, found in all four gospels, to Pilate’s question about whether He is king of the Jews is simply, “You say that I am….” Moses simply doesn’t answer his accusers at all.
Numbers 12:7 But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house.
The first words Moses speaks are in Numbers 12:13, where he prays for the healing of Miriam’s leprosy, a condition brought on her as punishment for her false accusation, reminding me of Jesus, as He was dying, praying for the soldiers casting lots for His clothes. “Forgive them Father, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
Numbers 12:13 So Moses cried out to the LORD, “Please, God, heal her!”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the echo of Jesus’s example that I see in Moses’s behavior. Thank You for the reminder to trust that You know who I am, even when I am maligned by others. Thank You for the love and hope that comes from praying for others, even those who persecute me (Matt 5:44). Help me to shine Your light, spread Your peace, love, and hope through my actions and reactions. Help me never to lose sight of the fact that You know my heart and You will fight for me (Exodus 14:14). Draw me closer. Amen.
Numbers 12:15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.
Have a blessed day.

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To be recognized in the eyes of man…. (devo reflection)

Numbers 12:1 Miriam and Aaron begin to talk against Moses….
As I read Numbers 12, I can’t help but think back to Exodus 4:13, when Moses very kindly says to God, “Pardon Your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” By Numbers 12, Moses, with his humble, servant’s heart, has become someone God can and is using in a powerful way. And that makes Miriam and Aaron jealous.
Numbers 12:3 Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.
Oh, Sweet Jesus, suddenly You are convicting my heart as well. Miriam and Aaron are tired of Moses getting all the credit. After all, God talks to them, too. But it isn’t God they are seeking to impress. It’s man. “Look at us. We’re God’s people, too. He talks to us, too.” They want to be recognized in the eyes of man. They aren’t content with letting God use them in a more subtle way. Jesus, Help me.
Numbers 12:8 “With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that trying to claim recognition in the eyes of the world is pride. What truly matters is my relationship with You, my ability to get out of Your way and allow You to use me, to work through me. Help me always to remember that it doesn’t matter AT ALL if the world sees me. YOU see me. You know my heart. Help me to be humble so You can use me  more effectively in Your service. Draw me closer. Amen.
Numbers 12:9 The anger of the LORD burned against them, and He left them.
Have a blessed day. 

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Know better; do better…. (devo reflection)

Leviticus 5:1 “If anyone sins because they do not speak up when they hear a public charge to testify regarding something they have seen or learned about….”
The Israelites were in Egypt for hundreds of years, living as slaves, but soaking up Egyptian culture nonetheless. When Moses went up on Mt Sinai for 40 days and nights, the Israelites were afraid he would not return. They pleaded with Aaron to make them a golden calf to go before them (Exodus 32). These were a struggling people, trying to get their feet under them, trying to figure out who they were outside of Egypt. 
Leviticus 5:2 “If anyone becomes aware that they are guilty….”
I think that’s what all the rules, all the laws, all the specifications are about in Exodus and Leviticus—giving the Israelites specifics so that they can know better who they are and therefore do better as a people of faith. As Maya Angelou once said, “…when you know better, do better.”
Leviticus 5:17 “If anyone sins and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD’s commands….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that we are Yours. Help us to know better what it means to be Your beloved so that we can do better in that role. Help us to shine Your light for all to see. Draw us closer. Amen.
Leviticus 5:18 …”In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the wrong they have committed unintentionally, and they will be forgiven.”
Have a blessed day.

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Infinite, steadfast, and true…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 32:4a He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool….
Today’s reading and Aaron’s anointing as a priest of God reminds me of a saying I’ve seen on social media: “If you think you’ve blown God’s plan for your life, rest in this: You, my beautiful friend, are not that powerful.” (~ Lisa Bevere) Aaron, who made a golden idol at the Israelites request back in chapter 32, is consecrated as a priest in chapter 40, along with his sons, continuing throughout their generations. 
Exodus 40:13 “Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest.”
God loves us. He has a plan for us. He wants us to have a hand in His kingdom work. But even if we do everything wrong, He will not forsake us. He can redeem us. He can still use us in a powerful way. We can’t ruin His plans. We can’t outrun His love. We can’t make Him turn His back on us. But He will never ever force Himself on us. He waits for us to realize our need for Him and invite Him in, but He will never decline our invitation. Thank You, Jesus.
Exodus 40:14 “Bring his sons and dress them in tunics.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that Your love is infinite, steadfast, and true. Thank You that our stubborn, pig-headed actions, our bone-headed mistakes, our gross overconfidence in ourselves cannot ruin Your love for us. Thank You for pursuing us relentlessly and for loving us fiercely. Thank You for allowing us to choose you. Draw us closer. Amen.
Exodus 40:15 “Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so they may serve me as priests. Their anointing will be to a priesthood that will continue throughout their generations.”
Have a blessed day.