On the way…

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Look in the Mirror

Sue’s Views
The Word of God can be likened to a mirror. It shows us what we are really like! It can’t change us …..it can only reveal what needs to be changed. Maybe a hair out of place ….. food in our teeth ….. dirt on our face. It’s then up to us to remove it! God gave us laws to show us we need a Saviour! There’s no way we could ever live up to them no matter how hard we try. God’s standard is 100% perfection. Anything less than that is sin in God’s eyes. In the Old Testament ….. God required animal sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people. But they had to be made over and over. Jesus ….. God’s only Son ….. was and is the answer to this problem. He became our once and for all sacrifice so we could have a relationship with God. If you see something in the mirror that needs changing ….. don’t walk away and ignore it! Acknowledge it ….. and ask Jesus to help you change.

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Free to Serve

Sue’s Views

Having been in level 3 lockdown for the last 3 days ….. we are so happy to be ‘set free’ again today! But can you imagine what it would be like to be released after 400 years of bondage? At first ….. there’s relief and a sense of celebration! They sang and danced! But before long ….. they began to long for the things they’d left behind ….. like garlic and onions! Sometimes freedom has its own challenges. The Israelites soon discovered that they weren’t free to do what they liked. They were free from slavery and all it’s hardships ….. but now they were called to serve! God had His own requirements. The difference is that His rules required obedience out of love. Left to ourselves ….. we humans would ruin everything God made. Our selfishness would lead to all kinds of evil. He had to set boundaries. He gave Moses ten laws that needed to be obeyed for people to live the best life possible. They are all about respect for God ….. for our parents ….. for marriage ….. and for our neighbours.

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Fine Dining

Sue’s Views
After experiencing a sea opening up for you to cross on dry land ….. and seeing your enemies drowned in that same sea ….. you’d think you’d never doubt God again! But a few days later reality set in! There were no supermarkets or coffee bars in the desert! The Israelites began to be hungry and thirsty ….. and complained to Moses for bringing them out of Egypt where they had been held captive but at least had food and drink. God wanted to teach them to rely on Him ….. and He had planned their menu! Manna for breakfast ….. and quail for dinner! Fine dining at its best! Can you imagine how many quail it would take to feed over 2 million people plus animals for 40 years? But every night ….. they would fly in! And when they were thirsty God told Moses to strike a rock with his rod ….. and rivers of water flowed out! Still they complained! I wonder how often we focus on the negatives ….. instead of being thankful for the positives. We take so much for granted. The daily grind can seem monotonous and tiresome ….. but it is actually full of miracles!

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Miracle Working God!

Sue’s Views
Many years ago ….. Frank & I went to Universal Studios in Hollywood. We were taken around on a little train to see the sights. One of the attractions then was the parting of the Red Sea from the movie ‘The Ten Commandments’. I must say it was rather disappointing. I’m sure today’s movie makers would do a much better job! But this was no movie! It actually happened. Have you ever felt trapped with nowhere to go? The Israelites found themselves between a rock and a hard place! Mountains on one side ….. a sea on the other ….. and their enemies closing in on them from behind. But God said ‘Stand still and see what I’m about to do!’ He caused a powerful wind to blow so that the sea parted and left enough of a dry path for at least 3 million people plus livestock to pass through! Yes! It makes for a wonderful opportunity for special effects ….. but God doesn’t need any! He is still a miracle worker and will make a way for you as well!

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The Great Escape

Sue’s Views
Who has discovered that God’s ways of doing things is very different to ours? You could call the Book of Exodus ‘The Great Escape’! Two plus million people escaped from prison in one night! But they had strict rules about preparation ….. diet ….. and what to take with them. Much of it didn’t make much sense at the time ….. but God had their best interest at heart. He was about to take them on the journey of a lifetime! Instead of taking them by the shortest route ….. He took them the long and arduous way. By doing that ….. they avoided the hostility of enemies who would have taken them back to Egypt. They still encountered many obstacles and hardships ….. but God was teaching them obedience and trust. If life is tough for you right now ….. know this ….. God sees the whole route of your journey from beginning to end. He may be protecting you from dangers you are unaware of. He may be training you for greater things ahead. He may be detoxing you of things of the past. As He provided for 2 million people ….. He will provide for you!

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Hyssop

Sue’s Views

After nine terrible plagues and still Pharoah refusing to let the Israelites go ….. God told Moses to get the people ready for a night to remember! He told each family to kill a lamb ….. collect its blood in a basin ….. and apply it to the door posts and lintel of their home using a common plant called hyssop which is similar to our lavender plant. That night ….. the angel of death would pass over every home and kill the first born ….. except those that had the blood on the door posts and lintels. For the Egyptians it was a night of mourning. For the Israelites it was a night of release from their slavery. This story points towards the need for Jesus to die and shed His blood in order for us to be set free from the slavery of sin. Why the hyssop? The blood in the basin did nothing until it was applied to the doorframe. The hyssop was the means by which it was activated. For us ….. it refers to our testimony. We are saved by the blood of the Lamb ….. and the word of our testimony! When we share our testimony and confess our faith in Jesus ….. we are applying the blood to our selves and our households.   

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Plagues of Judgement

Sue’s Views
People often ask ‘How can a God of love allow such bad things to happen?’ We should be asking ‘How can a Holy God allow disobedient people to live?’ The plagues of Egypt are a great answer to that question. God told Pharoah through Moses to ‘Let my people go!’ Pharoah refused so God gave him a demonstration of what He was capable of. Still Pharoah refused! So God began to bring plagues of pestilence ….. destruction ….. disease  ….. and finally ….. death. Each time Pharoah hardened his heart until God said ‘Enough!’ He is patient with us ….. and gives us every opportunity to turn around. But He sees our hearts and knows our choices. This resulted in the deaths of the firstborn in each Egyptian family. Could it be that the ‘plagues we see in our world today are a result of our not heeding God’s commandments?

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Spiritual Conflict

Sue’s Views

We are all aware of the many conflicts going on in our world today. International conflicts ….. political conflicts ….. social conflicts ….. family conflicts ….. to name a few. But what we may not all be aware of is ….. that behind all these is a spiritual conflict. There are forces of darkness that have waged war against the Kingdom of God since the beginning of time. These are demonstrated in the book of Exodus. Moses was told by God to go to Pharoah and command him to ‘Let my people go’! Pharoah was stubborn and proud. He thought he was God! He refused! So began a contest. At first ….. the Egyptian priests called on their gods to replicate the miracles God did through Moses ….. and they did. Moses turned his rod into a serpent ….. and they were able to do the same. The only difference was that Moses serpent swallowed all the others! What followed was an onslaught of 10 plagues that proved God’s power and sovereignty. Today ….. many turn to the occult for answers and power. There is a fascination with the supernatural. But things like horoscopes ….. ouji boards ….. and seances ….. will only open a door to the demonic world. If you want to experience the truly supernatural ….. become a part of God’s army! 

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Between Worlds

A poem of sorts written about a Third Culture Kid’s* journey, and the Christian faith pilgrimage…

It’s strange…
Feeling more at home on an aeroplane,
Or in an airport,
Feeling more at home between worlds,
Over international waters…
Or perhaps with those who aren’t where you’re from
But aren’t where they’re from either…

Dreading the question of belonging…
“Where are you from?”
Because it can only be answered with “everywhere”…
… dreaded, because the answer also holds
an equal truth…
“… and nowhere.”

Hearing your parents say “we’re going home”
But when you arrive,
You find it doesn’t feel like home at all.
Things you’re supposed to know,
Ways you’re supposed to relate to
And when you arrive, all you feel is
“I’m not from here”.
But if you went back,
You’re not from there either.

Quick to adjust,
But slow to attach
Afraid to commit, because you know
That soon, it will be time to go again.
And the pain of the loss
Might not be worth the effort,
Of another relationship
That must be left behind.

But when you meet someone
Who is just like you
Who was born here, then moved there,
Then back and forth, and then somewhere else
You feel you’ve found a long-lost friend
It’s as if a family member has been found
You laugh and cry,
About things that others can’t understand.

“So who am I?!”
Your soul cries out…
“And where do I belong?
Am I doomed to always be
A foreigner
Different
Strange
A pilgrim
Wherever I may go?”

And then one day you realise,
That a Son was sent from another world
To this one, where He didn’t belong either
And told those who followed him,
That His Father – their Father – was preparing a real home for them
But not here…
Because nowhere here is home for them.
Then you finally breathe a sigh of relief,
And realise that it’s ok to feel like a pilgrim everywhere…
Because we’re not home yet.

Hebrews 11:13  “…They (the heroes of the faith) agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland.”

 
Philippians 3:20 “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ”

*Third culture kids (TCK) are people who were raised in a culture other than their parents’ or the culture of their country of nationality, and also live in a different environment during a significant part of their child development years. They typically are exposed to a greater volume and variety of cultural influences than those who grow up in one particular cultural setting. TCKs move between cultures before they have had the opportunity to fully develop their personal and cultural identity.

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Burning Bush

Sue’s Views
Moses grew up in the King’s palace but he never forgot he was a Hebrew. He saw the way his people were treated and tried to help ….. but things only got worse. After murdering an Egyptian slave driver ….. he ran away in fear of his life. He settled down and started a new life in the wilderness ….. but God still had other plans for him. One day ….. God spoke to Moses from a bush that was on fire but not consumed. Thankfully ….. Moses saw it and went to investigate. That day ….. he received the great commission of his life! To go back to Egypt and set his people free! ‘Who me?’ ….. ‘the one who messed up?’ ….. ‘I missed my opportunity!’ ….. ‘send someone else’ ….. ‘I can’t even speak well.’ Does any of this sound familiar? One thing Moses was about to learn was that it’s no use arguing with God! He can do more with a man who has spent 40 years running away ….. than with a man who spent 40 years in a palace! It’s never too late ….. your past failures do not disqualify you ….. God will make up for your inabilities.