04 Jul 2025
Belonging to a family of believers is important if we desire to experience God fully. Other people’s experiences will enrich our lives. He ministers to His people individually and corporately. This will help us grasp how much He loves us. There is also no limit to what He can do amongst us. Ephesians 3:14-21.
When the Way Out Is Through
What do we do in the middle of our challenges and problems with no plan in sight? Most folks are at least a little familiar with the LORD‘s* deliverance his people from the Egyptian army through the Red Sea. Many folks have seen the old Charlton Heston movie, “The Ten Commandments” since it is on TV most Easter weekends. Several new generations have been re-acquainted with the story through “The Prince of Egypt” that was seen by kids, parents, and grandparents. This great story of deliverance is a reminder that God will see us through when we reach one of those difficult times in life. When there is no way out or around our problems, the LORD will help us find a way through those problems. Here’s the story in a nutshell. Israel is stuck between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army of soldiers and their charioteers on their back side. The Red Sea blocks their way from going forward (Exodus 14:5-12). They have every right to be afraid because Pharaoh’s charioteers were feared by the armies of all other nations. The Israelites were untrained for war, having been slaves for 400 years. All Israel had to lead them into battle was an 80-year-old shepherd with a stick! So if deliverance was going to come for God’s people, their obedience and the LORD‘s grace and power would have to produce it. That is exactly what happened. God’s deliverance involved five incredible steps of grace and power: God’s presence in the pillar of fire and the cloud moved from in front of the people to their rear to protect them (Exodus 14:19-20) Moses obeyed the LORD and stretched out his staff over the waters. God then parted the waters and dried the land in between with an east wind (Exodus 14:21). The Israelite people passed safely between the wall of waters on dry ground to the other side (Exodus 14:22). The presence of God in the pillar of fire and the cloud confused the Egyptians as they tried to pursue the Israelites through the sea. Their wheels jammed in the mire of what had been dry ground further adding to the confusion (Exodus 14:23-25). When Moses obeyed and stretched his staff over the waters a second time, the waters buried and destroyed the army of Pharaoh (Exodus 14:26-28). This great story of deliverance is a powerful reminder to us as a people and as individual disciples that the LORD will make a way through for us when there seems to be no way! God’s gracious and powerful presence will lead us, accompany us, and protect us until he gets us safely to where he wants us to be. This is great news. This is an incredible promise — one that God’s people put to music in the celebration song after their great victory: In your unfailing love you will leadthe people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide themto your holy dwelling (Exodus 15:13). This is our story. It is not just a Bible story. This story reminds us of the character and courage that is in our spiritual DNA. We have the same God with the same power today as those people had in their day. We have the same promise that the LORD will get us to our destination (Philippians 1:6). Yet the nagging doubt and repeated complaint that I hear goes something like this: Yeah, Israel only had an 80-year-old shepherd with a stick to lead them into battle, but that old shepherd was Moses. We don’t have anyone near the leadership quality of Moses. So it’s hard for me to wait or to follow or to trust when our leaders don’t seem to have it together. There doesn’t seem to be a plan. If our leaders have one, they sure don’t seem to be executing it! That’s why after reading this story from the Bible many times, what I found this last time was so unexpected and powerful — something that I seemed to have missed. Moses didn’t know God’s plan! What Moses first told God’s people to do was only half right. Yet while he didn’t know the LORD‘s plan, he knew the LORD! While he didn’t know the way the LORD was going to deliver his people, he did know to obey the LORD in all that he asked: As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD…. Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground (Exodus 14:10-16). What Moses told the people was only half correct. God would work deliverance, and the pursuing army would be destroyed. Moses was also half wrong! The people were not to stand still and wait. They were to advance toward God’s future following Moses’ lead. They were to let the LORD handle the deliverance part, and they were to obey the LORD‘s call to cross the sea! What do we do when there is no way around or past our problems and challenges? We go through them trusting the LORD will sustain, empower, and guide us! But our leaders are not Moses! Yes, but our assurance isn’t based upon having a Moses. Our assurance is based upon ours leaders being committed to obey the LORD even if they don’t know the way through what they are facing. Sometimes the only way out or around our challenges is for us to go through them. In the middle of
03 Jul 2025
Walking in step with the Lord enables Him to order our steps. We allow ourselves to be led of Him. It starts with surrendering our lives to Him and agreeing to be led by the Holy Spirit. Engaging in studying and meditating on His word, prayer, and fellowship help to constantly hear Him. Isaiah 30:21.
Daily Prayer for July 3
In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy – being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:4-6 Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for the work you are doing. We thank you for working through people of all kinds and of all vocations and through the many hearts that know your goodness. We thank you for the great work led by the Lord Jesus, who will overcome the world with patience and with gentleness. He will overcome the world, opening the door wide for all, including the poorest of the poor, to come to you, their Father in heaven. Grant that with the light we have been given we may remain firm and true. Do not let us come into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours forever. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Abraham’s Warring Children Kelsey Osgood After October 7, can a Muslim-Christian-Jewish center in Abu Dhabi make any difference? Read now Merelots: Armenia’s Day of the Dead Narine Abgaryan “What use do the departed have for liturgy?” an Armenian mother reflects on a visit to the grave of her stepson, in this short story. Read now The Exploitation of Immigrant Care Workers Hazel Thompson Hidden in plain sight, foreign health aides in UK care homes face exploitation. Read now Against Self-Optimization David Zahl The wellness industry sells you a version of yourself it can’t deliver. Hope lies elsewhere. Read now In Defense of Pint and Pipe Malcolm Guite Smoking and drinking carry known risks. Here’s why I haven’t given them up. Read now
Today’s Verse – John 17:1
After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.” —John 17:1 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… John 17:1-26 is one of the most moving chapters in the Bible. Jesus knows he is going to die. He knows he is spending his last few hours before his death on a cross with disciples. These disciples do not understand what he is about to do and why he is about to do it. Jesus has two key goals in mind as he prepares himself and his disciples for their life ahead without him: Jesus wants his disciples to be one so they can remain strong and influence the world that the Father sent Jesus to show the world his love. Jesus wants what he is about to do on the cross to bring glory to the Father, unite his disciples, and reach the lost world with the love of God. As Jesus faced humiliation and abandonment, his chief concern and focus were to bless others. Yes, he was in agony, but he desired to honor the Father and bless others. We will also face hardships, trials, and persecutions (John 15:20). What will be our goal when we face these difficulties? Hmm? No wonder the Holy Spirit reminded us to fix our eyes on Jesus and follow his example (Hebrews 12:1-3), as we yearn to bless those who persecute and mistreat us so they can come to know our Savior (Matthew 5:10). My Prayer… Loving Father, I cannot fathom the mysteries of anguish and grace that touched your heart as Jesus made his way to the Cross with such honesty and selflessness. LORD Jesus, I cannot thank you enough for leaving me a powerful example of how to endure life’s heaviest burdens. Holy Spirit, please use me so my life can be a blessing to others, and I can live with courage to serve and bless even in hard times. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
02 Jul 2025
If we remain in touch with the Lord, we will know what He is doing. Constantly worshipping God and walking in step with Him will help us identify how He works in our lives. The opposite is also true. If we don’t invest in our relationship with Him, we become estranged. Numbers 9:15-19.
Stretching for Our Gods
What are you willing to sacrifice to achieve or find? 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 (Matthew 16:24-25). I will show him how much he must suffer for my name (Acts 9:16). Some people will go to almost any length to look good — literally, go to any length. The Chinese Ministry of Health has issued an official statement that one of the most popular cosmetic surgeries in large Chinese cities poses serious risk of disfigurement. Ministry spokesman Mao Qunan warns that the surgery, which is available in many clinics alongside more conventional cosmetic procedures, “must only be carried out for strict medical reasons and performed in authorized hospitals.” At least ten people are reported to have been badly disfigured by the surgery in the past year. The surgery in question is leg-lengthening. It involves (grab hold of something) breaking the legs and stretching them on a rack. Apparently, height is often listed as a requirement for most jobs and many schools in China. Many employers require a height of 1.65 meters for women and 1.75 meters for men. Height has also become increasingly important to potential mates, as both men and women want taller children. Because of those expectations and ideals, many Chinese are choosing to undergo the painful and potentially disfiguring surgery. I wonder where the Chinese got the idea that being thought of as attractive, or getting a better job or into a better school, was worth suffering for? I wonder how they could have possibly come to the conclusion that having your body broken, manipulated, rearranged, and altered by a surgeon simply to meet their society’s standard of beauty is worth paying for? That’s so … so … American. Really though, despite the fact that we live in a country in which people pay large percentages of their income to have their noses broken and reshaped, or their tummies tucked, or fat sucked out of one part of their body and injected into another, or botulinum toxin injected into their faces, America has hardly cornered the market. Human beings have always practiced the “modifying” of the body to meet certain standards of aesthetic or moral value. Frequently those modifications are painful, and sometimes even horrific. It seems that human beings all understand that some things are worth suffering to achieve. It’s just a question of what matters most. The media tide that rises around our knees every day carries images and ideals — idols, even — that human beings choose to believe is worth their suffering. If we aren’t willing to have surgery, many of us sweat at gyms hoping that a treadmill will transform us into the body type our gods demand. Or we pay ridiculous amounts of money for labels and styles and fabrics that the fashion gods decree are “holy” — or at least popular in Milan and Paris. Many studies suggest that eating disorders among young women and even young men are rising to unprecedented levels. The harsh gods of Beauty and Style even make a claim on what and how we eat. So we know what it is to suffer for our gods. Strange that we don’t seem to be so willing to suffer for our faith. Christianity, throughout its history, has all too often morphed into some sort of unrecognizable civic religion that creates good citizens, but not real disciples. It’s been packaged and promulgated by many well-intentioned people as a faith full of promises and short on demands. “Cheap grace,” Dietrich Bonhoeffer called it. Cheap grace is receiving the favor of God without recognizing that his favor comes with some demands on the transformation of our character. As Bonhoeffer elegantly put it, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” And Bonhoeffer didn’t make that up out of thin air. Jesus equated being a disciple with carrying a cross — and a person only carried a cross to his death. In a great contradiction, he claimed that life is not found in holding on to it with a white-knuckled grip, but in giving it up for him. It’s human nature to preserve the self, of course. Quite intelligently, we shy away from stepping out onto limbs that look too thin to support our weight. And yet that’s what Jesus asks us to do: take note of the fact that the limb doesn’t look like it’ll hold us, and then step out onto it anyway, knowing that whether it holds or breaks we’re following our Master. It was onto just such a limb that Jesus invited Paul, then called Saul, to step. The Lord called Saul to leave behind a life of relative ease, comfort, and respect for a bending, swaying branch of constant travel, death threats, poverty, prison, and turmoil. And, no doubt trembling a little, Saul took the step, because what else could he do? Jesus had spoken to him. His Lord had bid Saul to come and die, and so Saul went and died. If we think that Saul’s story is unusual, it’s only because we have such a limited idea of what following Jesus involves. It doesn’t always make life easier; sometimes it makes life harder. It doesn’t always answer all our questions; sometimes it just raises new ones. In this age when churches trip all over themselves to provide more services to their “customers,” in the end, following Jesus isn’t about consuming services as much as it’s about being consumed by service. It’s pouring out our lives, offering up our preferences and desires and dreams and hopes in favor of his. “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name,” Jesus said to Ananias about Saul. He could say it about any of us, too. And we need to hear. We need to hear him tell us
Daily Prayer for July 2
I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Proverbs 4:11–12, NIV Dear Father in heaven, you are our God. You rule and guide us, and our trust remains in you even when many needs pull at our hearts and try to draw us into their whirlpool. Protect us, we pray. May your divine hand govern us so that we remain aware of the calling we receive from you and always have a light shining into our lives to show us how to serve you. Let your power work wherever hearts respond to you on this earth, wherever the strength of Jesus Christ is revealed, so that people acknowledge his deeds to your honor. Be with the lowliest and least noticed of your children. Keep them in your hands and enable them to be fellow workers who persevere courageously and confidently until the time when you reveal yourself to all peoples on earth. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Merelots: Armenia’s Day of the Dead Narine Abgaryan “What use do the departed have for liturgy?” an Armenian mother reflects on a visit to the grave of her step-son, in this short story. Read now The Exploitation of Immigrant Care Workers Hazel Thompson Hidden in plain sight, foreign health aides in UK care homes face exploitation. Read now Against Self-Optimization David Zahl The wellness industry sells you a version of yourself it can’t deliver. Hope lies elsewhere. Read now In Defense of Pint and Pipe Malcolm Guite Smoking and drinking carry known risks. Here’s why I haven’t given them up. Read now In Pursuit of Homefulness John Swinton The biblical understanding of health is not biomedical. Read now
Today’s Verse – Psalm 127:1
Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. —Psalm 127:1 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… “It’s all up to me!” That’s the prevailing mindset for high achievers in our world. But this assumption is wrong. Our efforts to build and be a part of something great and lasting are ultimately in vain if the LORD doesn’t bless them and empower them. They may flourish for a time under our intense efforts, but if the plans and the construction of great things are not from the LORD, they won’t stand the test of time. However, when we partner with the LORD and seek him and his kingdom first, he is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20). My Prayer… Almighty God and Eternal Father, please forgive me for trying to make everything happen by my own efforts and relentless work. You can do far more to advance my work for your kingdom than all my worry and fretfulness could ever accomplish. Please take the lead in every aspect of my life and ministry; defeat me in efforts not in harmony with your will, and please empower those efforts to bring you glory and draw others to your grace. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
01 Jul 2025
The reason I am convinced to focus on worshipping the Lord no matter what I’m going through is that He is the Almighty God. Nothing is too difficult for Him. Can you imagine the stress the event planner and the couple getting married in John 2:1-11 were going through? Jesus sorted it out in an instant. Let’s not obsess too much with the situations around us at the expense of focusing on God. Let us trust that He can show us a way out, even perform a miracle.