Join us daily for a message to encourage you during this spring festival season.
HOLY DAY
Day 1 Sunday April 13
Wave Sheaf
The actual chronology of the biblical accounts is evidence of Jesus having been in the tomb three days and three nights. He was in the tomb Wednesday late afternoon before sunset and left the tomb late Saturday (Sabbath)afternoon just before sunset. Paul was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah for he fulfilled the prophecies. But even more, Paul had a personal experience talking to the resurrected Jesus. Like Mary and all of the other disciples, Paul knew from personal experience that Jesus had risen from the dead! And, he had fulfilled the symbolism of the wave sheaf … so what did that mean?
DAY 2 Monday April 14
Hard Hearts or Sincerity and Truth
The Exodus from Egypt tested Pharaoh’s heart, but it also tested the hearts of the people God was delivering from slavery. Would they listen to the truth and walk in faith? Or would their hard hearts cause them to stumble and not enter their promised land? Could they leave Egypt and its culture behind and embrace God’s light and his teachings? Or would they continue to walk in darkness with blind eyes and hard hearts unable to leave behind the ways they had learned in Egypt? As followers of the Lord, we face many of the same challenges in trying to leave a toxic society that despises God’s teachings. So how do we overcome the very human tendency towards a heart hardened by stubbornness and self-will? How can we have the circumcised and contrite heart that will help us to enter our promised land? Let the scriptures encourage you in your walk with God.
Our Redeemer’s Plan
The Israelites were rescued, and redeemed for a purpose and according to a plan that had begun centuries earlier with Abram. What is that plan and how has it played out over centuries of history? The captives have been freed, and the slaves redeemed to fulfill God’s will, our Redeemer’s plan. And he has continually shown his loving kindness to his people…those who cry out to him for help in times of trouble. Are you among God’s redeemed?
Day 3 Tuesday April 15
True Worship – Does God Hear Our Prayers?
God hears the prayers of those who worship Him in truth. So do we know what true worship is? Let’s learn a lesson from the days of Unleavened Bread and the conquest of Jericho that shows us who God will hear and who God will not hear. Rahab and Achan’s stories provide object lessons for our day. The scriptures tell us in clear terms what God expects of those who worship Him, serving God and others. Does God take notice of you and does he hear your prayers?
Leading Unleavened Lives
Hypocrisy and the Leaven of Balaam’s Way
John’s book of Revelation highlighted one of the pitfalls that would challenge believers’ sincerity in leading unleavened lives. Jesus sent a Message to Pergamos, that ancient religious centre with temples devoted to the worship of Zeus, Dionysius, and Caesar. Jesus “knew where they dwelt,” for the believers lived in the midst of a world of religious confusion. His concern was that the believers were being negatively influenced by the teaching of Balaam. Balaam’s philosophy was a ‘do your own thing’ style of worship, that was indulgent and offered ‘freedom’ from the law of God. Of course, Jesus’ prophetic message rings true today.
Day 4 Wednesday April 16
Forgiveness, Faith and Obedience – Tale of 4 Passovers
There are major differences between the Good Friday – Easter tradition and the biblical Passover- Unleavened Bread festival that relate to the issue of faith and obedience. Are we following the biblical instructions and ‘hitting the target’ or are we ‘missing the mark’ and continuing in sin. Are we disobedient like Adam who heard God’s instructions but did not do them? Or, are we following in Jesus’ footsteps who both listened to and performed all the the Father had asked him to do?
Entering our Promised Land
What will it take for us to enter our promised land, the kingdom of God? You can be inspired in your walk with God, by the lessons of faith and obedience that can be learned from the history of Israel, and the lives of Joshua and Caleb. Be inspired by God’s miracles and His guidance, for we are not alone in our life’s walk.
Day 5 Thursday April 17
Content or Contentious
Israel’s experience in the wilderness, is one that makes us ask the question, ‘Are we content or contentious?’
God had delivered the people from slavery in Egypt. He had delivered them from Pharaoh’s army and protected them as they crossed the Red Sea. But were the people content? Within a week of having left Egypt behind them, they were already murmuring, upset or fearful about their situation and the lack of water. Had God just brought them out to slay them in the desert they wondered? Some folks thought so! How quickly they had forgotten God’s miracles. But in spite of their whining and complaining God would fulfill his promises.
A Prophetic Vision of Freedom
“Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast-off restrain.” But what is the answer to this dilemma? Scriptures assure us that those who have vision will be blessed. Why? Because they will know the truth that sets them free. They will no longer be enslaved by false ideas and lack the vision that is essential to a hopeful future. So what is that truth? As we rehearse year by year the story of the Exodus and God’s deliverance we should be mindful of the prophetic vision it provides — a vision of freedom that is rooted in the truth of God’s word. Do you have this vision of the future to encourage and empower you?
Day 6 Friday April 18
God’s Boundaries – Teach All Things
The mission of the disciples of Christ was to go into the world and teach by word and example ‘all things’ that Jesus had taught. Today, we live in a society that is embracing values that stand in stark opposition to the truth of scripture, and those values that conform to reality as Jesus instructed.
As a result, we face a challenge similar to that of our ancestors in the faith who lived 2,000 years ago. Through the power of God’s spirit we must understand the boundaries that we must respect. We must determine those ideas and actions that we must resist at all costs — what is ‘unclean’ according to the Word of God. We must know what is acceptable to God — what is ‘clean.’
Hope is a Choice
Hope is a Choice not mere Optimism If you were facing the Red Sea on one side and the Egyptian army on the other, what would you be thinking? Many in this moment of fear and dread, 3643 years ago, trapped between the water and the pursuing army, cried that they wanted to return to Egypt. Some had contempt for God and his promises. They’d lost hope and had forgotten so quickly the great miracles that had secured their escape from slavery. God’s advice to his people was to have courage and be like Moses who was faithful. Moses’ faith gave him the hope that God would be true to his promises. This was not mere optimism, but hope that was a deliberate and consistent choice to believe God the maker of the universe. Are you living with this kind of hope?
Day 7 Sabbath April 19
Go Forward in Faith
Moses example of faith is recorded for us as an exhortation to choose God’s ways over the riches and status this world may offer. Moses was able to do this because he had seen the miraculous ways in which God was able to alter history and preserve his people. That is why Moses counsels us today to put aside our fears, hold fast to God’s promises, and go forward in faith.
Trapped in a Dead End? — God Delivers
We may feel trapped or enslaved due to circumstances beyond our control.But like our ancient spiritual ancestors we need to consider that God is able to deliver us. Even if we are stuck in a box canyon or dead end, we are not without hope. Paul admonishes us to consider the examples of Israel during their wilderness journey. They had been slaves, but the Lord God had freed them from Egypt and led them into the wilderness. And yet, when they faced challenges, they felt ‘boxed-in’ and fear overwhelmed them, they quickly reverted to their old ways of thinking and acting that had disastrous results