Author: pastor.gerooney@gmail.com

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14 (Chapter 3:13-22)

Moses is in the presence of God, standing in the place He will return to and receive the Law that will define the Hebrew children as a Holy people. Moses understands who is before him, but how do you explain God to those who didn’t witness this miracle first hand? (There is struggle with this today.) 

We can see how uniquely God has prepared Moses. He went from slave to prince to outdoorsman. In each of these settings Moses was developing the character needed to become a great leader. He was first and foremost a Hebrew, compassionate toward his kinsmen, He became a literate Hebrew/Egyptian, something very rare, then he learned to survive in the wilderness. Yet, God didn’t tell Moses, “YOU ARE.” He said, “I AM.”  I Am the living God from whom all things derive.

God introduces Himself as ‘Jahweh’. This is the first time a personal name is given. Jahweh comes from a Hebrew verb ‘to be’ or ‘to exist.’ So God’s personal name, that which He chooses to be called, means ‘to be actively present.’ Let this soak in! It is also worth noting that although God gave Himself this name, the Hebrew people honored it as sacred. In respect they would not say it aloud, so they substituted the word, ‘LORD’. God’s name is Holy. Don’t use it as slang, but, don’t forget His chosen name is an active verb ‘Jahweh’ when substituting it with a proper noun ‘LORD’.

God outlines His plan of deliverance with the conclusion that when the slaves leave Egypt, they will not go in poverty. They will plunder the Egyptians and the Egyptians will gladly give them clothing, silver and gold, just to be rid of them. There is actually a little humor and irony here.  All the work the Hebrews did for free is now being compensated, gladly and ten fold!

It is so hard to face the unknown future so we cling to the tangible things of today, things that hobble and hurt. But God is already there and IT IS GOOD. Keep God at the center of every endeavor, not as an invited guest, but as CEO.

Love,

Gretchen

There was a time when I thought everyone and every home was like me and mine.  Weren’t mom and dad, warmth, food and bickering children standard equipment for all American middle class families? There was no need for tolerance, because I had no idea there was a difference. My education wasn’t neglected, it just hadn’t occurred yet. In my protected world there were brown beans every Wednesday (still one of my personal favorites), pot roast on Sunday, breakfast for supper occasionally and a jelly sandwich was dessert. Chores were evidence of a parent’s indifference to their child’s need for ‘me’ time, and sibling rivalry was to be worked out for the greater good. I just thought every one else’s home was the same! And then my youngest sister entered kindergarten and my mom morphed from domestic goddess to legal secretary.

Mother and I share much. We have the same face, love sewing, enjoy classical music, are equally diligent in our endeavors to rid the world of dust bunnies, AND we have a common, faulty filter between our brains and mouths and absolutely NO poker face! When my mother began working for a prominent, local lawyer, she became a daily witness to the underbelly of society. The burdens of victims didn’t stay at the office after 5:00 p.m. They came to our house. She did not carelessly disclose confidential information, but her children were not numb to the dynamics of distress she and my father quietly dealt with late at night when kids were supposed to be asleep. Sometimes I would hear mom and dad’s muffled voices, thick with tears, seeking ways to prevent and heal abuse and violence.

Over the next few years, phrases like, “We won’t judge.” were adamantly spoken around the dinner table. Once when I was snobbish about my clothing, because some one I deemed socially inferior had a similar outfit, I was told I’d be wearing my ensemble several days in a row if my attitude didn’t change. Respect for all men was the highest priority where our legs went under the dining table.

Happiness is not what drives man’s decision making. Pain does. The majority of life’s choices are motivated to free ourselves from present grief and hurt or to forget the agony we have emancipated ourselves from. The mind has more shadows than sunlight and sometimes, desperate choices make things darker or muddier, not clearer as hoped……so don’t judge! Love until the Son begins to shine and light their way.

With single minded determination, my parents invested their lifetimes in helping the broken find compassion and redemption at the Throne of God. Again I remind you, I am much like my mom: Most of what we think never pauses before it flows straight across our vocal chords. So I’m just going to give it to you straight. Your children will become just like you. They will love what you love, hate what you hate, bully who you bully and accept what you accept…….so live the life you want for them, and be the person you want them to be!

She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.

Proverbs 31:20,23,25 and 28.

Have a Wonderful Day of Rest and Peace,

Gretchen

The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. Exodus 3:7 (Chapter 3:1-12)

Concern-to relate to, be of interest or importance to. To engage a person’s attention to the affects of someone’s welfare or happiness.

Moses resolved himself to the quiet, solitary life of a desert herdsman. Long gone were the days of palace privilege. His crime of murder humbled him, the years in the wilderness (the land he would someday guide a nation through) brought about a sturdy man with survival knowledge. Moses was very much a man blown about by the circumstances of life and the consequences of a reckless moment. We have the benefit of seeing the entire story in a matter of moments and know the miraculous ending, the result of God’s concern. Moses had an encounter with God and was asked to go….with only his faith and trust……having no knowledge of how it would play out….Wow!

The story of Moses’ journey from cradle to burning bush is packed full, and I will give attention to some very important theological concepts, but first and foremost is this word ‘concern.’  By way of interest, because you are important, God chooses to be intimately involved in your life. You can trust Him with all there is to know about your suffering. He is concerned, and that means help is on the way!

God expressed concern over the cries of the Hebrew children who had become oppressed and exploited. He does not life suffering!  He will bring it to an end and deliver you into peace and joy!!

Love,

Gretchen

Happy Birthday MOM!!

They said, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.” Exodus 2:19 (Chapter 2)

Moses was born into the home of Hebrew slaves.  He had to be hidden in a basket, floated in the Nile and guarded by his sister, to protect him from death at the hands of Pharaoh.  However, a princess found him, paid his own mother to nurse him and then took him as her own child where he was given the finest education to be found.

Jochebed, Moses’ mother, did not waste the few years she was given with her son. She instilled the simple traditions of her faith so deeply that all the allurements of a heathen palace did not tempt him into turning his back on the people of his birth or their God. The first forty years of his life, mostly spent in luxury, did not halt Moses’ compassion for his fellow man.

Moses committed a murder that separated him from his homeland and all he knew.  As a runaway fugitive he found himself at a well where women who had come to water their flocks were being accosted by shepherds.  Moses defended them and took their manual labor upon himself. The father of these women invited Moses into his home and gave him a wife. As an alien in a foreign land, Moses made a new start, but little did he know, God was preparing him to be the perfectly skilled liberator of His covenant nation.

If you are distracted or overwhelmed by hardship and disappointment, stop and ask what wonders God is preparing you for.  Perseverance isn’t for the faint of heart. So, the difficulties we struggle with may simply be the fitness training of the soul.  Moses had to grow and learn, and so must we.

Happy Friday,

Gretchen

The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. Exodus 1:17 (Exodus 1)

370 years have passed since Joseph was governor of Egypt. The Pharaohs have long forgotten their debt of gratitude and begin to feel threatened by the growing population of Israelites.  This fear led to prejudice and oppression and soon the Hebrew/Israelite children were enslaved. Egypt became the world’s wealthiest and most advanced civilization, all on the backs of this exploited labor. 

God hears the cry of those who are broken and hopeless.  Pharaoh’s answer to the growing numbers of a culture he did not approve of, was to murder all the baby boys, but allow the baby girls to live and eventually intermarry among the Egyptians. His objective was genocide. God sent rescue by way of faithful midwives who honored human life rather than the edicts of their government. Among those saved from infant death was a child, from the tribe of Levi, named Moses.

My words sound somewhat political. They are not. I am summarizing a story that displays God’s character and heart. He is good, He is love. Cries do not go unheard and man’s evil is never the end of your story. Pray, trust, hope and know, that God is doing something beyond the visible. 

Love,

Gretchen

But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? Genesis 50:20 (Genesis 47-50)

Joseph saves his entire family and the nation of Israel from demise during the seven year drought.  Pharaoh instructs Joseph to settle his father, brothers and their families in the best land Egypt has to offer, Goshen. There they remained. When Jacob died, he was honored and mourned as if he’d been a king. After he was embalmed, in the Egyptian style, he was returned to Hebron and buried with Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah and his own wife Leah.  This burial cave was the only land owned by an Israelite, but someday Israel would be given the entire region of Canaan. Years later, when this nation returned to claim Canaan, they took Joseph’s bones with them, just as he had asked them to do.

Following the death of their father, Joseph’s brothers felt less secure in his good graces so they forged a letter from their father imploring Joseph to take care of them.  Joseph’s response is above. His righteousness shines through. Man’s deeds, or misdeeds, will not determine his actions, only God has that authority.

It is easy to see God at work through the faithfulness of man, but less clear when devious and self-interested men allow personal ambition to hurt others. But, the character of God is loving. He takes care of us no matter where we find ourselves. What man means for evil, God will make good and bless others too.

Love,

Gretchen

But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. Genesis 45:7 (Genesis 42-46)

These chapters hold one of the most beautiful stories in the Bible. Joseph, who was sold into slavery and presumed dead, has ascended to the highest realms of Pharaoh’s government. As was foretold in Joseph’s youthful dreams, he is now in a position of authority over the same brothers that planned his demise. However, Joseph has a heart of love and forgiveness and the father and son who thought they would never meet again have a beautiful reunion. When Jacob dies in the foreign Land of Goshen, Joseph, along with his own sons, returns his father’s remains to Canaan.

When God made his covenant with Abraham He established a Messianic line that began with Abraham and ended with Jesus.  The first five links in this chain are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and Perez. No Joseph to be found! The family line descends through Joseph’s older brother Judah, who was not a very nice person!! Four of these men were guilty of egregious sin. If not for Joseph’s holiness and faith, the covenant nation would have ended in it’s fourth generation.

From the beginning of God’s covenant nation struggled to survive. Man’s sin, and now an act of nature, threatened to end all for the Hebrew people.  But God prevailed! He made a way. A pesky little brother became the victim of hatred, but he rose to become the second most powerful man in the most powerful government of that time. Joseph found he was liberated from other’s destructive and sinful behavior when He hoped and trusted in God’s providence. Do right, do good, never take your eyes off the Throne and He who is seated there. The Kingdom of God will withstand ALL forces of opposition.  It is the winning team!

Have a Terrific Tuesday!

Gretchen

“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”  Genesis 41:16 (Genesis 40-41)

A very quick summary of these two chapters is difficult because they tell a detailed story, but the skeleton narrative is, Joseph has been a slave for thirteen years. While in prison he explains the dreams of the Pharaoh’s chef and butler.  The chef dies, the butler is restored to his position, but forgets to bring Joseph’s name before Pharaoh for a pardon. Two years later Pharaoh himself is disturbed by a vision his magicians cannot unravel. Spoiler! Joseph goes from prisoner to governor in the blink of an eye.

Pharaoh’s dream foretells of seven years of bountiful harvest in the Nile valley, then a drought extending way beyond Egypt’s borders will place many nations in peril. The job of being prepared for both feast and famine is passed to Joseph and he does a stellar job.

Although not part of the Messianic family tree, Joseph takes up quite a lot of space in the story of the Hebrew people.  Egypt was not the brutal, enslaving power we see in Moses’ time. Joseph was judged on his own merit, not pedigree. His steadfast faith and determination toward righteousness made him a vital instrument in Israel’s survival (see details in tomorrows story). Maybe God is showing all of us that the little man, with faith as their strength can quietly change the world.

Have a Marvelous Monday!

Gretchen

Four years ago today I received a message from my youngest daughter. It was congratulatory. She was hours away from birthday number twenty. Melissa probably sensed that I was struggling with her absence while she chased her dreams….with her friends….celebrating without me, a day I was pretty much responsible for. (Insert a tiny bit of sarcasm.)  In her greeting she reminded me this milestone meant I would never again be the parent of a teenager, so my worries of teen drug addiction, rebellion, and pregnancy were over! Her humor  brought a smile to my face, but as my readers know, the default color scheme of my mind tends to be a little less than ‘day glow.’ 

Motherhood, and I suspect fatherhood too, brought the greatest love I ever knew.  Yes, God loves us far more than we could ever imagine, but up until I had a child, I was unaware of this sacrificial, all consuming, no cost is too great kind of love. This love left me vulnerable to great pain, which created fear, and this consumed much of my mental energy as I awaited the arrival of my child/children. There was no option but to move forward and do all I knew to do: Give them back to the One who created them, then hit my knees and follow the model Jesus lived.

I am not a perfect parent. There has been much weeping, whaling and gnashing of teeth over the years. Once while changing sheets on a bed, I stepped on a piece of dead cheese, so dried and hard I bruised my foot. One child had a pet goat that could open locked gates and front doors! These things were a huge problem for this controlling, clean freak! We had some issues!

Sometimes attitudes need to recalibrate and new respect must be found among the interpersonal relationships of those who are connected by love and DNA. When my girls are angry with me, often rightly so, I give them total freedom to be as much unlike their mom as they possibly can, with one exception.  I know my Redeemer lives and one day I will be judged according to His Justice. In time, they will be also. They MUST know! In this there is no wiggle room.

So how is this one, single minded objective achieved? By kneeling! Prayer is the only way.  It grants patience, hope, reckless love, perspective and a vision for the person God created him/her to be. (Leah loves farm animals, and I don’t like smelly boots! I wanted her to be Betty Crocker! She became the farmer God designed her to be!)

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

Jesus was preparing His disciples for a grim, frightening few days as His crucifixion was just hours away, but a future full of hope and victory was about to be born. Is this not parallel to the seasons of every relationship man shares with others, especially family?  We must love in order to be strong! It is not in being loved that we find our power, but in accessing the wisdom and authority of The Holy Spirit by loving others.

I cannot force my children into Heaven, but God’s love through me sure makes the devil’s efforts a lot less relevant.  Love Big!  It Never Fails!  I Corinthians 13:8a

Love,

Gretchen

P.S. Happy Birthday my precious child! You are loved beyond measure.

The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. Genesis 39:23 (Genesis 39)

Joseph, the favored son, was sold into slavery by his jealous and spiteful brothers. Instead of living in depair, anger, bitterness and regret, somewhere between his father’s tent and the home of the Egyptian man who purchased him, Joseph became a man of great integrity. Because of an impeccable character he is given charge over Potipher’s entire household. With strength of character and body, Potipher’s wife desires Joseph and when she is rebuffed she makes it look as if she is the offended rather than the offender. Joseph is incarcerated, but again, his exceptional leadership and high standard of behavior draw the attention of the prison warden and once again Joseph is entrusted with other’s belongings and well being.

No doubt Joseph is at fault as a bratty little brother, but that did not excuse the actions and reactions of those who responded with evil intent. Neither are the actions of others an excuse for Joseph to despair and turn against God. In the face of false accusations and disgrace Joseph stood righteous.

Shame and sin begin in secret places of hearts and minds and find their way into habits and life choices. What you do when no on is looking is a really big deal. God will not co-exist and share your heart with the devil. Live righteously and satan will have no ability to impede God’s plan and your blessings.

Have a great weekend!

Gretchen