29

Jump Start # 1177

Posted on August 29, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1177

NOTE TO READERS: Monday is a holiday and we will not have a Jump Start on that day.

Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?’”

 

Today we conclude our mini series on interesting expressions in our Bible. There are so many more that we could look at. After God stopped Abraham from attempting to sacrifice Isaac, the text says, “Now I know.” What a great statement. Jesus told the disciples, “Remember Lot’s wife.” Three words. Great thoughts there. Paul told his shipmates on the dangerous voyage to Rome, “It will turn out exactly as I have been told.” The virtuous woman is said to “Smile at the future.” The rich man in Luke 16, we are told, “And in hades he saw.” Paul told the Romans, “We are more than conquerors.” This is just a sampling of the mighty expressions found in our Bibles. These are the things we can mediate upon. These are the statements that give us great applications and further insights into God’s will.

 

Our thought today comes from the fall of mankind, the first sin—ever. It takes place in the garden. Satan, using the serpent, began a conversation with Eve. There are many curious questions about all of this. Eve doesn’t seem to be startled that she is talking to an animal. Could the other animals speak? We are not told how long after creation this took place. The next day, week, month, year? Don’t know. We don’t know what the serpent looked like. No clue. We don’t know what the forbidden fruit was. Obviously it would not be something available to us today. So guessing an apple is pretty much the wrong guess.

 

And he said to the woman—that’s the expression we want to look at today. And he said to the woman. Eve is talking to the serpent. Did she know who she was talking to? Did she realize Satan was behind all of this?

 

The conversation begins with a huge restriction. You can’t eat from any tree. That’s what God said? Why then did he put you in a garden of trees if you can’t eat from them. How will you live? It’s not fair to have these trees but you can’t eat from them. God’s not fair. God takes away all the fun. God is always saying NO. All of this was playing on Eve’s mind. The serpent was trying to discredit God. He was planting the idea that God is not as good as you think.

 

Eve had no history with the serpent. She was not created by the serpent. The serpent had not provided for her. The serpent was not good to her. She did, however have a relationship with God. God had been there. God walked with Adam in the cool of the garden. God made Eve. It is amazing how someone or something comes along and we throw out all that we know from trusted family and brethren for someone we barely know. An article floats around on the internet and immediately some jump on the band wagon and begin disbelieving all things they know about the Bible. The evidence, the trust, the goodness of God’s word is tossed because someone’s wild ideas, that have no support. Is this nothing more than talking to serpents?

 

Eve faced three conclusions from her conversation with a serpent.

 

1. She had to choose between what she knew was right and what she felt or wanted. She knew. God revealed. The words are simple and the message clear. God is always that way. Satan and serpents are always foggy. It’s unclear what they are saying or what they mean. Not God. Eve knew. She responded correctly to the serpent. That was good but still a mistake. The best thing she should have done was to walk. “I don’t talk to serpents,” would have been a powerful reply. The same would work for us today. Satan  had Eve confused. It was a matter of the head and the heart. The head knew. The heart wanted the opposite. Satan is good at that. It’s an internal battle. Not sure about God now, wanting what is forbidden, told that God doesn’t mean what He says, the foggy Eve was easy prey for Satan. We are the same. Head and heart. The head knows what the Bible says. Temptation rarely attacks the head. The head has facts, evidence, proof, logic, reason and mountains of counted blessings. The head knows. The heart is weak. It doesn’t think, it feels. It wants. It doesn’t see consequences. It doesn’t know about influences. It just feels. Without the head, we are toast. The heart wins every time when the head is not engaged. The heart is after happiness. The head is after holiness. Often, those are not the same. The head steers the vehicle. Head and heat. Satan had Eve confused. He still does that today with us.

 

2. Eve had to decide between the immediate and the eternal. This again is another way the head and heart are expressed. The immediate means it looks good. The immediate means I like it. The immediate means what’s so wrong with this? The immediate. The eternal is based  upon the head and faith. The head thinks. The head remembers. The head understands that what I do today affects my tomorrow. There are many applications of that. The heart sees junk food and wants to eat it right now, before dinner. The head remembers dinner is coming. The head doesn’t like the way the body is looking or feeling. The heart sees something in the store and wants to buy it right now. The head thinks about budgets, savings and planning for spending. Head and heart—they are a constant battle. Here, the heart is blind. It can’t see very far into the future. The affair, the drink, the shoplifting, the gossip, the lie—all those things are not driven by the head, but the heart. They are immediate. They are not calculated. Little thought is given to consequences which always follow every decision we make. What we do today can affect our eternity. Had Eve gotten that, she would have walked away.

 

3. Eve had to live with her choices. That’s the bottom line for all of us. We make choices. We listen to serpents. We talk to Satan. We have a head and heart battle within us and finally there is a choice. For Eve, it meant sin. For Eve, she had to leave Paradise. For Eve, it introduced pain and death to the world. It didn’t matter that she did this one time. It didn’t matter that later she was sorry. It didn’t matter that she would do differently the next time. The choice was made. She was tricked by a serpent. She had to live with the choice she made.

 

All of this began when she started talking to serpents. Don’t you expect that’s where many of our troubles come from. We listen to serpents more than we listen to God. We allow others to plant doubt in us. We are fogged in and fooled by the voice of others.

 

Talking to serpents…that’s where it all started.

 

Roger

 

 

28

Jump Start # 1176

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1176

Ecclesiastes 10:7 “I have seen slaves riding on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land.”

We continue our series this week of unique phrases from the Bible. These expressions are full of lessons that teach, warn and lead to greater insights. These expressions are easy to preach. They are easy to remember. They challenge thinking and invite us to explore deeper meanings with our God.

 

Our verse today comes from the powerful book called Ecclesiastes—Solomon’s exercise on finding what life is all about. The shallow and easy things do not satisfy nor give depth or answers. The glitter in life is vain. Page after page, Solomon searches. By the 10th chapter, where our verse comes from, Solomon is exposing folly. Foolishness is not it. Solomon defines the destructive nature of folly. This chapter reveals several characteristics of foolish thinking.

 

  • Folly ruins beauty (1)
  • Folly makes a terrible guide (2-3)
  • Folly attains undeserved honor (6-7)
  • Folly can’t hold it’s tongue (12-14)

 

Solomon observes something very odd. It is a part of this folly. He sees princes walking and servants riding horses. This is backwards. It ought to be the other way around. What he sees isn’t commendable. This has nothing to do with sharing or humility. This section begins with, “There is an evil I have seen…” (v. 5), then our verse, “I have seen slaves riding…” (v. 7). This is evil. This isn’t right. Princes are supposed to be riding. When they are walking and the slaves are riding, things are bad. Slaves are supposed to serve princes. Slaves groom the horses that the princes ride. Slaves help the princes mount the horses. Slaves walk behind the horses, ready to come to the princes calling. That’s how it is supposed to be. What Solomon saw was upside down and inside out.

 

Now all of that leads to a wonderful concept for us. Are we walking or riding? Which one are we doing? Remember, this is not intended to be a compliment. Princes should be riding not walking. When they are walking and the slaves are riding, this isn’t right. This is bad.

 

We are children of God. We are princes of royalty. We belong to the King. This doesn’t mean we are better than others. It doesn’t mean that we are privileged. It’s not time to stick our noses in the air and get all uppity. That’s not the thought here and that’s not the point. Instead of acting like we belong to God, we act like we belong to the world. Instead of riding, we are walking.

 

1. Princes walk when they want what the servants have. That’s a strange twist of things. It ought to be the other way around. The slaves ought to dream of living in the palace someday. They long to have what royalty has. But when princes want what the servants have, they are walking not riding.

 

We do this when we measure life by what we have instead of who we are. We forget that we are Christians who belong to the King. We measure success by the square footage of our house or how large our TV screen is. That’s servant thinking. Princes have Heaven as their home. There is nothing that compares to that. Princes realize that they have the greatest gift, the grace of God. Yet, when we stumble through a day, complaining and worrying and we can’t see that we are Heaven bound, are we walking instead of riding. Peter said that there is a hope within us that ought to be noticeable. There is a joy that runs deep. This is why an apostle who was in prison could express great confidence and joy to others. It’s not the circumstances. It’s not where you. It’s not what you have. It’s who you are and what has you. Riding or walking? Are we not much different than our co-workers and our neighbors other than we go to church on Sunday? Is that the difference? Christ in us ought to change our way of seeing things. Our hope, our joy, our passion, what is important, our priorities are all readjusted because of Jesus. We are a new man in Christ. We are a different person. When we remain unchanged, other than going to church, we are princes who have settled on walking. Christ dwells in us. The word of Christ richly dwells in us. Those “in us” verses ought to do something to us. When we have a bug in us, it affects us. When loved ones have cancer in them, it affects them. The same for us when Christ is in us. Paul said I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Slaves are consumed with worry. They are glued to the nightly news. Earthquakes, fires, wars, economic gloom worries the heart of slaves. Princes know that the King remains on the throne. Princes know that these things come and go but Heaven lasts. Princes know that someday all those things will be over. Princes look beyond those things. They are looking past the hood of the car. They see what’s down the road. They see God. Walking or riding? Are you beat up by worry? Are you consumed with fear? Are you stressed about life? Are you obsessed with superficial things such as who kissed who in Hollywood or who wore what to the award show? Who cares. That’s servant thinking. That’s mindless, useless and superficial. Princes ride. They ride with glory. They are headed to Heaven. They do not want what servants have? Why? Why settle for inferior when God offers the best. Riding or walking?

 

2. Princes walk when they are governed by their appetites instead of their convictions. When convictions are lacking, we take the easy way. When convictions are lacking we take the safe way. When convictions are lacking we do what everyone else is doing. There are expressions, such as, “Going with the flow,” that define this thoughtless, faithless ‘dog eat dog’ world that many are stuck in. Not princes. They do the noble thing. They often do the hard thing. They are governed by not feelings but faith. They are controlled not by impulses of the moment, but by Christ. It radiates all through their life. They stick with the plan. They stick with the budget. They stick with what they know. Temptation knocks, but they don’t answer. People try to side track them, but they stay the course. They are determined and directed. They cannot be bought off by

Satan, nor nudged off by family or friends. They are riding, not walking. Servants, like animals, are governed by feelings, appetites and impulses. They spend without thinking and then get into all kinds of trouble. They say things without thinking and get into all kinds of trouble. They do not think about consequences. They are easily led by friends to do things that they know are wrong, but they lack convictions. They can’t say no. They feel pulled, pushed and used. And they are. They are going no where and have nothing. Misery, problems, and messes seem to define the life of servants. It doesn’t have to be that way, but they don’t want to do what it takes to change. They want to ride like princes, but they don’t want to say no. They want to ride but they can’t commit to Jesus. They want to live like a sinner and die like a saint. Won’t happen. Never happens. Princes ride, servants walk.

 

How about you? Are you riding or walking? Has Christ changed you from the inside out? Are you different than what you once were? Riding or walking…

 

Roger

 

27

Jump Start # 1175

Posted on August 27, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

         

Jump Start # 1175

Leviticus 10:3 “Then Moses said to Aaron, “It is what the Lord spoke, saying, ‘By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be honored.’ So Aaron, therefore, kept silent.”

 

This week in our Jump Starts we are looking at unique phrases in our Bible. There are layers of lessons to be seen in these wonderful expressions. Recently in different programs on TV I have heard Biblical expressions such as, “Can a leopard change it’s spots?” The shows were not religious. These great lines from the Bible are classic and they find their ways into everyday life.

 

Our verse today comes from one of the tragic pages in the Bible. It is a sad and dark story. Aaron, Moses’ brother, and first high priest of Israel, had two sons that served as priests. In a sacrifice to God they used a different fire, not one that was authorized. The text states that they used “Strange fire,” “which the Lord had not commanded.” Immediately, fire consumed them and they died. They died in punishment from God. This wasn’t a freak accident. God killed them. Their desire to change things resulted in their quick and instant death. It didn’t matter that they were Aaron’s sons. It didn’t matter that they only did this one time. They did not respect God nor His word. They did not treat God as holy. Their death was shocking.

 

Our verse follows immediately. It is the first thing uttered after their deaths. Moses speaks to his brother. Moses didn’t try to explain away what happened. He didn’t try to soften the damage or the wrong that the two sons did. He reminded Aaron what God had spoken. God will be treated as holy. The two sons didn’t do that.

 

The expression that is intriguing is “So Aaron, therefore, kept silent.” The King James states this, “And Aaron held his peace.” Aaron didn’t say anything. His sons just died. They died suddenly and very tragically. God was the reason they died. Aaron held his peace. Far too many, maybe even me in that moment, would have said something, anything to God. Some would have shouted in anger at God. Some may have even cursed God. Some may have walked away from God and never returned. Aaron held his peace.

 

There are some lessons for us.

 

First, sometimes we talk too much. There are times we ought to hold our peace. There is a time to be silent. Solomon said that in Ecclesiastes. There is a time to speak and a time to be silent. For too many of us, the only time we are silent is when we are asleep. It’s good to hold our peace when someone is pouring their heart out to us. It is important to hold your peace when someone is correcting you. You need to hear what they are saying. There are places that we would do well to hold our peace, such as the funeral home. Some feel compelled to say something and too often it’s the wrong thing. A hug goes a lot further than any of our words will. The Psalmist declared, “Be still and know that I am God.” Some translate that as “Cease striving and know that I am God.” I tend to think it’s more like, “Hush and know that I am God.” We talk so much that we don’t recognize God’s voice. We are surrounded by noise all the time. I was sitting on my deck the other night and the cicadas were preforming a delightful musical score that must have been Heaven sent. I just listened. No cars. No airplanes. No TV. No noise. Just me and God’s musicians. It was very relaxing. Aaron held his peace.

 

Second, Aaron held his peace because he knew that his sons were wrong. There was no Ferguson riots taking place here. His sons were guilty. No excuses. No justifications. Maybe Aaron felt some of the blame himself. Maybe he hadn’t taught them the way he should have. Maybe he found fault in his own heart. When we defend the guilty, we show disrespect for God and His word. We don’t help people when we stand behind them when they are wrong. No, stand with God. Stand behind God.

 

Third, Aaron held his peace because he knew you can’t fight God and win. God is right. God is holy. Those that toss the Bible out to defend wrong actions are fighting a losing cause. Sure they may win in the courts and in popular consent, but they will lose with God. You can’t fight God and win. There was nothing to be said. The boys were wrong. God was right. Aaron held his peace.

 

Fourth, Aaron held his peace because he loved the Lord. The worship of God is to be holy and reverent. It needs to be offered in the deepest respect. A causal, flippant attitude isn’t fitting for God. Aaron knew. He was the first to offer sacrifice to God. He knew how important it was to be clean and to do things in God’s way. The love for the Lord will compel a person to do things God’s way. The religious community has lost that today. Church isn’t church any longer. It’s a school…it’s a place to eat…it’s a place to play sports…it’s a movie night…it’s a comedy club—it’s become many things. And in all that changing, it’s lost the sense of reverence for God and His word. Aaron held his peace. His boys were trying something new. Younger folks are always interested in NEW. New music. New fashions. New looks. New stuff. And in this case, new worship. Different. Strange. Unique. They didn’t get that from a deep study of God’s word. No, it came from somewhere else. That’s where most worship changes come from, not the Bible but from somewhere else. Aaron knew. He held his peace. He lost two boys that day because they loved change more than they loved the Lord. They didn’t think that it mattered. It did. They were reckless in their thinking. God ended it. Hard and fast. He wasn’t going to have another generation of rebels. This lesson is repeated over and over throughout the Old Testament. God’s people stopped listening to His Word and introduced idols. Again and again they would be punished. Aaron held his peace. He loved the Lord.

 

We do well to learn from Aaron in this passage. I’ve seen parents rush off to the school or the church, child in arm, and anger in their eyes, because someone dared to call down their little angel. They will defend the child all the way to the jail house. I’ve seen whole families leave a congregation because they would rather stand with a rebel in their family than stand with the people of God who are trying to do what the Bible says.  God or family…Aaron held his peace. He didn’t complain. He didn’t say something that he would later regret. He held his peace. We do not help our family members when we defend them when they are wrong. We do not help them when we become co-dependents or enablers to their bad choices in life. Sometimes a trip to the pig pen, like the prodigal, will open the eyes of those who are wrong. The road home will never be traveled as long as we support, defend and help those that are wrong. Aaron held his peace.

 

What a great statement that is. There are so many applications. I hope this gives you some things to think about.

 

Roger

26

Jump Start # 1174

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1174

Acts 8:38 “And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him.”

  There are many interesting and compelling phrases in the Bible. Noticing the language opens windows to a world of wonderful insights and intriguing lessons. Reading the Bible too rapidly will cause a person to miss these beautiful expressions. Yesterday’s Jump Start was one illustration. Pharaoh decided the plague of frogs  ought to end. He was asked when he wanted that done. He said, “Tomorrow.” Tomorrow meant one more night with the frogs. What a profound thought and lesson.

 

Our verse today is another wonderful example. The account is Philip’s preaching to the Ethiopian treasurer. We more readily know him as the eunuch. That wasn’t his name. That’s what he was. He was handicapped. This may have been done since he was the treasurer of the queen. This would allow a level of security around her. He could not abuse her sexually being a eunuch.

 

He was on his way back to Ethiopia. He had been in Jerusalem to worship. It was a long, long journey back home. He had a private copy of Isaiah, which would have been a series of scrolls. The fact that he was in the possession of this illustrates his great position and wealth. I doubt that Philip had a copy. Most were housed in synagogues. This man had his own copy. What a blessing and treasure to have your own copy. We can’t appreciate that. We have Bibles everywhere. His copy would have been hand written Hebrew on sheepskin.

 

God had plans for this Ethiopian. Philip was in Samaria preaching up a storm. Great things were happening. God pulled Philp away from Samaria to go find the Ethiopian on his way back home. We forget sometimes that God is just as interested in the one as He is in the multitudes.

 

Philip finds the Ethiopian reading Isaiah. Was this the first time he had ever read Isaiah? Did he just purchase these scrolls? Had he been reading the entire journey? Philip asked a great question, one that we can use and ask today. “Do you understand what you are reading?” The eunuch was chewing on a passage that prophesied the death of Jesus. He didn’t understand. Philip began with the passage and connected him to Jesus. From the context, as they are discussing and reading, they are traveling down the road in the chariot. I wonder if Philip thought he was going to end up in Ethiopia? As he taught Jesus, the subject of baptism came up. It should always come up when we talk about Jesus. Jesus wants all to be baptized. The apostles preached that message everywhere. They passed some water. The eunuch asked if he could be baptized. Right then, right there.

 

Now our verse and our wonderful expression. “He ordered the chariot to stop.”  They were moving, but now they stopped. He wanted to be baptized. He wanted to be baptized right then and right there. He wanted to be baptized now.

 

Why? Why the urgency? Why with no one there other than servants? Why not wait until family can witness? Why not wait until he’s back in Ethiopia? Why now?

 

He knew. The Bible teaches. It’s rather obvious. It’s right there. Baptism is how we contact the blood of Jesus. Baptism washes away sins. Baptism is necessary for salvation. Without baptism, he wasn’t saved. Sure he believed. He was reading Isaiah and asking questions. Sure he loved God. He was coming home from worship. But those things alone are not enough. He had to be baptized. He must be baptized.

 

If a person is saved just by faith and only faith—then there was no need to stop the chariot. Keep on going. If a person is saved by saying a prayer, any prayer, then keep the chariot rolling. If a person is saved by making promises, he could have done that in a moving chariot. But that’s not how the Bible shows a person is saved. There is something else. There is that water. There is baptism. He understood. He ordered the chariot to stop. He wanted to be baptized to obey His God. He wanted to be adopted into God’s family. He wanted the forgiveness of his sins. Stop the chariot. He and Philip got into the water. This wasn’t a sprinkling. The word “baptism” means immersion. It is to plunge, dip, immerse. It’s the word that would be used to wash clothes. You don’t pour some water on dirty clothes. You stick them in the washer and it fills with water and the clothes are immersed in water. Years ago, pioneer folks would head to the river to wash their clothes. Into the water the clothes would go to get cleaned. Into the water the Ethiopian went to get cleansed.

 

Now, some will protest saying, this sounds like salvation by works. It isn’t. It isn’t even close. We’d never come up with the idea of baptism in a zillion lifetimes. This is God’s idea and not ours. Can a person be saved without believing? No. We don’t protest that faith is works. Can a person be saved if he doesn’t change? The Bible word is repent. Again the answer is no. Jesus said if we do not repent we will perish. That’s not considered work. Yet, baptism is by some. Very odd. The hope is not in the water, it’s in Jesus. It’s not the water that saves, it’s Jesus. Had the Lord said learn a foreign language to go to Heaven, we’d buy the books and start practicing. Had the Lord said climb a mountain to go to Heaven, we’d get some ropes and start practicing on climbing walls. We’d get there. Had the Lord said obey Me, we’d get about obeying Him. So when He did say be baptized, guess what? The chariots stop. The Ethiopian got out and was baptized. Just like that. This isn’t hard. This is what Peter said in Acts 2. This is the same message over and over in the N.T.

 

He ordered the chariot to stop. That’s a great expression. There comes a time when the spiritual light bulbs come on in our heads and we must stop the chariot. We realize an attitude is wrong. We get it that we haven’t forgiven someone. We learn that we are selfish. Those moments when truth comes alive, when that sword of God’s word cuts us, it is then that we order the chariots to stop. It’s time to turn things around. It’s time to do what God says.

 

What a great moment in our Bibles. He saw. He stopped. He did. How about you? Are you fighting God? Are there some things you know? Is it time to stop the chariot and do what God wants you to do? Could it be that you need to be baptized? Could it be that you need to stop that secret sin? Could it be that you need to be serious about your marriage? Or finances? Or your raising of your children? Or worship?

 

He stopped the chariot. He obeyed God. And we are given this passage and this example. And for that, I am thankful!

 

Roger

 

 

25

Jump Start # 1173

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1173

Exodus 8:10 “Then he said, ‘Tomorrow.’ So he said, ‘May it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God.”

  I talked about this verse in a sermon last evening. It is one of those things that stays with us. It’s just hard to grasp and harder yet to understand what prompted this reply. Let me fill in some details.

 

Our verse is a conversation between Moses and Pharaoh. The stubborn Egyptian ruler refused to grant freedom to Israel. Through Moses, God was sending a series of plagues—each one with massive and destructive consequences. Each one a direct hit against a known Egyptian god. Each one left Pharaoh in a position that he was incapable of doing anything to prevent it. These plagues made Pharaoh seem weak and they humiliated him before his people.

 

Exodus eight begins with the plague of frogs. Frogs everywhere. The Egyptians had many images of a man with a frog head. It was one of their gods. God flooded Egypt with frogs. In the palace, in the bedrooms, in the ovens—everywhere. Creepy, croaky frogs. They would step on them and get frog goo between their toes. There would be frogs in their clothing. The frogs would bother the animals. The children would scream. At night, they would croak and croak and no one would get sleep. The stench of dead frogs would fill the air. Life was miserable with frogs from Heaven.

 

Finally, Pharaoh had enough. Moses was called in. Moses told Pharaoh that the frogs would stop coming whenever he said the word. This is where our verse comes in. Pharaoh said, “TOMORROW.” Tomorrow. Unbelievable. Why not NOW? Why not TODAY? Instead, tomorrow. That meant another night with frogs. Another sleepless night. Another annoying night. Another night which you can’t hardly eat. Another night which frogs are jumping and scaring you and the children. Another night of stepping on frogs. ANOTHER NIGHT? It didn’t have to be another night. He could have said stop them now.

 

Another night. We walk in the same steps when we put off doing what we know we should. We ought to stop the complaining. We ought to stop the judging. We ought to stop the gossip. We ought to stop the indifference. We ought to stop the drinking. We ought to stop the affair. We now we should. We know that we will. Tomorrow, we will do it. Not now, but tomorrow.

 

Another night of misery. Another night of wrong. Another night away from God. Another night of selfishness. Tomorrow always sound wonderful. But there comes a point when we must do things NOW. The prodigal, when he came to his senses, didn’t think, let me stay one more night with the pigs, he came home. Why be miserable? Why stay away from God?

 

It beats all reason why Pharaoh said tomorrow. Maybe it was a power thing. Maybe he wanted to flex his position a bit more. Maybe he wanted Moses to think this wasn’t so bad. It was. Another miserable night with frogs.

 

How about you? Isn’t it time to leave the frogs and come back to God? Isn’t it time to do what you know you ought to do? Isn’t it time to reach out and forgive? Isn’t it time to stop the wrong and come back to God? Isn’t it time?

 

Tomorrow—some day there won’t be a tomorrow. I expect Mr. Pharaoh got an earful that night from his family as they had to deal with frogs one more time. It wasn’t necessary. It was his choice. And what a bad choice that was.

 

Now or tomorrow?

 

Roger