Exodus

What is that in your hand?

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When God calls Moses to be his emissary to Egypt, Moses knows how completely unqualified he is for the job. God responds and asks Moses, “What is that in your hand?”

God doesn’t call us to serve him after we’ve got everything perfectly in place; he calls us and gives us the tools we need, which are usually right in front of us. The secret lies in receiving God’s call with open hands instead of with clenched fists.

God on Trial

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In this third of three consecutive stories, God leads the Israelites further into the wilderness, they find themselves without water, they complain to God, and he provides water.

It sounds familiar, but now the Israelites are really fed up. So, in effect, they put God on trial, accusing, convicting, and sentencing him.

How does God respond when his people put him in the defendant’s seat?

Give Us This Day Tomorrow's Bread

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Why would God lead his people to the desert where they have no food? That’s what the Israelites are asking in Exodus 16. When we find ourselves in the Wilderness, we often ask the same question.

“Why have you brought me here, God?”

“Are you still even there?”

This morning, as we look for God in the Wilderness, we see that God is not only present, but his mercy is over the top.

Bitter Mercy

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As the parched Israelites get to a desert spring so bitter they can’t drink it, they assume God is cruel, not merciful. Yet this water is the greatest mercy imaginable.

Today, with the benefit of hindsight, we realize God’s mercy is sometimes so lavish that it’s beyond our understanding and even offensive. Will you allow God’s sweet mercy to overcome the bitter taste in your mouth?