For Better or Worse
"The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, 'You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day.' When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, and they said, 'May the Lord look upon you and judge you! You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.'" Ex. 5:19-21
On more than one occasion in my life, as a child and as an adult, I've made every effort to do exactly what I was supposed to do only to find myself experiencing negative consequences. I expected affirmation. I received criticism. I anticipated forward progress only to experience crash and burn. "What is this all about!?", I asked myself. I was following the directions, sticking to the plan and then ... Wham!
The verses today reveal Moses and Aaron standing in those same pair of shoes. They told Pharaoh exactly what God told them to say. They performed the miraculous signs for the people according to God's instructions. They obeyed God at every point and yet, the situation just got worse. Maddening! God addressed Moses' frustrations with two comments. Paraphrased ... "You haven't seen anything yet" and "I've got this." Moses chose to stay on track with God and the nation of Israel was soon delivered with unprecedented displays of power.
A time is coming or is already upon us when we're going to be flat on our back, looking up at the sky, nose bloodied, asking ourselves, "What was that all about?" Good intentions, good attitudes, good words, good actions will not always equal good outcomes. It will be in those moments when we are tested, just like Moses ... just like Jesus. The cross looked like a bad ending for someone who did everything God the Father told him to do. Three days later though, you can almost hear his words coming from the pages, "You haven't seen anything yet."
Grace and Peace,
Tom
On more than one occasion in my life, as a child and as an adult, I've made every effort to do exactly what I was supposed to do only to find myself experiencing negative consequences. I expected affirmation. I received criticism. I anticipated forward progress only to experience crash and burn. "What is this all about!?", I asked myself. I was following the directions, sticking to the plan and then ... Wham!
The verses today reveal Moses and Aaron standing in those same pair of shoes. They told Pharaoh exactly what God told them to say. They performed the miraculous signs for the people according to God's instructions. They obeyed God at every point and yet, the situation just got worse. Maddening! God addressed Moses' frustrations with two comments. Paraphrased ... "You haven't seen anything yet" and "I've got this." Moses chose to stay on track with God and the nation of Israel was soon delivered with unprecedented displays of power.
A time is coming or is already upon us when we're going to be flat on our back, looking up at the sky, nose bloodied, asking ourselves, "What was that all about?" Good intentions, good attitudes, good words, good actions will not always equal good outcomes. It will be in those moments when we are tested, just like Moses ... just like Jesus. The cross looked like a bad ending for someone who did everything God the Father told him to do. Three days later though, you can almost hear his words coming from the pages, "You haven't seen anything yet."
Grace and Peace,
Tom
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