Thursday, May 27, 2010

Morning Devotions: 4/5/10

Exodus chapter 13

When's the last time you set out on an adventure to someplace you've never been before?
Who were your travelling companions?

Adventures to foreign places offer a host of intrigue and excitement. It might be a vacation, or just a day-trip, but whatever the case an adventure is usually an event in which we would we prefer to have a companion or two. When discovering new places, we want to create new memories that we'll share with others, and remember with our travelling companions for years to come. There is also an added sense of security to exploring new places with someone else. Being alone in a strange place can be a bit threatening. By travelling with loved ones we actually find the freedom to explore a bit further because we feel a bit more secure.

God has just freed Israel from slavery in Egypt. They had been held captive in Egypt for more than 400 years. Even though their faith in God is informed by the promise of a land that is their own, they have never travelled outside of Egypt. Now they set off on an adventure to a very foreign place. But, they have one very important travelling companion, God. After witnessing the miracles that God did to free them, they are beginning to realize that God has been with them for a long time, as matter of fact they are beginning to believe that God was always there with them. Now, with Moses as intercessor, God is communicating to the Israelites that he intends to lead them into a very grand adventure that will end in the promised land. God did not only free His people. He now travels with them. God is their traveling companion, and he knows the way to the promised land.

Life can be an adventure. Too often we remain enslaved to the sinful tendencies of treating life as if it is only worth the work we do and the money we make. This kind of lifestyle isolates us by fear from exploring and enjoying all that God puts before us to appreciate and share. God offers His Son's forgiveness to free us from the sins of spending our lives on things that are not eternal, so that we can explore the things which are; love, charity, creativity, peace, joy etc. Life becomes an adventure when we allow Jesus to free us from our sinful lifestyles of slavery, and we begin to appreciate the travelling companions we have on the adventure of life. Spending quality time with loved ones can be an extraordinary adventure, especially if its something you haven't done in a long time. If you already spend good quality time with your loved ones, then try planning something creative, something adventurous.

We are all on an adventure. It leads us through all sorts of peaks and valleys of life. Along the way, we need companions with which to share it. God provides us with loved ones, and then He frees us from our sins by the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is his innocent death that helps us realize that life is precious, and that sin only destroys it and cuts it short of it's Godly intended purpose. The resurrection promises us forgiveness, and gives to us the power to try again. We get a re-do with God. This means we can give ourselves and the ones we love a re-do as well. As long as we have breath in this life, we have a travelling companion in God who continues to put opportunities for a new life adventure before us. Even more, God promises to travel with us our guide.

You have a travelling companion in God. He loves you and will never leave you no matter what you face in life.Who are your other travelling companions? Consider making today the beginning of a new adventure, one in which you will find new ways to enjoy and appreciate your loved ones.

Lord God, thank you for the adventure of life. Thank you for the companions you have given me to enjoy through life. Be my travelling companion and keep me heading in the direction that leads to the fulfillment of your promised land; your intended purpose for my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Pastor Rich

Pastor Rich