February 25, 2013

I was to be on the road to Columbia today to present the case for our Wesley UMC grant request for college aged ministry, but that has been postponed due to predicted heavy snow across the state. We are expecting to get an inch or two beginning with rain around noon today. Now I have this regular day off, or Pastor's sabbath in which to rest, relax and get ready for the week. I will finish up getting the guest room ready after we painted it last week, and I will do some reading and writing, along with exercise. We are looking forward to our son David, and his wife Danelle coming to visit this weekend.

In Exodus 5-6 Moses visits Pharaoh with a request to let his people go, and the ruler responds with an edict to make the Israelites find their own straw and keep the brick quota where it was. This results in much hardship for the slaves, and their appeal for relief is rejected. Moses prays and asks God why their lives got harder as a result of his obedience. As I follow God's leading, I must realize that obedience to His will does not always result in easier, but sometimes results in a harder life.

In an article related to these chapters, the Chronological Life Application Study Bible has a note about the great pyramids in Egypt. It says that they were built between 2700 and 2200 BC, almost 1000 years before the Israelites arrived in Egypt. This dispels the suggestion that the Israelites as slaves had a hand in building the pyramids. They remain as true marvels of human ingenuity and achievement. It is very interesting to ponder antiquity and the lives people lived so long ago. The Bible sheds light on human history, and there is so much more history beyond the scope covered by the pages of Holy Scripture. For me, one side affect of reading the Bible is an increased awareness of the last 3500 years of history, especially as it relates to the Middle East.

Guide me today, most holy Lord as I navigate this day with all its opportunities and challenges