Tag: faith

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Do you need some help?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Image by freestocks-photos from Pixabay

A “through the bible devotion” from Exodus 17 and 18.

It was so easy to do too much. I remember too many “perfect storm” Sunday mornings when not only was I preaching, but also opening up the church, playing guitar to lead contemporary worship, teaching a Sunday School class, and taking out a bag of garbage someone forgot to put in the dumpster. It too me a while to learn that if I spread myself too thin, I really wasn’t doing anything well.

I’ve learned to always answer, “Yes,” when asked, “Do you need help?” I don’t need to be independent and self-sufficient. I used to hate group projects. Now I’d much rather be part of a team.

Moses had to learn this lesson, too. He needed help holding up his hands so Israel could defeat the Amalekites (Exodus 17:8-13). He needed help settling endless disputes among the people (Exodus 18). He couldn’t – and didn’t have to – handle all the responsibility of leading a nation.

I guess it’s pride that makes us think we have to do it all and do it alone. A more honest word might be conceit. And if we’re honest, it’s idolatry.

Thank God for all those who are there to help!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Tap water

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Swanky Fella on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Exodus 15.

“I fill my cup with tap water.”

To me, that seemed like a benign comment. However, I’ll bet I offended those in the car with me. Everyone had brought along their favorite bottled water. One passenger suggested we stop to buy a six-pack of water with added electrolytes. There was a moment of silence when I threw out, “I filled up my cup with tap water.”

It’s not quiet when the grandchildren get thirsty. They demand, “Where’s my drink?” And if we do not provide water at the right temperature in the right container, they turn up the volume, “Where’s my drink?”

I never did that. It’s a generational thing. If I had said that to my parents, in our non-air-conditioned, AM radio, crank down the windows by hand, bump-in-the-middle-seat station wagon, my parents would have threatened corporal punishment.

I chuckle when I read about the nation of Israel’s thirst in the wilderness. It’s been three days since God parted the Red Sea for them so they could escape the Egyptian armies. But it’s been three days since they’ve found any drinkable water. “What are we going to drink, Moses?” (Exodus 15:24)

I’m thinking, “Oh, boy. You’re going to get it now.” But God provides drinkable water. He’s a lot more patient and slow to anger than I am.

I take my water for granted. Too many people in this world do not have drinkable water. When I Googled this, I learned that twenty-five percent of people on planet Earth do not have access to clean water. I don’t even think about it, so I rarely thank God for the gift of water.

But I should be grateful every morning when I get up and drink a glass of water, start up the coffee maker, wash my face, and flush the toilet. It’s all a gift of God.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

We’re number one!

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the bible” devotion from Exodus 15.

I got my first taste of marching band in seventh grade. Most of us had two years of instrument lessons and elementary band experience when we took the field for the fall football season. The first thing we learned was how to march “eight to five” (eight steps for every five yards). Second, we learned the school fight song, which I later learned was the Notre Dame fight song. Pretty much every junior high marching band adopted that fight song for their own. Those who didn’t used “On Wisconsin.”

The first song in the bible is a fight song (Exodus 15:1-18), sung by Moses and the people of Israel after God routs the Egyptians in the Red Sea (Exodus 14). As I read it, I hear shouts of victory and proclamations of “We’re number one!”

While fans exhibit religious devotion for a favorite sports team, few worshipers want church to sound like a football game. Having said that, churches do sing about our powerful God and victory over the opposition. The crowds celebrated Saul’s and David’s military victories with songs (1 Samuel 18:7). I always imagine that scene to be like a stadium full of soccer fans, chanting and waving huge flags. Later, David sings about offering up sacrifices with shouts of joy (Psalm 27). Even God, a victorious warrior, rejoices over his people with shouts of joy (Zephaniah 3:17).

We’ve toned it down for most of our worship services. But no one can turn down the volume when every creature in heaven and on earth praises the Lord (Revelation 5:11-14)!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

He just won’t give up

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Nikhil Manan on pexels

A “through the bible” devotion from Exodus 7-10.

How stubborn are you? When do you finally give in? What does it take for you to admit you’re wrong, to say, “I’m sorry,” or admit, “It was my fault”?

It’s hard to find someone more stubborn than the Pharaoh of Egypt in Exodus. Imagine what life was like. The water is bloody, the smell of dead frogs is everywhere, you’re crops are decimated, the itching never stops, and you can’t escape the swarms of bugs. But Pharaoh still won’t let the people of Israel go.

But guess who is more stubborn? God. He won’t give up. He keeps forgiving, healing, and giving his people another chance. They don’t follow his instructions. They don’t like the way he does things. They really don’t trust him. Yet God still loves them, provides for them, leads them, and stays with them.

It’s good to personalize this truth. I’m not obedient. I question God’s ways. I give into my fears rather than trusting him. And yet his love, his provision, his protection, and his presence are the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Talk about stubborn.

I once had a friend ask me, “Did you tell someone I was stubborn?”

I answered, “Yes. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It means you hold on to your convictions. Few people are like that.”

You’ll never outlast God. His love endures forever. You might as well give in.

Posted in Devotions, prayer

Keep the conversation going

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Exodus 8.

You know how it goes. Once you start feeling better, you stop taking the medicine, right? Yeah, that’s not now it’s supposed to go. You’re supposed to take all the antibiotics the doctor prescribed. You have to keep taking blood pressure medication daily for the rest of your life. It’s hardly ever a one and done.

Once we get into the plagues God sends to show his power to both Israel and Egypt, we get into that same kind of pattern. The plague hits, Pharaoh says you can go, the plague stops, and “when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said” (Exodus 8:15). It happens again and again and again.

Of course we are good pray-ers when it’s hard or when it hurts or when we’re scared. Not so much when we feel better or the storm has passed or we’ve arrived safely at our destination. Yeah, that’s not how it’s supposed to go. My good day prayers are just as important as my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day prayers.

Over time, God’s people developed prayers for the beginnings, endings, and in-betweens of every day. These prayers kept a divine conversation going throughout the day, rather than only kneeling for a need or in a crisis. In a world teeming with distraction, they pull us back into the relationship that matters the most, the one we have with our Creator, Savior, and Helper.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Anyone can do that

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the bible” devotion from Exodus 7.

We can do so much.

Doctors, surgeons, hospitals and medicine can cure diseases. Infertile couples conceive in vitro. We grow meat in labs, view atoms in microscopes, travel in space, light up dark rooms, and fly through the skies. I can have anything I want delivered to my home by tomorrow.

So what do we need God for?

Pharaoh’s sorcerers and soothsayer priests can do all the tricks Moses can. They can turn a staff into a serpent, make a hand leprous, and turn water into blood (Exodus 7:11,22). So Pharaoh isn’t concerned about Moses’s God at all (Exodus 7:23).

I think it’s interesting that so many pursue power, knowledge, influence, and adoration. In other words, we try to be gods. We try to be what we think a god ought to be.

The truth is, other than doing a few tricks, we don’t know much about being gods. What’s God like? The only way to find out is to get to know Jesus. In Jesus, God became like us so that we wouldn’t settle for cheap imitations, but the real thing.

What kind of a god is Jesus? Merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. Instead of a few science fair projects, try being like that.

That’s right, no one comes close.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Hardened and softened

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Felicity Tai on pexels.com

A “through the bible” devotion from Exodus 4.

Some recipes call for softened butter. Others need butter that has been hardened in the freezer. It just depends.

Moses’ initial assignment is to go to Pharaoh, perform miracles, and tell him to release the Israelites from bondage. Then God tells Moses, “I will harden [Pharaoh’s] heart, so that he will not let the people go” (Exodus 4:21).

It’s not a big deal to harden someone’s heart. It doesn’t take divine power or authority. Push back comes naturally. That’s just the way we are. I don’t think I’m rebellious, but I don’t want someone telling me what to do.

When Jesus says, “Love your enemy,” “Pray for those who persecute you,” and “Forgive” over and over, my first reaction is, “Yeah, I’m not going to do that.” Isn’t that a hardened heart?

The real miracle is when God gets through and changes a heart. His promise to Ezekiel is, “I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).

Do you know what softens a heart? It’s when Jesus says, “You’re forgiven,” “I don’t condemn you,” or gives me yet another chance. That’s what grace does. It melts away our guilt, shame, and fear, opening us up to his love.

I think it’s interesting that God can use a hard heart or one that’s been thawed to accomplish his purposes.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Excuses, excuses, excuses

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by MART PRODUCTION on pexels.com

A “through the bible” devotion from Exodus 3 and 4.

Everyone needs a collection of excuses.

  • I didn’t know.
  • No one told me.
  • I forgot.
  • It wasn’t me.
  • It wasn’t my fault.
  • I didn’t get the message.
  • My phone was dead.
  • I thought it was at a different time.
  • Someone took it.
  • My dog ate it.
  • My mom didn’t wake me up.
  • Everyone else was doing it.

It’s fun to make a list of excuses you can use when you’ve messed up, forgot to do something, or don’t want to do something. Take a moment and add another twelve or so to my list. You’ll be more than equipped to handle anyone’s demands and expectations.

You’ve got to hand it to Moses. He’s got the guts to offer up excuses to the Almighty God.

“Who am I?” I’m don’t have the resume or experience to bring Israel out of Egypt.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be there with you.”

“What if they ask me your name? I don’t even know your name.”

“I am who I am.” Just call me, “I am.” (Yahweh)

“What if no one will believe me or listen to me?”

Just wait till your staff turns into a snake. Or you hand becomes leprous. They’ll believe you.

“I’m not eloquent.”

I know. I made you, complete with mouth, ears, and eyes. I know what you can do.

It’s kind of like a reverse interview. Moses is trying to convince God to not hire him. Too bad, Moses. I mean, “Congratulations! You’ve got the job!”

Posted in Devotions, neighbor, neighborhood, Through the Bible Devotions

The new neighbor

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the bible” devotion from Genesis 34 and 35.

We try to be good neighbors. You know, friendly, keep an eye on each other’s houses, keep the yard looking nice, and pick up trash. Smile.

Most of our neighbors are like that. But not all. Some yards are kind of trashy. Some throw garbage into vacant lots. Some don’t seem to know how to smile. a few are kind of scary looking.

Jacob’s neighbors weren’t fond of him when he brought his family back to Canaan. After Simeon and Levi avenged the abuse of their sister Dinah, Jacob feared attacks from the locals (34:30). But the locals were afraid of them and avoided them (Genesis 35:5).

I guess that’s ok. But I’d rather the neighbors bring me a plate of cookies. I’d want to introduce myself (and my dogs) and get to know them (and their dogs). Let’s exchange smiles rather than scowls.

If kid’s won’t even knock on your door at Halloween, you might want to give a wave or crack a smile once in a while.