Wrath

Wrath- this is a difficult concept to wrap our  brains around, but is is essential for us to truly see God's beauty surrounding us in His abundant grace and mercy in our lives. God goes further than just sparing us from His wrath,  He sits on high waiting to have compassion for us. 

Isaiah 30:18 NASB

Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.

Day 88: Wrath- What is it?

Romans 1:18-20

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

         Wrath- probably the least understood attribute of God. God’s wrath is a deliberate action chosen by God that is His full emotion, righteousness, and justice measurably executed towards His creation. He is calculated in how He executes His wrath against humanity and what He allows us to experience. In this next section of devotions, it may seem counterintuitive to focus on God’s wrath to understand beauty, but it isn’t. Understanding the nature of God is essential in our understanding of how and what we are saved from.

         Think about it for a minute. What are you saved from? Go ahead, jot down some answers, I’ll wait.

         Now, if you are honest with yourself, some of you just skipped down to this section and kept reading, others probably paused and thought for a moment or even wrote something like this down…

         God saves me from my sins… My humanity… myself…

         This is where the hard part comes in about where we are going in the next three weeks through scripture. Unfortunately, due to many factors, we have missed the whole point of God’s Word. If we needed saving from ourselves, we would be minimizing God’s authority and power. Honestly, while sin is the evidence of our need to be saved, it is not necessarily what we are saved from, we are saved from God’s WRATH as a punishment for our sin. This is a very different concept than God saving us from our sin. He offers us a way out of sin; therefore, it is ultimately our choice not to sin.

         We have no excuse when it comes to God and His wrath. Our very nature as humans is corrupt, but we also have a sense of morality hard wired into our essences. We know what is right and we know what is wrong in this world, it is our job to pursue the Creator and seek Him. When we seek Him with our whole hearts, we will find Him, thus saving our souls from eternal Wrath of God.

Dear Wrathful Father,

         Thank You for providing in me a spirit of humility to approach You. You are a gracious Father who knows how to deal with me appropriately. You wield strength and authority over my life and I want to fully submit to Your authority. Lord, You save me from Your Wrath and righteousness because of my sin nature. Then Father, You help perfect me by writing Your word upon my heart and offering me ways out of temptation. Thank You for making Yourself so clear to me over the past few weeks in seeking Your beauty through refinement. Now Lord, help me learn Your nature and aspects of You that I am unfamiliar with to know You more. Thank You for Your wrath being poured out on Jesus at the cross, that He bore the weight of Your wrath for me, all because of Your great Love for us. You give us a choice to choose You or our own wickedness. Please help us choose Your will! I love You Jesus. Amen.

Day 89: Wrath

John 3:36

'The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”'

         This scripture explicitly tells us what we are being saved from, God’s wrath. When we do not know Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, God’s Wrath rests upon us. It is really that simple. Apart from Jesus’ covering through His sacrifice on the cross, our acceptance of His gift of grace through professing Jesus as Lord of our life before all men and living a lifestyle that is pursuant of Jesus’ calling on your life, you will ALWAYS be under God’s Wrath. This is where understanding God’s wrath becomes of upmost importance.

         Wrath is generally defined as extreme anger, but this is according to our humanity. God’s wrath is a righteous indignation and displeasure for all that is sinful and evil. It is radically different from human anger which tends to be impulsive and unfair. God’s wrath is applicable to certain situations where God’s judgement and punishment is executed upon anything He considers unholy or unrighteous. There are numerous examples of God’s wrath on display throughout all the scriptures.

         Here are a few stories we will review in the upcoming days to illustrate what God is saving us from: The Flood in Genesis 6-9, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19, the plagues of Egypt in Exodus 7-12, the wrath of fire and the Plague of Quail in Numbers 11, the plague on the Israelites for idolatry in Exodus 32, the rebellion of Korah and his associates in Numbers 16, the death of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, and the defeat of the Amorites in Joshua 10, King Herod Agrippa I suffered God's judgment for accepting divine adoration, and the Book of Revelation details God's final judgments in the seven seals, trumpets, and bowls that bring devastation and divine retribution.

         God’s wrath is what Jesus died to save us from, otherwise, just being saved from ourselves is not applicable in the context of why Jesus had to die on the cross for our sins. Our sin nature is the cause of wrath, not wrath being the cause of sin… Causality is very important to maintain a biblically accurate understanding of the nature of God. When we have an accurate view of God and His grace and mercy and what we are being saved from; we begin to see the significant beauty surrounding every situation! We must obey Jesus’s callings upon our lives and live with God in such a way that we can understand His will for us is to accept Jesus and spend eternity with Him, He just wants us to choose Him.

Dear Wrathful Father,

         Thank You for another morning in Your word considering the works of Your righteousness. You have blessed me with understanding and clarity as to what we are saved from. We are not saved from ourselves, but we are saved from Your judgement and condemnation. We are promised through Jesus that You will save us if we choose to believe in You Father. Thank You for the forgiveness You have offered to every one of us. May we return praise and adoration to You; for You are worthy and faithful in our lives to save us and subsequently bless us in Your house. I love You Jesus. Amen.

Day 90: The Flood

Genesis 6:5-8 NASB

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of mankind was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. So the Lord was sorry that He had made mankind on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. Then the Lord said, “I will wipe out mankind whom I have created from the face of the land; mankind, and animals as well, and crawling things, and the birds of the sky. For I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

         God’s wrath is a consequence of wickedness in this life. Scripture says here that God is grieved over the thoughts of their hearts being evil all the time. In past devotions we have discuss how God gives us a new heart when we come to Him, one which we are to write God’s word on. This indicates to us that our hearts are the beliefs that drive us into action. This idea is further illustrated in this scripture. The wickedness of mankind was bad enough that God wanted to destroy it.

         The nature of God here is not one of anger, but of measured emotions. God is grieved and full of sorrow in His heart. He new it was too far gone for it to find Him and His true belief and desire to be in unity with Him like it once was in the garden. In examining all that was there, He found Noah to be a single source of light in the darkness.

         Now, I want to be sure to highlight what may be a misconception about God. He already knew that these things were going to happen in the sense that He stands outside of time. However, it does not stop Him from feeling the full weight and measure of man’s depravity. We know that God has all the feelings and emotions just like we do. Jesus demonstrated so many attributes of God when He walked on the earth. While He sits outside of time, He knows. Yet, we are to face God’s wrath due to the consequences of grieving God’s heart and choosing to walk in disobedience and disbelief. Fortunately for us, we live on the side of time that knows Jesus as the Messiah.

         Ultimately, Noah was one blessed man to find the Lord’s favor. Noah stood in opposition to the times and refused to compromise his core beliefs; therefore, He was spared the consequences of our sin nature in this world, God’s wrath poured out through the flood.

Dear Life-Giving Father,

         Thank You for today, Lord. You are altogether lovely and kind. While I was a sinner, You loved me enough to die on a cross for me. Therefore, my heart is Yours Jesus. Please grant me the wisdom and enough knowledge to know You better. Help me understand how much our sin causes Your heart to grieve. Jesus, may we honor the heart You have given us when we chose to make You the Lord of our lives. Thank You for Your grace and mercy. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Day 91: Calculated Wrath

Genesis 6:11-13,17 NASB

“Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for humanity had corrupted its way upon the earth. Then God said to Noah, “The end of humanity has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of people; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth. Now behold, I Myself am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which there is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish.”

         God is divinely perfect and He will measure out His justice according to His infinite sovereignty. We can see this through today’s verse. God was slow to execute upon His wrath which we can ultimately see in how long it took Noah to build the arc. He is also very exacting in the distribution of His wrath.

         Consider how God has described to us the nature of humanity and its corrupted ways, He claims that humanity has done all of this before Him, which means in His presence, and He still provided people a warning. The Jewish tradition suggest that it took Noah approximately 120 years to build the arc. It is not a far leap to consider that as Noah built the arc, people made fun of Him for it, and he likely presented God’s truths trying to get them to repent. This passage of time was to ensure that creation as it was had a chance of redemption, all while knowing that their redemption would only come through Jesus Christ.

         Another way we see how calculated God’s Wrath is in how verse 17 plays out. Notice the destruction of “all flesh in which there is the breath of life.” In looking at this story throughout my life I did not consider it to be so specific in that God was going to destroy everything that had breath in it. While this is speculation, I always wondered how aquatic animals were destroyed, but according to this maybe they weren’t! God calculated destruction reveals His wrath is perfectly executed to follow a prescribed perfect path.

         We can trust that God knows what He is doing to executing on His wrath. We can also rest assured that we know He is saving us from- His wrath, due to our sin. He is offering us a way out of the calculated destruction that He intended to save us from.

Dear Calculating Father,

         Thank You for Your word and how it informs us of Your perfectly calculated distribution of Your wrath. You are saving us from ourselves in profound ways, but You are saving us from Your perfect sovereignty. You are a just God! You are fair, equitable, kind, and righteous! Thank You Jesus for perfecting the sacrifice so we can commune with God all the days of our lives and learn Your ways. Thank You for grace and mercy. We love You Jesus, amen. 

Day 92: Sodom and Gomorrah

Genesis 19:24-29 NASB

Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the surrounding area, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot’s wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Now Abraham got up early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before the Lord; and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the surrounding area; and behold, he saw the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a furnace. So it came about, when God destroyed the cities of the surrounding area, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the destruction, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.

         This is probably one of the most well-known stories in all of scripture about God’s Wrath beyond the flood.  It parallels the flood story in the total moral anarchy that had taken place as illustrated in the portion of scripture before this section. This section of scripture was chosen to focus on the execution of God’s Wrath, due to the consequences of sin. Abraham had already gone and secured God’s blessings over Sodom and Gomorrah earlier in his life when they were attacked and plundered, which gave them back their prosperity. They were cities that had received the blessings of God, yet they eventually became morally corrupt.

         Based on the overall understanding of the time and the context of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Old Testament we can see that they had an abundance of wealth and prosperity and refused to take care of those within their city walls and the greater community. When their reputation became one of such depravity, the Lord felt it necessary to act upon them with His justice and wrath. Abraham started pleading with the Lord during this time and one of the clearest understandings on how we are to approach the Lord in all of scripture was mentioned. “And Abraham replied, “Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am only dust and ashes.” Genesis 18:27.

         Abraham knew his place. He knew the power of the Lord and understood the appropriate fear and reverence for the Lord that we all need. During Abraham’s exchange with the Lord this one little nugget is so informative. This- this is likely why Lot was spared the consequences of God’s wrath, because of how Abraham approached the Lord on his behalf. Lot still had significant consequences of his own through the process, and it is a very disturbing outcome with Lot and his daughters, but what if they were spared God’s wrath because of Abraham’s reverence in approaching the Lord?

         How does this inform us about how we are to approach the Lord? If we can see the execution of God’s wrath for turning away from God’s blessings and becoming morally corrupt, which without Jesus we are… then it should help us be motivated to seek the Lord within the appropriate context of understanding our place. While we are co-heirs with Christ, we are also still dust and ash before the Almighty God.

Dear Life-giving Father,

         Thank You for today. Thank You for hearing from this lump of clay. Lord, You have given me an abundant life. You have provided Jesus, the Rescuer from wrath and the One who has taken upon Himself all my sin. I am humbled that You would hear from me and avert Your wrath from coming upon me. You are a gracious God. Help me approach You with reverence and awe as You are a God of Justice. I love You Lord. Thank You Jesus for Your grace and forgiveness. In Jesus Christ authority I pray, may my life be a blessing to those around me, amen. 

Day 93: Wrath and Blood

Exodus 7:17-19

“This is what the Lord says: “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, I am going to strike the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned into blood. Then the fish that are in the Nile will die, the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will no longer be able to drink water from the Nile.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and extend your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, over their pools, and over all their reservoirs of water, so that they may become blood; and there will be blood through all the land of Egypt, both in containers of wood and in containers of stone.’ ”

         God’s wrath has been put on full display throughout world history. Some of the greatest demonstrations of God’s wrath is in how God used Moses to deal with the Egyptians. We will go over these over the next 10 days and discuss what each one reveals about the nature of God’s wrath.

         The Nile turning to blood was a direct execution of God’s wrath on the most important source of life for the Egyptians. They had a god that they believed was responsible for all things related to the Nile, that god was called Hapi. This was the Egyptian god of fertility and was sometimes considered the “father of the gods” that helped maintain the balance of the cosmos. Their god was responsible for all things related to the Nile and the Nile served as the greatest source of life in the entire Egyptian kingdom. Therefore, the first plague executing God’s wrath towards the Egyptians was a direct assault on their false god.

         Consider the notion that the water was turned to blood, which typically represents something’s death. God was essentially using His wrath to tell the Egyptians that their gods were dead to convince them of His sovereign power and that He wanted His people released.

         This has direct implications in our lives. If God wants to carve out something in your life, He can and will use His wrath at times to do it. He directly targets that which is of greater importance in our lives than Him and He will leverage the situation to convince us of our position in life. This idea has scriptural support in Job 5:17-18, “Behold, happy is the person whom God disciplines, So do not reject the discipline of the Almighty. For He inflicts pain, and gives relief; He wounds, but His hands also heal.” And Isaiah 30:26, “And the light of the full moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day the Lord binds up the fracture of His people and heals the wound He has inflicted.”

         These additional verses will apply repeatedly as we learn about the nature of God’s wrath. He does not want us to stay the same. He wants us to submit to His will and at times, He will leverage our idols against us to reveal who He is in our lives.

Dear Healing Father,

         Thank You for Your wrath. As I learn more about it, I am beginning to see how much grace and mercy You give me every day. The Egyptians were without water for seven days and You allowed them to sit in the brokenness inflicted by Your wrath for a time to illustrate Your divine nature. Lord, allow me to learn quickly and accept Your grace and mercy with a swiftness that helps me appreciate what You are doing, and adjust to Your will for my life. Lord, I do not want to experience Your wrath. It is uncomfortable and I would rather live in the light of Your grace and comfort leading me to thanksgiving and contentment. Thank You Jesus, Amen.

Day 94: Frogs of Wrath

Exodus 8:1-4,10-14

'Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I am going to strike your entire territory with frogs. The Nile will swarm with frogs, which will come up and go into your house, and into your bedroom and on your bed, and into the houses of your servants, and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading bowls. So the frogs will come up on you, your people, and on all your servants.” ’ ”

Then he said, “Tomorrow.” So he said, “May it be according to your word, so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. The frogs will depart from you and your houses, and from your servants and your people; they will be left only in the Nile.” Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs which He had inflicted upon Pharaoh. The Lord did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. So they piled them in heaps, and the land stank.'

         Frogs of wrath- God symbology is not wasted in this life. For the ancient Egyptians frogs were symbolic of a second god in their culture right after Hapi that we learned about yesterday. This god was called Heqet and she was responsible for the fertility and childbearing parts of their beliefs. So, right after God’s wrath is poured out on general fertility and wealth in the overall cosmos, God deliberately pours out His wrath on their god of childbearing, symbolizing his attack against their culture and beliefs.

         This plague did not last very long, probably about three days, but it left its mark on their culture. The scripture says that they “piled them in heaps, and the land stank.” We can only imagine what the smell of heaping piles of rotting frogs would smell like, but for these piles of rotting frogs to be representative of you false god of childbearing and fertility. This is a direct assault on the Egyptian people, trying to get the people to convince Pharoah to let the Hebrews go free.

         One of the greatest lessons we can learn is that the consequences of God’s discipline and wrath can have lingering effects in our lives. While certain moments are short lived, the implications of those moments are long lasting. When God uses His wrath, we see long lasting affects throughout all of history. Think about the flood- our current earth’s structure was remade under water over the course of a year and we still live with repercussions of flooding throughout parts of the earth at times, especially as we try to control things within our human abilities. Sodom and Gomorrah is still a desolate land with no inhabitants on it. We also see places throughout modern history where a few moments affect centuries of progression.

         This is probably true in your life too. Small moments of discipline or judgement came that have had profound impacts in your life. Sometimes the residual effects of the choices made have significantly long-lasting effects. We can often do 99 things right, but everyone remembers the 1 thing we did wrong. This is true for 359˚ of beauty too, focusing on the 1˚ of chaos can cause significant issues with trying to see everything else.

Dear Father,

Thank You for another day and another plague that teaches us about the lasting effects of Your discipline and wrath. When You pour out Your justice Lord, it is exactly what we need as followers. You perfectly execute Your justice and mercy as You see fit and it is not our place to question You why Jesus. We simply must learn to trust You and bring everything back to You. So, Lord, help me process the residual effects of Your discipline and wrath in my life and seek You Jesus to help heal me according to Your will. Lord, I love You. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Day 95: Lice/Gnats

Exodus 8:16-19 NASB

'Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Extend your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may turn into gnats through all the land of Egypt.’ ” They did so; and Aaron extended his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on every person and animal. All the dust of the earth turned into gnats through all the land of Egypt. The soothsayer priests tried with their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not; so there were gnats on every person and animal. Then the soothsayer priests said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.'

         Gnats, Lice, or Mosquitos where likely the perpetrators of the third plague. I don’t know about you, but these are probably the peskiest little boogers in all of creation. I know they serve a purpose in creation, but man are they annoying. I remember being on the Gulf Coast Inland waterway and being bitten by no-see-ums (Ceratopogonidae), what I didn’t know is how allergic I was to their bite. It took weeks to recover from the bites of them. My flesh felt like it was on fire for days. I have adverse reactions to mosquitos, gnats, and fly bites and that is further complicated by my skin’s reaction to bug spray, it reacts as if I am getting chemical burns. Relief from bugs is hard for me to find and I love being outdoors. If you see me outdoors, you will likely catch me in long clothing to help protect myself from the pest.

         Why am I sharing all this personal information? Well, of all the plagues, this one was probably one of the most annoying of all plagues. Little bugs like this were infesting everything. Notice the wording here, “ALL the dust of the earth turned into gnats through ALL the land of Egypt.” Think about Egypt, it is a desert, full of DUST… Seriously. Dust gets into every crack and crevice of life. There was absolutely no escape from this plague.

         In addition to no escape, this plague was a direct assault on the Egyptian god called Geb- the god of the earth and they thought his laughter was responsible for earthquakes and ultimately, the Egyptians believed he was responsible for the land’s fertility in its ability to grow crops. Which is interesting in that we now know how big the role of a bug is in plant reproduction. God’s sovereignty is obvious in each display of His wrath and how it was designed to reveal the impotence of earthly gods and idolatry.

         These little biting insects were intentionally sent to wreak havoc on the people and no one was immune from the plague. It is not for the faint of heart to face these battles even for a short period of time, because they will devastate the entire ecosystem.

         Within the first six months after my wife’s presentation into the Kingdom of Heaven, I found myself navigating one of the most traumatic blows to my parenting that had nothing really to do with how good of a parent I was. My daughters had brought home head lice from school. As an educator, we knew it was going around and I had done everything I could to prevent my daughters from exposure, but with a 1st grader, they don’t think about personal space… I found myself late at night at a CVS buying everything to treat my home and my daughters’ hair. I combed and nit-picked every strand on my daughters’ heads. Only to find out, two weeks later, I had not gotten everything… so I had to do it again…

         Life is hard… It is made significantly harder when we experience these little pesky creatures! Yet, there is significant beauty found when we learn to trust God and accept His discipline. I look back on this time in my life with a deep appreciation and respect for all that God revealed to me. My identity was not found in my failure to protect my daughters but found in my ability to love them and care for them in a way that honored God. He used pesky little bugs to teach me how to identify Him and care for them. It was a hard season of navigating single parenting, but it was worth it. I asked God through the whole experience, where is Your beauty Lord, and He constantly reminded me of His grace and mercy. He carried me through life in such a unique way teaching me how to care for my daughters like a mother would. I learned the value of a soft hand and gentle touch, especially as I bagged up all items of comfort for isolation in my children’s life… God provided relief…

Dear Relieving Father,

         Thank You for Your grace and mercy. You are the healer and reliever of all distress. Lord, Your plague of gnats, lice, and/or mosquitos is one that no one would like. It shows Your persistence to pursue Your people in that there is nothing You will leave on the table to rescue Your people. You are a God that desires to Love His creation and provide us relief in Your timing Lord. You have used these pesky creatures to teach us lessons of reliance and prevention in our lives. We all have experiences with these bugs on some level, and they are meant to remind us of Your wrath and grace. Let us always seek You in places of discomfort and ask You to reveal Your beauty in the times where we feel disciplined or that we are receiving what feels like wrath. Keep us grounded in Your truths, Jesus. Amen.

Day 96: Flies

Exodus 8:20-32

'Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, as he comes out to the water; and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. For if you are not going to let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and on your servants and on your people, and into your houses; and the houses of the Egyptians will be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they live. But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are living, so that no swarms of flies will be there, in order that you may know that I, the Lord , am in the midst of the land. I will put a division between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will occur.” ’ ” Then the Lord did so. And thick swarms of flies entered the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants, and the land was laid waste because of the swarms of flies in all the land of Egypt.

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” But Moses said, “It is not permissible for us to do so, because we will sacrifice to the Lord our God that which is an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice that which is an abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? We must go a three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God, just as He commands us.” Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, so that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Plead for me.”

Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going to leave you, and I will plead with the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow; only do not let Pharaoh deal deceitfully again in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord .” So Moses left Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord. The Lord did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go.'

         At this point we see a shift for God’s chosen people the Israelites. They are being spared from God’s wrath, but why? Notice the subtle shift in what Pharaoh is requesting, He is requesting an alternative for God’s people. Up to this point in the plagues, everyone including the Israelites had experienced the plagues. God was demonstrating His power to His people along with the Egyptians. Now, God’s people were being excluded from the plagues and set apart which would have been an obvious distinction. Pharaoh had only seen the plagues affect everyone, so how could he not just dismiss the plagues as being natural phenomena given that his soothsayers could manipulate everything up to the plague of gnats.

           With the Israelites being set apart here and then potentially allowed to go make sacrifices to God, the shift is beginning to happen within the culture and anticipation is beginning to build. If you are not aware it is believed that the ten plagues took approximately 40 days from beginning to end. This was a day-to-day outpouring of God’s wrath on the land of Egypt. Now, with the exclusion of the Israelites, major shifts have started taking place.

         The same becomes true with us as we face the Lord’s discipline in our daily lives. We must shift and do something different. In my journey, I was continually pushing myself to keep going despite all that I had been through. I even used the concept of 359˚ of beauty as a shield and defense of the internal chaos I was facing. It was not until God continued to pile up isolation, loneliness, grief, and more until I broke down with burdens that I could not carry alone anymore. My heart was already grieved with the weight of all that I was carrying. Yet, I knew God’s yoke was easier than what I was feeling. I had to sacrifice something to find God’s favor and be spared His wrath and discipline. “'My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord Or loathe His rebuke, For whom the Lord loves He disciplines, Just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.” Proverbs 3:11-12

         I learned to embrace what I was going through in my inner room and anticipate the rewards of seeing God move in my life in ways as profound as the relief would have been from each of the plagues being lifted. I knew I wanted to accept the discipline of the Lord and learn from Him, so I had to seek Him with my whole heart.

Dear Gracious Heavenly Father,

         I am thankful for You today, Lord. I am learning about accepting Your discipline and wrath in my life. In doing so, You will spare me some of the effects of my choices and grant me grace and provision. I am not trying to escape You in my life Lord, but I am spared from Your wrath because Jesus took the brunt of it all for me upon His death on the cross. I am in desperate need of working out this salvation with fear and trembling while I learn how to overcome my sin nature with Your help Lord. I do not desire to sin against Your will Lord. Help reveal in me Your nature and grant me the understanding to know I am saved from Your wrath over my sin by grace alone, and with that, as I grow in You - I sin less. Thank You for this process Lord. I praise Your name Jesus. Amen.

Day 97: Livestock Pestilence

Exodus 9:3-7 NASB

“behold, the hand of the Lord will come with a very severe plague on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks. But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing will die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel.” ’ ”

“And the Lord set a definite time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but not one of the livestock of the sons of Israel died. And Pharaoh sent men, and they learned that, behold, not even one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.”

         Timing… The Lord set a definite time. In our lives, we are governed by time. God is not. This simple fact limits our understanding of God. We do not know anything without the context of time beyond sleep. Sleep is the single source of timeless understanding we have (not withstanding medical conditions). In this scripture, the Lord set a definite time.

         I cannot imagine standing there when all your livestock just up and dies at a specific time, without any awareness of the situation. This would be extremely terrifying. Then to later find out that none of the Israelite’s livestock was touched. This would be dramatic. This also served as a direct assault on the Egyptian’s way of life and economy. Livestock is an essential commodity in any economy, but even more so in the ancient Egyptian economy.

         God’s timing in our lives is the same, perfectly executed in response to our situations. I have waited on the Lord to move in my life more than a few times. In writing this devotion, I found myself blocked by God as I needed to receive some instruction from others and seek forgiveness before He would let me write again. It is humbling when God decides to teach us and how He chooses different aspects of our lives to cause us to bounce between the gutters headed towards the pins He has placed in front of us. Yet, I am thankful for each opportunity to be changed by God’s word.

         This scripture reveals a lot about God’s timing in our lives. He is perfect in His timing. When we listen to Him and have open hearts, we receive His peace and comfort. When we struggle and strive on our own merit, we find ourselves staring at death, destruction, and seeking forgiveness. Life is hard for all of us, some of us are facing battles that no one can even fathom and we try to understand in our profoundly limited capacities. We need to learn how to just be, in doing so we take on the likeness of the Lord who simply put it this way with Moses, “I am.”

The Great “I am,”

         Thank You for Your divine timing on everything. We cannot fathom standing there watching all the livestock of Egypt die without provocation at the same time. Witnessing that would be terrifying. Your power and wrath was on full display for all to see. We simply cannot understand who we are without Your interventions in our lives. You desire for us to have an open heart to receive Your instruction and grace. Without an open posture we will make choices that lead to our own destruction and hardened hearts. Lord, keep us from these paths that lead us to devastation. Set our feet upon Your rock and foundation and teach us to just be with the You the “I am.” Thank You for Jesus, amen.

Day 98: Boils

Exodus 9:8-12

“Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of soot from a kiln, and Moses shall toss it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh. Then it will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and will turn into boils breaking out with sores on every person and animal through all the land of Egypt.” So they took soot from a kiln, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses tossed it toward the sky, and it became boils breaking out with sores on every person and animal. The soothsayer priests could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the soothsayer priests as well as on all the Egyptians. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.”

         Boils are gross. Whenever I have thought about this plague in the past, I would think about giant skin lesions that are gross and oozing out disgusting liquid. Likely, they were more like large zits all on their skin. It probably represented something closer to chicken pox virus in the frequency of the boils all over the Egyptians’ skin. So, why such a personal attack?

         Likely, the people’s skin was already raw and exposed due to the lice, gnats, and flies, so this would have added further complications to the Egyptians. God was adding one more thing on top of so many things, this had to be extremely overwhelming to them all. Yet, Pharaoh would not accept the discipline of the Lord and let the Israelites go. His pride was too great, and he would not humble himself appropriately to end God’s wrath and discipline upon his people.

         This reminds me of a time in my life when I was using things of this world to keep others at an arm’s distance away from everything I had going on. I did not really know what to ask for help with in navigating single parenting of two daughters and if it took too long to explain or organize what I needed, it became easier for me to just do it instead of asking for help. On the surface, this does not feel like it relates to boils and skin lesions, but it is the concept of one more thing added on until I reached my breaking point.

         As humans, we have a finite capacity for productivity and over time we can enhance that productivity to a level of insanity. You would think that after all the plagues experienced up to this point Pharaoh would have given in, but that’s just it, no matter how insane our lives get, we tend to keep going regardless of the circumstance. This is where I finally met my breaking point and God intervened with breaking me down further than I ever thought possible. It is the point where I finally understood my grandfather’s words even as a Christ Follower- “You will never find the bottom until you get on your knees and look up.” – Russell Agee.

         You will never find the limit life has to offer until you accept grace and allow yourself to be loved by God through His discipline. God’s discipline/wrath is uncomfortable at best, but it is important for us to embrace it to see His beauty surrounding us in every situation. The greater the wrath the vaster His beauty becomes.

Dear Graceful Father,

         Thank You for another day of learning about Your wrath being poured out in the Old Testament. You are a sovereign God that mocked the Egyptians in their ignorance of Your ways Lord. They would not submit themselves to Your authority often like we don’t want to submit to Your authority over our lives. Let us learn to not push or test the limits of what You can do in our lives and just seek to serve You and Your beauty. We love You Lord and desire to get on our knees, find the bottom, and look up towards Your heavenly direction seeking Your face Jesus. Thank You for Your forgiveness and grace. Amen. 

Day 99: Hail

Exodus 9:13-35

'Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews says: “Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. For this time I am going to send all My plagues on you and your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth. For had I now put out My hand and struck you and your people with plague, you would then have been eliminated from the earth. But indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name throughout the earth.

Still you exalt yourself against My people by not letting them go. Behold, about this time tomorrow, I will send a very heavy hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. So now, send word, bring your livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. Every person and animal that is found in the field and is not brought home, when the hail comes down on them, will die.” ’ ”

Everyone among the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring his servants and his livestock into the houses; but everyone who did not pay regard to the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field. Now the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out with your hand toward the sky, so that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt, on every person and animal, and on every plant of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” So Moses reached out with his staff toward the sky, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire flashing intermittently in the midst of the hail, which was very heavy, such as had not occurred in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. The hail struck everything that was in the field through all the land of Egypt, from people to animals; the hail also struck every plant of the field, and shattered every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, was there no hail.

Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time; the Lord is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones. Plead with the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail; and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” Moses said to him, “As soon as I go out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease and there will no longer be hail, so that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God.” (Now the flax and the barley were ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. But the wheat and the spelt were not ruined, for they ripen late.)

So Moses left the city from his meeting with Pharaoh, and spread out his hands to the Lord; and the thunder and the hail stopped, and rain no longer poured on the earth. But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had stopped, he sinned again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.'

         This outpouring of God’s wrath comes with one of the longest explanations and there is so much one can take away from it all. There are a few aspects to consider in the process of examining this scripture today. There is a phrase that stands out in understanding the nature of who God is in our lives and explains why all these plagues were necessary. God essentially says this before telling the Egyptians if He wanted them eliminated, they would be. God says through Moses, “So that you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.” This is God’s why, to set Himself apart from all that can be conjured up in this world.  

         Several of the plagues/signs were able to be replicated by the false gods of Egypt, this one was not something that could be replicated at all. The destruction and death was probably significant across Egypt. At this point, there was not much left due to the massive amounts of devastation due to the events thus far, but there was still hope. God was still providing even for the Egyptians. The scripture also states an interesting fact that reveals the nature of who God is even for those of us who remain in sin. It says, “Now the flax and the barley were ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. But the wheat and the spelt were not ruined, for they ripen late.” This shows God’s precision and provision, He just wanted to demonstrate His power and love to His people and the Egyptians were an opportunity for Him to display His wrath, but also His love.

         God loves us despite our sin nature. He knew Pharaoh was going to harden his heart again, but He was demonstrating His love for His creation. God was using His wrath to demonstrate to us the He is a just God and does not forsake His people. The same is true today, He loves us and uses His discipline and wrath to seek our hearts. There is power in understanding His wrath is also an outpouring of His love. Love is patient and kind, but it is also not easily walked on…

Dear Life-Giving Father,

         Thank You for another day to seek Your Kingdom. Lord, You are so gracious to us in that You love us enough to discipline us with Your wrath but still provide for us in Your precision and execution of Your wrath. You directly give us enough opportunity to come to You and accept Your ways in this life, but if we reject you for too long, You will give us over to our own depravity. Thank You for providing life in the middle of the struggle. Thank You for forgiveness and grace through Jesus Christ’s work on the Cross. I love You Jesus. Amen. 

Day 100: Locust

         You have made it to day 100! Today will be a significantly longer devotion, it is my prayer that it blesses you with hope and beauty because the Holy Spirit within me wants you to be encouraged…

Exodus 10:1-20 NLT

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Return to Pharaoh and make your demands again. I have made him and his officials stubborn so I can display my miraculous signs among them. I’ve also done it so you can tell your children and grandchildren about how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and about the signs I displayed among them—and so you will know that I am the Lord.”

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: How long will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go, so they can worship me. If you refuse, watch out! For tomorrow I will bring a swarm of locusts on your country. They will cover the land so that you won’t be able to see the ground. They will devour what little is left of your crops after the hailstorm, including all the trees growing in the fields. They will overrun your palaces and the homes of your officials and all the houses in Egypt. Never in the history of Egypt have your ancestors seen a plague like this one!” And with that, Moses turned and left Pharaoh.

Pharaoh’s officials now came to Pharaoh and appealed to him. “How long will you let this man hold us hostage? Let the men go to worship the Lord their God! Don’t you realize that Egypt lies in ruins?”

So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “All right,” he told them, “go and worship the Lord your God. But who exactly will be going with you?”

Moses replied, “We will all go—young and old, our sons and daughters, and our flocks and herds. We must all join together in celebrating a festival to the Lord .”

Pharaoh retorted, “The Lord will certainly need to be with you if I let you take your little ones! I can see through your evil plan. Never! Only the men may go and worship the Lord , since that is what you requested.” And Pharaoh threw them out of the palace.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Raise your hand over the land of Egypt to bring on the locusts. Let them cover the land and devour every plant that survived the hailstorm.”

So Moses raised his staff over Egypt, and the Lord caused an east wind to blow over the land all that day and through the night. When morning arrived, the east wind had brought the locusts. And the locusts swarmed over the whole land of Egypt, settling in dense swarms from one end of the country to the other. It was the worst locust plague in Egyptian history, and there has never been another one like it. For the locusts covered the whole country and darkened the land. They devoured every plant in the fields and all the fruit on the trees that had survived the hailstorm. Not a single leaf was left on the trees and plants throughout the land of Egypt.

Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron. “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you,” he confessed. “Forgive my sin, just this once, and plead with the Lord your God to take away this death from me.”

So Moses left Pharaoh’s court and pleaded with the Lord . The Lord responded by shifting the wind, and the strong west wind blew the locusts into the Red Sea. Not a single locust remained in all the land of Egypt. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart again, so he refused to let the people go. '

         God is clearly using Locust to eliminate all hope the Egyptians still had of remaining prosperous from the previous plagues. The Egyptians used the metaphor of locust to describe their own armies throughout the years. The Egyptians viewed their armies as vast and unstoppable to describe their own might. God was using locust to destroy any hope that was left. Therefore, God was using their own metaphors to show His divinity and overwhelming strength to destroy the Egyptian way of life through His wrath in a way that the Egyptians would understand.

         We do not always realize this in our lives, but God does the same for us. He will overwhelm us in what we call the 1̊ view of our world. When we focus on the bad and all we perceive is what is negative, we become overrun by the locust in our own lives. I know for me, this has been true. Even in the middle of learning these concepts in my life, I have been overcome by things that were sent by the Lord to break me. I was broken. Broken to a level far beyond my grief of a lost spouse two and half years after the fact. In fact, my true breakdown came after I had grieved my grief. God threw me in the crucible of life and decided to break me and refine me through a very difficult season.

         Now, I have entered a new season because of what that brokenness and refinement drove me to do, I did that which Pharaoh was not doing. I turned to the Lord and sought Him with my whole heart. Check out Joel 2 for a biblical explanation of what I did in my brokenness and through what I felt like God was destroying in my heart and mind, even though life on the outside looked “fine” to the world… This was a different outpouring of God’s wrath, but with a biblical guide of what we need to do to seek the Lord, I pray that this will guide your heart as it did mine…

Joel 2:12-32 NLT

'That is why the Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.”

Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse. Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the Lord your God as before.

Blow the ram’s horn in Jerusalem! Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. Gather all the people— the elders, the children, and even the babies. Call the bridegroom from his quarters and the bride from her private room. Let the priests, who minister in the Lord ’s presence, stand and weep between the entry room to the Temple and the altar.

Let them pray, “Spare your people, Lord! Don’t let your special possession become an object of mockery. Don’t let them become a joke for unbelieving foreigners who say, ‘Has the God of Israel left them?’” Then the Lord will pity his people and jealously guard the honor of his land.

The Lord will reply, “Look! I am sending you grain and new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy your needs. You will no longer be an object of mockery among the surrounding nations. I will drive away these armies from the north. I will send them into the parched wastelands. Those in the front will be driven into the Dead Sea, and those at the rear into the Mediterranean. The stench of their rotting bodies will rise over the land.”

Surely the Lord has done great things! Don’t be afraid, O land. Be glad now and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things. Don’t be afraid, you animals of the field, for the wilderness pastures will soon be green. The trees will again be filled with fruit; fig trees and grapevines will be loaded down once more. Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem! Rejoice in the Lord your God! For the rain he sends demonstrates his faithfulness. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring. The threshing floors will again be piled high with grain, and the presses will overflow with new wine and olive oil.

The Lord says, “I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the Lord your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced. Then you will know that I am among my people Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and there is no other.

Never again will my people be disgraced. “Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike. And I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth— blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and terrible day of the Lord arrives. But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, for some on Mount Zion in Jerusalem will escape, just as the Lord has said. These will be among the survivors whom the Lord has called.'

         Hope rises through wrath when we seek the Lord with all our hearts. I am living proof of the early morning sacrifices, the fasting, the prayers of my heart, and the prayers of many others. I allowed my heart to be torn instead of my outside appearance, and I submitted myself to the Lord. These words are true for you too, “Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse.”

         Wherever you are today on your journey, if you have made it to this point in these devotions, you are seeking the Lord. Hold on to God’s truth and keep going! Trust the process and seek Jesus with Your whole heart. IT IS WORTH IT!

He has given us an eternal promise today:

         The Lord says, “I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the Lord your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced. Then you will know that I am among my people Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and there is no other.

         Beauty rises when we seek the Lord Jesus with all we have. He will let Himself be found by us and He sits on high waiting to have compassion on us.

Dear Compassionate Father,

         Thank You Jesus for your wrath and discipline. I know I have been overrun by the locust of my own life. Parts of myself have been consumed by the world and I have made idols out of things. I have put things before You and You have sent precise judgement down in my daily life to guide me back to You. Here I am Lord, again in my torn heart, asking You to see Your servant and guide my heart back to You. You have promised a soft heart in which You will write Your word on, one in which Your Holy Spirit can dwell with me. I believe all these things to be true. Therefore, I submit to Your will and authority in my life. Reveal Your beauty through Your Wrath and discipline. Thank You Jesus for the work You are doing. Thank You for forgiveness and grace. In Jesus Christ authority and power granted to Him by His blood sacrifice, restore me to You Father, Amen.

Day 101: Darkness

Exodus 10:21-29 NIV

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days.

No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived. Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go, worship the Lord. Even your women and children may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind.”

But Moses said, “You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the Lord our God. Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshiping the Lord our God, and until we get there we will not know what we are to use to worship the Lord.”

But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go. Pharaoh said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die.”

“Just as you say,” Moses replied. “I will never appear before you again.”

         We all live in darkness at some point in our lives. Without God’s light and truth, we are in the dark. Life is full of difficulties. Sometimes God is working in the secret places of our hearts. This scripture reveals what happens as we continually harden our hearts towards Jesus, eventually He will leave us alone to ourselves.

         So, why then do we not all descend into anarchy and seek to satisfy our own hedonistic pleasures? This also comes from the Lord and how he has decided to allow morality and ethics to prevail within the fabric of our society. God rewired creation after the flood to operate differently. The principles and values passed down were different than before and there was an underlying current towards the passing of men dying off with each generation thus making lifespans significantly shorter. The wisdom of God was distributed in a multifaceted way throughout all the Earth and in heaven. Ephesians 3:10-11 “God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he conducted through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

         Within this redistribution of how God ordained all the systems we found ourselves being able to operate with the soft heart that was promised in the Old Testament. The one in which we could finally operate under the promises of the Holy scriptures and with the promise of the Holy Spirit. The entire world was given a choice in Christ Jesus to choose God's way over their own. As a part of that choice, we choose to be created anew in Jesus’ light and Truth through grace.

         Pharaoh rejected the light and truth of the Lord and went as far to blasphemy against God’s messenger. Therefore, Moses left and never returned. We must be careful not to reject the wisdom of God’s wrath in our lives.

Dear Faithful Father,

         I am thankful for another day in Your house Lord. I trust in Your promises. You desire us to live in the light of Your truth Lord. Your wrath of darkness was a foretelling and a harbinger of death that was just around the corner. Let us learn from Your nature Lord and seek to honor You in all that we do. We are humbling ourselves to Your will and seek Your light and truth Jesus. Thank You for illuminating our path forward, even if it is just a few steps at a time. In Jesus’ name. Amen,

Day 102: Death of the Firstborn

Exodus 11:1-10 NASB2020

Now the Lord said to Moses, “One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will assuredly drive you out from here completely. Speak now so that the people hear, that each man is to ask of his neighbor, and each woman of her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold.” And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Furthermore, the man Moses himself was greatly esteemed in the land of Egypt, both in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.

Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt, and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; all the firstborn of the cattle as well. So there shall be a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again.

But not even a dog will threaten any of the sons of Israel, nor anything from person to animal, so that you may learn how the Lord distinguishes between Egypt and Israel.’ And all these servants of yours will come down to me and bow themselves before me, saying,’ Go out, you and all the people who follow you,’ and after that I will go out.” And he left Pharaoh in the heat of anger. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” So Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh; yet the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land.

Exodus 12:13 NASB2020

The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will come upon you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

         God is greater than anyone can possibly imagine. I grew up thinking that this plague was all about the children being taken and it was not until much later in life that I realized it was about so much more than that. I am a firstborn child; therefore, I would be taken away unless I was covered by the blood of the lamb.

         The significance of the firstborn cannot be understated. In Egypt, they traditionally received a double portion of their inheritance, took over the overall family hierarchy, insured continuity of the family line, would serve as the spiritual leader of their family, and would inherit official positions within the governmental structure. So, this last plague delivered was one that attacked everything about the Egyptian society. It devastated everything more than it already was. It also served as retribution for Pharaoh’s edict to kill the Hebrew boys when Moses was born.

         God’s wrath was executed through the night, and no one was spared the consequences of it, unless they had the blood of the lamb covering their homes. You were only spared if you were covered by the blood of the Lamb. The same is still true today. We will only be saved from God's wrath if we are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.

         Jesus's death upon the cross shed His blood to cover us for our sins. While His blood covers our sins, it saves us from experiencing God's wrath, just like the blood of the lamb did the Hebrews. We are saved from God's judgment and wrath within the context of our sin. We will still experience judgment from Jesus Christ Himself in that He wants us to be held accountable for what we do in this life. We can't have access to heaven without accepting Him and His sacrifice on our behalf and then it is about what we do through grace and faith that will be assessed and measured in Jesus Himself. We have nothing if our foundation is not secure in Jesus.

Heavenly Father,

         Thank You for another day. Thank You for Jesus’ blood covering my sins. Thank You for His grace and forgiveness. Thank You for Your direction in my life. Thank You for guiding every situation and circumstance to Your glory and beauty. Father, I trust You with everything in my life and I want to honor You with all my interactions. I know You are Lord of my life and I want to walk in trust and believe in faith that You have guided every step. Please grant me the ability to know when I need to seek forgiveness from others and You, but also when I need to grant forgiveness to others too. Lord, You are precious to me and have never misled me. I do not believe You mislead anyone but guide every step perfectly when we choose You Jesus. Watch over us and protect us. Thank You for Your wisdom and grace. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Day 103: Wrath for Complaining

Numbers 11:1-3

“Soon the people began to complain about their hardship, and the Lord heard everything they said. Then the Lord ’s anger blazed against them, and he sent a fire to rage among them, and he destroyed some of the people in the outskirts of the camp. Then the people screamed to Moses for help, and when he prayed to the Lord, the fire stopped. After that, the area was known as Taberah (which means “the place of burning”), because fire from the Lord had burned among them there.”

         Upon the first real traveling after they had left Egypt in year two of the Exodus, some of the Israelites began to complain about three days into the process. Likely, it was a difficult journey, but God had already demonstrated His power of provision, wrath, and compassion on His people. He had dealt with disobedience and given them the ten commandments, He had walked with them in the wilderness to get them there, annihilated their enemies, and had done pretty much everything He could to take perfect care of them. Yet, some still complained.

         The Lord’s wrath for their lack of gratitude was swift and direct. His anger blazed against them, and He set a fire to rage among them, destroying some of the people in the outskirts of the camp. This action was decisive, justified, and measured. The only relief they could experience from God’s wrath was when Moses prayed.

         Complaining is discontentment manifesting itself in the form of unmet expectations. We often have hidden expectations that remain unmet and when we do, our natural tendency is to complain about those unmet expectations. Whereas all God has ever wanted from us is our thanksgiving for what He has done in our lives. Consider this, “Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life.” Ecclesiastes 7:14

         Life is going to be hard. Everyone’s journey has its own hardships. We must realize that we can never truly understand each other’s hardships for each one is perfectly crafted for everyone so that they may come to know Jesus. We are meant to live with each other in an understanding way. This is where I have missed the mark in my life at times. One of the major principles of highly effective people is to seek understanding, while it is an important concept, this is somewhat deceptive in that we can never truly understand until we walk that road.

         God demonstrated walking that road in Jesus. He came and subjected Himself to the human experience so that He would know the road we walked. He set the example for us to follow, dying to Himself, so that He could ultimately have compassion on us. He knows our struggle and meets us on our difficult road with all the provisions we need for success in Him, just like He did the Israelites. Therefore, we can have confidence in Jesus Christ that if He did it then, then again when He walked the earth, then likely, He will do it again for us. It is our responsibility to trust without complaint.

         We must take on the likeness of Christ and assume that we do not know what others are walking through in their lives but love them where they are at. This is how beauty is truly found in this world.

Heavenly Father,

         Thank You for Your word and how it teaches us to not complain about all the provisions You have provided for us in this life. Lord, I am sorry for the mess I have made and the times I have complained about the most trivial of things, instead of being thankful for all that You do. Jesus, teach me to embrace and enjoy both the good things of this life and the bad things of this life, as it all ultimately comes from You. Holy Spirit lead me to have compassion and see that I cannot possibly understand what others have walked through in this life, but that I am to come alongside and love them regardless of my circumstance. Grant Your servant a heart after Yours to serve where You have called me to serve and help me have a spirit of humility and kindness. I love You Jesus and I accept the good with the bad in thanksgiving in my life. In Jesus Christ’s authority, amen. 

Day 104: Wrath of Quail

Numbers 11:4-15,31-34

“Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt. And the people of Israel also began to complain. “Oh, for some meat!” they exclaimed. “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!” The manna looked like small coriander seeds, and it was pale yellow like gum resin. The people would go out and gather it from the ground. They made flour by grinding it with hand mills or pounding it in mortars. Then they boiled it in a pot and made it into flat cakes. These cakes tasted like pastries baked with olive oil. The manna came down on the camp with the dew during the night.

Moses heard all the families standing in the doorways of their tents whining, and the Lord became extremely angry. Moses was also very aggravated. And Moses said to the Lord, “Why are you treating me, your servant, so harshly? Have mercy on me! What did I do to deserve the burden of all these people? Did I give birth to them? Did I bring them into the world? Why did you tell me to carry them in my arms like a mother carries a nursing baby? How can I carry them to the land you swore to give their ancestors? Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people? They keep whining to me, saying, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy! If this is how you intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery!”

Now the Lord sent a wind that brought quail from the sea and let them fall all around the camp. For miles in every direction there were quail flying about three feet above the ground. So the people went out and caught quail all that day and throughout the night and all the next day, too. No one gathered less than fifty bushels! They spread the quail all around the camp to dry.

But while they were gorging themselves on the meat—while it was still in their mouths—the anger of the Lord blazed against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague. So that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah (which means “graves of gluttony”) because there they buried the people who had craved meat from Egypt. '

         When we forget to acknowledge the power and might of God, we better be very careful with our word choices. Often, we are not careful in what we choose to say or how we choose to revere the Lord. We are so quick to spew our complaints. There was a contingent of non-Israelites traveling with God’s people through the desert. They were likely refugees or intermarried Egyptians that were a part of the Exodus.

         This group of people represent many people within our churches and circles today. They have seen God do miracles, work in their favor, but still always remain believing a simple idea. -Well, that’s good and all, but I want better. - Unfortunately, they are never content and lack gratitude for all that God has done. I must be honest- there have been times in my life where I have done the exact same thing…

         It reminds me of a moment shared with my family traveling out west. We were in Yellowstone National Park, and we came across two wolves driving a grizzly bear down a mountain side. We were able to spot them through our spotting scopes and watched them for about an hour alongside a small contingent of people that were there watching the entire exchange. It was something you would view out of Animal Planet! It was a super cool experience. When we turned to leave someone in our family said the simplest line which was a wish, but it falls into the same category of discontentment… “I just wish they were closer.”

         Another member of our family simply asked one question, “How is that seeing God’s beauty?” It hit us all very hard in our hearts. I was not involved in this exchange between family members, but a part of the whole experience and I heard all this discourse. It truly impacted our mindset and hearts because it was true. We had just had a unique once in a lifetime if you are an extremely lucky outdoorsy type of person, yet it was not good enough…

         How often do we look at God’s blessings and say to ourselves: well, this is good and all, but I want more… God can you? I need this… I want this… If this could only be like this…

         I know I am guilty of all these things and more and I need to have reverence for the Lord and be thankful for all that He has given me. I know I do not want to face the wrath of God even in what I think I want in this life. I want to accept the blessings He has for me and be content.

Dear Powerful Father,

         Jesus You are Lord of all creation and have the power to do all things in an exceeding abundance in our lives. We are thankful to know You and come to You in prayer and reverence in our lives because You granted us access through Jesus dying on the cross and shedding His blood to cover our sins to save us from Your wrath. We want to be found in contentment with what You have provided for us. We are thankful for where, when, how, and what we are in You Jesus. As much as we want to ask for more, we want to ask in alignment with Your will for our lives. As we go, help us have a reverence and appreciation for each thing You have provided for us. Let us return to You in praise and thanksgiving. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Day 105: Wrath averted… not consequences

Exodus 32:7-14

“The Lord told Moses, “Quick! Go down the mountain! Your people whom you brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. How quickly they have turned away from the way I commanded them to live! They have melted down gold and made a calf, and they have bowed down and sacrificed to it. They are saying, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”

Then the Lord said, “I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. Now leave me alone so my fierce anger can blaze against them, and I will destroy them. Then I will make you, Moses, into a great nation.”

But Moses tried to pacify the Lord his God. “O Lord!” he said. “Why are you so angry with your own people whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and such a strong hand? Why let the Egyptians say, ‘Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face of the earth’? Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this terrible disaster you have threatened against your people! Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You bound yourself with an oath to them, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. And I will give them all of this land that I have promised to your descendants, and they will possess it forever.’”

So the Lord changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people.”

         Ultimately, over 3000 people were killed after this exchange Moses had with the Lord, a plague came, God withdrew His presence from His people and would not travel with the Israelites through the desert, and the promise moved from the people to their descendants. While many of them avoided wrath of destruction, they did not avoid the consequences of their sin. They were held accountable.

         This is a fact in our lives as well. We have done nothing to avert God’s wrath over our lives. Jesus has accepted that wrath on our behalf. Jesus offers us grace and saves us from the wrath of God. However, we still must live within the consequences of our sin. This is where grace and mercy often get confused. Grace is the abundance of blessings received as unmerited favor. We receive both grace and mercy from Jesus’ death on the cross. Mercy is the withholding of the punishment of our sins. Mercy (Eleos)- we are saved from the judgment based upon our sins. Grace (Charis) is the salvation and new heart granted to us by accepting the mercy given through the act of the cross. In the same way, the mercy of God is Him choosing not to condemn us to hell apart from Him because of Jesus and grace is the Father adopting us as sons into His Kingdom.

         All of this is illustrated through the wrath averted in Exodus 32-33. You can see this model being demonstrated in a historical context. Our God has written a perfect script that foretells His amazing promises. By looking back and understanding the nature of God we see His justice and compassion for us. This leads us to understand the consequences of our actions can also be wrath averted. Therefore, we can learn to see beauty and learn to be thankful for every circumstance in our lives.

Dear Merciful and Graceful Father,

         Your power is far above our comprehension. Thank You for both Your mercy and grace filling my life in ways I have no idea about. I have some ideas of what You have saved me from, but at the same time, I know nothing compared to the greatness within You Jesus. You have taken the sum of everything in my life and chosen to love me with a love that I cannot fathom. I am thankful for everything You have provided and want to dwell in Your house all the days of my life. I trust Your will for my life Jesus. I know You are walking with me through this life as you have given the Holy Spirit to me to navigate everything I do. I submit to Your will for my life, and I know that will come with blessings and consequences to every action. Help me love myself and others well. Let Your Kingdom come and will be done, both here and in heaven. Forevermore, thank You Jesus. Amen.  

Day 106: Wrath over disunity

Numbers 16:28-35, 41-50

'And Moses said, “This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things that I have done—for I have not done them on my own. If these men die a natural death, or if nothing unusual happens, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord does something entirely new and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them and all their belongings, and they go down alive into the grave, then you will know that these men have shown contempt for the Lord.”

He had hardly finished speaking the words when the ground suddenly split open beneath them. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed the men, along with their households and all their followers who were standing with them, and everything they owned. So they went down alive into the grave, along with all their belongings. The earth closed over them, and they all vanished from among the people of Israel. All the people around them fled when they heard their screams. “The earth will swallow us, too!” they cried. Then fire blazed forth from the Lord and burned up the 250 men who were offering incense…

'But the very next morning the whole community of Israel began muttering again against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the Lord ’s people!” As the community gathered to protest against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the Tabernacle and saw that the cloud had covered it, and the glorious presence of the Lord appeared. '

Moses and Aaron came and stood in front of the Tabernacle, and the Lord said to Moses, “Get away from all these people so that I can instantly destroy them!” But Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground.

And Moses said to Aaron, “Quick, take an incense burner and place burning coals on it from the altar. Lay incense on it, and carry it out among the people to purify them and make them right with the Lord. The Lord ’s anger is blazing against them—the plague has already begun.”

Aaron did as Moses told him and ran out among the people. The plague had already begun to strike down the people, but Aaron burned the incense and purified the people. He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague stopped. But 14,700 people died in that plague, in addition to those who had died in the affair involving Korah. Then because the plague had stopped, Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the Tabernacle.'

         This is a wild story, and I encourage you to read the whole thing. The biggest takeaway I get from the story is how God is choosing to pour out His wrath over disunity. It is easy for us to look back at this situation and know that Korah and his followers were acting in disobedience. They did not have the Holy Spirit there guiding them like we have access to today. They were essentially acting in their own consciousness.

         This is where we need to be careful to check our motives in today’s church. Some would say that God is leading a lot of people in different directions, but is He really? I frequently evaluate my church with one single criteria; do they preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ as presented in scripture? This is the single greatest factor of all. While there are other things I agree with, and some I do not agree with, this is essentially the single most important factor of finding a place of corporate worship for my family. Otherwise, I must be careful that I do not stand in too much opposition to all that is around me. There is always beauty found in a body of believers unified to God’s calling and purpose to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Dear Unifying Father,

         Your power was on display in new ways in Numbers 16. You caused the earth to open and swallow people alive. This is terrifying! Yet, Father, I know You are not only powerful but also compassionate towards us. Even as we see towards the end when the people were afflicted with yet another plague and over 14 thousand were dead before Aaron could cover them with the offering. You Jesus have already covered us! We are forever grateful that we can approach the Father and He hears us because of Your merciful work Jesus. Allow us to come into alignment with Your will and find unity within our churches and seek to establish and build up others in the same way across all the various parts of Your bride Lord. Thank You Jesus for making the impossible possible every day of our lives. In Jesus Christ name I pray, amen. 

Day 107: Ananias and Sapphira

Acts 5:1-11 NASB2020

But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and kept back some of the proceeds for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet.

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God.” And as he heard these words, Ananias collapsed and died; and great fear came over all who heard about it. The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.

Now an interval of about three hours elapsed, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for this price?” And she said, “Yes, for that price.” Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.” And immediately she collapsed at his feet and died; and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard about these things.

         Displays of God’s wrath in the Old Testament is easy to find, but in the New Testament they seem to be less present. Think about this for a moment: the Old Testament spanned thousands of years, and the New Testament spanned about 70 years: the target audience of the Old Testament was people groups, and the New Testament was more about the individual and our hearts; the judgement was immediate in the Old Testament whereas the judgement we face is future based because of how everything was resolved and reconciled with God during each portion of the Bible; the Old Testament had an ongoing sacrificial system and the New Testament relies solely on the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. This New Testament example of Ananias and Sapphira should give us all something to pause and think about in our lives.

         Ultimately, Ananias and Sapphira simply lied to the Holy Spirit. While the land was given to them by God in the first place, the act of putting on false pretense for posturing sake within the early church was what was so displeasing to the Holy Spirit. This served several purposes in the early church that can still apply today. This prevented corruption within the church, which would have destroyed the overall integrity of the church. It established the Holy Spirit’s authority and that nothing could remain hidden within the body of believers. It also served as a source of immediate judgement.

         The judgement of what we do with what we have been given is one of the most powerful aspects of our lives we should be more mindful of as we walk out our beliefs every day. How often do we walk in a Holy fear and reverence for God within the little everyday choices we all face? Life its not easy and walking in fear and reverence of the Lord can frame our thinking to have the eyes of Christ and see people as we walk through this life. Our ability to see one another like Jesus does allows us to also see the beauty contained within every situation significantly easier.

Dear Judgmental Father,

         Your power is on full display in how You looked directly into Ananias and Sapphira’s hearts. You saw deceit. You executed immediate judgement upon them. Lord, we know You are a Lord of love and compassion, but we also see You as a powerful source of truth in our lives. Let us not seek to build our kingdoms but let the work of our hands build Your Kingdom Jesus. We know it is a Kingdom that is more worth of our praise for You are crafting it for us in Your perfect and Holy ways. Let us not seek recognition in our own hearts but let us offer praise for all that You are doing in our lives. Thank You Jesus for leading us to Your will. In Jesus Christ’s name, amen. 

Day 108: Revelation

Revelation 21:4 NASB2020

…He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

         Chapters 6 through 19 in the book of Revelation deal with God's wrath being poured out as we come to the end of times as we understand and know them. There is so much to attempt to summarize throughout the entire book of Revelation that it would require its own volume of work. You can read many of those out there and there will be multiple interpretations of what it all means. Typically, I tend to stay away from the book of Revelation because of the wide variety of ways in which you can interpret it as to what may or may not happen during the end times. This is a highly personal choice in that I choose to focus on our relationships with Jesus. If we know Him and seek glimpses of His beauty, then the end will come and we will not be deceived for we know Him! The world and its influences will not have a hold on us for we stand at the ready with oil in our lamps anticipating His triumphant return!

         What I have found in my life is that while it is important to study Revelation for my own personal relationship with Jesus Christ, too much focus and emphasis on end times will cause me to forget the ultimate mission that Jesus Christ has called us to follow. This is why today's verse was chosen. There is an eternal promise that we need to recognize is there because Jesus Christ Himself saved us from God's wrath. This verse is the promise. This verse signifies the end of the outpouring of God's wrath upon creation!

         We have an eternal promise where wrath will no longer have a profound effect on our existence. Notice the verse says, “the first things will pass away.” There's no way that we can fully understand this process, however, we can trust in the promises of Jesus Christ! Ours is not to know how, why, when, what, or where, but to trust and praise the Lord for his abundance a provision being thankful in all things. This promise is echoed throughout all of God’s Word!

• Isaiah 25:8: "He will swallow up death forever. The Lord God will wipe away the tears from every face..."

• ​Revelation 7:17: "...God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

• ​Isaiah 65:19: "...The sound of weeping and the cry of distress shall be heard in it no more."

• ​Isaiah 35:10: "...Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

• ​1 Corinthians 15:26: "The last enemy to be destroyed is death."

• ​Matthew 5:4: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

Dear Wrath Ending Father,

         Your power and authority is unmatched. Thank you for loving us. Thank You for these eternal promises where Your wrath will end and Your eternal compassion and love for us begins. We have no way to comprehend Your eternal promises in our temporal existence Jesus for You even tell us eternity is now, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3.” Let us embrace Your truths Jesus and hope for eternal things now as we seek to serve Your Kingdom and love others by sharing the Gospel of Jesus with everyone we encounter throughout our lives as we seek Your Holy will for us. In Jesus’ power and authority, Amen.

Day 109: Do not reject the Discipline of the Lord

Hebrews 12:5-11 NASB

“and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are punished by Him; For whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He punishes every son whom He accepts.” It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

         Discipline and wrath can go hand in hand; each are a measure of justice and justice ultimately leads to righteousness. No one likes any portion of discipline. Getting up daily and reading scripture takes discipline, but so does choosing to punish a child that is unruly. Each of these things takes a measure of discipline. When God chooses to pour out His wrath on us in our lives it is always measured and perfect. This is such a hard concept for any of us to wrap our brains around.

         How can a loving God pour out such awful things? Who is He that does these things? Why does He do things like this? All of these are great questions, and many people wrestle with them in their minds and hearts. The truth of the matter is, He created all things, and then gave us a choice. Every day we still have a choice. Just like the Egyptians, Israelites, Jews, and Gentiles did. God desires us to choose Him. When we do not choose Him he gives us over to our own sinful desires. Once given over to our own sinful desires, natural consequences take over. Eventually, if we do not turn back to Jesus in an authentic way, He will deliver His wrath to us whether here in this temporal existence, or in the eternal one. We will either face His wrath or be saved by Jesus from it due to His grace and forgiveness upon our profession that Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives.

         Understanding the nature of God and His wrath is beyond important to seeing His beauty through every circumstance. Life can get harder. And Harder. And HARDER. AND HARDER… You get the point, my grandfather would always say to me growing up, “You will never find the bottom until you get on your knees and look up.” He was right, life will continue to grind you into a pulp, the storms will keep coming, and exhaustion will destroy you. Unless you find a way to get on your knees and look up. Fix your eyes above the horizon for where your help comes from!

'Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. ' Colossians 3:1-4

Dear Heavenly Father,

         Thank You for the awesome displays of Your discipline and wrath throughout the last three weeks. Thank You Lord Jesus for Your work on the cross. You saved us from Your wrath because of our sin. We are forever in Your debt, but You give grace so abundantly. Moreso Father, You grant us the ability to write Your word into our hearts and become reborn as new creations in Your kingdom. We have a responsibility to You to honor Your gifts by loving others well and following Your teachings. Jesus, please use us to love others. Grant us the abilities to be conduits of Your grace and love in this world. May people not see us, but Your will being done here, just like it would in heaven. Let us rejoice and be glad in everything we experience knowing it will produce a harvest in its season. In Jesus Christ’s authority and power, amen.