It’ll work but it won’t be blessed…

Scripture Reference: Numbers 20: 7-13

There are many perspectives surrounding why Moses and Aaron chose not to follow God’s instructions to speak to the rock. Honestly, there’s so much to unpack in the story as a whole. Perhaps the fact that God intentionally created a situation or platform where, if the instructions were followed as given, the people under Moses and Aaron’s leadership would be exposed to the character of God. Their disobedience essentially indicates the arrogance that says “I know better than God” and I want to prove my point more than I want to make room for His glory”. Ouch. 

We could unpack the significance of Moses’ refusal to speak before the people yet again, as was shown when God first called him to play a major role in the deliverance of the Children of Israel from Egypt. God ultimately had to send Moses a helper in Aaron because of Moses’ lack of faith in the One who sent him. Yet again, this insecurity in speech cost him greatly. 

However, today we’re going to talk about what happens when disobedience doesn’t seem to have any consequences. What do we do when we’re disobedient but it still works? In our text, Moses and Aaron clearly disobeyed God’s instruction to speak to the rock to produce water, choosing instead to strike the rock. I would have expected God to teach them a lesson by allowing their efforts to go in vain. In other words: no water. But as we see in verse 11, the water flowed despite their disobedience! The water flowed “abundantly” and the livestock and the assembly were given plenty of water. So what’s the lesson? What’s the warning? 

The warning is this: do not be misled. Just because it works, does not mean it’s blessed. Read it again- just because it works-whatever “it” is for you- despite your disobedience, does not mean you got one over on God. Aaron and Moses were successful in the immediate miracle, but it cost them their position and ability to enter the promised land they had worked so hard for! 

What does this mean for us? It means you might be able to force the relationship in your own timing, with the wrong person…but it won’t be blessed. You may be able to compromise your values and the assignment God gave you for the sake of making more money and keeping up for the ‘gram, but that doesn’t mean it’s blessed. Wow. I’m sure we can all insert our own examples.

Today I encourage us all to study the lesson we learn through Moses so we don’t have to face the same consequences. 

Praying with and for you always,

Mik 

Prayer

Lord, we repent for our disobedience! In your word, you equated Moses and Aaron’s disobedience with a lack of faith, and a misrepresentation of your holiness! Many of us had no idea it was that serious, but we hear your Spirit convicting our hearts now. Please have mercy on us and forgive us our sins! Please remind us of your instructions and give us another chance to obey in FAITH. We want to be a generation who is worthy of the assignments you’ve given us. You won’t have to wait to bless our children. We’re here for you now. You have our “yes” now. Holy Spirit help us and show us the way. In Jesus name, amen. 

Take the easy way!

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

(Matthew 11:28-30, ESV)

To anyone who has ever been told “winners never cheat and cheaters never win,” this advice from Jesus might cause you to raise an eyebrow in suspicion. How could God lead us to something easy? Isn’t Christianity all about doing difficult things like continued forgiveness and humility?

If you’re at all like me, the responsibilities and demands of work, family, friends, and ministry can quickly and frequently become too much. On one such day of feeling like I was being spread too thin, I was reminded of this Scripture. In prayer, I asked God how his yoke could POSSIBLY be easier than mine. This is the same Jesus whose yoke literally included death on a cross, forgiving the unforgivable, and other struggles during his time on Earth. How could his yoke be the easier one between the two of us? Holy Spirit led me to truly study Jesus’ yoke. One crucial part of Jesus’ yoke is found in verse 29, “for I am gentle and lowly in heart”. Two aspects of Jesus’ character are gentleness, a fruit of the Spirit, and humility, the ability to lower oneself and elevate others. Here Jesus continues his advice that his followers should lay aside prideful desires to be considered first and greatest, instead trading this for a childlike persona of humility and teachability.

Could it be that much of what wears us down results from our refusal to take the easy way? Could it be that in our pursuit of success, approval, security, and stability we have neglected our Master’s model of what it is to walk in gentleness and servitude? After all, Jesus exemplified what it is to live a life free to only prioritize two things: loving God and loving people (Matthew 22:36-40).

As most of us reading this have been brainwashed by Western culture and programmed to find our source of fulfillment in chasing the “American dream,” let us be reminded of Paul’s invitation to renew our minds (Romans 12:2)! You are not what you do. You are not your finances. You are not even the sum total of likes, friends, and followers. You are a child of God and joint-heirs with Christ! And as such, exhaustion, fatigue and burnout are not your portion. Find rest today, my friend. Take the easy way.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for Jesus. Thank you for His perfect rest that comes when I return to the basics of loving You and serving people. I admit I have been overwhelmed with everything else, but today I will rest in the easier yoke. Please remind me when I begin to stray. I love you more…

Here comes the Bride.

“For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready.” (Revelation 19:7)

“Husbands love your wives, as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for her Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless…This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.”

(Ephesians 5:25-27, 32)

Yes, this post is about marriage. No, it is not only for married people. Weddings, marriage, and the intentionality of God to use the symbolism of marriage to illustrate His own love for his chosen people…Julia Roberts could never!

People give various reasons for why they believe “now” is the time for them to get married. Reasons range from aging ovaries to a logical next step after professional achievements. Some people get married to prove something to others, while others say “I do” to somehow prove value to themselves. Whatever your reason, today the Holy Spirit is inviting us to consider the only reason for marriage that truly matters. As believers in Jesus Christ, when we stand before God on our wedding day, we take on not only the role of husband or wife but of Image Bearer.

You see, beyond the butterflies, clever hashtags, and perfect venue, your vows are made first to God and then to your new spouse.

“Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?”

This is an excerpt from one of the more common lists of vows shared at weddings. Now, for those reading this who are married, it’s really the way you declare these vows every day AFTER the wedding that bears witness to the love of Christ for his Bride, the Church. When you choose forgiveness instead of the culture’s encouragement of canceling, punishment, and score-keeping, you model the way Christ forgives us every day. When you serve each other through illness, loss, and financial strain, you model Christ’s constant faithfulness despite the ups and downs of life. When you declare “until death do us part,” you echo Christ’s vow to never leave nor forsake us in this life or the next.

If your marriage was the only way for someone to understand the love of Christ, would they get it?

And for those of us who are not yet married or have no desire to be married, there is a consideration for us as well. Whether single or married, if you and I claim to be followers of Jesus, we are a part of the Church. Scripture tells us that the Church is to Jesus what the bride is to the groom in our wedding picture. As the Bride of Christ, consider these natural vows again, but consider them in view of our groom— the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, spotless Lamb, Jesus! Church:

“Will you love Him, comfort Him, honor and keep Him, in (your) sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for better or for worse, and forsaking all other (gods), be faithful to Him as long as you live?”

Before you answer, invite God to search your heart. What circumstances are you in that have been your excuse for breaking your vows? Where have you made stipulations for your faithfulness?

My prayer is that this season would birth kingdom marriages in the natural. Marriages that showcase the love of God better than words. But not only literal marriages, but more importantly that the Bride of Christ would cleanse and prepare for her groom.

It’s not love without a choice.

(Genesis 3:1-24; Matthew 4: 1-10; 1 John 5:3; John 14:15)

Happy New Year! I was listening to a podcast recently, and the host mentioned the massive theological question: if God wanted Adam and Eve to be obedient to Him, why did He even create the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden? Is God so sadistic that He plants traps and waits for us to fall into them? I mean, He knows everything even before we do it right? Scripture is clear that we cannot blame God for temptation; instead, we must look within our own sinful hearts (James 1:13-14). If God was not lying in wait for Adam and Eve to sin, why was the option left open? And why was the serpent even allowed in the Garden?

In order to answer these questions, consider others. Why was Satan allowed to tempt Job with unimaginable loss? Why was Jesus himself led into the wilderness for the sole purpose of being tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-2)? And why do you and Ilef face countless temptations each and every day? I don’t pretend to understand all the mysteries of God, but the podcast host offered a suggestion that blessed and convicted me deeply.

What if the answer is love?

Think about it. The God of the universe, all-knowing and sovereign above all, left His most precious creation with the free will to choose. He gave to Adam and Eve what He offers to each of us- the opportunity to make up our minds to obey Him from a place of love and not oppression. I’m sure God thought the decision would be a no-brainer. They could literally eat from EVERY other tree except one. Surely it would be easy for them to honor their Creator’s only request. Surely it should be easy for us…However, our sinful heart’s every inclination from birth is to please ourselves (Genesis 6:5; 9:21) with little consideration for God. Time after time, God waits to see if we will use our free will to choose Him, to love Him. There are glimpses throughout the Bible of unique moments when people modeled lives full of love and devotion to the Father, but none quite like Jesus. The only sinless man, Jesus shows us what it is to let love for the Father dictate our actions. Even at the crossroads between life and death, love drove him to say “not my will but yours be done.” And God doesn’t ask us to do anything He didn’t initiate. Whereas His hatred for sin should eternally separate us from His presence, each breath we breathe is a reminder that He chose love. More than that, we know what love is because the Father gave His only, perfect son to right the wrong that sin created.

What does it look like for each of us to truly love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind? It looks like a million little moments of choice. It looks like intentionally prioritizing the will of God over the desires of the flesh. It looks like accepting a new identity as a living sacrifice. When God made the choice between separation and relationship, He chose a relationship with you and me. What will you choose?

Will you love Him for real this year? Join me as we live a life that says “God, I love You more”.

Praying for you always,

Mikaela

Renaming “Impossible”.

“And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.” (Luke 1:35-37)

As we get deeper and deeper into the Christmas holiday season, ironically it becomes increasingly easy to be distracted from the source of our celebrating. The secular world and Christians alike, all running around to prove their love through gift-giving and perfect decor. Ironically, the wise men who were faced with the task of gifting the King of Kings did not go into debt or depression while choosing His gift…

Nevertheless, today I want to ground us in the true“who” behind Christmas (not to be mistaken for the lovely citizens of the best Christmas movie ever). There was a fairly ordinary virgin girl named Mary who we all know became famous for the child that she birthed. However, I’ll be the first to admit that I have been guilty of marveling at the miracle done in Mary’s body more than the One who does the miraculous as easily as we take a breath. You see, Mary knew very well her own limitations in participating in this miracle. Luke 1:34 ends with her reminding the angel that she was a virgin (in case God is somehow not fully informed when He speaks, of course). The angel’s response is the prayer of my heart for each of us as we embark on the journey of unwavering submission to the calling of God in our lives. Not that we would somehow become capable, worthy, or competent in our own right, but that “the Holy Spirit will come upon you in new ways”; you would be fully alert to His every move and declaration; and that your whole life would be “overshadowed by the power of the Most High.”

There are so many scientifically-proven impossible things. It is impossible for pigs to fly. It is impossible for bricks to be soft. It is also impossible to walk on water, but we have seen that. It is impossible for 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish to become more than that, but we have seen that too. It is especially impossible for a virgin girl to give birth to a baby that would live completely without sin and be enough to save the entire world, but again, we have seen that. The point is this: in life there are many impossibilities; however, God has proven since the beginning of time that He is not limited by human or scientific limitations. This holiday season, I invite you to spend time in awe- not of the vessel- but of the God who makes impossible things possible. Let this fuel not only your full obedience to His call, but your daily acts of worship. Amen.

It’s only “impossible” until God starts doing it, then you need to give it a new name.