day no. 14,380: the God of heaven above and holes below

Exodus 21-23

I am very grateful that the God of heaven is also the God of the earth. He doesn't just tell us how things should be (The Ten Commandments), He interacts with us as things are (The Book of the Covenant). The same God who dwells on high has wisdom for us here down below. He is not silent – from how we should worship to how we should dig a hole, our God has spoken. We have not been left alone to figure it out. And even more than that, He has sent His Son to live a life that fulfills the law and to die a death that atones for our breaking of the law.

day no. 14,379: finneas is six!!!

Finneas Haddon Foxe, you are a straight up stud. I love you so much. Happy Birthday my boy!!! You still suck your fingers when you're tired, you still love to cuddle during family night, you love to dance and have some of the best moves ever, you love being a big kid, you still need a nap most days, you love wandering around the house in your undies, unless company comes over and then you retreat to find a shirt and shorts, you are 110% at whatever it is you are doing: yelling, sleeping, smiling, pouting, dancing, fighting, loving, etc… I love everything about you. Happy Birthday!

day no. 14,378: the larger the gap, the bigger the Cross

Psalm 38

The more intimately a man knows the Lord, the more intensely aware of his own sin he will become. The more you know God, the holier you know Him to be, the more wretched you discover yourself. You are far worse than you originally imagined when first confessed your sin. But He is far more gracious than you originally estimated.

day no. 14,377: God's rock

Exodus 20:25

If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it.

The only ingredient man brings to his salvation is the sin that makes his salvation necessary. To add anything else is to subtract. To use our skill or will in bringing a sacrifice is to corrupt the very purity we need offered on our behalf. Stones hewn by God's hand are the foundation upon which acceptable sacrifice is received. There is only one foundation, one Rock, the one mediator between God and man, the God man, Jesus Christ!

day no. 14,376: cause and affect

Exodus 20:24

In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you.

God desires to bless. He causes the circumstances He chooses to reward. He makes His name to remembered, and then meets the memory with blessing. He is in control and flexes His sovereignty for the benefit of others.

day no. 14,375: lest we die

Exodus 20:19

“You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”

Oswald Chambers' comments on this verse from his February 12 entry in his classic devotional, My Utmost for His Highest, are astute:

We show how little we love God by preferring to listen to His servants only. We like to listen to personal testimonies, but we do not desire that God Himself should speak to us. Why are we so terrified lest God should speak to us? Because we know that if God does speak, either the thing must be done or we must tell God we will not obey Him. If it is only the servant’s voice we hear, we feel it is not imperative, we can say, “Well, that is simply your own idea, though I don’t deny it is probably God’s truth.”

day no. 14,374: fret bored

Psalm 37

Do not fret. Worry is faith in a bad future. Worry believes and acts as though something bad is going to happen. It just knows it. It is our capacity to fix our eyes gone astray. Faith focuses on God's goodness and fixes it eyes on future good from Him. Those who delight in God will have Him. If your heart's longing is to be with God, you will see your longing face to face. Those who delight in Him will be delighted to see Him.