Exodus 4:10-13 “ 10Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” 11The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.” 13But he said, “Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will.”

As Parents we hear all kinds of excuses from our children.  You give them a chore to do and normally we hear, “Oh Mom (insert whine here), I don’t want to do that now.”  I can just hear my own kids in their younger years.

Moses kept giving the Lord excuses why He should not send him to free His people.  He didn’t understand that it wasn’t about his abilities.  It was totally all of the Lord’s abilities, which are limitless.

When our children say to us that they cannot do something, remind them that in Christ all things are possible.  If you don’t try, you will never do it.  Failing is failing if you try.  Did you read that right?  Yes.  As long as we do our very best and trust the Lord with the outcome, we cannot fail.  It’s all on Him.  And we know that He will never let us down.

Matthew 13:44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

Just how much joy do you have? Are you sold out for Jesus? Today’s verse gives us a glimpse of just how joyous we should be as believers in Christ. We should be willing to give up everything for the kingdom.

I have known a lot of Christians in my life, but I have found very few who were willing to give “all” for Christ. Most of us simply accept Christ, get plugged into a church and just kind of trudge along. We don’t get too excited. If we did we might be accused of being Pentecostal or charismatic. And we certainly don’t want that (sarcasm here).

My wife and daughter give me a hard time about how I start moving and “dancing” when I hear music. They claim I only have one move. Haha. I just can’t help it. When I hear music that I like my legs and arms, heck my whole body, starts moving.

Teaching children to rejoice is never hard. Just put them in a room with other kids, turn on some music and step back and watch. Every Sunday in Children’s Church we have our Praise and Worship time. When a song is played that is “moving” the kids come alive. In fact, sometimes we have to actually calm them down a bit. After all, we are Baptist. Lol

But our kids will learn to rejoice more sincerely as they observe us doing the same. I am not advocating anything crazy. I am just suggesting that you allow the Lord to show you how to “move.” Does the love of Christ get you moving? Are you willing to sell “all” to spread the good news of the Savior?

Genesis 50:19-20 “ And Joseph said unto them, ‘Fear not: for am I in the place of God? And as for you, ye meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.’”

Wow! That’s the first word that comes to mind. Joseph saw through the pain of rejection and deception from his brothers to the ultimate purpose of God in his life. He saw, perhaps second hand, that God put him where he was to save his family, even though those brothers who had done him so wrong.

Can you do that? Can I do that? Can we accept wrongs done to us as God’s purpose for our life? Can we see through the pain and perhaps tears? Can we allow God to have His perfect will in our lives, even if it means pain and suffering?

It seems these past few devotionals have focused on family hurts. Your children are going to have those throughout life. They need to learn now how to manage those feelings when someone close hurts them. What a perfect story. Just like Joseph, they can forgive their sister or brother, mother or father, husband or wife, when they intentionally or unintentionally hurt them. But there is a secret to it.

Without Christ we can’t. There is NO WAY!!! We will get bitter and vengeful. We will seek how to “repay” those who have hurt us or our loved ones. Our flesh is just that way. Outside of Christ, we are evil.

But….in Christ we can do all things. We can love the most hateful person. That doesn’t mean we have to love their behaviors. Heaven no! But we must love them. Remember – Christ washed the feet of Judas just before he betrayed Him. Whose feet can you wash today?

Matthew 12:48 “But he answered and said unto him, ‘Who is my mother? And who are my brethren?’”

It appears at first glance that Jesus was putting off his family. If you didn’t know better you would think he is just being rude. But…we know better.

Jesus said this to point to the fact that He had come to break down simple familial lines. He came to make us all brothers and sisters through Him. Have you done that? Have you accepted someone as your brother or sister in Christ that you probably would not want in your own family?

Even though we are “kin” in Christ, we still battle the flesh and our desires. We sometimes just don’t like some people, whether they are in the body of Christ or not. Jesus came to break down all those thoughts and feelings. He came to bring us together in Him. We can’t do it without Him.

My brother-in-law says something that applies here. “You can’t, He never said you could. He can and He always said He would.”

Let me ask you a question. If you have more than one child, do they ALWAYS get along? If you answered “yes” then you need to repent cause you are lying. Lol. Seriously, every set of siblings have moments when they don’t get along. When that happens again, pull out this verse and explain how Jesus saw family. It extends beyond just blood. And if we can’t love our own, how in the world do we expect to love others.

The next time YOU are struggling with a brother or sister in Christ, remember that. He can love anyone through you, but you can’t love anybody without Him.

Genesis 45:16 “Now when the news was heard in Pharaoh’s house that Joseph’s brothers had come, it pleased Pharaoh and his servants.”

This may seem like a strange verse to pick out, but something about this intrigued me. Look at what it says. Pharaoh and his servants were pleased when they heard his brothers had come. Hmmm…..

Now this is TOTALLY reading between the lines, but it appears to me that they must have heard Joseph’s story about his brothers selling him into slavery. He had probably told them how many brothers he had. He probably told them about his father and mother. Now, out of nowhere, they appear.

And it says they were pleased. Why? Why should they care about Joseph’s family? Don’t you rejoice with your friends when they receive good news? Joseph had obviously endeared himself to Pharaoh and his servants. They rejoiced with him. They were happy for him.

The next time you hear of some good news about a family member or a family friend, bring out this story. Explain to your children that, just like Joseph’s friends celebrated with him, we celebrate with our friends and family. Not because we just want an excuse to party, but because our love for our friends and family is built upon years of “doing life” with them. We celebrate because we know their story. We celebrate because we have probably also cried with them and know how they may have suffered in the past.

Do you rejoice with others? Or are you jealous of them? I think we can learn a lesson here. Rejoice when others rejoice and weep when they weep. That sure sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Matthew 11:28-30 “28 ’Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.’”

Don’t you just love this verse? Christ offers to put a yoke on us and promises that it will be easy. Right! I’ve heard that before. I have heard that from previous bosses. Not me! No way!

Now wait a minute. Let’s look at this. He said take “My yoke” not just any yoke. That yoke had a place for two. Jesus on one side and you on the other. He would be the one directing and leading. He would take the responsibility of the load, not you. He just wants you to come along and learn.

When someone back then yoked two animals together, they always had one that knew what they were doing. The other, perhaps younger, animal would sometimes pull against the older one in the yoke and cause chaffing or sores to develop. When the pain got too much, they would reluctantly go along with the older animal, thus reducing the strain on those sore spots.

Don’t you think our children pull against the yoke sometimes? You are leading them in one direction, but they are determined to go in another. Can I give you some advice? YOU are the lead oxen. YOU must lead them. YOU must show them how to plow or carry that burden. They do NOT know how to yet. Stop being so “child friendly” and be “yoke friendly.” God has put you in that yoke for a reason – to lead them. But you can only lead them as you allow Jesus to lead you.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to hurt. Won’t you allow Jesus to put His yoke on you? Won’t you let Him lead? It is a lot less painful.

Genesis. 42:8-9 “8 But Joseph had recognized his brothers, although they did not recognize him. 9 Joseph remembered the dreams which he had about them, and said to them, ‘You are spies; you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land.’”

I am always amazed when I read this story about the forgiveness in Joseph. If that had been me, I would have thrown them all in prison and thrown away the key. Those worthless brothers had decided to kill him and then sold him. Now I have heard of sibling rivalries, but come on.

Here in this passage it says he recognized them and remembered the dreams he had as a boy. All these years Joseph was probably wondering why God had allowed him to come to Egypt as a slave, go through what he did and now be the supreme ruler (besides Pharaoh) over all of Egypt.

Now his brothers have arrived and, as customary, were bowing before him, just as his dream of so many years ago. He could have said right then, “Aha, look at yourselves. I told you this would happen.” But he didn’t. He restrained himself and thanked God for allowing him to see them again.

One great lesson we can teach our children from this passage is that we should never think we are better than others. Even when we are right and they are wrong, we need to teach them to be merciful and forgiving. That is a hard lesson to learn, but we can help our children develop this wonderful skill. They learn by watching us.

How about you? Do you hold grudges? Do you refuse to forget a wrong against you? Let it go. Perhaps the Lord has allowed that wrong for the benefit of the offender down the road. You never know.

Matthew 10:40 “’He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.’”

What is Jesus saying here? Is He saying people are going to just like us and accept everything we say? No, look at the context.

He was sending out his disciples to share the good news. He knew they would be rejected. He knew they may even be threatened. But what He was telling them was if they shared what He taught them, then the rejection was really directed at Him.

Have you ever encountered that? I have. There have been people who made rather crude comments to me when I shared Jesus. Others simply left the room or ignored me. I didn’t like that. I didn’t like being shunned. But I also realize that if I am trying to live like Jesus, some will not like me. But….when I share and someone responds…it is all worth it.

Our children who know the Lord love to tell others about Jesus. They don’t think about getting their feelings hurt. They just want to share their best friend with others. Do you and your children pray for their lost friends? Do you pray with them for opportunities to share Jesus? With just a little encouragement you may birth the next Billy Graham.

Have you shared the good news of Jesus to someone this week, this month, this year? Why not? Are you afraid of being embarrassed or ridiculed? Don’t let that stop you. Preach it! Live it!

Genesis 35:1 “Then God said to Jacob, ‘Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.’”

I love the fact that God said, “Go” and Jacob went. He didn’t ask any questions. He didn’t make any excuses. He just went. Hmmmm.

How about you? Has God clearly given you some directions in your life and you just made excuses? Have you just come up with excuse after excuse? “God, I can’t do that. I’m too old.” “God, that doesn’t make sense.” “God, are You crazy?” Well, maybe that last one is going to far. Lol

But you get the drift. We piddle around and ignore His direct instructions for our life. You may say, “But I haven’t heard any direct instructions.” If you read the Bible, you have seen the instructions.

Don’t you get frustrated with your children when you ask them to clean their room ten times and have to threaten them within an inch of their life (just kidding) to get them to do it? Prompt obedience is so important. Teaching your children to obey the first time prepares them for life in the classroom, the workplace and with God. But it’s not about control. It’s about training.

They will obey as they see you obey. Will you be obedient the first time? Will you obey God no matter what He says? I promise He will not lead you astray. What He says may seem crazy, but it is not. It is the pure truth! Trust Him!

Matthew 9:36-38 “ 36 Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

The longer I live the more I see these words of Jesus as more relevant in my life. There are so many lost souls out there who are without a shepherd. They wander and wander, and many of them are devoured by wolves. Sadly, they don’t even realize it.

I met a young man recently on a plane who was just like that. He was 30 years old, covered in tattoos and searching for something. He told me his life story within about 30 seconds of meeting him. He was Buddhist. He said he believed all religions are right and that we need to just learn to love each other and live in peace. When he found out I was a Children’s Pastor he said “Oh I believe in Jesus too.”

Thus the problem. We can’t just believe in Jesus too. We have to believe in Him alone. If we believe in everything, we don’t believe in anything. We have to be sold out to the One and Only God of the universe. Sheep respond only to their Shepherd’s voice, not another’s.

Your children are going to hear, if they haven’t already, that there is more than one way to heaven. Do not let them buy into that falsehood. John 14:6 says He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Moms and Dads have to be the ones to teach their children this truth. Teach them to listen only to the voice of the Shepherd, not a counterfeit.

Are you listening to Jesus alone? Stop wandering and come to the Shepherd.