Lunar Eclipse

Tonight as I sat watching the lunar eclipse, I was struck once again with the very simple picture of what happens when we allow the world to come between us and our source of Light. We become a dull red version of ourselves, offering no light to the places and situations around us. We lose our reflection of who He is, now just a dark object floating through life. 

Clear the way for the Lord to shine through in your life. Move the things that need to be moved -- the things that are blocking and throwing shadows over your witness. Position yourself in the best possible place to reflect the glory of Christ to the world around you. 

A voice of one calling:

“In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord;

make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low;

the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.

And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together.

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Isaiah 40:3-8

By Faith Moses

Hebrews 11:24-28

v24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.

Moses didn't allow the allure of fame and fortune to cause him to sell his soul. He laid down his pride and the potential arrogance of being a part of the most powerful house in Egpyt. He didn't cling to the status he could have had or the position and favour that nepotism could have bought him. His identity was elsewhere. He was a man of Yahweh, he refused to be anything else. 

v25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.

Fleeting. Momentary. Vanishing quickly. Short term gain, long term pain. That's all that the pleasure of sin is. Moses got this. He knew that true freedom was found in obedience to God, not in the supposed 'freedom' of doing what he wanted. Sin or obedience is an active choice that we have to make every day. Choose life. 

v26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

Treasures in heaven -- we know this. We should be storing up our reward where moth nor decay can destory and no thief can steal. But so often the treasures of this world feel a lot more real and tangible than the reward we have to look forward to. My prayer is that, like Moses, we would know the true value of Christ, that we would be absolutely convinced of the truth that the whole book of Hebrews loudly and reptitvely proclaims: "Jesus is better."

v27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible.

How do we persevere? We consider Him who endured the cross. When we see what Jesus did for us, how can it not bolster us and put courage in our bones? How can we remain fearing man when we know that the God Almighty of heaven and earth made us, loves us, called us and is for us? But we do have to work through the haze and noise of the world around us to be able to see Him who is invisible.

v28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

By faith Moses obeyed, even when it was possibly a bit of an odd request. Even in the obscure, Moses applied his trust in God into action that stepped out in faith to do the thing God asked of him. By faith let us do all that God has called us to do. 

Armour [Gospel]

Ephesians 6:12-15

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then... with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace."

Paul is thinking here of the typical sandals Roman soldiers wore which allowed them to move quickly during battle, gave them traction to stand their ground in the battle and provided protection to their feet. The shoes allowed them to move freely over any terrain, not concerned about standing on thorns or shards or rough rocks. Having the certainty that the shoes would hold them allowed to them focus on the fight at hand. 

Imagine going into the treacherous terrain of battle barefoot or wearing fluffy slippers. It just doesn't seem like it would be setting yourself up for success, right? 

The soldiers' shoes affected their balance, grip, power, and movement. In the same way, the foundation of our day-to-day Christianity is the gospel. The gospel anchors our faith in the Truth of who God is, what He's done and the impact on our lives, purpose and actions. Without that, we'd slip all over the place. 

We don't go barefoot, because we can't go in our own strength. We need to covered and anchored by the gospel, by the fact that we have been redeemed and restored by the blood of Jesus. 

We don't go in slippers because we can't afford to be lazy and laid back. The devil prowls like a lion to take any ground we are complacent to give. 

The shoes of the gospel are not about our comfort, but they certainly bring peace. If we can grasp the fullness of what the gospel means for us, anxiety cannot stand. 

While carrying this gospel of peace, we also can't be flat footed and apathetic. The picture of putting on the gospel every day reminds us of the need to be front footed and active in living out and taking the gospel in and to the world around us.