Aaron sighed loudly as he looked up the mountainside to see the same rocks and scattered foliage as the day before. No sign of Moses. Not for weeks. He could hear the more vocal dissenters approaching, but he didn’t turn around. They wanted the same thing as yesterday: a new symbol, a new direction. And with Moses gone, maybe they had a point…

The story of Exodus 32 is familiar and sad. God’s chosen people decided to abandon Him even as He was giving Moses plans for the tabernacle to hold His glory. But there is a very curious detail of this story that’s worth mentioning: let’s examine the excuses that are used. The people caused Aaron to make the golden calf, saying “as for this Moses, the man that brought us out of Egypt, we wot not [Ed: know not] what is become of him.”

Wait a minute. The man that brought us out of Egypt? Go back to chapter 20, verse 2: “I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt…” Had they already forgotten after only forty days? God made it very clear that He expected them to recognize that He was responsible for their deliverance. But it’s easier to ignore a man than to ignore God, so we humans tend to “decide” that it wasn’t God. It was convenient to believe that Moses was the one they followed because, hey, Moses wasn’t there anymore.

What about Aaron? Surely he knew, right? Surely he was faithful, or at least he owned up to what he’d done? Well, no. “And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.” As far as excuses go, “the fire made me do it” is right up there with “the dog ate my homework” on the lameness scale. Less subtle, but just as useless as the peoples’ argument that Moses had gone missing again.

God judged the congregation of Israel that night: many lost their lives for the sake of a god they had invented for themselves. The calf could not save them or provide for them. It had no bearing on current events except in what they ascribed to it — and they even attributed their miraculous deliverance from Egypt to the calf Aaron had just made. It didn’t have to make sense; it just had to be comfortably docile so the people could enjoy themselves.

God was not mocked. He didn’t buy their excuses, and He didn’t play their little game. If not for Moses’ intercession, the entire nation of Israel would have been destroyed. God did not (does not!) tolerate idolatry. You can’t mask that with stupidity, either.

We would do well to remember that while people like pastors, group leaders, and mentors are humans that can be fooled or ignored, the God who placed them in our lives cannot be fooled. He didn’t buy excuses at Sinai, and the odds haven’t improved since then. (Excuses are cheap anyway; supply exceeds demand.) The Living God does not make excuses for Himself, doesn’t need to, and He won’t accept them from you and me. It’s not always easy to do, but I want to look past the things that trip me up and see His glory. I want to live for the God of no excuses — with no excuses.

Once upon a time a creative thinker had the opportunity to address some very influential people at a ground-breaking summit. He delivered a stirring speech in which he described a glorious life; a world in which people could be gravity-free.  This innovative and brilliant speaker went on to explain how a flubber-like material could be made into a belt which could be strapped around one’s waist allowing them to easily push off the ground and sail for thousands of feet without touching the ground.  He postulated that with such a device one could walk off 4th-floor balconies and gently drift to the ground. The concept was fascinating. Just imagine being free of gravity’s pesky rule.  The orator waxed eloquent declaring that, with his discovery mankind would forever be unshackled.

When the speech was finished, one slightly-built man rose to challenge the speaker’s theory.  The speaker, shocked at the man’s audacity, said he would prove his claim.  He then reached in his bag, withdrew his very own anti-gravity belt prototype, strapped it on, and began jumping around the room.  Although no one could be sure, some people thought he was jumping higher that they had seen anyone jump before.  He assured them that the results would improve with coming models. After the demonstration, an open-minded and eager crowd swarmed his display table and anti-gravity belts sold like pancakes.

As you can imagine, soon every newscast was predicting the coming of a new gravity-free age as a result of this ingenious invention. Magazines ran cover stories, celebrities became spokespersons and politicians took note.  A myriad of new manufacturing companies appeared, making belts in all shapes, colors and sizes.

Granted, a few skeptics were saying, “Wait a minute, everyone is saying the law of gravity no longer applies but the belts don’t really seem to be working.  Children are jumping off balconies and falling to their death.  There should be laws against this device.”  But politicians and activist judges so loved the concept that they made laws declaring that schools disperse these devices and teach school children how to use them.  Major universities began offering degrees in anti-gravity studies. Not to be left out, the President of the United States declared gravity a thing of the past; no longer would any laws having to do with weight or gravity-related issues be in effect.

Unfortunately the death toll of anti-gravity belt users began to rise.  “We’ve got to do something!” cried the victims’ families. In response to such an outcry, several leading nations formed an anti-gravity alliance declaring that gravity would no longer be tolerated.  It was decided that every country in the world should be required to issue anti-gravity belts to its citizens.  A few concerned citizens rose up in protest pointing out that people wearing the belts continued to plunge to their deaths, and that there was no empirical evidence that the belts worked. Politically-correct proponents were aghast that anyone would be so hateful, so they arranged for a world summit where the inventor was given the Nobel peace prize.  Every ruler of every nation signed a statement declaring that the law of gravity would no longer be tolerated.  It was a grand affair: attendees arrived in limousines and sported high-priced outfits. There were cameras and important people everywhere.  Bands played at extravagant balls. Everyone agreed that the world was now a better place.   There was world unity like never before – finally something that everyone could agree on.

People learned to deal with the continued tragedies of their loved ones who died from falls. It had become obvious that gravity was an outdated, ultra-conservative idea and that it certainly couldn’t still be killing people.  The world was now enlightened and set free from such bondage.

Moral: It doesn’t matter how many people agree that something is right or wrong, there are some immutable, Sovereign laws that will go on working anyway – no matter how tight we shut our eyes.

A lion. Something so fierce, yet it can be so beautiful and magnificent all at the same time! Jesus was called the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah” in Revelation 5:5, which reads “Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah , the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Jesus’ lineage can be traced back to King David, who was promised that he would never lack a descendant on the throne. This prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus, for Mary was a descendant of David in the tribe of Judah. Now that He is risen from the dead, Christ will occupy the throne of David forever.

When a lion roars it is heard for 5 miles in every direction! Jesus will and is proclaiming His glory and it will be heard in every direction. Just like a king or emperor proclaims things, so does our Heavenly Father.

Son of Man

The term “son of man” is mentioned many times  in the Bible, but let’s focus on one. Matthew 20:28 reads “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” God wanted to (as we phrase it) “step into our shoes” for a change. He wanted to feel what we feel — to know firsthand the nature of man that He created. He humbled himself so He could say without qualification that He knew why we feel the way we do. God became a man — the son of man — not so He could understand us, but so we could understand Him.

King of the Jews

“The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.”  – Mark 15:26

A king is a high ranked official. The definition of “king” in Webster’s Dictionary means “the chief authority”. Jesus is the King or the “high authority,” not only over the Jews but over all humanity. However, just like earthly kings, it’s possible for us to reject His rule. Regardless of what authority He commands and the respect and devotion He deserves, it is up to us to accept Jesus’ rule in our lives. The ancient rulers who crucified the “King of the Jews” rejected His rule, and in the process they rejected the possibility of living in His kingdom: eternal life. But when we acknowledge God as King, the reverse is true and we enjoy the privilege of being part of His Kingdom.

You can pick up the gist of the story in Numbers 22:21-33. Balaam knew who God was and worshipped Him, but apparently he had a weakness. One translation says that he “fell in love with money” and so he agreed to go against God by cursing the nation of Israel. But as he rode to the meeting place, Balaam’s donkey was given the ability to see angels. Since the animal possessed more common sense than its master — as well as a powerful sense of self-preservation — it turned aside. That resulted in a beating, but again the donkey saw an angel with a flaming sword and wisely turned aside. Another beating, another turning aside, and finally Balaam has had it. He savagely beat the animal — and then the donkey began to talk.

“What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?” it asked. Balaam gives an unexpected answer: “You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.” Wait a minute, Balaam. You know who God is and claimed to serve Him. You gave up your integrity for gold and silver. You’re on your way right now to defy the Living God, and your donkey is acting more intelligent than you. Did the animal make you look foolish, or did you make yourself a fool?

The angel explained the donkey’s behavior to Balaam and then said something very interesting: “The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her.” The donkey would have been spared even if she had gone straight ahead. It was an act of kindness even to turn away. Though the animal couldn’t talk at that point, the message was clear: don’t go this way! There’s a problem. What you’re doing is dangerous. Stop. But Balaam wanted to be in control, so instead of acknowledging his mistake, he stood there and blamed someone else for his own inability to see.

Too often we are like Balaam. We want to be the sole controller of our lives. We no longer respond to God, having become blind to His word, so He sends guides to help us: friends, youth leaders, pastors, and church elders. They try to help us and direct us to the right path or steer us off of the wrong one. It’s possible that they’re just trying to control your life, but usually they see something you and I don’t. To our shame we can often be found accusing them with similar words, “You have made a fool of me! Why do you criticize every decision I make?”

The truth is that no one made you a fool, so now there’s a tough question to ask yourself: did your counsellors make you look foolish, or did you make yourself a fool by ignoring their wise, well-intentioned advice? The quickest way to look like a fool is to stand there and blame someone else for our own inability to see.

What role have role models and authority figures played in your life? Have you found them to be acting in your best interest, or is it better for you to control everything since you know best? It might be good to consider that question a while before leaving your answer as a comment . . .

When the patriarch Jacob realized that he was going to die soon, he gathered his sons together and blessed them — or more accurately, he foretold what each tribe of Israel would become. Judah was favored, but there is an unfamiliar phrase in the middle of his blessing:

“The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” –Genesis 49:10

What is this Shiloh? At the time, Jacob’s descendants had not even left Egypt, much less established the tabernacle at the city of Shiloh in the country of Ephraim. There are more complicated explanations, but simply stated the phrase “until Shiloh comes” means “until the one to whom it belongs will arrive.” Jacob knew that the rule of his family truly belonged to God, and that one day He would appear to fulfill Israel’s destiny. History shows that the patriarch was right.

It’s an amazing story, but what does it have to do with us? Well, just like the aged Jacob, it behooves us to examine who the ruler of our life is. Who do I belong to? Myself? Or can I acknowledge that God created me, gave me life, and still cares about the way I live it? The Messiah has already walked the earth, but He must also walk in my heart: the rule of my life belongs to Him.

Righteous Branch

“Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled. And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one. And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;”  –Isaiah 10:33-11:2

Isaiah and his successor Jeremiah were sent to a spiritually dark nation of Judah. While it had fared better than the northern nation of Israel, Judah was slipping into idolatry — or perhaps worse, insincere Judaism. For some time the prophets attempted to change the spiritual climate, to no avail. Eventually the Spirit moved them to begin speaking of the restoration: the coming of the Messiah and His effect on the world. While the corrupt institutions of Judah were being swept away, the prophets said, hope still remained in God’s mercy.

“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE Lord OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”  –Jeremiah 23:5-6

Perhaps the greatest message of hope we can see in this passage is the symbolism of a branch. Branches are a natural part of trees. Unlike Gentile Christians, who are called “grafted branches” (Romans 11:13-24), this righteous Branch is part of the family tree of David. While there may be many corrupt branches of our life, it’s comforting to know that if we stick to God’s plan, the same righteous Branch will show up in our lives, too.

In reality, that’s a distorted view of the way submission is supposed to work. Submission is supposed to be a relationship in which each party has a healthy respect for the other. Although one person may have authority over the other, they would not do anything to harm the other individual.

We see people learning to live up to their full potential through submission almost every day around us. No model is perfect, but let’s examine the model of a teacher and a student. When the student submits to the teacher’s instruction and begins giving all their effort to their studies, the teacher can teach in a way that maximizes the student’s learning capacity.

The student would likely not learn near as much without the help of the teacher. Think of the teacher’s help as guidance that the student submits to. Without it, the student would not reach their full potential.

I’ve come to see parallels to this model in our walk with God. He, along with many other individuals in our lives – such as pastors, youth leaders, deacons, elders and parents – are our spiritual teachers. If we learn to submit to their instructions and grow under them, then we will be able to reach our full potential. We will grow up to be what God has promised us we would be, strong and thriving in Him, unhindered by things that would hinder us otherwise.

Submission done right is a positive experience. As was mentioned at the beginning of the article, many people don’t know how authority figures are really supposed to act. It takes seeing it in action to appreciate how submission can really be a good thing and the key to your potential.

Are there any positive experiences you’ve had with a mentor or teacher? Encourage someone else to follow God’s plan for submission – the right way – and reach their potential: share your story in the comments section!

There once was a man who was a slave to a cruel taskmaster.  Now this slave knew no other way of life.  He was bound, blind to any chance of escape. But there was also a mighty king. This king was filled with love and compassion so much that when he looked at the poor slaves, his heart was broken.  The king longed to see these wretched individuals freed.  But what could he do?  They were bound to the taskmaster; they were not his subjects.

A plan formed in this king’s mind, a way to purchase these miserable creatures away from their fate.  There was only one way. The king must come down. He must descend to the filthy level of the slaves and purchase their freedom. That’s exactly what God did: He came down to our level and through His blood He purchased you and I.  Through the sacrifice of dying on the cross, He purchased our eternal salvation.  It’s just up to us to accept that beautiful gift!

Yet I think there’s a deeper level of God purchasing us or owning us. That level covers our every day activities, living a life that is submitted to God 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  It’s great to act like a Christian on Sunday. It’s great to really get your praise on and “have some church.”  But when the organ tremolo has faded away and the last goose bumps have disappeared from your body, is God still all-powerful? Is He still the redeemer of your soul? Does He still want to affect your life and the people you talk to? Yes! Everywhere we go, God is already there. With every person we talk to, God is there waiting to show his love through our lives, waiting to show His healing power through humble people.

I want to be used of God in every day living. I want to show His love and compassion everywhere I go.  Not from some natural kindness or extra special goodness, but because King Jesus has purchased my life. He owns every day and every hour.

Do you want every hour of your life to count? What does salvation mean to you — and what should it mean? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Thing is, fear is very hard to overcome by yourself. Isaiah 41:10 does say, “Have no fear for I am with you be not afraid for I am your God” and “God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of Power of Love and a sound mind.” I knew all this, yet it still didn’t hit home. Every day I endured this painstaking fear. It grasped me with ice-cold fingers and would not to let me go. I staying up all night long with fear clutching at me.

My experiences were not fun to go through, but I think it was a crucial part of my walk with God today. You see, the whole experience was preparing me, training me, to rely on God. When I put my mind to to thinking on things that were Holy, Just, and True the fear seemed to cease. But the funny thing about fear is that it doesn’t go away the first time. You have to conquer fear over and over and over again. My struggle went on for about two and a half years. Finally one night I went to God for the bazillionth time and for once . . . just surrendered. I gave it all up. With no more hope left, I knew it wouldn’t end unless I gave my fears to God.

That night I changed. God came into my life and did what he said He’d do in the scriptures: He gave me a sound mind. In that instant He also gave me authority over my fear, so when it tried to rear its ugly head again I could claim that which was given to me in the name of Jesus!

Maybe this sounds complicated, or like it’s something only a handful of people can do. But I’m here to tell you that there is hope and there is a God that wants to give you a fearless life. I thank God as much as I can for that victory and hope that God will give you victory as well.

Has God given you a fearless life? Do you want to reach the place where love and hope overwhelm your fears? Share your story in the comments.