Exodus 21:12 – 22:15

This week’s passage is a long list of laws God gave to the Hebrews in this format: When [this infraction occurs], then you shall [impose this consequence]. These laws are a window into the problems the Hebrews at that time were experiencing. Pastor Dave posed the question: Since we don’t own oxen or slaves, what do these laws have to do with us?

Just as God gives strong, clear instruction to His children, so should human parents. Dave compared the list of infractions and consequences in the Exodus passage to a list he and Carrie posted on the refrigerator when they were raising their children. It specified each child’s most common infractions and a cool-headed, appropriate consequence for each. The list was an important part of instructing their children clearly and consistently. If you are a parent raising young children, prayerfully consider creating a “refrigerator list” for your family if you have never done so. If you do not have children or are an empty nester, pray for the young families at Calvary. Ask the Lord to give parents wisdom as they lay out rules and consequences and also the courage to enforce them.

Parents are not the only ones who need courage. We all need courage to follow God’s ways in a society that considers His standards of right and wrong a form of hate-speech and calls instruction oppressive. Pray that Christians can be strong enough to take a stand for God’s truth without buckling under the fear of what other people will think. Pray for wisdom to know when to speak up and how.

Whether we are instructing children at home in the ways of God or instructing others as we function in society, we need to examine our motives. God instructs and disciplines us from a motive of love. Do I, as a parent, discipline my children for the sake of my own peace and quiet or with the goal of having my children appear perfect on the outside, disregarding their hearts? Do I, as a citizen, share nuggets of God’s truth with others with a condemning spirit or with a combative attitude? Ask the Lord to give us His heart of love as we instruct others.

Calvary Family

I noticed in the March e-comm a small item about a Parenting Teens Seminar coming up on April 23, led by Dave and Carrie Tebay. I’m guessing that the seminar will include the principles Dave discussed on Sunday, tailored to parents of teenagers. Begin praying that God will use this seminar in a powerful way in families. Pray that parents who need good counsel and encouragement will hear about the seminar and purpose to attend.

A young man shared with the blog a prayer too lengthy to include here. His prayer included requests for his father and grandmother wrapped in expressions of praise. For example, “My prayers go to you alone, for you alone are the only true God. Give my grandmother strength as she battles her days,” he wrote. His prayer is a good reminder to make sure that our prayers are as much about God as they are about us, that our prayers are not a “To Do” list for God.

One purpose of Lent is to shake us out the complacent idea that we are pretty good people. Lent calls us to ponder our sin, both our sin before conversion and our sin now. George Herbert, a 17th century pastor and poet, compared sin to a press and a vise. A press crushes; a vise relentlessly grips. I sometimes compare sin to dust and dog hair. It’s everywhere in my life and, despite my best efforts, I can’t get rid of it all. Spend time before the Lord thinking about your sin, perhaps inventing your own metaphor. Then meditate on what Jesus Christ did to deal with your sin.

In Christ,
Carol Gilbert
Calvary Community Church of Brea