Get Up N Serve

Happy Birthday! I always wonder what it would be like to celebrate a birthday on certain days of the year.  New Year’s Eve. A celebration for your parents as they got tax benefits for a whole year for 1 day. There is probably always a party already planned – maybe not in your honor but a party, nonetheless. Maybe you have gone and celebrated your birthday with over a million people at Times Square NY. Hopefully, you have created a special way to celebrate.

   In our verse for today, Exodus 12:31, a whole nation celebrated their freedom. They had been enslaved for 430 years (imagine your nation being enslaved since 1593 AD). For the past few months God had been revealing Himself through plagues upon the land of Egypt. Pharoah was not relenting and would not free Israel. On the 14^th night of the month of Nisan (Jewish calendar) God told Moses that He would Passover all the homes who had spread the blood of a 1-year-old unblemished male lamb over the door posts. If they did not, then their first born would perish.  Over 600,000 families of Hebrews did just that. The Egyptians did not. Our verse today is Pharoah’s response to Moses and Aaron directly after this happened.   Exodus 12:31 –

He called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel; and go, serve Yahweh, as you have said!

     Pharoah had finally relented. The Israelites were allowed to leave their plight of slavery. There are so many parallels to our decision to follow Christ and become free from the slavery of sin. Let me point out 1 that will hopefully help us today and throughout the next year. Passover occurred at midnight of the 14^th / 15^th. By the early morning hours of the 15^th, all of Israel (estimated to be well over 2 million people) were on their way out of Egypt. In just a few short hours, they had mobilized in obedience to Yahweh. They had been waiting and yearning for their freedom for generations. They had seen over the past few months miracle after miracle of God defeating each Egyptian “god”. They acted in faith and spread shed blood over their doorposts. They were ready to be free.

   We are in a very similar place as the church of Christ. We have been redeemed by the blood of the perfect, unblemished Lamb of God. Our bodies groan (Romans 8) for heaven. We have experienced trials and tribulation. We do not belong on this earth as we are citizens of heaven (see Dec 30 devotional). It seems to me, the older I get, that nothing ever changes. Day after day of the same thing. That is exactly what the Israelites experienced. Then One day- BOOM. They were leaving Egypt to follow God’s provision. Let’s be ready and able to mobilize in obedience to Christ at a moment’s notice.

    As you celebrate your birthday, maybe today is that day when Jesus returns for His Bride. How cool would it be if it happened when the world was watching Times Square and the trumpet sounded! As Pharoah told Moses & Aaron – “Rise up, …. and go, serve Yahweh …”

The time is near. Israel did not know it would be 430 years of captivity. They had to be ready and eager just as much in year 312 than they were in year 430. We do not know when we will ultimately be freed from this body of sin and taken to heaven. Let us be ready and eager. In the meantime,

“Rise up, …. and go, serve Yahweh …”

Listen for the Trumpet

Dave R

  ’69 / ‘ 83  Quarryville PA

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

¹³ But we don’t want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have no hope. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. ¹⁵ For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, ¹⁷ then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words.