Three Minute Thoughts

God makes a way through sacrifice.

God gives specific directions on how the priest was to look and what role he was supposed to fill.

When God gave the design for the parts of worship, he was doing it so our hearts and minds were in the right place when we worship him.

We were designed for worship so God helps us get ready to worship him.

God provides for his people even though all they do is grumble. He feeds them. Gives them water to drink. Even fights alongside them, but how easily they forget.

As God leads his people to a place of safety, he first takes them through a place of trust and obedience. We don't really like these moments of testing but they are necessary for us to see how big our God really is.

God brings a new thing to the people to establish a new rhythm of life for them. A sacrifice, a meal, a fellowship all marked this new year celebration.

As we rebel against God, he increases the intensity of the call. But there is a time when we have denied so much and walked so far that he lets us go to our own decision.

God will often use whatever means necessary to save his people, even from themselves.

God reveals something powerful and unique about himself in this section. It's something seemingly as simple as a name but that name means everything.

When the weight of the world came crashing down on Moses, he didn't rise up in faith but started to cower in fear. But God showed without question that he was in control.

The rule was no boys allowed but God had other plans. How will God protect this newborn child? And how will he use this small child to change the world?

As Genesis ends and Exodus begins we learn an important truth. What man does against us, God can use for us.

The bible has a way of making things happen differently than expected, yet somehow better at the same time. This section deals with that very thing.

Some times in life we are struggling to find the purpose in a struggle. But in other places the struggle is worth the wait.

Joseph's story of life is one of seeing God set up his future without him knowing it.

Ever get the odd notion that someone is up to something? These chapters reveal that God has been up to something and many people didn't even realize it!

When it seems like things are falling apart perhaps they're actually falling into place. Trust that God knows something that you don't yet know.

Joseph's brothers sold him to slavery but God had a plan. The boss's wife tried to seduce Joseph but God had a plan. Perhaps this whole section is all about God and his plan.

When the world seems against us, we need to remember that God is in our corner paving the road for the future he knows is for our best.

What we do that's wrong and what the world intends for evil, God has the ability to redeem and use for good. Here's a prime example.

Jacob isn't going to get the upstanding citizen award in any society. He's weak and manipulative. And some of the things in these chapters many of us don't even know! But what happens when a person who has nothing to offer actually starts to understand who God is? These chapters set up the answer to that very question.

So if the past two little episodes into the life of Jacob and his brother weren't bad enough, we find yet another incident of mistrust, manipulation, lying, betrayal and all of it is used by God to accomplish his plan. God doesn't plan the bad stuff but shows here how he can certainly use the bad to accomplish what he desires.

The lies continue in this section. But the cool part of this whole scenario is that God can use us in spite our ridiculous self-centeredness. Thank goodness because we often put ourselves before God and those around us. But God can work great things even when we're rebellious.

The story of Isaac's twins is fascinating to say the least. The selling of a birthright for a bowl of soup is one thing but then the flat out series of lies and betrayal that will come later are just crazy! In this podcast we look at what can be learned from these two through their sibling rivalry.