Month: September 2017

Is Your Spouse Hurtful?

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How would you complete the following sentence: “I never thought my spouse would be so ____________.” ?

There are probably as many different answers to this question as there are couples. Some of the possible answers would be, “I never thought my spouse would be so…

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Exodus 2 – Feeling Like You Don’t Belong

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Sometime you can just tell when something’s not right. You can just tell when you don’t belong where you are. Whether it’s a discontent or a difficulty fitting in, there’s a dissonance in your spirit. You just know it.
This was the case for Moses in chapter 2 of Exodus. Perhaps it was all that time bonding with his birth mother, as she nursed him for Pharaoh’s daughter, that led him to feel like he didn’t belong in Pharaoh’s family. Maybe it was the lack of acceptance and approval from his own people that made him feel like he didn’t belong with them. Even after he had a wife and a family of his own, the thoughts and connections of the past kept him feeling like an alien.
Feeling like you don’t fit in or don’t belong can be very frustrating and even painful. But the discomfort of feeling like an alien can be turned toward a powerful and positive outcome.
  • It can be a sign that God is transitioning you to a new phase in your life and service.
  • The discontent and discouragement can move you to work on yourself and engage with others more.
  • Or, it can be a simple reminder that this world can never be your home, because you are an alien in this world until you are home with Jesus.
Despite the reason, feeling like you don’t fit in or don’t belong can be a powerful turning point in your life…if you let it open you up to God’s purpose and plan for your life.
Moses had no idea where his discontentment would lead him, and neither do we!

 

Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

Exodus 1 – No Such Thing As A Small Part to Play

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Ever feel insignificant? Ever feel like you’re just a common, everyday person with no chance of making a major impact on the world?
In the book of Exodus, we have:
  • A book containing the mightiest miracles God has ever done, aside from the resurrection of Jesus.
  • A book tellimg of the marvelous beginnings of the nation of Israel and their worship of God.
  • A book recounting the giving of the 10 Commandments.
  • A book telling of the mighty exploits of Moses.
  • A book revealing the actual personal name of God!
Isn’t it interesting that a book containing such amazing things does not begin with any thing that amazing. Instead, chapter 1 of Exodus begins with the story of two simple, down-to-earth, behind-the-scenes midwives.
Little did these midwives know that their simple faithfulness to God and to their everyday tasks would in fact rock the existing Egyptian government. Their faithfulness would make possible the entrance of a deliverer and the formation of a brand new nation of Israel.
Psalm 139:16, speaking of God, tells us…”Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, everyone of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” (ESV)
Who you are, and where you are was all foreseen and engineered by God before He formed anything in creation. You are a part of his eternal, creative plan. So never underestimate your place in life or the impact that your faithfulness can have on the arc of history. There is no such thing as a small part to play in the service of God.

 

Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

This is Not What I Expected

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Expectations. We all have expectations before we get married. We have expectations about what marriage will be like. We have expectations about how our spouse will act. We have expectations that tend to become the standard by which we measure and evaluate the quality of our marriage. We expect things like…

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Genesis 50 – A Happy Ending to a Long Journey

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Genesis chapter 50 is the close of a long journey for Joseph and his brothers. By the time Joseph’s brothers find him in Egypt, they have come a long way, not just geographically, but emotionally and spiritually also.
Joseph’s brothers started off by denying his right to rule over them. (Gen. 37:8) Next, they wanted Joseph out-of-sight-out-of-mind. (Gen. 37:28) Then Joseph’s brothers lived their lives as if he didn’t exist. But eventually, something brought them to the point of needing and depending on him.
They discovered that the one they shunned and mistreated, was the ruler and possessor of all they needed. (Gen. 45:3) They had great reason to fear him in light of how selfish and callous they had been, but the one who had every reason and resource to inflict a just and horrific punishment opened his arms to welcome them instead.
Joseph assured his brothers that the pain they had cause him had been turned around for their salvation, and he invited them to a banquet, rather than a dungeon.
Jesus is our Joseph. We start off denying His rule over us and wanting Him to be out-of-sight and out-of-mind. We live like He doesn’t really exist, until something happens in our life to bring us to the realization of our need and dependence on Him.
We come to realize that the One we have shunned and mistreated is actually the Ruler and Possessor of all we need. Jesus turns the pain we caused him toward our salvation rather than our sentence (Isa. 53:5) and He invites us to a banquet, rather than a dungeon. (Isa. 55:1-2) Like Joseph, Jesus offers forgiveness in the face of our faults…and we are amazed! (Luke 23:34)

 

Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.