Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning.
Sunday, May 5, 2024
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Responsibility for Your Actions
Bible Verse:Exodus 22:1-6 (NLT)
"“If someone steals an ox or sheep and then kills or sells it, the thief must pay back five oxen for each ox stolen, and four sheep for each sheep stolen.
“If a thief is caught in the act of breaking into a house and is struck and killed in the process, the person who killed the thief is not guilty of murder. But if it happens in daylight, the one who killed the thief is guilty of murder.
“A thief who is caught must pay in full for everything he stole. If he cannot pay, he must be sold as a slave to pay for his theft. If someone steals an ox or a donkey or a sheep and it is found in the thief’s possession, then the thief must pay double the value of the stolen animal.
“If an animal is grazing in a field or vineyard and the owner lets it stray into someone else’s field to graze, then the animal’s owner must pay compensation from the best of his own grain or grapes.
“If you are burning thornbushes and the fire gets out of control and spreads into another person’s field, destroying the sheaves or the uncut grain or the whole crop, the one who started the fire must pay for the lost crop.
"
Message:
One notable aspect of the Old Testament is a code of specific laws that were given to the ancient Hebrews. Most of these laws, especially concerning forms of worship and specific penalties, are no longer followed (except in the most Orthodox of Jewish communities). Many of them, however, are very close to our modern civil and criminal laws.
A great general principle can be seen in today’s Scripture, the lesson that we must be responsible for damage that we do, either directly (such as by stealing) or indirectly (such as keeping an animal that gets loose and eats someone’s garden). It is natural for a person to avoid punishment and loss; and life teaches us that we can often avoid punishment and loss by shirking responsibility.
If we are driving and hit a parked car in an isolated spot, how tempting is it just to drive away? Very! And our minds can create rationalizations with such brilliance and creativity. His insurance will pay for it. He was parked wrong. Her brand new Mercedes is so much more expensive than my old junker, she can afford it and she’ll rip me off on the repairs. The reasons that people can invent to avoid taking responsibility for their actions are uncountable.
But we must remember two things. First, earthly goods are an illusion; becoming too attached to them is a barrier between us and God. We do not put our faith in earthly goods, “where moth and rust doth corrupt”; we accumulate our treasure in heaven, “where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” And second, love of money and sinful pride—the two things that drive us to deny responsibility when we have caused some sort of damage—are two of the most basic sins that we suffer from. Both pride and love of money are highlighted in the Bible as the primary causes of many evils.
Meditation
:
Prayer :
Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked will I return. The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord......Amen
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