Prayer
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
Today’s Hymn
Words: Traditional French carol (Les Anges dans Nos Campagnes); translated from French to English by James Chadwick in Crown of Jesus, 1862. Music: Gloria (Barnes), French carol melody; arranged by Edwin S. Barnes.
ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH
Click here for tune.
Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o’er the plains,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains.
Refrain
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be
Which inspire your heavenly song?
Refrain
Come to Bethlehem and see
Christ Whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee,
Christ the Lord, the newborn King.
Refrain
See Him in a manger laid,
Whom the choirs of angels praise;
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,
While our hearts in love we raise.
Refrain
Thought Provoker
Most of the current reality television programs give us a glimpse at what priorities many people embrace today. The contestants stand in long lines for an opportunity to grasp their share of money, fame and power. Ask yourself, what things in your life are you willing to give up. Also, ask what you would choose if you could have anything this world has to offer. Moses was faced with both of the two questions in his life. Today we discover the answers from a man of faith.
Dad’s Study
In this chapter we find major highlights of Moses’ life in Egypt. In verses 1-10 we find the birth of Moses and his adoption by Pharaoh’s daughter. Verses 11- 14 take us 40 years after the birth of Moses as he flees to Midian after killing an Egyptian. Verses 15-22 tell of his marriage and his 40-year undertaking as a sheepherder in the Sinai area. There is much that could be said about this broad span of Moses’ life, however in Hebrews 11 the writer to the Hebrews focuses in on his early years in: “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward” (Heb. 11: 24-26). As a man of faith Moses gave up three things and chose three things.
First, consider what he gave up:
1. Rank and greatness (He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter). One day he might have become the king of Egypt!
2. Pleasure of sin. Pleasure of every kind was his for the asking.
3. Riches. Consider the treasures of Egypt with all of its gold.
Secondly, consider what he chose:
1. Suffering and affliction. Moses chose the life of poverty, suffering, and trials.
2. The company of despised people. He left the company of royalty to live with the shepherds, slaves and the poor.
3. Reproach and scorn. Finally, Moses chose the life of a “fool” full of mockery and ridicule.
Why did Moses make these choices? He was a man of faith! He had an eternal perspective on life. Through the eyes of faith he knew that sin would only bring pleasure for a season, while heaven was an eternal reward.
Click here for Matthew Henry’s Commentary.
Truth in Practice
Each of us faces the same decision that confronted Moses, are you going to choose God or the world? Bishop Ryle states it well, “But if you really are in earnest about your soul, if your religion is something more than a mere fashionable Sunday cloak, if you are determined to live by the Bible, if you are resolved to be a New Testament Christian, then, I repeat, you will soon find you must carry a cross. You must endure hard things; you must suffer in behalf of your soul, as Moses did, or you cannot be saved” (Holiness).
The road to heaven is the road of holiness paved with persecutions, trials and tribulations. A life of faith is a life that rejects the world and walks the pathway of righteousness. Ask God today for the faith of Moses. A faith that rejects the world and chooses holiness!
Catechism
Question 67
Q. What does every sin deserve?
A. Every sin deserves God’s wrath and curse, both in this life and that which is to come (Eph. 5:6; Ps. 11:6).
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