1 Corinthians 9:19 - Using our Freedom

Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.

As Christians, we are free. As Americans, we are free. We have the opportunity, as Paul does in the above passage to use our freedom for the greater good.

Lord, thank you for my freedom in Christ and my civil freedom. Please help me to give up these rights as needed to secure the liberty of others. Amen.

Exodus 21:1-2 - The First Laws

“These are the laws you are to set before them:  “If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything.

After giving the Ten Commandments, God gives Moses the laws for the Israelites. I find it interesting that the first laws were about slavery. I am sure, after 400 years of slavery, this was a hot topic for them. These laws were set down by God, reassuring them they would never be enslaved again beyond 6 years.

Lord, thank you for hearing our concerns and addressing them. Please help us to trust you and follow the commands you have given us as Christians. Amen.

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Exodus 16:35 - Forty years

The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.
Can you imagine eating the same food for forty years? Why forty years? Why did the Israelites have to wander for all that time? What did God do with forty years? In that time God had Moses write down the history of humanity up to that time and all the commands from God. He was also teaching the Israelites how to not be slaves, but to rely on him, their heavenly master. A whole new generation of Israelites would be born during this time, knowing only freedom.

Lord, thank you for taking the time to teach us what we need to learn. Help us to be patient while learning those lessons. Amen.

Exodus 13:14 - Remember...

“In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

I love the idea that God sets up traditions with the purpose of remembrance. The Israelites being brought out of slavery from Egypt still carries meaning for us today because we are all given the opportunity to be brought out of slavery from sin. And the Passover Celebration for us has become the Lord's Supper, a regular opportunity to remember how we were brought out of slavery from sin. I also like the idea of the passing on of this tradition from parent to child. By simply doing as commanded, we set a powerful example for our children. They will go our on their own and have to take their own journey to God, but Proverbs 22:6 tells us "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

Lord, thank you for helping us to remember you and all you have done for us. Please help us to maintain these traditions and pass them on to our children. Amen.

Exodus 1:11 - Slave labor

So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.

I am part of a walk through living history experience called The Passover Experience. One area of this is The Path of Plagues. The first stop is a slave scene where the Hebrew slaves are being forced to move large stones and being whipped. It is an incredibly hard scene to watch, although the environment is lightened by humor. After seeing this scene live, this verse means so much more. It makes the harsh reality of slavery even more heinous.



Lord, thank you for allowing the Israelites to thrive, even in these harsh conditions. Please help us to always trust in you, regardless of our situation, to do what we can to help those in unjust peril and to share the gift of freedom with those in slavery to sin. Amen,