Are There Not Enough Graves?

"Camp where I tell you. It will look like we are meandering aimlessly," God told Moses, adding, "I'm going to harden Pharaoh's heart one more time. ...The Egyptians are going to know I am the Lord, " God concluded.

Moses understood God's plans, but the Israelis did not.

Pharaoh gathered his chariots and pursued the Israelis. The Israelis saw the Egyptians were coming.

Wildly they ask, "Were there not enough graves in Egypt? Moses, why have you treat us like this?" 

Why was counting on God so strenuous?

Their irrational behavior, recognized as exaggeration, reflects fear. Fear reveals limited faith. Their 'embellishments' came from weak, inexperienced reasoning. Were these the early signs of a hard hearted people??

Do hard hearted people ignore faith-causing information or events?

Consider these New Testament stories.

• There was hard-packed soil in the parable of the sower. Why was the “seed” ineffective on this soil?
• Lazarus was joyously resurrected. But the Pharisees brushed off his resurrection, plotting to kill Jesus.
• So intent on obedience to their Sabbath laws, they ignored the healings of Jesus.
• 
  Jesus gave sight to a blind man (John 9). The religious leaders interrogated him. They belittled his intelligence. They said, "...but as for this man (referring to Jesus), we do not know where He is from.” Verse 30 adds, "The man answered and said to them,“Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. ...If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

What are preventatives to hard-heartedness?

Here are a few answers.

1. Delight over the good luck (or blessings??) of friends.
2. Determine if its God's blessing or the Devil's tool. Not all “blessings” are truly blessed.
3. Thank God for every blessing. “Count your many blessings, name the one by one,” the song echos.
4. Enjoy every event remembering it came from God.
5. Ask God's help frequently.
6. Acknowledge God's justice.
7. Tell your family and friends what great things God has done for you.
8. Study nature, and inspect His knowledge.
9. Accept God-given joy from obedience.
10. Before you decide God is not answering your prayer, look for alternate ways He may have already answered.
11. Be guided by his way, and not your inferior wisdom..
12. Ask him to build your faith.
13. Be aware of God. Watch His doings. Find evidences of His working.

Be A Kid

Adults are inclined to think like adults. The adult thought pattern, with its complexities and biases, tends to produce practices not productive to God's plans.

Adults:

• are skeptical.
• shake their heads, watching 'heroes' fall into disgraceful living.
• see gray instead of black and white.
• sit and watch others.
• ignore differences for tolerance and political correctness.
• are cruel to people (of road rage?) and animals (ASPCA?).
• refuse to improve through learning new ideas, or declining to adopt good learning practices .
• want to be pleased.
• allow friendships to fade into oblivion.
• are ambivalent or apathetic.
• are greedy and selfish.
• tell personal tales and become isolated from current opportunities.
• want others to take over their jobs.
• are prideful of who their person and accomplishments. 
• lack affection 
• are rude and hateful.

Does Jesus desire these traits in his family? I think not.

Once the adult disciples were thing like adults, They tried to control the crowd like an adult. Parents and grandparents wanted their children to see Jesus, maybe to touch Him or shake His hand. They were being rebuked by adult-thinking disciples.

Jesus rarely got upset, but the adult behavior of His disciples, preventing children from approaching Him, was not good. He became indignant. Jesus was very displeased with His adult acting students.

He claimed a moment for teaching them the characteristics He wants in His church. It was not what they expected. He said God's kingdom is made up "of such AS these." He added, "Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God LIKE A CHILD will not enter it at all."

To be a part of Is kingdom, I must struggle to exhibit child-like qualities. I must:

• believe what I read about Jesus.
• appreciate love, kindness, and affection.
• return love, kindness, and affection.
• try to please Jesus through obedience.
• be humble like a child.
• be efficient learners of Jesus, God, the Bible, etc.
• accept responsibilities as they are offered.
• be understanding and responsive to the hurts and needs of others.
• talk about what I am doing (such as TheStruggle and preaching), and share my experiences.
• be aware of the differences in people.
• willing to give more to others.
• be active in His Kingdom.
• be enthusiastic about my relationship with Jesus, and sharing the hope.
• discern between good and bad, eliminating gray areas.
• strenthen the ties with my friends.
• emulate my hero, Jesus.

Will you be my friend and join me in reverting back to a better life?
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Code Talk

This title sounds like espionage.

There are times I get tired of hearing politicians. When asked a direct question they talk in great patriotic themes all around the subject while wrapping themselves in the red, white and blue American flag. I think they do this so Americans will be impressed by the rhetoric and not by the answers. They are answering in a kind of code.

I recently watched an episode of Law and Order in which a rap artist was interrogated by the police. But if you did not know slang, you heard the answer but did not grasp the meaning. He hid information directly in front of their eyes using a code.

And Jesus was not a fool either. There were occasions when Jesus hide his message in a code. Why? Here are a few ideas I learned from commentators.

1. He fulfilled prophesies.
2. He confused the Pharisees' spies.
3. He challenged listeners to greater spiritual discernment.
4. He knew Hebrew people were familiar with this style of teaching.
5. His teachings would be easier to remember.
6. He disguised powerful teaching in a language Pharisees could not use in court.

One commentator said he "taught those who wished to know truth and confounded the opposition."

Jesus was open to the twelve (and us) as to why he used these codes called parables. He put the information in front of some listeners knowing they were spiritually so insensitive they would not perceive nor understand.Jesus hid spiritual truths in  stories like The Sower (Soils), The Lamp, Growing Seed and Mustard Seed.

Does this mean that a reader of Jesus' stories (parables) who does not understand is hopeless? NO!

Christians are told the scriptures are "able to make you wise". Those lacking wisdom should ask God. He liberally gives wisdom without fuss.

So where is the struggle? It is more than just hearing the code, but in comprehending. It is one thing to hear or read Jesus' parables, and it is another to understand. It is most important to translate the understanding into action.

Listen to the code, understand, and do.