5 Leadership and spiritual insights from Exodus 17:8-15

Someone cautiously observed that after victory comes adversity. And this is true with the Israelites, they just experienced a dramatic victory over the Egyptians. And as they continue to travel through the desert en route to the Promise Land, soon the experience another attack this time from the Amalekites. Moses deploys young Joshua and his men to fight, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up a hill to find a bird's-eye view of the battle. And as long as Moses held up his staff with his hands, they are winning. They held on until victory was won that day. Here are 5 leadership and spiritual insights we as leaders can glean from this story.

1. Successful leaders provide leadership and spiritual insight especially in times of crisis (v. 9). When war broke out, Moses provided leadership. He assumed full responsibility for his people. As leaders, we are to provide leadership and direction for the people we lead, especially in times of crisis. We do not anymore make decisions that is only for our own good, but for the good of the body. Moses most importantly provided spiritual insight over the crisis. Christian leaders are first kingdom servants. We do not lead on our own, but we follow and wait upon the Master's orders. That's why it is very important for us to be faithfully connected to God in Word and prayer, because God communicates His visions and plans through His faithful servants.

Our Identity in Christ

In Matthew 3, we find a contrast between Pharisees (Jewish religious figures) and Jesus. There is a huge difference where they base their identity and authority. And it's a good reminder for us followers of Christ and Christian leaders on where our identity should lie:

1. Jesus did what was right and followed the process - When Jesus went to John to be baptized, John "tried to deter him." But Jesus insisted because "it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness" (v. 15). Being the promised Messiah didn't mean Jesus could cut corners, He modeled and fulfilled "all righteousness", He did what was right. He says in another passage that He didn't come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. The Pharisees on the other had displayed an outward and legalistic religiosity that was in the end self-serving. As leaders, we are to obey His commands from the heart and model a righteous life.

God our Law Giver and Fighter

Reading through the culmination of Israel's deliverance from Egypt (Exodus 12-15), I appreciated how God became Israel's Law Giver and Fighter. These roles that God took upon Himself is also true to us as believers in Christ:

God as the Law Giver
Some of us would think today that the laws that God gave Israel were too long, too detailed, or even weird.
But if you think about it, Israel were slaves back in Egypt for 430 years (That's more than our 300 years of colonization from Spain). Israel lived under Egyptian law where they were viewed as slaves--dispensable and without dignity. And now that the Lord is bringing them out of that world, they wouldn't have a clue of what it means to live in freedom. God had to give them new system for living that not only gave them order, but gave them dignity as a human being. Exodus 12 & 13, provided new laws and ordinances for them to observe as they begin to exist as a free nation (more will be added to them in the succeeding chapters).

This makes me appreciate God as our Law Giver. We were also slaves once, operating under the law of sin and death, but when we found freedom in Christ, we now operate under the law of the Spirit. This freedom doesn't mean that we can sin all we want, but it is a true kind of freedom that enables us to say no to ungodliness and live holy lives. I am reminded of David in the Psalms when he said that "the law of the law is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple." (1) To operate under a kingdom system where the law-giver is God who is transcendent, and not just another human being, defines a firm and unchanging picture of what is morally right and wrong. To deny a divine Law Giver discredits the moral laws of our society. (2) God's commands when followed will give us dignity as a human being and children of God. God knows what's best for us.

Two Lives, One Hand: God at work in every man

Last night, I was reading through Exodus when I again came across the passage where God says to Moses, "... I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen ..." (Exodus 7:3-4). And I thought, why would God demand Pharaoh to let His people go, while at the same time hardening the Pharaoh's heart so that the Pharaoh will not let His people go? Of course the surrounding passages tell us that God does this so that (1) He can judge Pharaoh and Egypt (v. 4), (2) so that He can display His power to the people against false gods (v. 5), and (3) so that Egypt will not just let them go, but drive them out, "favorably disposed ... so that when you leave you will not go empty handed" (v. 5, 3:21). God's judgment on Pharaoh was not without cause. Pharaoh enslaved the Israelite people, and on top of that, he challenged the Lord by saying, "who is the Lord, that I should obey him?" (5:2).

Sadly, this rejection of God persists today. Paul writes about "men who suppresses the truth by their wickedness" (Ro 1:18), who "exchanged the glory of the immortal God" for false objects of worship" (v. 22). Some of them are even professing believers but they live as though "having a form of godliness but denying its power" (2 Timothy 3:5). And because of man's deliberate disobedience, God "gives him over" to the consequences of his actions, a downward spiral of moral depravity and destruction (Ro 1:21-32). This is what happens when we deliberately rebel against God.

Is there still hope for restoration and reconciliation? A resounding yes!

Sunrise vs. Sunburst: On discovering God's will

I was reading through a sermon on the life of Joseph and this excerpt struck me:

I heard someone say that God’s will is more like a sunrise than a sunburst. Out of the darkness and chaos of life, God’s will rises slowly over the horizon. It’s not so much that we see the sun. It’s that by the sun we see everything else. So it is with God’s will ...

 http://www.keepbelieving.com/sermon/do-you-know-why-you-were-born/

What it means to be a martyr for Christ

Tonight I found this book "Tortured for Christ" by Richard Wurmbrand on a second-hand bookstore. I've been seeing this book promoted via Voice of Martyrs. This excerpt in the foreword by Tom White struck me:

Many today believe that a martyr is simply someone who dies for his faith. Unfortunately, by this definition we have lost the true significance and depth of martyrdom. St. Augustine once stated, "The cause, not the suffering, makes a genuine martyr." In his play Murder in the Cathedral, T. S. Eliot describes a martyr as one "who has become an instrument of God, who has lost his will in the will of God, not lost it but found it, for he has found freedom in submission to God. The martyr no longer desires anything for himself, not even the glory of martyrdom."

Matthew McConaughey on faith

Another interview I found interesting. I still have a hard time spelling his surname I had to copy and paste it. I loved his recent work for Dallas Buyers Club where he won an Oscar, and the recent Interstellar movie with Christopher Nolan which blows my mind. It's hard to come by for a Hollywood actor to talk about faith.

Does your family go to church every Sunday?
Yeah. In Texas. It's non-denominational. It's based in the faith that Jesus is the son of God, that he died for our sins, but many different denominations come in.

Was that a return for you, or had you been going all along?
As soon as we had children, I was like, "You know what? That was important to my childhood." Even if it was just for the ritual of giving an hour and a half on Sunday to yourself, to pray and to think about others, even if you're tired or whatever. I noticed how much I missed it and needed it. It's a time for me to take inventory of my last week, to look at what's in the future and say my thank-you's and think about what I can work on to do better.

When you talk about God, do you imagine him as...
The Prrime Moovah! The Waave Maker!

But it's an identifiable presence? Someone who can hear what you're saying?
Yes. And somebody who can help answer my questions. Someone who has a hand in all of this miracle we call life, which I believe is a miracle. But, see, at the same time, I completely believe in evolution.

Do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ?
[long pause] Well, it's a heaven of a story, ain't it?

http://www.gq.com/entertainment/celebrities/201411/matthew-mcconaughey-career

Donald Sutherland on what inspires him

I was reading GQ magazine and came across an interview with Donald Sutherland, or President Snow in Hunger Games. I like reading interviews about interesting people. And when asked what inspires him, his response struck me and got stuck in my mind:

Now, tell me who inspires you.
[another long pause] When people ask me where I live, I say, "I live with my wife." I don't know whether I live in Paris, New York, or Miami. I live with my wife. My inspiration, my judgment, it comes from my wife. She has...truth. And it's humbling. And so it's necessary that whatever exertions I make meet with her...not necessarily her approval, but at least her acceptance. Would you say that's true? [looks to Francine] Oh, I so love you. God! [back to me] Come, let's look at the garden. (http://www.gq.com/entertainment/celebrities/201411/donald-sutherland-hunger-games?currentPage=2)

It raised up questions of my own:

• What inspires you? What makes you passionate about what you do? 
• Do you and your spouse inspire each other to become better spouse to each other? To become better people?

When Life Interrupts Your Plans

There was once a guy who was engaged to a beautiful lady. He loved her so much and he dreamt of the day when they are going to finally start a family of their own. But a few weeks left before the big day, he found out that his fiance got pregnant! Certainly not by him. What would you do if you were on his shoes? Many thought she deserved to be humiliated for what she had done. But being a good and decent man, he decided to break off the wedding quietly. Even though it was like a dagger in his heart, he still thought about her welfare, and the child she now carries. What happens when life throws a wrench in your plans?

A long obedience in the same direction

A student who just started in his journey with God shared to me his situation: When I started my relationship with Christ, I was so passionate to know Him. When I learned how to read God's Word, I devoured it and was so excited to "hear" from God. But these days, it's quite different. I feel as I there is something lacking in me. I am not as excited as I used to be. I'm not reading the Bible as much as I used to. Is there something wrong?

Often times we go through times when we find ourselves less "excited" about our relationship with God. I understand what you mean, because I've been there many times. For me there are reasons why we experience this. But first, let's get some things out of the way. Let's try to answer these questions:

1. Is it a sin issue? David said, "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me ..." (Psalm 139:23-24). Sin no matter how big or small hinders us from entering into the presence of God. And if the answer here is yes, I encourage you to return to God, ask forgiveness for your sin and continue walking with Him in His strength. He is faithful to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

2. Is it a relationship issue? How are your relationships with your family and your "neighbors"? Is there an unresolved conflict with another person? They can rob us of joy in the Lord. Jesus tells us that when we come to worship God, if we remember that someone has offended us, we must first go to that person who have offended us and be reconciled with them (Matthew 5:23-24).