DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY JANUARY 19:
WORD OF WISDOM
Instead of saying "I have a problem", we need to say "I have an
opportunity!"
___DAILY DEVOTION
What Are You Worth?
"And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a
skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: Where they crucified him, and
two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. And Pilate
wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF
NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS."
John 19:1-19
The Romans refined their systems of punishment and execution with an eye
toward inflicting maximum pain on the victims. The pinnacle of their work
was death by crucifixion, which the historian Josephus called "the most
wretched of deaths." It was not uncommon for healthy prisoners to live for
two or even three days on the cross in agonizing pain. The word excruciating
that we use to describe awful pain literally means "from the cross."
Many people struggle with feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy. But when
we properly understand the meaning and purpose of the cross, we understand
that we have incredible value. Jesus paid an amazing price for our
redemption. The cost of the cross becomes even more astonishing when we
reflect that it was part of God's plan before He ever created the world.
Revelation 13:8 refers to Jesus as "the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world."
Others may hold us in contempt and think us of no value. (They did with
Jesus.) We ourselves may struggle to believe that God loves us. But as long
as the cross stands in history and memory, we have a vivid reminder of how
God views us. God views us as worthy of making a supreme sacrifice. There is
no limit to His love, and in the light of that love, we find a value that
can never be taken away from us.
The cross is a powerful reminder of the depth and meaning of God's love for
us.
___
DAILY BIBLE READING
Exodus 7-9The Message (MSG)
7 1-5 God told Moses, "Look at me. I'll make you as a god to Pharaoh and
your brother Aaron will be your prophet. You are to speak everything I
command you, and your brother Aaron will tell it to Pharaoh. Then he will
release the Israelites from his land. At the same time I am going to put
Pharaoh's back up and follow it up by filling Egypt with signs and wonders.
Pharaoh is not going to listen to you, but I will have my way against Egypt
and bring out my soldiers, my people the Israelites, from Egypt by mighty
acts of judgment. The Egyptians will realize that I am God when I step in
and take the Israelites out of their country."
6-7 Moses and Aaron did exactly what God commanded. Moses was eighty and
Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.
8-9 Then God spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said, "When Pharaoh speaks to you
and says, 'Prove yourselves. Perform a miracle,' then tell Aaron, 'Take your
staff and throw it down in front of Pharaoh: It will turn into a snake.'"
10 Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did what God commanded. Aaron threw
his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his servants, and it turned into a
snake.
11-12 Pharaoh called in his wise men and sorcerers. The magicians of Egypt
did the same thing by their incantations: each man threw down his staff and
they all turned into snakes. But then Aaron's staff swallowed their staffs.
13 Yet Pharaoh was as stubborn as ever-he wouldn't listen to them, just as
God had said.
Strike One: Blood
14-18 God said to Moses: "Pharaoh is a stubborn man. He refuses to release
the people. First thing in the morning, go and meet Pharaoh as he goes down
to the river. At the shore of the Nile take the staff that turned into a
snake and say to him, 'God, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you with this
message, "Release my people so that they can worship me in the wilderness."
So far you haven't listened. This is how you'll know that I am God. I am
going to take this staff that I'm holding and strike this Nile River water:
The water will turn to blood; the fish in the Nile will die; the Nile will
stink; and the Egyptians won't be able to drink the Nile water.'"
19 God said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Take your staff and wave it over the
waters of Egypt-over its rivers, its canals, its ponds, all its bodies of
water-so that they turn to blood.' There'll be blood everywhere in
Egypt-even in the pots and pans."
20-21 Moses and Aaron did exactly as God commanded them. Aaron raised his
staff and hit the water in the Nile with Pharaoh and his servants watching.
All the water in the Nile turned into blood. The fish in the Nile died; the
Nile stank; and the Egyptians couldn't drink the Nile water. The blood was
everywhere in Egypt.
22-25 But the magicians of Egypt did the same thing with their incantations.
Still Pharaoh remained stubborn. He wouldn't listen to them as God had said.
He turned on his heel and went home, never giving it a second thought. But
all the Egyptians had to dig inland from the river for water because they
couldn't drink the Nile water.
Seven days went by after God had struck the Nile.
Strike Two: Frogs
8 1-4 God said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and tell him, 'God's Message:
Release my people so they can worship me. If you refuse to release them, I'm
warning you, I'll hit the whole country with frogs. The Nile will swarm with
frogs-they'll come up into your houses, into your bedrooms and into your
beds, into your servants' quarters, among the people, into your ovens and
pots and pans. They'll be all over you, all over everyone-frogs everywhere,
on and in everything!'"
5 God said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Wave your staff over the rivers and
canals and ponds. Bring up frogs on the land of Egypt.'"
6 Aaron stretched his staff over the waters of Egypt and a mob of frogs came
up and covered the country.
7 But again the magicians did the same thing using their incantations-they
also produced frogs in Egypt.
8 Pharaoh called in Moses and Aaron and said, "Pray to God to rid us of
these frogs. I'll release the people so that they can make their sacrifices
and worship God."
9 Moses said to Pharaoh, "Certainly. Set the time. When do you want the
frogs out of here, away from your servants and people and out of your
houses? You'll be rid of frogs except for those in the Nile."
10-11 "Make it tomorrow."
Moses said, "Tomorrow it is-so you'll realize that there is no God like our
God. The frogs will be gone. You and your houses and your servants and your
people, free of frogs. The only frogs left will be the ones in the Nile."
12-14 Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, and Moses prayed to God about the frogs
he had brought on Pharaoh. God responded to Moses' prayer: The frogs died
off-houses, courtyards, fields, all free of frogs. They piled the frogs in
heaps. The country reeked of dead frogs.
15 But when Pharaoh saw that he had some breathing room, he got stubborn
again and wouldn't listen to Moses and Aaron. Just as God had said.
Strike Three: Gnats
16 God said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Take your staff and strike the dust. The
dust will turn into gnats all over Egypt.'"
17 He did it. Aaron grabbed his staff and struck the dust of the Earth; it
turned into gnats, gnats all over people and animals. All the dust of the
Earth turned into gnats, gnats everywhere in Egypt.
18 The magicians tried to produce gnats with their incantations but this
time they couldn't do it. There were gnats everywhere, all over people and
animals.
19 The magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is God's doing." But Pharaoh was
stubborn and wouldn't listen. Just as God had said.
Strike Four: Flies
20-23 God said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh
as he goes down to the water. Tell him, 'God's Message: Release my people so
they can worship me. If you don't release my people, I'll release swarms of
flies on you, your servants, your people, and your homes. The houses of the
Egyptians and even the ground under their feet will be thick with flies. But
when it happens, I'll set Goshen where my people live aside as a
sanctuary-no flies in Goshen. That will show you that I am God in this land.
I'll make a sharp distinction between your people and mine. This sign will
occur tomorrow.'"
24 And God did just that. Thick swarms of flies in Pharaoh's palace and the
houses of his servants. All over Egypt, the country ruined by flies.
25 Pharaoh called in Moses and Aaron and said, "Go ahead. Sacrifice to your
God-but do it here in this country."
26-27 Moses said, "That would not be wise. What we sacrifice to our God
would give great offense to Egyptians. If we openly sacrifice what is so
deeply offensive to Egyptians, they'll kill us. Let us go three days'
journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to our God, just as he instructed
us."
28 Pharaoh said, "All right. I'll release you to go and sacrifice to your
God in the wilderness. Only don't go too far. Now pray for me."
29 Moses said, "As soon as I leave here, I will pray to God that tomorrow
the flies will leave Pharaoh, his servants, and his people. But don't play
games with us and change your mind about releasing us to sacrifice to God."
30-32 Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to God. God did what Moses asked. He got
rid of the flies from Pharaoh and his servants and his people. There wasn't
a fly left. But Pharaoh became stubborn once again and wouldn't release the
people.
Strike Five: Animals
9 1-4 God said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and tell him, 'God, the God of the
Hebrews, says: Release my people so they can worship me. If you refuse to
release them and continue to hold on to them, I'm giving you fair warning:
God will come down hard on your livestock out in the fields-horses, donkeys,
camels, cattle, sheep-striking them with a severe disease. God will draw a
sharp line between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. Not
one animal that belongs to the Israelites will die.'"
5 Then God set the time: "Tomorrow God will do this thing."
6-7 And the next day God did it. All the livestock of Egypt died, but not
one animal of the Israelites died. Pharaoh sent men to find out what had
happened and there it was: none of the livestock of the Israelites had
died-not one death. But Pharaoh stayed stubborn. He wouldn't release the
people.
Strike Six: Boils
8-11 God said to Moses and Aaron, "Take fistfuls of soot from a furnace and
have Moses throw it into the air right before Pharaoh's eyes; it will become
a film of fine dust all over Egypt and cause sores, an eruption of boils on
people and animals throughout Egypt." So they took soot from a furnace,
stood in front of Pharaoh, and threw it up into the air. It caused boils to
erupt on people and animals. The magicians weren't able to compete with
Moses this time because of the boils-they were covered with boils just like
everyone else in Egypt.
12 God hardened Pharaoh in his stubbornness. He wouldn't listen, just as God
had said to Moses.
Strike Seven: Hail
13-19 God said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh.
Tell him, 'God, the God of the Hebrews, says: Release my people so they can
worship me. This time I am going to strike you and your servants and your
people with the full force of my power so you'll get it into your head that
there's no one like me anywhere in all the Earth. You know that by now I
could have struck you and your people with deadly disease and there would be
nothing left of you, not a trace. But for one reason only I've kept you on
your feet: To make you recognize my power so that my reputation spreads in
all the Earth. You are still building yourself up at my people's expense.
You are not letting them go. So here's what's going to happen: At this time
tomorrow I'm sending a terrific hailstorm-there's never been a storm like
this in Egypt from the day of its founding until now. So get your livestock
under roof-everything exposed in the open fields, people and animals, will
die when the hail comes down.'"
20-21 All of Pharaoh's servants who had respect for God's word got their
workers and animals under cover as fast as they could, but those who didn't
take God's word seriously left their workers and animals out in the field.
22 God said to Moses: "Stretch your hands to the skies. Signal the hail to
fall all over Egypt on people and animals and crops exposed in the fields of
Egypt."
23-26 Moses lifted his staff to the skies and God sent peals of thunder and
hail shot through with lightning strikes. God rained hail down on the land
of Egypt. The hail came, hail and lightning-a fierce hailstorm. There had
been nothing like it in Egypt in its entire history. The hail hit hard all
over Egypt. Everything exposed out in the fields, people and animals and
crops, was smashed. Even the trees in the fields were shattered. Except for
Goshen where the Israelites lived; there was no hail in Goshen.
27-28 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. He said, "I've sinned for sure this
time-God is in the right and I and my people are in the wrong. Pray to God.
We've had enough of God's thunder and hail. I'll let you go. The sooner
you're out of here the better."
29-30 Moses said, "As soon as I'm out of the city, I'll stretch out my arms
to God. The thunder will stop and the hail end so you'll know that the land
is God's land. Still, I know that you and your servants have no respect for
God."
31-32 (The flax and the barley were ruined, for they were just ripening, but
the wheat and spelt weren't hurt-they ripen later.)
33 Moses left Pharaoh and the city and stretched out his arms to God. The
thunder and hail stopped; the storm cleared.
34-35 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped,
he kept right on sinning, stubborn as ever, both he and his servants.
Pharaoh's heart turned rock-hard. He refused to release the Israelites, as
God had ordered through Moses.
