Monday, May 27, 2013

We Reflect on Our Family, Part 1

Scripture: Exodus 18:1-2
Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people, how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Moses' wife Zipporah, after he had sent her away,

Insights:  We are going to unpack this eighteenth chapter of Exodus over the next four weeks.  The reason for this adventure is to help prepare us at Little River Baptist Church for our upcoming Vision Workshop.  This chapter holds four important elements for a church, an individual, a corporation, or even a nation to move from where they presently are to where the Lord God would have them to be.  This week’s theme is A Time of Reflection.  We reflect not for the purpose of living in the past, but for the express purpose of encouraging us to move into the future.  God has intentionally worked in our past and proven Himself time and again, because we have such confidence we can march into the unknown of the future with certainty of God’s presence.  The first area in our lives in which we need to reflect is our family.  These two verses today are a picture of a family reunion between Moses and his wife, father-in-law and two sons.  I remember going to family reunions as a child and the parents having us kids hand crank the home-made ice cream churner in order to keep us occupied while they reminisced about the past, got brought up to speed on the present, and heard the prospective hopes of the future.  We also need to reflect on our families.  Some of us have rich godly histories with parents and grandparents that were truly sold out to the Lord Jesus and wanted their children and grandchildren to know His love.  Others of us are first generation Christ-followers and did not have that rich heritage.  Either way, there are some very positive things we learned from our family.  At the same time, both sets of parents also had negative aspects that we would like to avoid in our lives.  When we reflect it gives us a perspective by which we can help navigate our future.  We model the good we saw and purge the bad we desire to change.

Questions:
  1. What are the negative characteristics that you would like to change in yourselves that you have observed from your family as you have reflected on them?
  2. What are the postive characteristics that you would like to change in yourselves that you have observed from your family as you have reflected on them?
Prayer: Father, thank You for my family.  You perfectly orchestrated events in history to have me born at such a time as this with the family I have.  They are not always what I want, but I am grateful for them when I reflect on the life I have as a result of them.  Bless my family this day, O Lord. Amen.


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