Category: Sue’s Views

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Grasshopper Mindset

Sue’s Views
When the spies told the people they’d seen giants in the land God had told them to possess ….. they said ‘ We felt as small as grasshoppers and that is how we must have looked to them!’ Moses reminded them of how God had carried them on His shoulders for 40 years and no harm had come to them. There is no safer place than on Daddy’s (or Pa’s) shoulders! But instead of seeing themselves looking down on the giants ….. they had adopted a ‘grasshopper’ mindset! How you see yourself will determine how others see you. The Israelites had been slaves for 400 years. It has been said that Moses hardest task was not getting them out of Egypt ….. but getting Egypt out of them! How about you? Does your past determine how you see yourself? Can you picture yourself on your Father’s shoulders ….. looking down on your enemies?

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Pass it on!

Sue’s Views 
I am now into the book of Deuteronomy on my journey through the Bible. Deuteronomy means ‘second law’. Why was there a need for a second telling of the Law? Because by this time ….. all those who had come out of Egypt had died during the wilderness wanderings. Apart from 2 men ….. Joshua & Caleb ….. Moses had to teach the Law to a brand new generation. He taught them the history of their ancestors ….. where they had come from ….. how special they were to God ….. and where He was about to take them. Every new generation needs to learn that so they can develop their own faith. What are we passing on to the next generation? A Joshua and Caleb spirit ….. or a fear of the giants?

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Are We There Yet?

Sue’s Views
If you have children ….. you have probably heard the question ‘Are we there yet?’ ….. from the back seat! Probably when you are just leaving your street! But imagine going on a journey that lasted 40 years! That’s what happened to the nation of Israel. The amazing thing is that their clothes and shoes didn’t wear out ….. their bodies stayed strong ….. and they lacked nothing! Sometimes ….. journeys can be tiresome ….. but our attitude determines the length of the journey!

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Testing

Sue’s Views
Today marks the beginning of a new week ….. a new month ….. and a new season! And yet we are in lockdown again! If you are frustrated ….. spare a thought for the Israelites! They set out on a journey that should have taken 11 days ….. but ended up taking 40 years! Their constant complaining and griping meant that God had to wait until the generation that left Egypt had died in the wilderness. He couldn’t take them into the Promised Land with that attitude. A new season requires a new mindset! What old habits ….. patterns of thinking ….. and bad attitudes need to die before you can enter into the promises of God? The wilderness years were years of testing. We could see this time of lockdown also as a time of testing. Are we going to complain ….. point the finger ….. and act in rebellion? Or are we going to look for the miracles and provision of God along the was! Food for thought!

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Jesus

Sue’s Views

I’m so thankful that Jesus came and put an end to all the rituals ….. sacrifices ….. and laws ….. that the people had to live by in the Old Testament! But He didn’t come to abolish the law ….. He came to fulfil it. Because He shed His blood ….. I don’t have to take an animal to Church for the priest to kill on my behalf. Because ….. when He died on the Cross ….. the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom ….. I can now enter into God’s presence freely and boldly. And because He is now interceding for me continually ….. I don’t have to obey all those laws to be saved. He summed them all up in 2 laws. ‘Love God with all your heart ….. soul ….. mind and strength. And love your neighbour as yourself.’ 

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God our Designer

Sue’s Views

 You don’t have to look too far to realise God is a God of detail ….. colour ….. and design. The Tabernacle of Moses is a wonderful example of this. God gave Moses a blueprint with exact measurements ….. materials ….. colours ….. and order. He also gave certain people the ability to make each item according to His specifications. Everything was symbolic and pointed to Jesus. Next time you are out in nature ….. take a moment to appreciate the designer! 

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Obedience

Sue’s Views
One thing Covid has taught us is to obey rules for the benefit of others. Of course ….. there are always the odd few who refuse to have their freedom compromised! The book of Leviticus in the Bible is a book of the law. It contains something like 600 different laws ….. some of which make perfect sense and have to do with health and safety. Others however make no sense to us at all ….. but we just have to trust that God has His reasons. We always want to know ‘why’! In fact ‘why?’ is one of the first questions children ask! Sometimes we just have to answer ….. ’Because Mum or Dad says so!’ And sometimes we just have to do things because God says so! Even the seagulls have learned to social distance! Well ….. at least some of them have!

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No Idols

Sue’s Views
What is your idea of God like? The Bible teaches that we were made in God’s image. That means that we are to be like Him. But what is He like? Jesus shows us the answer to that question. Everything He did was a reflection of His Father. One of the qualities of God is His holiness. We like the fact that He loves us ….. provides for us ….. protects us ….. and most of us agree that we should treat others the same way. But holiness? That would mean I would have to change. That would mean denying my fleshly desires. And therefore ….. instead of becoming like God ….. we invent a ‘god’ that fits our needs. We make God in our image! The Israelites made a golden calf out of their jewels. To them it represented God ….. but it was one they could control. They could carry it around and decide when to move instead of moving when God said so. It had no voice and therefore could not tell them what to do. It led them into orgies and riotous living. Most of us don’t bow down to idols ….. but we all worship something. There is only one true God ….. and He must have first place in our lives!

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Look in the Mirror

Sue’s Views
The Word of God can be likened to a mirror. It shows us what we are really like! It can’t change us …..it can only reveal what needs to be changed. Maybe a hair out of place ….. food in our teeth ….. dirt on our face. It’s then up to us to remove it! God gave us laws to show us we need a Saviour! There’s no way we could ever live up to them no matter how hard we try. God’s standard is 100% perfection. Anything less than that is sin in God’s eyes. In the Old Testament ….. God required animal sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people. But they had to be made over and over. Jesus ….. God’s only Son ….. was and is the answer to this problem. He became our once and for all sacrifice so we could have a relationship with God. If you see something in the mirror that needs changing ….. don’t walk away and ignore it! Acknowledge it ….. and ask Jesus to help you change.

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Free to Serve

Sue’s Views

Having been in level 3 lockdown for the last 3 days ….. we are so happy to be ‘set free’ again today! But can you imagine what it would be like to be released after 400 years of bondage? At first ….. there’s relief and a sense of celebration! They sang and danced! But before long ….. they began to long for the things they’d left behind ….. like garlic and onions! Sometimes freedom has its own challenges. The Israelites soon discovered that they weren’t free to do what they liked. They were free from slavery and all it’s hardships ….. but now they were called to serve! God had His own requirements. The difference is that His rules required obedience out of love. Left to ourselves ….. we humans would ruin everything God made. Our selfishness would lead to all kinds of evil. He had to set boundaries. He gave Moses ten laws that needed to be obeyed for people to live the best life possible. They are all about respect for God ….. for our parents ….. for marriage ….. and for our neighbours.