Happy Friday

WHO IS YOUR "GOD"?

"When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, 'Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him'" (Exodus 32:1 NIV).

 

"As for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him" (2 Chronicles 13:10 NIV).

 

The nation of Israel that Moses led out of bondage in Egypt was stubborn. Their stubbornness against God's plan started to manifest the day Pharaoh increased their burden for asking for "a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices the LORD" (see Exodus 5). However, their statement in Exodus 32:1 indicates that Moses had become their god. When Moses stayed with the LORD on their behalf and they did not see him, they wanted another "god" that would continue to lead them in their journey.

 

Was Moses really the person that led them out of Egypt or he was just an instrument in the hands of God, the real Deliverer? Was it necessary for the people of Israel to see Moses before they could proceed in their journey to the Promise Land? Should they have any visible "god" that would lead them to their destination?

 

Many at times we also think and behave like the Israelites. We worship a particular person or thing. Knowingly or unknowingly, we idolize such person or thing. Any attempt to lose the person or thing, we would also lose hope and try to find alternative in another person or thing.

 

To some people, pastors and other leaders are "gods." When the pastors or the leaders are in sight, such people would be active in the church activities and in their spiritual lives. Reverse would be the case when the pastor or the leader is not.

 

Who or what is your "god"? In who or what do you put your hope? The writer of the book of Hebrews admonishes, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith?" (12:2 NIV). Fixing your eyes on any other person or thing will land you in the same syndrome as the people of Israel. Let the LORD God be your God. Trust only in Him. He will not let you down.

 

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God" (Psalm 20:7 NIV).

In His service,

Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Worthy Is The Lamb

Daily Smile:
Canadian geese are known to fly in a "V" shaped as they migrate across the county. The lead goose in the "V" cuts through the air making it easier for the rest of the geese behind him. As that lead goose becomes tired, he will drop off and join one of the sides and a new lead goose will take over. This is done several times as they are flying long distances. So if you look up in the sky and see a "V" shape of geese and one side is longer than the other, do you know what that means?

A:(There are more geese on that side)

In The News: 
Canada Provides Refuge for Pakistani Christian Girl Accused of Blasphemy

A teenage Christian girl fled Pakistan with her family after a Muslim cleric falsely accused her of burning pages from the Quran. After spending months in hiding, Rimsha Masih and her family are now in Canada, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said over the weekend, WORLD reports. Rimsha was arrested in August in Islamabad after the cleric made the accusation. He was later accused of fabricating the evidence and she was acquitted, but those accused of blasphemy in Pakistan are often subject to vigilante justice. Mobs have been known to attack and kill people accused of blasphemy, and two prominent politicians who have discussed changes to the blasphemy laws have been killed. Rimsha left Pakistan with her parents, three sisters, and a brother on March 14, attorney Tahir Naveed Chaudhry said. A Muslim cleric who lobbied for her release, Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, said Rimsha had been facing threats and was moving constantly. "I am sad that this innocent girl had to leave Pakistan," he said. "She had been acquitted by the court, and despite that it was not possible for her to live freely." Kenney said he had been following the case when a Pakistani contact asked him in January whether the family could come to Canada. Privacy concerns prevented Canada's immigration service from saying whether she was in the country at first, but Rimsha's lawyer confirmed it on Saturday. Kenney said he has instructed immigration officials to process their applications for permanent residency under humanitarian and compassionate grounds.