Exodus 18-20.
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Exodus 18-20 shares Moses' stewardship over the children of Israel which was to serve them, love & lift them, and draw them nearer to The Lord.
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In an effort to make the scriptures come alive, I like to look at patterns.
We each have a family, a sphere of influence, and at times stewardship over others in which the Lord can guide us to serve, love & lift and bring nearer to The Lord.
I drew out Moses' family & community, and then my family & community in the margins of my scriptures, perhaps you would like to do this too, if you don't like to draw, you can write their names out as a reminder of your people to serve, love, lift and bring closer to The Lord.
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The children of Israel trusted Moses;they leaned on him for their spiritual renewal & knowledge. They lined up to learn from him, to receive help, & solve their problems.
18:13,15,16
At first glance it may seem wonderful that they had someone in which to turn, but they needed to learn spiritual self reliance. They could not line up and lean on him forever.
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Moses’ father in law, Jethro, sees this line up & leaning and knew Moses would not be able to keep up. They both knew that the people needed to learn to go to God for their own spiritual renewal, knowledge, and problem solving.
Jethro respected & loved Moses. He offered his wisdom, and encouraged Moses to go to God for confirmation and more direction. 18:1-14
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This is such a beautiful pattern and example of a loving Father.
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Moses looks for able men; men whom love God, love truth & righteousness; men that do not covet; men that desire to follow God’s laws & ordinances. He calls them to help. 18:20-27
He will make them rulers over thousands, hundreds, and tens.
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Then, Moses goes to the mountain of The Lord to inquire & learn more. 19:3-8
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The Lord tells him to prepare his people to receive Him.
Our Prophet encourages us to hear Him.
Most recently, our prophet, Russell M. Nelson, has given us guidance to do 5 things.
Get on the covenant path
Discover the joy of daily repentance
Learn about God and how He works
Seek and expect miracles
End conflict in your personal life
[The Power of Spiritual Momentum Russell M. Nelson April 2022 General Conference]
[I am working on a gentle-guided journal to help me follow up and follow through with the prophet's pleas. I'll share it with you, just as I have in the past. You may wish to look at the other Prophet's Plea journals here. ]
I'm pretty sure that these are the same things Moses implored them to do.
The Lord has always wanted God's children to draw nearer to God on their own.
The Lord gives them instructions & boundaries.
They need to cleanse & sanctify themselves in order to see & hear Him. 19:9-15
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They want this.
They prepare.
The day comes.
They are willing, but they are fearful.
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They heard the thunders.
They could see the lightening, fire & smoke, and they became afraid.
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Their fear holds them back from the presence of the Lord. 20:18-19
Our fears can do the same.
I thought and wrote:
Don't let your fears make you unworthy of receiving what you lack because it's not here yet.
Our worth is never less because we are not yet worthy of entering the presence of The Lord.
We must have faith, keep trying and be believing.
I thought of the talk given by our prophet in 2021, called Christ is Risen;Faith in Him Will Move Mountains. It fits so well with these chapters knowing Moses was literally going to the Mount of the Lord to help his people reinforce their foundation.
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The Lord calls upon Moses to bring Aaron w/him up the mount.
They are the only ones that see & hear the Lord. 19:23-24
The Lord gives Moses 10 commandments; instructions & guidance for the children of Israel to uphold and draw nearer to God. 19:25 & 20:1-17
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The Ten Commandments will help guide me & YOU to draw nearer to God.
They will help US protect & bless, love & lift OUR family and the community around US.
They will help US become spiritually reliant, so WE can trust in God, know the will of God, and follow God without fear, becoming able to climb the mountain of the Lord.
Love and Light,
Michelle Gessell