Happy Mother’s Day: Take this baby and nurse him for me!

Years ago a woman was paid to nurse her own son. This payment was not a promised benefit pre-Mother’s Day in order to deter an appeal for a government health plan. The motive for this payment was love for a child, love for a mother, and love for people.

Imagine being a Hebrew woman and giving birth to a son in Egypt at a time when the ruler ordered that every newborn Hebrew boy be thrown into the Nile River.

Imagine being a mom who had to give up her child in order to save him; first hiding him for three months, and then by placing him in a floating basket on a river. Imagine the anguish of the release. Imagine how your heart would ache to hold and nurse your son and to be a part of his everyday life.

Imagine being a big sister watching your mother place your baby brother in a basket and place him in a river and then walk away.

Imagine being a family torn apart because of an insecure leader.

Imagine being a leader so insecure you would kill and oppress others to secure and protect yourself.

Imagine being a princess daughter whose father has ordered the death of baby boys like the one you want to adopt.

Imagine being the courageous, brilliant big sister who approaches royalty with an offer to find a Hebrew woman who can nurse the infant.

Imagine the reunion of having the baby boy that you released back in your life and being paid to nurse him.

Imagine being the mom who had to release her son a second time to a princess who would raise him in a palace.

Imagine your child growing up to rescue his own people, the Hebrews.

Imagine a God who orchestrates this kind of love and protection.

God loves mothers. God loves children. God rescues the oppressed.

Read Exodus in the Bible and discover who you are in the story today: a mom who can release her child to save him, a brave sister who is will risk everything to approach royalty and save her brother and bless her mother, a princess willing to be an adoptive parent to an oppressed child, a child tossed to and fro between households but rises to rescue others, or an insecure leader who oppresses others to protect himself.

The Night of the Guard

Tonight is the night of the guard. We’re talking over 2,000 years ago when alarm systems couldn’t be installed on a stone for Jesus’ tomb and there was no texting back and forth to report in on who was fulfilling their duties or who wasn’t. I’m certain these guards were probably some of the best trained professionals with a Masters of Security and would never fall asleep on the job . . . that is, unless offered a large bribe to say they fell asleep and falsely accuse the disciples as the ones who stole Jesus’ body from the tomb during their watch. Where’s the security camera when you need one? What was the bribe? A pay raise? A new job title? Fame? All we know is that it was large. How quickly men who were right for the job were all wrong for the job when their integrity went down with a lie! How sad it was religious leaders (called elders) were the ones who offered the bribe. And then, the infamous phrase from the religious leaders, “we’ll stand up for you so you won’t get in trouble.” All lies when they were ironically guarding THE TRUTH!

The guards knew they had seen something but it wasn’t the disciples stealing Jesus’ body, it was an angel. I can just picture this angel sitting on the stone he had rolled away. How many rough and tough guards would want to admit they shook so much in fear when they saw this they fell into a dead faint (Matt. 28:2-4)? Why did they all think they could keep the truth that Jesus in fact rose from the dead a secret? What were they afraid of . . . to admit that Jesus is really who he said he was? Speaking the truth might create a quite a stir among the people. They might even church hop to follow the Truth!

Darn those women, you just can’t keep them quiet. They had seen the empty tomb and were already spreading (not gossiping) the Good News that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead! Whew! I’m glad someone was willing to tell the Truth!  

Moral of the Story: Guard the Truth with integrity!  

Question to Ponder: Have I accepted a bribe that sacrifices the Truth?

Action to Take: Go quickly and invite others to meet the risen Savior! http://www.centralonline.tv/