Sreedhar's Journey

Water is such an important part of our existence. Every planet that we are exploring we always look for traces of water. There is great fascination with Mars because it is the closest planet to earth and with the greatest possibility of life. But there is no water there. Among others, water is used as a cleaning agent. Exodus 40:31, and Moses, Aaron, and his sons would wash their hands and their feet with water from it. This act of using water reminds me of the days when I used to go to the Hindu temple. We washed before we entered the temple. As I mentioned before, the Hindu temple is designed very much the way Moses' tabernacle was designed by God and eventually the temple in Jerusalem. The exception would be the presence of the Ark of the Covenant. Coming back to water, it is used to clean our outward dirt so that we show reverence for the presence of God. But I am reminded of Jesus' saying that what is more important is what comes out. How are you on the inside? What are

What is the most expensive clothing that you have ever bought? Don't tell me. I have known of people who purposely fly somewhere, or fly the tailor in to have their garments made or fit. They spend tons of money for this in order to look good for people . The people of Israel made a very expensive garment for the priest to look good for God . Exodus 39:8, And he made the breastplate, artistically woven like the workmanship of the ephod, of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and of fine woven linen. The part of the garment that I am fascinated by is the breastplate. It has 12 precious stones mounted on it close to the heart of the priest representing the 12 tribes of Israel. The way this is designed was instructed by God. Obviously, the priest's main role was to intercede for the people of Israel with God. These 12 different stones were placed close to the priest's heart for intercession. As followers of Jesus Christ we have direct access to God without the need for

Are you an accountant? You have an important role. You help us keep track of everything, both the financial and non-financial assets of an organization. It helps in accountability and sustains the integrity of both the organization and the individuals involved in running it. It was no different in Moses' time. Exodus 38:21, This is the inventory of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the Testimony, which was counted according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest. As you know the people gave generously to the point that it was too much and they had to stop the people from giving anymore. This would mean the inventory of bronze, silver, the various threads and wood were great. Want to learn more about giving and accounting? Check out the bible. It should not surprise us since it is the textbook of life. There is so much to learn from the Bible for everyday living. The principles given are timeless. I have said t

Do you love perfumes? I do but I am not one who puts them on much since I got to watch my budget after leaving the corporate world. Perfumes usually create a pleasing and attractive environment. Here in this chapter we see it being used in the tabernacle that God has designed. Exodus 37:29, He also made the holy anointing oil and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the perfumer. In this chapter there is detailed description of how the Ark of the Covenant and the various utensils to be used are made. It was using acacia wood and gold. Then comes the anointing oil and the incense of sweet spices. This can only be a small emulation of the sensation of being in God's presence. Have you entered God's presence? It is pleasing and attractive. I just love it. It is worth all the time in the world. It is more beautiful than being with your spouse or best friend. You want to hug Him and be completely immersed in His love for you. Have you experienced it? Father

Heard this saying before? "We hire for skills but fire for character". We most often get impressed with a person's skills and experience, but we don't know the "devil" lurking in that person. You could be hiring a scoundrel for all you care and negatively impact the whole organization as a result. I apologize if I am talking about someone you know. The making of the tabernacle needed more than skills. Exodus 36:2, Then Moses called Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom, everyone whose heart was stirred, to come and do the work. Is your heart stirred? The character of a person comes from the heart. You cannot see it except through the person's behavior. That is his or her attitude, words and actions. Our God given conscience keeps us reminded about what is right and wrong. But if our heart is not "stirred", then we will choose what is wrong. Skills are not enough. We need character that comes fro

Are you gifted with the ability to do something special? Yes, there is a lot of mention that your skills are developed with time and effort. However, the speed of development and quality of your skills is a gift that is unique to each one. Moses recognized this as God shown him how to pick the right talents. Exodus 35:31, and He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and understanding, in knowledge and all manner of workmanship, The best have been prepared for the important job of preparing the tabernacle of the Lord in the desert. People gave generously and the gifted artisans worked with the God ordained materials. Not only did the artisans do the skilled work but they also were skilled in teaching others. Exodus 35:34, And He has put in his heart the ability to teach, in him and Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. If we are going to do the work of the Great Commission well, we must be skilled in making disciples and teaching others to do the same. Effort

When you meet a lady or man and start courting, you cannot get enough of each other. You spend hours meeting face to face, or on the phone. In the old days we used to write more. Ultimately, it results in a covenant relationship called "marriage". God is seeking the same with us. Exodus 34:10, And He said: Behold, I make a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord. For it is an awesome thing that I will do with you. God told Moses many things but this jumped out to me. Exodus 34:23, Three times in the year all your men shall appear before the Lord, the Lord God of Israel. All men are to appear before God 3 times in a year. Each time people will need to set aside time to travel and be at the appointed place to meet with God. If we have truly intimate relationship with God, our faces should shine like Moses. Exodus 34:29, Now it was

Are you at peace with yourself? When I meet a doctor, I would ask what is the biggest contributor to ill health and they would usually say, stress. What causes stress? They will usually say emotional challenges. Would pursuit of God help overcome these challenges? The response could be, yes, perhaps. Most doctors tend to use use chemicals (drugs) to help with the emotions. But the real answer is a personal and loving relationship with God. Exodus 33:11, So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle. Everyone in the camp was afraid. But, Moses had an intimate relationship with God. Joshua could not get enough of Him. Moses showed the way when it came to a personal relationship with God. Exodus 33:13, Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight.

Is smoking good for you? There has been much research done on the effects of smoking. Much education has been given on what this means to an individual that smokes. In the process, governments around the world have raised taxes on tobacco and cigarettes, and highly restricted locations where smoking is allowed. With all this, people still smoke. The same thing happened at the foot of Mount Sinai. Exodus 32:4, And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” They have just watched Egypt face plague after plague, and crossed the mighty Red Sea. They saw the pillar of cloud and fire. Still they are unclear of who God is. Moses brought down the tablets and broke them in anger. He stopped God from wiping out Israel, but he proceeded to have the instigators of idol worship killed. It is clear that the people of Israel, while in Egypt, were id

Chick-fil-A is a popular American fast food chain serving, you guessed it, fried chicken. They are the only known chain that can afford to close on Sundays, even in busy shopping malls. The owners are followers of Jesus Christ and they continue to grow. The chose to honor the Sabbath by closing on Sundays. The people of Israel were instructed to do the same. Exodus 31:15, Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. The consequences of working on the Sabbath was plainly dire. The Jews and some followers of Jesus treat Saturday as the Sabbath, while majority, even non followers, take Sunday. Whatever the day, it is important that one day a week is set aside for God. This is something I must reevaluate in my own life. I need that solitude time and spend the day communing with God and resting. Father, help me to reevaluate my priorities and time. I need to learn to

Ever been to a Hindu temple? It has a sweet smelling aroma because of the incense that is being burned. There is also the sweet smelling water or holy water. All this is not original to the Indian people. In the same way Thomas the Apostle brought the gospel to India, years before that the ways taught to Moses was brought to India and mixed in with local spiritual practices. Incense and holy anointing oil were all instituted by God for worship. Exodus 30:7, “Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. Exodus 30:25, And you shall make from these a holy anointing oil, an ointment compounded according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be a holy anointing oil. This is so much similar to what we see with peoples of many regions today where the Christian faith is mixed in with local religious practices. We need the real and original faith in God! No more playing with fire. God made it clear not just to the people of Israel,

I have been reflecting on the practice in many cultures of having human sacrifices for any significant event or endeavor. Children and sometimes adults go missing. Later you find them dead with evidence of them being used for some kind of ritual killing. The approach of using blood sacrifice is not new and existed in old testament times. It was to be used to make atonement for the sins of the people of Israel. God instituted it starting with the consecration of Aaron and his sons. This would allow for God to dwell in their midst. Exodus 29:45-46, I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them. I am the Lord their God. However, since Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection, blood sacrifices are no longer needed. Jesus' sacrifice was the perfect sacrifice. It was literally the Holy God of the Universe, the Judge, coming down to di

Guys, ever bought a custom made dress for your wife without her being around? I did that once when I went to Bangkok for a meeting. I went to the shop and chose the material, and found a lady that was about the size of Lee Yen, and made a risky plunge of ordering the dress for overnight delivery. It was fast for a beautiful Thai dress. Aaron and his sons got a more intricate set of garments, where every part of the garment had a significance. Exodus 28:4, And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a skillfully woven tunic, a turban, and a sash. So they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister to Me as priest. Every aspect represented the sins of the people of Israel that the priest carried into the presence of God for His forgiveness. There was a need to have a priest represent the whole nation before God. When the Messiah Jesus came, He became the chief priest and those who followed Him joined His pri

Through the research of scientists the earth is said to have gone through the ice, bronze and iron ages. There are also ancient writings that give a glimpse of these ages. Noah for the ice age and Moses in the bronze age (my guess and requires research). Much bronze was used in the tabernacle that God instructed the people of Israel to build, and no iron was mentioned. Exodus 27:19, All the utensils of the tabernacle for all its service, all its pegs, and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze. They could have used iron as the base for the altar if it was the iron age. Instead, they used bronze. Whether this coincides with the various ages the scientists are talking about is unclear. But, what is clear is that God started the process of teaching the people of Israel about sin and the need for sacrifice to cleanse them. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Many civilisations recognized this and they had their own forms of sacrifice as well. Father, thank y

I have written before that all cultures or civilisations of the world have had an encounter with God. See my earlier post here. But over the years they have lost their true devotion and replaced God with other things. This is the reason the Hindus worship in temples built with Jewish design as being described in this chapter in Exodus. Exodus 26:33, And you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the Most Holy. The same veil is there in the Hindu temple. The biggest difference is that the most holy place is occupied by a statue depicting a Hindu god. This significant similarity begs a question. When did the Indians receive this temple construction information? This requires further research. God made it clear that He and not an image will meet with His people. He is there personally. He wants to meet us directly and not through an intermediary. Jesus

Are you a generous person? Do you give willingly and cheerfully? Are you ready to see the needs around you and fulfill them? The people of Israel were now being challenged to give from what they plundered from the Egyptians. Exodus 25:2, “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering. One of the things I have realized over the years is that giving is such a blessing. When you give, something supernatural happens. It is hard to explain. God recognizes it and gives back many folds, not just monetarily but in other ways. The people of Israel may be learning this for the first time in the desert where they have little. Father, help me to give generously as you would require of me.

Crossing of the Red Sea in the history of mankind was a spectacular event. The next spectacular event is the interaction with God on Mount Sinai. Cloud and smoke and ground of sapphire. Exodus 24:10, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. The sight and sounds must have been pretty amazing. This is where Moses gets the commandments from God. Exodus 24:12, Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.” There is such clarity in what God was doing here. The record makes clear the full situation as it happened after the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea. Important details are captured and presented for us to read thousands of years later. This is preserved and taught until today just like the days of Moses. Father, we have no excu

Have you seen or experienced the perfect ecosystem? In my high school years I had to analyze a 1 meter square area of ground with vegetation and determine the existence of different components that allowed the ground to flourish with growth. In the process you apply your understanding of the carbon cycle and the symbiotic relationships that make it work. Our God has developed the same, but with more complex outcomes. Exodus 23:4, “If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. The verse here appears very interesting. Do you think an enemy that receives back his lost enemy will remain your enemy? I don't think so. Not for long. Be will become your friend. If you read the rest of the chapter you God's methodical approach to creating a divine ecosystem for the people of Israel. This includes, law, agriculture, finance, and administration of military offenses. Exodus 23:30, Little by little I will drive them out from bef

There are certain countries where they apply very strict consequences when a person steals something. To the point of cutting off limbs. These consequences are usually done in public to ensure others do not commit the same infringements. I am glad I don't live in such a country. I could be mistakenly judged and suffer these penalties. The Lord however has a different approach to dealing with stealing. In fact there is so much mercy and grace in how He wants us to deal with everyone. Exodus 22:21, “You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. Jesus said not only to love your neighbors as yourself, but to love your enemies. Are we able to do this? It can only happen with the power of the Holy Spirit and the mercy of God in our hearts. We are not timid, but we are meek. The world chooses to reject God but we will continue to acknowledge Him who has given the values and principles that prospered the developed world. His laws an

When someone makes an error, how do we correct it? There will be natural consequences such as this person may never be trusted to perform this task ever again. There usually is some structured consequences, where the person may suffer some loss for their error, or certain privileges or benefits are removed. These are principles that came from ancient times and are practiced to date. Exodus 21:1,​ Now these are the judgments which you shall set before them: Just yesterday I was speaking to an educator and mother about character correction. Before we apply the consequences (commonly referred to as punishment), it is important that that a conversation is initiated around the infringement as soon as possible. The first question needs to be "What did you do?". The consequences will follow after going to the Lord. Through prayer the Holy Spirit can help them the next time. Thank you Father, for the many practical supports for everyday life from your "Textbook of Life"

I once heard a preacher relay this experience at a border crossing. He was asked to validate his credentials as a preacher by quoting the ten commandments. Now, how many of us can do that from memory? For the children of Israel this was important. Exodus 20:2, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. God spoke from a mountain with thunder and lightning. It was a fascinating experience but scary. So scary that the people asked that only Moses meet with God and they can hear from Moses. But this misses the point. Moses explains. Exodus 20:20, And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” Do you recognize God's holy presence next to you every moment? If you do, then you will be very conscious of not only avoiding wrong things, but also doing all the right things. Are you doing right? Recognize His holy presence. Father, I want to do what

Do you believe in a God? Many do not because they feel that this is not logical. God is a fable or fairy tale for the unsuspecting and naive. What about you? If you believe that the world, and all that is in it, including you, came from nothing, you have great faith. God is real and He has spoken to mankind through the ages. Exodus 19:6, And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” God is descending to Mount Sinai and speaking to Moses in the cloud of the mountain. He is making some strong declarations here. These are said as part of a covenant with the Jewish people. Exodus 19:20, Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. Not only is God making a covenant with the people of Israel, but also a relationship that will last many generations to this day. The world has been watching and they cry &quo

In leadership we learn the art of delegation and work towards some methodical approach of ensuring nothing "falls through the cracks". Many people helping others to learn this concept would point towards what Jethro said to Moses. Exodus 18:19, Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. Jethro was amazed at what God was doing for Moses and his people. Jethro turned and worshiped God with a sacrifice. Exodus 18:11-12, Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them.” Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and other sacrifices to offer to God. And Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God. Jethro now followed God and he gave leadership advice to Moses. Most of us usually focus on the way he advised to break up the duties

Are you thirsty? You are probably dehydrated, and need to get some water soon. Much sickness is caused or aggravated by a lack of water. Water makes up about 60% of our body. Want to lose weight quick? Lose water, but don't try it. Out in the desert the people of Israel were led by God to a place where there was no water. A test? God's rod and His presence is there to deliver the first miracle of water. Exodus 17:6, Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. Now the people had food and water to survive on. They had the essentials supplied directly by God. He stood right there to bring forth water. He did it again when the Amalek fought them. God was present in every situation. Can He be present with us today? Absolutely! Father, thank you for being there with me every moment of my day.

When we switch on the humaness in each of us, we love to complain. Nothing seems to be right. At least that is what it appears to be. Why? Because our human tendency is not to be grateful. Only what we think we are missing. It is "nice" to have a complaints bureau in the government and a team in each private enterprise addressing customer issues. But, if we have citizens of poor character, there will be high turnover of personnel in these units. But Moses gave a little twist when the people of Israel complained. Exodus 16:8, Also Moses said, “This shall be seen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the Lord hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord.” The complaints are not against Moses, but against God. For the next 40 years Moses was going to be facing this complaining lot. He made sure they understood that their complaining is not abou

I remember stopping over in Los Angeles in 1981 on my way back to Toronto with some friends. We went to Universal Studios and saw the "Red Sea" studio set used for the movie "The Ten Commandments". It was quite an epic movie and we got to travel in a tram that rode through the "Red Sea". Everything is possible in Hollywood. But, the real thing happened and it drove fear into the hearts of the people in the region. Exodus 15:15, Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed; The mighty men of Moab, Trembling will take hold of them; All the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away. The story seems so far fetched. Many over the years have refuted its authencity. The area in question needs further study and perhaps something will be discovered. But the truth remains. The people of Israel were once in Egypt and were miraculously released to travel back to Canaan. There was great rejoicing in the camp. Moses sang a joyous song and Miriam, his sister, joins in. But the

Have you seen a dead body washed up on a sea shore? The person probably drowned and the body usually after a period of time would float and be carried by the tide to shore. This was the case with the Egyptians that pursued the people of Israel. Exodus 14:30, So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. The best men and the best chariots could not overtake the relatively unarmed people of Israel. In fact God had told them that He would fight for them. First He created a barrier for the night. He blew in an east wind to part the sea. He made the chariots (supposed to be the best in Egypt) to fail. The waters came back over the Egyptian army. Exodus 14:7, Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them. Exodus 14:27, And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians we

I used to use a Garmin GPS. Because they were initially not available in Malaysia, I bought them in the US whenever I made a trip. But the situation started changing rapidly when smartphones came with GPS functions, and maps on them became quite accurate and real time. Now, the "cloud" tells you which way is the fastest or best route to take. The people of Israel had the best GPS with them. Exodus 13:22, He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people. God's GPS for the people of Israel was accurate and took into consideration their condition of a lack of ability to fight. Instead, they were taken the back route. Longer, but safer. Exodus 13:17-18, Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” So God led the people aro

All my Chinese friends will proudly tell you that they have their own ancient calendar and it accurately tells you the day of the new moon and full moons. They also celebrate a different day for their new year. On this day they put a red cloth over the front entrance of their gate. They give out red packets with money in them. They burn fire crackers that are wrapped in red paper. Everything red to bring prosperity. Almost sounds like the Jewish Passover. Exodus 12:2-3, “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: “On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. Exodus 12:13, Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. The people of Israel were about to

Do people like you enough to give you a present on your birthday? Some do it out of reciprocity, and others do it because you invited them to your birthday party. For the people of Egypt they gave gifts to the people of Israel without waiting for an occasion. Exodus 11:3, And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and in the sight of the people. The people had favor with the Egyptians. When they asked for articles of silver and gold they received it. With the demonstration of God's power through Moses, the Egyptians recognized the standing and might of these people of the field and laborers. However, in spite of Moses announcing that the firstborn will be killed as the next and final plague, Pharaoh did not move. It was very different with the people of Egypt. Father, you are ready to exalt your people for your glory. Help them to demonstrate and proclaim th

When you think you have everything and can act with arrogance without any consideration of people or even God, you attract a great potential calamity upon yourself. Pharaoh was one such person. Exodus 10:7, Then Pharaoh's servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?” The people were starting to revolt. After this locusts came and devoured the land. This was followed by 3 days of darkness. If I were the Egyptians I would be up in arms. Before the final plague, Pharaoh was clear. He does not want to see Moses again. Moses' response was strong and definite. Exodus 10:29, So Moses said, “You have spoken well. I will never see your face again.” This kind of response can only come from someone who has total faith and confidence in God. Father, I need to walk like Moses. My confidence is only in God.