One more night with the frogs
Published: Mon, 11/04/19
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A humorous fact about the events surrounding the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt concerns the ten plagues God sent on the Egyptians. Each plague mocked a different Egyptian god. For instance, the Egyptians worshiped lice, so God sent them a lot of lice to worship. Then there was the plague of frogs. The Bible says there were frogs everywhere. I’m sure Mrs. Pharaoh put pressure on her husband to give in and get rid of the frogs. Finally, Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “All right, Moses, I give up.” So Moses asked, “When do you want me to get rid of the frogs?” Now Pharaoh’s answer was classic. He said, “Tomorrow.” He must have been crazy! Why would anyone wait any longer to have the frogs removed? There is a famous sermon based on this text called “One More Night with the Frogs.” How would you like to spend one more night with the frogs? Why in the world would anyone put off a change that was going to be positive? We would have expected Pharaoh to say, “Get rid of the frogs right now!” But, no, he said, “Tomorrow.” You and I do this all the time. We procrastinate by putting off changes that we know will be good for us. Why? Maybe we are complacent. Maybe we are too lazy to change. Maybe we are afraid because we don’t know what the changes will involve. Maybe we are too proud or just stubborn. Whatever the reason, we procrastinate. The NASA space engineers tell us that most of the fuel used in a rocket launch is burned up in the first few seconds of lift-off. It takes tremendous energy and thrust to get the rocket off the launching pad. Once it’s moving and headed for orbit, it requires much less fuel and is easier to control and direct. It has overcome inertia. It is one thing for me to tell you that Jesus Christ can cancel your past, help you conquer the problems you are facing right now, and change your personality. But it is quite another matter for you to overcome inertia and actually let him begin to do it now! Although you may agree with everything I say, you may still wait and let Jesus help you “one of these days.” Jesus Christ has the power to make changes in your life now. He will give you the power to get started and the power to keep going. He will give you the power to break the chains of procrastination. If you have been unable to let go of your past, Jesus Christ offers complete forgiveness. He can put your life back together again. You may feel like Humpty Dumpty, so fragmented that nothing can put you back together. But it is never too late to start over! You are never a failure until you give up. Maybe you are overwhelmed by your problems. Jesus’ resurrection reminds us that no situation is hopeless. Relax. Trust God. You don’t have to be controlled by your circumstances. No problem is too big for God. He is still in the resurrection business. What are you waiting for? Right now you can say, “Jesus Christ, take my life. Take the good, the bad, and the ugly. Take every part of me.” Open your heart to his love right now and let his transforming resurrection power become a reality in your life. Rick Warren, God’s Power to Change Your Life (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008). We have just released a new Bible study on based on Rick Warren's book God's Power to Change Your Life. These lessons are available on Amazon, as well as a part of my Good Questions Have Groups Talking Subscription Service. Like Netflix for Bible Lessons, one low subscription gives you access to all our lessons--thousands of them. For a medium-sized church, lessons are as little as $10 per teacher per year. Sessions include:God’s Power to Change Your Life, Lesson #1 God’s Power to Change Your Life, Lesson #2 God’s Power to Change Your Life, Lesson #3 God’s Power to Change Your Life, Lesson #4 God’s Power to Change Your Life, Lesson #5 God’s Power to Change Your Life, Lesson #6 God’s Power to Change Your Life, Lesson #7 God’s Power to Change Your Life, Lesson #8 God’s Power to Change Your Life, Lesson #9 God’s Power to Change Your Life, Lesson #10 God’s Power to Change Your Life, Lesson #11 God’s Power to Change Your Life, Lesson #12
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