Give God Your “Little”“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin…” (Zechariah 4:10, NLT).
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Showing posts with label Moses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moses. Show all posts
May 12, 2023
August 2, 2018
Comfort
Those Who Grieve
Praise
be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and
the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can
comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. –
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
We can’t fix death. We
can’t restore a person to life. Only God can do that. It’s a free gift He
offers to those who believe Jesus Christ is His Son and that He came and died a
horrific death on a cross and rose three days later. Jesus now sits at the
right hand of God the Father.
We believe that and
cling to it in times of death. We find some comfort in knowing that goodbye isn’t
forever and we will see the person we mourn again. But believing doesn’t erase
the tears of today or the loneliness of tomorrow.
We gather around those
who mourn. There are no words that can erase the pain. So, at least in the Deep
South, we take food. It’s the one, tangible thing we can do to let someone know
that we care that they are hurting. We rearrange our lives to show up with
casseroles and cakes, vegetables and sweet tea.
We understand deep in
our hearts that it’s not about the food. It’s about the caring, the love, the
companionship. We comfort others as we have been comforted.
As I write this, my
cousin and her children are at the funeral home planning her husband’s funeral.
Theirs was a long, happy marriage. They were blessed with years and children
and grandchildren. The void will be great.
When my Dad died, she
came bearing food and hugs. You never forget the people who show up when you
are grief-stricken and numb all at the same time. So today I will prepare food
and take it to her house. I will hug her tight and tell her I love her. It won’t
be enough to erase her pain but we will all surround her with our presence on
this journey.
That’s what God has
asked us to do. We are to comfort others as we have been comforted. We are to be
the hands and feet of Jesus.
I am reminded of the
story in Exodus 17 about when the Israelites defeated the Amalekites. Joshua
led the army. Moses stood on top of the hill with his hands raised high with
the staff of God. So long as his hands were held high, the Israelites were
winning. When he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.
Moses grew tired. Aaron
and Hur placed a stone for Moses to sit on. Then one stood on each side of him
and held Moses hands up. This went on for hours. And God gave the Israelites
victory.
But here’s the point
none of us should miss: When Moses was too tired to continue, others showed up
to help him. They physically held him up. They didn’t just throw out “We’ll
pray for you.” They didn’t tell someone else to do it. They showed up and did
what needed to be done.
I can’t restore my
cousin’s husband to life and health. God has already done that. But I can be
part of the entourage that comforts her today and all the days to come. I can
show up. I can do something.
Never brush aside how
valuable your gift of time and presence can be to someone who is grieving. It
matters more than you know.
June 1, 2018
Why Are You Afraid?
Moses said to the LORD, “Pardon your
servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since your
have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” – Exodus 4:10
We are good at excuses, aren’t we? God says to go and
we respond with “but” and proceed to list all the ways what He’s called us to
do will never work. It’s just common sense, we explain. It can only end in
disaster, we assure Him.
He, of course, is Almighty God. Nothing is too hard
for Him. Nothing is impossible with Him. But, truthfully, we really don’t trust
Him with the unknown. How many blessings do we miss because of that?
Moses was afraid to confront Pharaoh. He gave God
excuse after excuse. God rebuked every excuse. God finally agreed that Moses’
brother Aaron could help Moses. Do you think that hurt God? He had called Moses
to greatness, to lead His people to freedom, but Moses didn’t trust that God
would give him the words and protect him on the journey.
We’re no different. We want to step out in faith. We
really do. But there’s that pull of comfort and what we know. Satan whispers
that God’s plan will never work. People around us tell us we’re foolish or lazy
or destined for disaster. So we sink back into what we see and miss what could
have been.
What is your dream? Do you want to go back to school
and become a teacher? Do you want to stay home with your children but you just
know your family could never survive on one income? Do you want to start an after-school
outreach program? Are you feeling led to begin a new Bible study? Maybe you feel
drawn to include your elderly neighbor in a weekly meal? I could go on and on because
there are just so many ways God speaks into our hearts.
But none of that matters if we choose to sit on the
sidelines. Nothing will ever change unless we step up and step out in faith.
For the Spirit God gave us does not
make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. – 2 Timothy 1:7
Do you want to be the person who, at the end of his
life, looks back and sees all the things he wished he had done. Do you want to
end your life regretting missed opportunities? Do you want to stay comfortable
and miss the blessings true faith brings?
The Bible tells us repeatedly not to be afraid. Scholars
who count such things say He tells us that 365 times. One “do not fear” for
each day of the year. Do you think God believes it’s important?
I wonder if sometimes we say no because we’re afraid God
might lead us on a path we never wanted? What if the life God has planned for
us is totally different from the life we had planned for ourselves?
And what if that life is better than anything you ever
could have imagined? Will you be faithful enough to find out? What are you
afraid of?
March 9, 2018
Stop Complaining
And the whole congregation of the
people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. – Exodus 16:2
Someone is always upset about something. Some days
that seems especially true in the church. We complain about everything. The
music, the preaching style, the Sunday school lesson, the temperature, the
sound (either too loud or not loud enough). We “hate” the sermon or we “love it”,
depending on how it convicts us. And that preacher better not go too late.
Doesn’t he know how important Sunday lunch is?
Come on now. You know I’m speaking the truth. Who
among us hasn’t grumbled about something at church?
So let me ask you a question: Why do you attend
church? I hope most of you answered that you attend services in order to
worship God. What else? Do you go because it’s something you’re “supposed to do”?
Do you attend church because you want to see your friends, get caught up on
everyone (gossip!) and maybe learn a little about a Jesus? Maybe it’s about
exposing your children to worship or taking your elderly parents to services?
And maybe, just maybe, it’s about all those things.
And none of them. We allow ourselves to get so caught up in what doesn’t matter
that we miss what does matter. We have the freedom to worship God without fear
of being arrested as we raise our hands to exalt Him. Most of us have an
abundance of Bibles. Few of us sacrifice in order to attend church. You would
think we’d be a little more grateful. We aren’t.
Every summer my Sunday school class gets out the
blankets. Really. Because in order for another class to be comfortable, our
class temperature is freezing. It’s just easier to wrap up in a blanket than to
deal with people who refuse to compromise so that everyone is comfortable.
We are blessed with a pastor who has a very dry sense
of humor. You guessed it. Some people don’t like that. He isn’t a “feel good”
sort of preacher. He’s not going to tell you to claim all you want “in the name
of Jesus” and it will be yours. He will, however, teach you what the Bible
says. You might leave feeling convicted. Most will leave feeling determined to
live more for Jesus and less for self.
Maybe that will last for a few days. Then we’ll get upset
about something else. You see, we want it to be all about us. We want
everything to be exactly the way we want it to be, no compromises required. And
we get mad at the church, we get mad at God, when we don’t get what we want. We
get mad when it isn’t about us.
Ah, there it is. We want God to give us what we want
when we want it. We believe the church should do the same. We get all in a tizzy
about things that don’t really matter because we’d rather not face the things
that actually do matter. Things like sin and death and illness and right
living.
The next time you start to complain about something,
hit pause and consider why.
Are you upset about something that truly makes a difference or are you upset because you aren’t getting your own way? Be careful. Those complaints you’re lodging are against God and the people He has called to serve Him. You may be pointing your finger at the church but God sees you pointing it at Him.
Are you upset about something that truly makes a difference or are you upset because you aren’t getting your own way? Be careful. Those complaints you’re lodging are against God and the people He has called to serve Him. You may be pointing your finger at the church but God sees you pointing it at Him.
February 7, 2016
God Uses Flawed People
23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
-- Hebrews 11:23-29
Moses was a murderer. Did you know that? It’s right there in Exodus, chapter two. Moses, while still living as Pharaoh’s daughter’s son, witnessed an Egyptian beating a Hebrew so he killed the Egyptian.
It’s not something you would think someone listed in the Hall of Faith would have in his past. We focus on the good -- and there is mostly good -- but it’s also important to remember his start. It helps us realize that we all have potential if we turn our lives over to God.
When Moses fled rather than face the consequences (death), he ended up defending the daughters of a priest in Midian. Their herds got water and Moses ended up with a wife.
What do the two stories have in common? Moses, who would later lead God’s people out of Egypt, had a heart for those who were being mistreated. With God’s grace and guidance, Moses became a man whom God spoke to as a friend. (Exodus 33:11)
We often make excuses for ourselves. God could never use us because of what we’ve done in the past. God could never use us because we aren’t qualified, we aren’t smart enough, we aren’t creative enough. Whatever God wants us to do, we’ve got an excuse.
But God isn’t calling us to do His will with our own power and knowledge. God is calling us to do His will with His might, His power, His knowledge. We just have to get out of the way and let Him do it.
Moses was a flawed man just as we are all flawed. But He loved God and chose to do God’s will. It wasn’t an easy calling. Moses didn’t feel qualified. But he went anyway. There’s a lesson in that for all of us.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Negative People Never See Good
That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron… -- Numbers 14:1-2a
Everybody surely knows at least one person who has got something negative to say about every person and every situation. It’s just how it is. And no matter how hard you try to ignore their comments or please them, it just doesn’t work. It’s like they thrive on negativity.
It surely makes us sympathize with Moses and Aaron. Moses had led the people, who had rebelled and complained the entire time. Now they were getting ready to go into the promised land but they didn’t trust God to protect them. They only saw the problems and not the power and goodness that are God. We know how well that turned out. Forty years wandering in the desert.
It just gets so frustrating. It’s a constant harping that never seems to end. The sun is brilliant, well, it’s too hot. Plan something outdoors and the naysayer will predict rain -- again and again and again. No one ever drivers to suit them. Or cooks to their taste. Or does anything to please them. That’s just how they are.
Yesterday I stopped by a festival where vendors were setting up for this weekend. The organizer said he’d already had to move someone because she didn’t like her space. He laughed and said she seemed the type that probably wouldn’t have liked her space no matter what. Some people are that way.
Several years ago I participated in an outdoor event. I had arranged in advance to have a space that allowed a vehicle nearby so I could restock. One couple decided they’d had a “bad” show because of my vehicle. I wanted so badly to explain to them that their attitude likely caused their “bad” show. They wouldn’t have heard me. They were too busy complaining.
I ask God almost daily to not let be someone like that. Oh, I know. We all grumble and complain sometimes. But Let’s take the time to focus on the good all around us. I want to be like Paul who wrote that he’d learned to be content in all circumstances. Because our joy does come from God.
My challenge -- and yours -- is to not let negative people bring us down to their level. We should struggle to meet each negative comment with a positive thought. Again and again, as necessary. I don’t know that it’ll change them. But maybe it’ll make living around them easier and keep us looking upward.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
God Lights The Way
And the LORD replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses. I will give you rest -- everything will be fine for you.” -- Exodus 33:14
Do you ever feel a little like Moses? Worried about what lies ahead, uncertain of the direction God has called you to go? I know I have. It’s scary to go off on a journey and have no idea where you’ll end up or what your life will be like.
In the preceding verse, Moses asked God to show him His intentions so that Moses can more fully understand what God wants Him to do. That way, Moses tells God, he can do exactly what God wants. I want to echo that request. It’s so frustrating sometimes. I want to do God’s will. I do. Really. But I can’t quiet all the voices around me -- my own, those close to me -- to hear what God has to say.
That’s where the uncertainty begins. I step out tentatively, resisting the urge to snatch my foot back onto safe territory. I’m just not sure. If God is with me, if I’m doing what He’s called me to do, then everything will be fine. But if I’ve misunderstood, or taken my voice for His, then whatever I do is doomed.
Oh, He’ll help me pick up the pieces. He’s my Abba after all. But going out where I’m not supposed to be can be a really painful experience. Know what I mean? I file that under the cliché: “Been there. Done that. Don’t want to go back there again.”
It’s easy to forget that all we really need to know is that God is with us. He’s leading the way. No matter what life throws at us, God can handle it. Yeah. That’s right. God can handle it. We might fall apart, cry out, feel overwhelmed. But all we really need to remember is to hold on tightly to Him. God will do the rest.
God reassured Moses that He would give Moses rest. Do you ever ask God for His peace to fill you? I do. Sometimes the stress and strains of daily life just seem overwhelming. I feel guilty. Everything is basically fine. Yet, little things pile up and the stress just seems to grow. Letting it all slide off seems to hit a sticky spot and I need a break. God provides that break. That refuge. That sanctuary of peace and calm in the midst of chaos.
God told Moses that everything would be fine. And it was. Oh, there was a lot of drama on that journey to the Promised Land but God never abandoned His people. And He won’t abandon you or I. He won’t leave us alone to face an uncertain world. Instead, He’ll light the way so we can follow Him all our days until we finally make it home.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
God Can Do So Much More
Now glory by to God! By his almighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. -- Ephesians 3:20
We never seem to factor in the only thing that really matters: Is it something God wants you to do? I had a wonderful pastor once that talked about this very thing. He said that he didn’t worry too much about money or anything else. His only concern was whether it was something God wanted. He was right.
God has all the talent you’ll ever need to do anything. He has unlimited financial resources and access to the most skilled people in the world. God can make anything happen. So if He blesses your project, God will make sure you have everything you need. Guaranteed.
That knowledge opens up a world of possibilities. Imagine what you could accomplish with God providing everything you need to make it happen! Think back to Moses. Remember that when God told Moses He wanted him to lead the Israelites to freedom, Moses basically told God that He needed to get someone more qualified to do it. Look what Moses did. And all because God led the way!
So the next time you feel God leading you somewhere you’ve never been before, somewhere kind of scary, just give it all to Him and trust that God will work it all out. Imagine the possibilities. And know that God can accomplish so much more
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Listen For HIS Voice
"Be still and know that I am God."
-- Psalm 46:10
Sometimes I find myself just wanting to yell, "SHUT UP!" No. Not at you. At me. That person I see in the mirror everyday. The person who is so busy talking and worrying that I can't get my mind quiet enough to actually hear God.
When I focus on what seems impossible, I forget who's running things. When I try to work things out on my own, I forget who can fix anything. When I believe the world rests on my shoulders, I lose sight of the One who created everything.
Fortunately, God never goes away. He stays right there with me, waiting until I wear myself down. Then in quietness I turn to Him and I can hear Him speak.
Years ago I tried my hand at pottery. I wasn't particularly good at it but I did create a number of clay crosses. I etched the words above but left off God's name at the end. I didn't mean any disrespect, which I'm sure God knew. It's just that the words reminded me of an earlier conversation between Moses and God. It's Exodus 3:14. (Having a pastor for a friend is great, especially when he knows the Bible verse you're trying to find!)
"God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"
God is I AM. He is Yahweh. He is everything and all things. And in the quiet, when my mind is finally uncluttered enough to hear Him I know, beyond any doubt, that I belong to Him. My Creator. My Father. My God.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
God Is Waiting
"The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend." -- Exodus 33:11a
I just finished reading The Shack by William P. Young. I know. Everyone else read it a long time ago. It's still a wonderful book. It really made me think about just why the book is so popular. I believe that -- besides the good writing -- we love the book because we all want a loving, personal relationship with God.
We want it. But we aren't sure it's possible. See, God is all powerful. He punishes people for their sins. Just check out the Old Testament for specifics. I mean, He is so awesome that we really can't comprehend all that He is. So how can we possibly have a personal relationship with Him?
The simple answer is Jesus and the Holy Spirit. When we invite Jesus into our lives, He lives within us. That clears the way for us to approach God directly. Yeah. You heard that right. We get to talk directly with God. He wants us to. I know. It's mind-boggling.
The Holy Spirit even guides us throughout our lives when we shut up and listen. That last bit was directed at me not you. The Holy Spirit is the wonderful counselor God sent to us after Jesus ascended to heaven. See, we are never alone.
Humans were born with a longing for our Creator. We want to know Him. And He is the only One who can fill that space within us. It's natural that we would seek Him out, that we would want to be able to talk with Him and spend time with Him. And we can. If we could just understand that it really is possible.
I am a big believer in prayer. Everyone knows that about me. But prayer doesn't have to be formal. It doesn't always require you to get down on your knees. In fact, some of my best talks with God come when I am walking. Or driving. Or painting. Or doing any number of things throughout the day. It was so liberating to learn that I really could talk to God anywhere, at anytime, and He would listen. I don't even have to have a problem or request. I can tell Him how beautiful the sky is or how I enjoyed a book or, well, you get the picture.
I'm glad there are books like The Shack that show us how much God loves us. Yes, He is mighty and powerful. But He loves us. Really and truly. He wants us to seek Him out. He wants to be our friend, our Father, our mentor. Reach out and start talking. Then take time to listen. He's right there with you, participating in that conversation you once longed to have.
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