According to the Exodus narrative, Moses was on the backside of the desert, minding the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, when he came to Horeb, to the mountain of God. Suddenly, he saw a flame of fire in the midst of a bush that though burning was not consumed. Marveling at the "great sight" and being perplexed as to why the bush was not burnt, his curiosity got the better of it and he approached the flame. The writer tells us, "And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground" (3:4-5, KJV).
While the rest of the story is familiar to most of us, and undoubtedly there have been numerous messages preached on this portion of the Scriptures, in reflecting on the text it occurred to me that this was the very first recorded encounter between God and Moses. The detail that really caught my attention was the fact that God called Moses by his name. In other words, He knew him on a personal level and knew exactly where to find him when He needed him. Bible Expositor John Gill observes, "The Lord knows his people distinctly, and can call them by name; ... the repetition of his name [Moses, Moses] ... shows familiarity and a strong vehement affection for him." We are not told if Moses was surprised at the sound of the voice, especially one calling his name, but we know he answered "Here am I." Chances are good that most of us would have been out of there as fast as our legs could carry us, but after seeing a bush burning without being burnt, Moses could be excused for not being intimidated by a voice. His experience has given every child of God a reason to rejoice; God knows us by name and no matter where we are, He knows where to find us.
Given that there are over six billion people on planet earth, that is a sobering thought. We can rest assured that despite what we are going through, His eyes are tracking us. This is the same God who said to Jeremiah, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee" (1:5), and if He knew him and us even then, it is nothing to Him that He knows our names. It also means that despite the best efforts of the enemy to tell us otherwise, we are never forgotten by Him.
Be encouraged. As you go through your day, if you listen really closely you too just might hear Him calling your name.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Stir Up the Gift!
In his second letter to Timothy, the spiritual son he loved so much (2Tim. 1:1), the Apostle Paul, after commending him for his honest faith, felt it necessary to encourage Timothy in the use of the ministry that God had placed upon his life. We are not told what was going on with Timothy at the time but judging from the contents of what we know as the first chapter, it would appear that for whatever reason(s) he was reluctant to step into his God ordained ministry. Paul writes, "Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God" (vv.6-8).
It is not always easy to do the will of God. Surrounded by values that conflict with our own, and in environments that are often hostile to God and the things of God, it is easy for the believer to be intimidated into silence. We need look no further than how difficult it is to share one's faith in the workplace, or to speak openly about God in public places. Our culture dictates that religious convictions are a "private matter" and the more we accept that as the norm, the more our light grows dim. But as he reminded Timothy so Paul reminds us that amidst the challenges, "God hath not given us the spirit of fear." As Bible Scholar Matthew Henry observes of this verse, "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but the spirit of power, of courage and resolution, to meet difficulties and dangers; the spirit of love to him, which will carry us through opposition. And the spirit of a sound mind, quietness of mind. The Holy Spirit is not the author of a timid or cowardly disposition, or of slavish fears. We are likely to bear afflictions well, when we have strength and power from God to enable us to bear them."
We cannot afford to hide our candle under a bushel, nor can we allow ourselves to be intimidated into not walking in the spiritual gifts that God has given us. What is your gift or ministry? I encourage you to "stir it up" and walk boldly in doing the things that God has called you to do.
It is not always easy to do the will of God. Surrounded by values that conflict with our own, and in environments that are often hostile to God and the things of God, it is easy for the believer to be intimidated into silence. We need look no further than how difficult it is to share one's faith in the workplace, or to speak openly about God in public places. Our culture dictates that religious convictions are a "private matter" and the more we accept that as the norm, the more our light grows dim. But as he reminded Timothy so Paul reminds us that amidst the challenges, "God hath not given us the spirit of fear." As Bible Scholar Matthew Henry observes of this verse, "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but the spirit of power, of courage and resolution, to meet difficulties and dangers; the spirit of love to him, which will carry us through opposition. And the spirit of a sound mind, quietness of mind. The Holy Spirit is not the author of a timid or cowardly disposition, or of slavish fears. We are likely to bear afflictions well, when we have strength and power from God to enable us to bear them."
We cannot afford to hide our candle under a bushel, nor can we allow ourselves to be intimidated into not walking in the spiritual gifts that God has given us. What is your gift or ministry? I encourage you to "stir it up" and walk boldly in doing the things that God has called you to do.
Having The Mind of Christ
Have you ever given thought to how powerful our minds are? According to an online source, the mind "is the aspect of intellect and consciousness experienced as combinations of thought, perception, memory, emotion, will and imagination, including all unconscious cognitive processes. The term is often used to refer, by implication, to the thought processes of reason." That sounds like a mouthful of psycho-speak, but in essence the mind is the seat of our intellect and consciousness. To varying degrees we are shaped by our thoughts; not only do we act based on the way we think but our thoughts and resulting actions define who we are.
I thought of the mind and it's importance in shaping us as individuals as I read Paul's admonition to the Philippian Christians, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (2:5, KJV). A careful reading of the entire passage reveals a church that was in turmoil because its members were acting in ways influenced by unregenerate minds. In its unregenerate state, the human mind is incapable of following the Lord to a higher life despite our best intentions. It keeps us holding on tightly to our self-image and world view, so tightly we are unable even to know where the journey will take us, let alone hold on to the Lord. We are reminded of another of Paul's admonition to the Roman Church, "...be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind" (12:2). The transformed mind is under the influence of the Holy Spirit and our intellect and consciousness should reflect that reality.
But what does it mean to have the mind of Christ? It means that we must walk in the same spirit and in the same steps with the Lord Jesus who sought not to do His own will but that of the Father (John 6:38). It is the assuredness that we are in the Father and He is in us, and that everything about who we are seeks to honor Him at all times. Given the various challenges we face in our daily lives that can be a very difficult thing to do. But it is to that higher standard that we are called; it is a walk that the Holy Spirit is willing to help us in.
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." How have you been behaving lately? What kind of thoughts have you been thinking?
I thought of the mind and it's importance in shaping us as individuals as I read Paul's admonition to the Philippian Christians, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (2:5, KJV). A careful reading of the entire passage reveals a church that was in turmoil because its members were acting in ways influenced by unregenerate minds. In its unregenerate state, the human mind is incapable of following the Lord to a higher life despite our best intentions. It keeps us holding on tightly to our self-image and world view, so tightly we are unable even to know where the journey will take us, let alone hold on to the Lord. We are reminded of another of Paul's admonition to the Roman Church, "...be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind" (12:2). The transformed mind is under the influence of the Holy Spirit and our intellect and consciousness should reflect that reality.
But what does it mean to have the mind of Christ? It means that we must walk in the same spirit and in the same steps with the Lord Jesus who sought not to do His own will but that of the Father (John 6:38). It is the assuredness that we are in the Father and He is in us, and that everything about who we are seeks to honor Him at all times. Given the various challenges we face in our daily lives that can be a very difficult thing to do. But it is to that higher standard that we are called; it is a walk that the Holy Spirit is willing to help us in.
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." How have you been behaving lately? What kind of thoughts have you been thinking?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
