Exodus 3:10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.
When you are doing one career for 40 years (assuming you consider sheep herding a career, a few cattle ranchers would consider sheep herding a capital offense) it can be a very difficult challenge to transform into a leader of two million plus people overnight.
And Moses fought it tooth and nail, too. He wanted nothing to do with it. Fortunately, God wasn’t going for any of Moses’ excuses, either. God allowed Moses to run off for all these years to get him ready to lead. Managing a herd of sheep is no easy task. They keep wandering off in odd directions (kind of reminds us of some people we know…or…is that why God calls us His sheep? (Very funny, LORD!)
Anyway, every time Moses would make an excuse, God said he had it covered. God showed Moses a few miracles, gave him the eloquent speech he needed; including his brother, Aaron, everything Moses asked for, God provided, and more. God even introduced Himself to Moses by His name; I AM, for the very first time! (Exodus 3:14).
God cut Moses a lot of slack. This was the first time in 430 years that God had revealed Himself to anyone on earth, much less a descendant of Jacob (Israel). Today, He may expect more from us since we have His word, His teachings, and His prophets for reference. Moses had none of that; all he had was a verbal handing down of the history of man, and his forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. No Jesus, no Holy Spirit. But God was patient, as love is, and He provided Moses with everything he needed, and more. Moses is now known as one of the greatest leaders, prophets and judges in Israelite history. He was with Elijah and Jesus in the transfiguration on the Mountain. Wow, what a reward!
So when God gives us a command, don’t complain, don’t make excuses, and definitely don’t fight God. When God wins, you win too. Go do it, and God will make sure you will have His blessing on it and will provide everything you need, and much more!
If you don’t, someone else will; and THEY will get YOUR blessing!
January 14, 2012
January 2, 2012
Jesus Calls All - 77
Jesus calls All – 77 Why does God allow pain, suffering, struggling and bad things to happen to even good people?
Genesis 3:18b … "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.
There is a benefit to all this misery we experience. Together with the good we receive, we now have this unfair blend of good and evil that we all deal with. Some get more of one and less of another. Education, attitude, faith and sheer luck (aka; the Grace of God) all play a determining factor in how much good, and how much evil each of us will have to deal with.
But the curse God placed on earth is for our sake? For our benefit?? How can we benefit from bad things happening to us?
1) We experience a blend of good and evil (as promised above) on earth; either in the acts of nature or our own selfish motives, and we get to choose: for good, or for evil.
The curse of Genesis 3:18 above promises mankind a blend of good and evil all rolled into one planet. We get majestic mountains with snow, delicious food, oceans that start the rain cycle, rivers and beautiful flowers. We also have floods, earthquakes, and diseases. And thorns on that rosebush we love so well.
In addition, we as humans, who know what is good and what is evil, all too often choose to do that which is evil. We will lie, steal, murder, covet, dishonor our parents and/ or worship the almighty dollar; instead of our creator. Worse, we make excuses and blame others for the consequences that have fallen upon us as a result of the evil things we have chosen to do!
2) It gives us a reason to persevere.
Romans 5:3,4 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Defeating adversity gives us a huge sense of accomplishment and creates a bond with those who faced such tribulations together. Ask any football player, or one who has faced military combat. Even a simple family camping trip (when it rains) often becomes a fond memory in later years.
3) For everyone, it may point to our sin; a rebellion against God.
Proverbs 13:24 He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.
As a sinful people, when we choose to rebel against God, or even out of ignorance disobey His teaching, bad things will often happen. This can often be revealed to us when we turn to Him in prayer. Repentance and returning to God will either soften this punishment, or you will be led through it, usually coming out of the ordeal emotionally and spiritually stronger than before.
That said, the sin will never be counted against a follower of Jesus Christ. The non believer, who chooses to ignore the teachings of God will find themselves addicted to their sin (Romans 1:24), which will lead them to their doom.
4) For a Christian, it tests our faith.
Zechariah 13:9 I will bring the [one]-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, 'This [is] My people'; And each one will say, 'The LORD [is] my God.' "
Stress testing a physical object, such as a weld or a joint in a water or gas line, assures the connection between two pieces is strong enough to hold, and not break or leak. When difficulties face any of us, the Christian should see this as a test of faith: do we hold onto Jesus and trust Him, or do we try to take control of the situation? The non Christian has no faith, so he must rely on himself and his own determination. The lack of this faith in the Lord causes personal failures that remove all hope for this person…until they turn to God…or face death.
Ultimately, we can choose to follow a loving, caring God, who gave up His Son, Jesus the Christ, on a cross. All we have to do to choose God – to choose what is good and right - is to say, “Thank you Jesus, for your gift”. As a result, earth will be the only hell you will ever experience.
Should you choose to reject this free gift - or not make any choice at all - is the same as choosing evil. You are declaring you want to run your life your way, earning you eternity separated from God, in a place prepared for Satan and his demons. Fire and brimstone may or may not be part of this destination: terror and hate definitely will be.
And Earth will be the only heaven you will ever experience.
Genesis 3:18b … "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.
There is a benefit to all this misery we experience. Together with the good we receive, we now have this unfair blend of good and evil that we all deal with. Some get more of one and less of another. Education, attitude, faith and sheer luck (aka; the Grace of God) all play a determining factor in how much good, and how much evil each of us will have to deal with.
But the curse God placed on earth is for our sake? For our benefit?? How can we benefit from bad things happening to us?
1) We experience a blend of good and evil (as promised above) on earth; either in the acts of nature or our own selfish motives, and we get to choose: for good, or for evil.
The curse of Genesis 3:18 above promises mankind a blend of good and evil all rolled into one planet. We get majestic mountains with snow, delicious food, oceans that start the rain cycle, rivers and beautiful flowers. We also have floods, earthquakes, and diseases. And thorns on that rosebush we love so well.
In addition, we as humans, who know what is good and what is evil, all too often choose to do that which is evil. We will lie, steal, murder, covet, dishonor our parents and/ or worship the almighty dollar; instead of our creator. Worse, we make excuses and blame others for the consequences that have fallen upon us as a result of the evil things we have chosen to do!
2) It gives us a reason to persevere.
Romans 5:3,4 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Defeating adversity gives us a huge sense of accomplishment and creates a bond with those who faced such tribulations together. Ask any football player, or one who has faced military combat. Even a simple family camping trip (when it rains) often becomes a fond memory in later years.
3) For everyone, it may point to our sin; a rebellion against God.
Proverbs 13:24 He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.
As a sinful people, when we choose to rebel against God, or even out of ignorance disobey His teaching, bad things will often happen. This can often be revealed to us when we turn to Him in prayer. Repentance and returning to God will either soften this punishment, or you will be led through it, usually coming out of the ordeal emotionally and spiritually stronger than before.
That said, the sin will never be counted against a follower of Jesus Christ. The non believer, who chooses to ignore the teachings of God will find themselves addicted to their sin (Romans 1:24), which will lead them to their doom.
4) For a Christian, it tests our faith.
Zechariah 13:9 I will bring the [one]-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, 'This [is] My people'; And each one will say, 'The LORD [is] my God.' "
Stress testing a physical object, such as a weld or a joint in a water or gas line, assures the connection between two pieces is strong enough to hold, and not break or leak. When difficulties face any of us, the Christian should see this as a test of faith: do we hold onto Jesus and trust Him, or do we try to take control of the situation? The non Christian has no faith, so he must rely on himself and his own determination. The lack of this faith in the Lord causes personal failures that remove all hope for this person…until they turn to God…or face death.
Ultimately, we can choose to follow a loving, caring God, who gave up His Son, Jesus the Christ, on a cross. All we have to do to choose God – to choose what is good and right - is to say, “Thank you Jesus, for your gift”. As a result, earth will be the only hell you will ever experience.
Should you choose to reject this free gift - or not make any choice at all - is the same as choosing evil. You are declaring you want to run your life your way, earning you eternity separated from God, in a place prepared for Satan and his demons. Fire and brimstone may or may not be part of this destination: terror and hate definitely will be.
And Earth will be the only heaven you will ever experience.
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