What a month!

What a month it's been. We've put a lot of miles on the car, driving on weekends and between.

The best thing? Meeting people who are interested in following God. We've seen how God repurposes many of us who think we're going in one direction - but then God sends us in another.

Think about three Bible examples:
Abraham: 75 years old and content in Harran. But God called him to become the father of many nations in a foreign land. He put a few miles on his sneakers before he was through.(Genesis 12:1-4)

Moses: 80 years old and sidelined after 40 years of education and influence in the royal palace. God asked him to lead a nation from slavery into the Promised Land. Moses had all kinds of excuses, but he went - and became a great leader. (Exodus 3)

Saul / Paul: an influential and upcoming Jew in the political and religious system of Jerusalem. God yanked him from his religious misdirection, pointing Paul's zeal and desire to please God in a new direction. (Acts 9:1-22)

W and I head to Indonesia in a few months. We are astonished. We never expected life to take this turn. God has used everything from the past to secure the present and design the future. Our days are full of wonder and mystery.

Where have you been? What have you seen? And where are you headed? Be prepared for surprises along the way!

Read more:
*I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life. Deuteronomy 30:19 ESV

*Oh, praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, you who serve at night in the house of the Lord. Lift up holy hands in prayer, and praise the Lord. May the Lord, who made heaven and earth, bless you from Jerusalem. Psalm 134 NLT

*Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God's people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Romans 12:9-13 NLT

*Be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20 ESV

*God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. Ephesians 1:20-21 ESV

Moravian Prayer: Lamb of God, we adore life because we may live and love you. May we listen for your voice, be reconciled to you, and grow in righteousness. Although we sin daily, we know that if we come to you, you do not count our sins against us. Thank you for loving us so freely. 

Almighty God, you have loved us so much. We thank you that you made your Son the head of the church, the body of Christ. Make us faithful servants. As part of the body of Christ may we offer our talents in love and service to your people. Amen.

Who you are

"What shall I call you?" Moses asked God.

"Tell your people I AM has sent you."

The interchange between God and Moses fascinates me. You'd think meeting God and having him speak from a holy place (the burning bush) would be enough. That Moses would be saluting and running off to DO THE WORK he was assigned.

But nope.

Moses excuses himself in every possible way. "No one will believe me. I'm not an upfront leader. I'm a lousy public speaker. And how can I convince followers of my genuine call to lead them?"

God gets irritated and sticks to his choice. "Moses, you're going! But I won't hang you out there alone. Your brother will come with you and help you in your weak areas."

Moses, though reluctantly recruited, never looks back. He has heard the NAME that will define his relationship with God forever. It's the NAME that Moses will so reverence that Israel falls in line behind him.

Wikipedia defines the NAME this way:

Hebrew Bible
The word Ehyeh (I will be who I will be) is used a total of 43 places in the Hebrew Bible. ... The importance placed on the phrase, as it is used by God to identify himself in the Burning Bush, stems from the Hebrew conception of monotheism that God exists by himself for himself, and is the uncreated Creator who is independent of any concept, force, or entity; therefore "I am who I am" (ongoing). 

 

The All-Sufficient One.
The Source and Provider, in the past, today, and in the future.
He's all that and more.

So how do we define ourselves in the shadow of the NAME?

1. Acknowledge the difference between the Creator and created things. God is "other." Beyond our understanding forever.
2. He knows us intimately. Your name, my name, our peers and friends ... He knows us all and cares about us day after day.
3. He chose to invite us into friendship with Himself. His intention was always loving relationship between Him and us.
4. He prepared a way for us to reconnect and live alongside Him. (Read about it in John's gospel in the Bible.) He still wants our hearts, though we chose rebellion and independence over harmony and the ultimate freedom to be fully human. 
5. Admit that He has always left the choice of knowing Him in our hands. Talk about free will: he could have made us robotic followers. It's up to me. It's up to you. He's been waiting for us, watching over us, and giving us hints of His loving presence since we were born.

Moses chose to follow. He argued, blamed God for putting him in tough spots, and got frustrated. But he'd strap on his sandals, stand in the Tent of Meeting to encounter God and get direction ... and off he'd go again.

In the process, this shepherd from the back of nowhere became a great leader, lawgiver, and prophet. The name "Moses" is familiar to many people around the world. As a youngster, God had equipped him in Pharaoh's palace and educated him through the finest tutors. Moses forgot who he was until God called him over and said the NAME.

Do you know who you are? Have you heard the NAME calling out to you and giving you purpose, whether you're known in the courts of favor or abandoned on the deserted sands?

Read more:
*I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! Job 19:25-27 NIV 

*It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and rich. For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the LORD takes care of the godly. Day by day the LORD takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough." Psalm 37:16–19 NLT

*Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight. Isaiah 5:21 (NIV)

*In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:3 

Moravian Prayer: O Master-builder of creation, may we, like wisdom, rejoice before you always, treasuring instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold. Amen.

What are you good at?

This repost from Christianity Today made me pause to think about what comes naturally to me that could be useful to God. Hope you enjoy this post by Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions:

Situation 1: ...When Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. 

After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand. …

Situation 2: Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters who came as usual to draw water and fill the water troughs for their father's flocks. But some other shepherds came and chased them away. 

So Moses jumped up and rescued the girls from the shepherds. Then he drew water for their flocks."

Exodus 2:11–12, 16–17 NLT view in context

Way before God called Moses to rescue his people from Pharaoh's cruelty, Moses was a rescuer. He tried to rescue his fellow Hebrews. He rescued the girls who drew water. God created him with this bent toward rescuing, and God later used it in a mighty way. "Rescue" was the verb that defined Moses.

What verb defines you? What you do naturally is what God will use to accomplish his purposes through you.
—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions