Wednesday, October 26, 2011

October 27, 2011

“ Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.” Exodus 3:1-6

God had been active in Moses’ life from the time he was an infant who was hidden in the reeds along the shoreline of the Nile River. And God orchestrated him being found by the daughter of the Pharaoh and then arranged for him to be raised by his own mother. Being taught by a Hebrew mother grounded him in godly faith while growing up in the palace gave him stature with the Egyptian hierarchy.

His passion for his Hebrew heritage flared against an Egyptian taskmaster when Moses saw a Hebrew slave being brutally beaten. In his rage he killed the Egyptian and was forced to flee into the wilderness to escape punishment.

This young man who was groomed to be a prince of Egypt was now herding sheep and goats in the desert. Moses had seen a serious change in his status and prospects. Once a favorite of the Pharaoh he was now a fugitive from the Pharaoh. But, unknown to him, God had him exactly where He wanted him. His crooked path had swerved him into the place where God could meet Him. Moses’ life was about to make another dramatic turn. God was about to call Him to a great task that would change the course of history. God would have to change his story in order for him to shape His story.

Moses, the Hebrew raised in Egypt was about to meet God and experience a new reality. Whenever you meet God it challenges all your previous assumptions and opinions about what is real and what is not. I don’t think that happens in giant steps but in baby steps. Moses and the burning bush is an example of how God leads us from the limitations of our sinful nature to the largeness of His spiritual nature.

I believe this shows us that God gives us supernatural touch points to help us get our heart and mind around a new reality. For Moses, that was a burning bush. For us, it begins with salvation. “If anyone be in Christ He is a new creation. The old is passed away and all becomes new.” II Corinthians 5:17

Big faith comes one little reality changing revelation at a time. As God becomes more real to you, the worldly things become less real and less relevant than spiritual things.

Do you know that reality?