God Is Watching

Exodus 3:2-4: There the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses 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."

As I was doing my morning Bible reading I came across this passage and the Holy Spirit highlighted this in my heart. "When the Lord saw..." That says to me that God is watching to see what we do. I have learned that God is always speaking to us; sometimes through a physical manifestation, our hearts or through the Bible, whatever the case He is always speaking. The question is, are we taking the time to stop and listen?

I have heard that in the Middle East it is not an unusual thing to see a bush catch fire, so Moses had probably seen this before. In the movie Kingdom of Heaven there is a scene with Balian where he throws a rock at a bush and it ignites into flames.

This is probably what Moses was used to, the thing that made him stop was the fact that the bush did not burn up. So he turned from what he was doing to check it out.

This is what God is looking for from us, stopping from our daily duties long enough to hear Him speak to us. What would have happened if Moses had been too busy thinking about his day to stop and see why the bush wasn't burned up? How many times do we miss what God wants to say to us each day because we are too busy or in too much of a hurry to stop and listen? I know that I have ended up in this position too many times. It is something that I am working to change in my life.

Taking time out of our schedules to listen for God to speak each day really would do wonders for us. I mean let's take this "church thing" and make it into a lifestyle rather than just a Sunday/Wednesday activity. If I have learned anything in my 48 years, it is that God wants a relationship with me, not a puppet, and that makes me very happy because I don't really want to be a puppet.

So today, look for your burning bush and when you turn aside to see it, you'll find God there waiting on you. Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!

Questioning Jesus? Seriously?

I've been talking with the Lord lately about how He talked with people in the Bible. I'm curious to see if God showed up in the flesh, or if it was a still small voice in their hearts. I really want to know, because I think it would help me to have a better relationship with Him. This morning I was reading the account of Saul's conversion which takes place in Acts 9, and I found something very interesting.

In Acts 9:10 - 19 we find the account of Ananias, the disciple of Jesus who went and laid his hands on Saul resulting in him being healed of blindness. The thing that I found really interesting is in verse 13 and 14 where he questions Jesus. The Lord has just told him what to do, but he in turn says, "Whoa, wait a minute. You do realize that this guy has come here to imprison Christians, right?" How many times have you questioned Jesus about something that you felt He impressed on you?

I mean come on, vision or no vision this is still a little bit of a scary proposition for Ananias don't you think? But what is so beautiful in this passage is that Jesus doesn't act like the great and all powerful Oz yelling, "I AM JESUS, OBEY ME!" No, Jesus listened to Ananias's question, and then answers him back in a true conversational way. This just blows me away to say the least. Jesus isn't forcing His will on us, He really is wanting to have a relationship with us. Only a God secure in who He is would do that, don't you think? I mean why else would He have a conversation like that with Ananias?

This just goes to show me one more time that God is wanting a relationship with me, not just another servant. And I don't know about you, but that makes me feel amazing this morning. I think that I will not be afraid to question Jesus in the future. Because I know that in doing so, He will answer my question in order to help me see what it is that I need to do. Oh, and then I'll need to do it. Think of what would have happened if Ananias had never gotten around to going to see Saul, we might not have 2/3 of the New Testament now.

Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!

Change Is Coming

You know there is a great line from the movie Tombstone, where Wyatt Earp says to some of the bad guys, "You tell 'em I'M coming...and hell's coming with me, you hear?" And after that for the gang of cowboys, change came to their lives, in a big way.

Change is an ever present entity with us in this human experience. We are constantly undergoing some type of it every day. If you don't believe me, take a look at a picture of you from twenty years ago, you will find that change has come. The problem is that most people try to run from change, they want things to stay the same, but there is only one thing that ever stays the same and that is God, everything else changes.

So why spend your life in an exercise of futility trying to make things stay the same, when instead you could embrace the change and live a much fuller life? I don't know what Wyatt Earp really has to do with change, except that I thought of this movie line this morning and how we all try and stop change in our lives and decided to write a quick blog before going to work.

So don't run from change, accept it as part of your life and then see how much fuller your life will become. Change is not the enemy, resistance to change is. Have a great day and remember, "Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!"

Here's A Thought, Are You Doing Everything God Asks?

In Genesis 6:8 it reads, "Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord." And then Genesis 6:22 says,"Noah did everything just as God commanded him."

I walk in the favor of God every day, the Bible tells me that He has placed His favor upon me. Actually, one of my daily confessions is, "I'm surrounded by God's favor shield. People like me and they don't even know why." But I wondered this morning as I read these two Scriptures if I was living the first one without doing the second?

It's great that God has favored us, actually that is one of the most awesome blessings that He has given, but are we doing the second part? Are we doing everything that He has commanded us? Do you even know what He has commanded you to do? Are you even taking the time to listen for His voice to speak to your heart?

I know that I like to claim the promises of God for my life. I love reading about what He did for saints in the Bible, and then believe that He will do that for me. After all He is no respecter of persons right? But do I do my part after procuring these promises? Do I do everything that He is commanding me? If I was to be truthful, probably not. But the most awesome thing about God is His willingness to forgive when I don't measure up.

Look at Adam and Eve in the Garden, they eat the fruit and have their eyes uncovered. God shows up "looking" for them? I mean He is God right? He knows all, sees all and He is looking for them? The Bible does say that they were hiding, but come on God knew where they were. Why was He doing that? To give them an opportunity to repent. When He finds them, He asks Adam what he had done. This is another opportunity to come clean about his actions, but he just blame shifts it onto Eve. So God asks Eve, giving her an opportunity to ask for His forgiveness and she just blames the serpent.

If you will look at the story of Cain and Able too, after Cain has killed his brother the Lord asks him where is Able? Cain's answer, "Am I my brother's keeper?" You see when God asked Him where Able was, it wasn't because He didn't know, He was giving Cain the opportunity to own up to his actions and ask God to forgive him.

God is nothing else if He is not faithful and true to want to help us. If He didn't want us to repent, He would have just killed Adam and Eve never giving them the chance to get right with Him. I am so thankful that He doesn't give us what we deserve, which basically is the definition of mercy. How could I not do everything that He commands me?

So how about today spending a little bit more time with Him and asking Him what it is that He wants you to do? And then going out and doing that with all of your being. I mean after all Jesus died for us, can't we live for Him? That's how I'm going to spend my day praying to my Father, let's just see where this takes me. Shalom my friends!