A Mind to Serve

The one thing that continues to hit home with me on this Christian walk is that this life is not about me. For longer than I care to remember, I made everything about me, even as a Christian. I was totally self absorbed. I know some of you may be thinking, "Well, it's about time you figured that one out. That's Christianity 101." It took me far too long to reach the conclusion that everything does not revolve around me. My old perspective was, "What about me!" Notice, I ended the question with an exclamation point instead of a question mark. That's because I didn't ask the question, I demanded it. I demanded that everyone take notice of me and my wants. If I was tired and didn't feel like cooking I thought... If I changed the baby last time, I thought...If I couldn't get a new outfit, I thought, "What about me!" I was totally consumed by thoughts of myself. I put me first, and I expected everyone else to put me first too. It's been a process, but I've learned that this life is so much bigger than me. Once I got the revelation that God has my complete back... that my life is in his hands... that he has good plans and intentions towards me, and that he has plans to prosper me, I realized that He had me better than I could ever have myself. I had to take the trust that I had in myself and place it in him. Since I reached this understanding, I've had to beat my flesh and consider others, not just when it was convenient, but at all times. I had to actually practice putting the needs of others first. Believe me when I tell you that this was by no means easy for me to do. Talk about painful, my flesh was so uncomfortable with putting the needs of others first that it wailed under the pressure. Honestly, doing this right thing felt so wrong to my flesh. Boy, I had to talk myself into it. While serving someone else, " I'd have to tell myself, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I am more than a conqueror through Christ who loves me." From time to time, my flesh would attempt to rise up and whisper, "What about..." I wouldn't let it finish. I'd stomp it right back down again. Over time, it became less and less difficult to do. I can now say that serving is a way of life for me. Instead of saying, "What about me!" I say, "What about you?" I know that my role in the kingdom of God is to serve others. That's what I do. I am a servant of the Lord. This is what all Christians are called to do. We are to imitate the number one servant, Jesus Christ. In Matthew 20:26-28, Jesus shared with his disciples, "Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." If Jesus came to serve, without consdering himself, then who was I for all those years to only consider myself? Who was I to think, "This serving thing is too hard." Jesus came to serve. Imagine being born to serve. As deep as that is to me, that's exactly what I and all Christians are called to do. The nerve of me. I placed my self in the position of being great without the work of servitude that was involved. As a Christian, I have the mind of Christ. Since Christ had a mind to serve, we should too.

The Easy Button

I love that commercial where individuals find themselves in tough situations and get themselves out by pushing the easy button. Man, I can't count the number of times that I wished for an easy button. When my husband had the nerve to ask for peanut butter cookies at 10:00 at night as though I really want to trudge down to the kitchen and put them in the oven, when I bounced a check yet again and my husband reminded me yet again to tell him when I wrote a check so that he could transfer funds from one account to another, when I was teaching Sophomore Comp. & Lit. my back was turned to the class while writing on the board and a student walked in late wearing a Spiderman mask and matching web attachment but acted as though he didn't know why the entire class erupted in laughter, when my youngest cut up in church and upon her removal screamed at the top of her lungs, because she didn't want the punishment that she knew would ensue, I thought the use of an easy button was highly appropriate at times like those. I liked the idea of an easy button, because it would have totally taken me out of any messy and uncomfortable situation where I would have had to crucify my flesh, where I would have had to think and reevaluate what it was I was doing and why, and where I would have been forced to question if my present set of actions were valid. I would have been avoiding situations that I must face and endure for my own good to bring about necessary changes in my thoughts, attitudes, actions, and speech. But rather than go through this, I could just press a button... a button of escape...a way out of the hot seat. It is tempting, isn't it? Imagine if an easy button had been in existence throughout the Bible. The Bible would surely tell a different story. We wouldn't have to "...look to the hills from which cometh our help..." We would all just look for the easy button. What if Moses and Aaron had an easy button when they went to Egypt to discuss with Pharoah allowing the Israelites to make a three day journey into the desert to worship their God. Moses and Aaron could have just hit the button and deliverance could have immediately come to the Israelites from Egypt? There would have been no plagues, no Passover, no crossing of the Red Sea, nor would there have been an opportunity for the Israelites to see the miraculous works of their God that would lead to their growing trust in him. What if King Nebuchadnezzar had an easy button at his disposal after Daniel interpreted his dream? Although, it would have saved him from living like a wild animal for seven years, it would have prevented him from learning humility and that God is in control of all. What if Abraham and Sarah used their easy button instead of waiting on the Lord to give them Isaac? How would he have learned to trust God that he would be a "father of many nations?" An easy button may seem like an appropriate fix for a bad situation, because it's quick, fast, and in a hurry, but it doesn't allow its user to look to the Lord to learn, to grow, and to be patient in their present situation. It negates the learning process associated with these situations. See, with one press of the button you transcend the obstacle that you're facing and are placed on the other side of it. It's instant deliverance from the situation without the benefit of the wisdom that comes from working through the situation. We would be a bunch of immature, paper thin Christians who never realize our full potential in Christ. We'd never have to reach our full potential, because we wouldn't have to rely on it, because with one press we'd simply find everything fixed. Once again, I'm reminded that there are no short cuts in Christ, for there is much to be learned through the process... the process of putting down the flesh, the process of being patient, the process of gaining wisdom, the process of growing faith, the process of becoming more and more like Christ. Right now, it's easy for me to feel this way about the easy button, because I'm not in the hot seat. Right now my husband isn't asking for cookies, I no longer teach high school English, and my little one now behaves just fine in church. However, I must remember that I should treat my husband to cookies in bed every now and again. He deserves this simple treat, because he does work hard. I must remember that kids will be kids no matter the age or the place. Just because I didn't find the Spiderman costume entertaining, it gave my second hour class quite a laugh and provided them with a little mental break from the lesson (I now find it hilarious everytime I think about it). I am reminded that children must learn to sit quietly in church and this usually doesn't happen over night, so I should have been more patient with my little one. Although I don't intend on finding myself in the hot seat any time soon; however, if ever I am, I'll have to remember my sentiments today about the easy button.

Move Making Faith

In Matthew 20:29-34, "Two blind men were sitting by the road side, and when they heard that Jesus was going by they shouted, Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us! The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, Lord son of David, have mercy on us!" The two men knew what they wanted and they knew who could give it to them. Their faith caused them to make a move. The pair didn't just sit there wishing for their sight. The pair didn't just sit there hoping for their sight. They made a move to get their sight. They did the uncommon. They got out of the boat! The two blind men acted on their faith in the Lord. They came forth boldly and became even louder. They stood in defiance to the crowd. They were full of faith and determination. It was their faith that gave them the courage to press forward. It caused them to determine to stop at nothing less than full sight. They would not be deterred. They knew that something had to give. They didn't care that the crowd rebuked them. They didn't care about what people thought. The pair was desperate for change. They didn't allow others to stop them from getting what they knew the Lord could give them. The crowd didn't understand what it was like to be blind. They couldn't have possibly have comprehended the despair the pair may have felt up to that point. The very thing that many in the crowd may have taken for granted was the very thing that both men needed. Now was the time for them to get it. The blind men were focused on the Lord, not the crowd, because they knew he was the answer. Jesus stopped and called them, "What do you want me to do for you?" he said. "Lord" they answered, "We want our sight. Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes, immediately they received their sight and followed him." What do you want Jesus to do for you? They stepped out on faith. The two received exactly what they came to get. Now, this story could have ended entirely different. The pair could have allowed the crowd to determine their fate. They could have given into the crowd. They could have become embarrassed by the crowd and stopped calling to Jesus. They could have quieted themselves before they received their sight. They could have left that day still blind and ashamed. However, their faith allowed them to stand in the face of opposition from the crowd. The two men lacked their sight. What are you desperately lacking? Will youget out of the boat and withstand adversity for it? Their faith said that Jesus could do it, and he did. What does your faith say?

Get Out of the Boat

At some part in our Christian walk, we must reach that defining moment when we make the decision to trust God about a particular situation. That is the moment according to 2 Corinthians 5:7 that we must, "Walk by faith and not by sight." At some point we have to put our faith in the Lord and trust him to carry out his word. However, we must first walk out our faith, put our money where our mouths are, do the thing and move on our faith. The disciples were faced with that defining moment in Matthew 14:25. After Jesus and the disciples finished feeding 5,000 men not including the women and children, he told the disciples to get in the boat and to go ahead of him to the other side. Once he sent the crowd on their way, Jesus went to pray alone on a mountain. When Jesus finished, he caught up with the disciples on the lake. Jesus walked on water. "When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. It's a ghost, they said," and cried out in fear. "But Jesus immediately said to them, Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." "Lord if it's you, "Peter replied, "Tell me to come to you on the water." "Come", he said. "Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink cried out, Lord, save me! Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him." "You of little faith," he said, "Why did you doubt?" His own disciples didn't know who he was. They had been with him daily watching him do all types of miracles, healing, freeing, feeding, and raising. They had seen him do all of this, yet they didn't know him. Instantly, they put him in a box. The diciples may have thought, "Well, he can only do those things we've seen him do before. We've never seen him do this, so he can't. Walking on water, we've never seen him do this, so that can't be him. It must be a ghost. Although he's fed 5,000 men in addition to woman and children, raised the dead, healed numerous, released numerous from demon possession, fed the multitudes, taught everywhere he went, that can't be him." They only had a faith for what they had previously seen. If they hadn't already seen it, they didn't believe it. For them, seeing was believing. How was that faith? Faith is believing what you don't see. As they cried out in fear of him, he said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." Then Peter spoke up. Peter still wasn't sure it was Jesus because he said, "Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you." Peter said, "if." Now, Peter was a step ahead of the other disciples, because he was attempting to believe even with his "if." "Then Peter got out of the boat, walked on water, and came toward Jesus." At least Peter got out of the boat, none of the other disciples did. Peter did something. He was a willing participant in the faith process. Instead of sitting back and watching, Peter made a move on his faith. He acted by getting out of the boat. The Lord can work with little faith. He can't work or do anything with no faith but with little faith he could work with him. Peter's little faith allowed him to get out of the boat and walk on water too! What can our little faith cause us to do? His move of faith caused him to do something that none of the other disciples did. Look at what faith can allow one to do. In order for the Lord to reward our faith, we have to work it by doing. We have to attach our faith to an act, just like Peter did. He attached his faith to walking on the water with the Lord. It worked! He was actually walking towards Jesus. His eyes were set on Jesus. He had Jesus as his focus. He was doing it. We must do as Peter did and attach our faith to something. Sooner or later, we must act on our faith and get out of the boat. Some may think, "I'm staying in the boat. If I never get out of the boat, I'll never get scared and sink. I'mgoing to play it safe." If we never get out of the boat, we will never lead the supernatural lives that God has called us to live. We can only play it safe when we abide by the word of God. His word is a safe haven for us. His word abiding in us should cause us to act. To never get out of the boat is proclaiming, "Lord I don't trust you. Lord I don't believe your word is true." Our faith can't grow if we don't get out of the boat. We will never have a testimony to stand upon or recall for the next boat situation. But..."But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" What happened? Peter took his eyes off Jesus. "But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" He lost his focus. He took his eyes off the Lord and saw the wind. He saw the wind whipping fiercely, and it distracted him. He became distracted and lost his focus. The wind looked menacing, like it might over take him. He may have thought, "What made me thing I could do this? I should have stayed in the boat with the rest of them. What was I thinking?" Distraction here is key. The purpose of distraction is to cause one to lose focus. Once focus is lost, it is inevitable that doubt will likely enter. Doubt may have caused Peter to wonder why he was doing what he was doing eventhough he had the OK from God. It was Peter's responsibility to remain focused. It was Peter's responsibility to say I will not be deterred. At times like this we need to proclaim, "Wind you don't have anything on me. If my God said come, nothing's going to stop me. Lord you have not given me a spirit of fear, but of love, peace and a sound mind. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." It is our duty to remain focused. We can't allow ourselves to get caught up in the enormity of the situation (self, stress, pressure, busyness) that we lose focus. Distraction was definitely doing its job effectively here. While Peter focused on Jesus, he was fine, full of confidence. The instant that he took his eyes off Jesus, he became afraid, doubtful, and started to panic. Don't allow distraction to enter. When he saw the wind he was afraid, and he started to sink. He said, "Lord save me!" Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "Why did you doubt?" Notice the doubt could only creep in when Peter took his eyes off the Lord. This is a valuable lesson, "Keep your focus on the Lord." Focusing on anything other than the Lord is a distraction which can lead to doubt, and doubt can cause sinking. We should wear spiritual blinders to keep us focused straight ahead on the Lord. Blinders will prevent us from seeing distractions (barriers, obstacles, snares, wind) to the right or the left. The wearer can only look straight ahead. This is how Christians should walk. We must walk a focused walk with blinders, so that we don't become distracted and sink. Eventhough Peter began to sink, Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him. He caught Peter even when he was sitting down on the job. He caught Peter even when he was doubting. Jesus caught Peter even we he had little faith. Get out of the boat and exercise your faith today.

From Shepherd to Giant Killer

At one time or another we have all had giants in our lives. Those things that seemed to overwhelm us. They were the biggest of obstacles that we didn't know how to move or go through. We must remember that there is a giant killing process and that we too are, according to Pastor Ben Gibert, giant killers. The process can be found in 1 Samuel 16. It's the story of David and Goliath. Instead of saying,"Oh , that's such a nice story, but I already know it." We need to reread it and look for some things that maybe we missed the first few times that we read it. This story is not just about David beating the giant. It's about the process that David underwent in preparation for slaying the giant. It's about the process of the kingdom of God at work. In order for us to be effective in the kingdom of God as David was, we must understand what David did and then do it. We should reread it and place ourselves in the position of David. God expects us, me and you, everyday regular people to be giant killers just as David was. He was a regular everyday person too. He could have chosen to be scared and run and hide as the other Israelites did when Goliath challenged them; however, he chose to trust God as he did in other situations which prepared him for this one. It was the power of God that transformed David into a giant killer. That same power of God is available to us as well. In 1 Samuel 16:3 Samuel, a prophet of God, annointed David, "Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power." David had power, because the spirit of the Lord was on him. We have that very same power. Luke 10:19 states, "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possess]; nothing will harm you. That means that no Goliath can harm us. If we know who we are in God, nothing can have power over us, unless we allow it. In Samuel 17 David, who was delivering food to his brothers who were fighting in the army, heard Goliath who stood over nine feet tall) opposing the Israelites, and he saw the Israelites running away from the giant in fear. At that point, David had been under going preparation for this very moment. David asked in 1 Samuel 17:26, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncirumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" It didn't hurt that the reward was great wealth, marriage to the king's daughter, and an exemption from paying taxes. David was basically saying, "He must not know that we're fighting for the "living God." David may have been thinking, "If he didn't know it before he will soon find out, because it's going down! No one can oppose my God." David went to Saul in 1 Samuel 17:32 and said, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go fight him." Imagine how the king must have looked at him when he said that. The king probably shook his head and thought, "You little David? What can you possibly do to that giant? You're no fighter. You're just a shepherd. You'll get yourself killed for sure." Instead he said, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he had been a fighting man from his youth." That's when David explained his process to the king. David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep, when a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumsized Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of the Philistine." This was the process at work. David just told us how he was able to reach the point of slaying Goliath. He started the process by first killing a lion and then a bear. When a lion or bear came to carry off a sheep, he went after it. He rescued the sheep right out of the mouth of the beast. He said he seized the beast by its hair and struck it and killed it when it turned on him. This was David's preparation for killing Goliath. The Lord protected him from both the lion and the bear. His faith had already been tested and accomplished. He knew the Lord's protection was fail proof. He was ready to take on what others probably would have deemed the "big dog," Goliath. David saw Goliath as a "puppy." He was fighting for the living God. He couldn't lose! Nothing is too big for our God. He knew that the Lord would give him the victory. He was fearless in God, because he knew what God could do. He was a living witness to God's deliverance. God had raised him up for such a time as this! The king finally consented after which he attempted to outfit David in his own fighting attire, which he certainly didn't need. Because this was the Lord's fight, the Lord would perfectly equip him for it. David moved to meet Goliath with five stones and a sling. In 1 Samuel 17:45 the battle began, David said to the the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head." David said all you have are physical weapons. I have the Lord God Almighty. It doesn't get any bigger than that. David spoke the end result. He said, "This day, the Lord will give me the victory, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. He spoke exactly what he expected to happen. He said, "Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you unto our hands." David was brave, bold, strong, and courageous in the Lord. While everyone else ran away, David was preparing to run at him. When Goliath opened his mouth to tell him what he was going to do, David didn't receive it. He knew his asignment was ordained by God. He in turn told Goliath he was going down. He proclaimed that the giant and his men would fall that day. David was saying that his slaying Goliath would be a testimony for all Israelites. After this, the whole world would know that there was a God in Israel. Before making his move David spoke, "All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's and he will give all of you into our hands." The fight was on. "As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly to the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone; he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. Without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him." That was the battle. Through David, God took out Goliath with one shot. The Lord does not need the typical weapons of warfare to save his people. He is a supernatural God; therefore, he uses supernatural weapons. He uses the atypical, like a sling shot . Natural man would say that's ridiculous. What damage could possibly be done with a sling shot? But, it's not the sling shot. It is the annointing of God on David who is the possessor of the sling shot. According to Zechariah 4:10, "Do not despise small beginnings." David was a shepherd who grew to become a giant killer, a mighty warrior of God, and soon after king. I'm sure everyone was thinking what is this boy gonna do? I hope he doesn't get himself killed. See, it wan't what David was going to do, it was what David trusted God to do. He clearly stated, "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of the Philistine." David was saying that the fight belongs to the Lord. The Lord is going to work this out. If he chooses a sling shot as his weapon of choice, then so be it. Natural man would say it can't be done. A boy with a sling shot against an accomplished giant with a sword. The Lord just said to Samuel, "The Lord does not look at the things men look at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." Man would look at the size and strength of Goliath compared to the small frame of David and would say this is a no brainer. I'm going with Golaith. God saw that David had a heart to love, serve, and trust him. David had to step out on faith and know that the Lord would keep him just as he did with the lion and the bear. He stepped out on faith and the Lord met him. That day all were amazed and knew their was a mighty God in Israel. We have the same power that David had. We must exercise it. David didn't just wake up one day and say that he was going to kill the Philistine. No, he went through a process. We must also go through a process for our own sakes, so that we know that we have a fail proof God. David started small as a shepherd. This was part of his process. He didn't despise it. He guarded his sheep as though his very life depended on it. He didn't let one sheep get away. He was diligent at his job. He went and seized his sheep from the paws of both a lion and a bear. He would not allow the beasts to stop him from doing his job. Doing his small beginning well is what elevated him to the position of slaying the giant. He didn't look for a way around it. He took out the opposition. What are we going to do. I'm talking to you and me. What are we going to do? I'll tell you. We are going to trust God right here where we are and do our small beginning. We aren't going to mumble, grumble, or complain about where we are now. We are going to learn our process at this level. We are going to learn right here and do what we need to do so that God can use us at the next level. We are going to proclaim a victorious end at the start of every situation. We are going to diligently buckle down and carry out our assignment. We are going to trust God in the small things, so that he can elevate us to larger things. We aren't going to receive any negative trash talking from the opposition, because we know that this battle is the Lord's. We are going to proclaim victory and victory only! We are going to rise up and be the brave bold, strong, courageous mighty warriors of God that we need to be pressing forth and fighting the good fight of faith as David did.

Determine the Outcome of Sin, Not

Before the Lord brought the wall of Jericho tumbling down in Joshua 6, he instructed Joshua, "But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury." God clearly stated this to Joshua; however, Achan chose not to follow God's instructions. He allowed greed to win out. If only, he had stayed away from the "devoted things." If only, he hadn't entertained the thought of sin. If only, he had treated the things of God as sacred. I'm sure we can come up with quite a few "if onlys." Achan chose to do the wrong thing for so little and missed out on a windfall blessing. He acted on his temptation. Achan stole the "devoted things" of the Lord even after God warned them "...to keep away from them so that they don't bring about their own destruction by taking them." It cost him all that he had... his life and the lives of his family. He brought about his own destruction. With his own hands, he essentially killed himself. Greed caused him to oppose God. Not only did he steal, he stole from God, the very one who led the Israelites out of Egypt in a supernatural way and into the Promise Land. He stole what belonged to God, and it brought death for him, his family, and for the Israelites as well. His sin caused 36 Israelites to be killed and ran off by King Ai's men. This sin that Achan by himself chose to commit effected everyone. Achan, his sons and daughters, and his animals were stoned to death and then their remains were burned. The cost of his sin was so much bigger than he ever could have possibly imagined. Christians can't rationalize sin and say, "Well, yes I did steal, but I really didn't take that much. It really wasn't that serious." We can't determine the outcome of our sin. When we sin, we can't possibly know what doors we are opening, but we must know the results will not be good. They can't be. I know someone may be thinking, "But that wasn't my sin. I didn't take what belonged to God, so I'm straight." Wrong, you're not. Romans 6:23 plainly states, "The wages of sin is death..." Sin brings death, period. Whatever the sin may be, it ultimately leads to destruction. Achan lost his life, his family's lives, his reputation, his livestock, and the lives of the 36 Israelites over a robe, 200 shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold. He was blinded by greed. He stole from God. How could that possibly have ended happily? He was so blinded that he missed the big picture. God had already announced the Israelites victory in battle. They were going to take possession of the land that God had already given to them. How could Achan have not been blessed by this? All he had to do was be patient. God had already said that the Israelites would be blessed if they were obedient, but he just couldn't wait. Impatience and greed cost him so much more than I'm sure he would have been willing to pay. If only he had held out, because in the Israelites very next conquest, the Lord said they could keep the plunder and livestock. That meant all the riches they came across they could keep. He allowed himself to be blinded by the little that he missed the big picture. He served a rich God. He didn't have to go and steal as though God didn't provide for him. He could have been deceived into believing that if he just stole a little bit that no one would know. He could have reasoned away his sin by thinking that the amount that he stole was so minor in comparison to what was left that his theft was no big deal. He could have thought that no one would even miss it. He could have just complied. His sin stopped him from receiving the benefits of the Promise Land. I don't have to wonder, "Was it worth it?" We know the answer to that.

Obedience: The Prerequisite

In Exodus Chapter 33, we find that while Moses was with God on Mt. Sinai for forty days receiving the Ten Commandments and the laws God wanted them to live by, Aaron, under pressure from the people, created a golden calf for them to worship. Just that quickly they resorted back to their sinfully familiar ways. The people were in a state of complete chaos. The end result was Aaron and the Levites slayed 3,000, God struck them with a plague, and he refused to travel with them to the Promise Land. In fact, God was so angry with them he said he couldn't travel with them, because he might kill them on the way. Moses, who was called a friend of God because "God spoke with him as a friend," pleaded with God to travel with them because he didn't want to go without him. The Lord said, My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." God finally consented. "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name." Wow! God consented to Moses' request of traveling with them to the Promise Land, despite his anger with the Israelites. He changed his mind because he was pleased with Moses. Moses did exactly what God requested of him. What God requested of Moses wasn't simple simple or easy to do. He requested Moses to lead his people from Egypt and into the Promise Land. Let me reiterate, Moses' job was by no means simple or easy. He had to leave his home of forty years, go back to a land that he was forced to flee, tell them what God said, and listen to the Israelites complaints on a consistent basis. At times, I wonder if Moses thought, "Why me?" It was his job to lead the people that God called "stiff necked people," the Israelites. One minute they said they would do exactly as God requested of them and after forty days they were doing as they were requested not to do and what they said they wouldn't do. So Moses' job was definitely not easy even though God raised him up for it. His job was a continual pressing for him. Everything that Moses had done up to that point wasn't simple, in fact, it had been quite a challenge. God rewarded him by honoring his request of traveling with them when he first said that he wouldn't. If we want God's presence, we must honor him with our obedience as Moses did, not some of the time, but all of the time. Obedience isn't an option. It's a prerequisite to fellowship with God. Obedience is key in honoring God. In order to obey God, the flesh has to be killed. After fleeing Egypt, Moses was a sheep herder in the desert for forty years. Any no good thing that was in him at the start of that period had to be worked out of him by the close of that forty years in order for God to use him to lead his people (the killing of his flesh). A chore that some would have looked at as menial was his training ground for leading the Israelites. God had to make Moses into a vessel that he could use. Over that forty year period, he reworked him. Remember, Moses killed an Egyptian when he saw him beating an Israelite. That temper and anger had to be pressed out of him. Just as Moses had to under go a transition period, so did the Israelites, and so do we. Consider this...Moses went from being a murderer to being hand picked by God to lead his people out of Egypt. How awesome is that? What did it take to get Moses to that point? OBEDIENCE! What will it take to get us to that point? The same Obedience. There is no way around it. If we expect to get the same results that Moses did that day, than we have to put forth the same obedience that he did prior to that point. First, we need to find favor with God by being determined to be obedient to his Word even when it's not easy to do. We must submit ourselves to the Word of God. We must tell him, "Lord your will be done and not my own." Next, we must pray what Moses said to God in verse 13, "Lord, if you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you." That should be our prayer, meditation, and confession. You will be amazed as God grows you up in his Word. Our level of obedience is directly connected to how God can use us in his kingdom.