The LORD Uses All for His Work

Moses was a relatively unknown individual at the time that God chose him. Yes, he had lived in the house of Pharaoh and knew all the comforts of that lifestyle and was known in Egypt. But he had fled that life and was known only as the Egyptian that had saved the flock and delivered the daughters of the Midian priest, so, a relatively unknown.

Isn’t it that way with us. Aren’t we all relatively unknowns in the world. Sure, there are those that are doing the work of the LORD in grand fashion and are known to all. But even they were unknown at the time the LORD called them to do His work.

Other than knowing he was of Jewish lineage, there is no real mention of Moses being a man of God. He was a shepherd in Midian and was called by God through the burning bush.

“²And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. ³And Moses said, ‘I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.’ ⁴When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ ⁵Then he said, ‘Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ ⁶And he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.” – Exodus 3:2-6 (ESV)

Here is the beginnings of the call of Moses. He was out keeping the flock of sheep and saw a burning bush and went to see what was going on with it. The LORD came to him and introduced himself to Moses.

What an example of God working in ways that can only be described as mysterious. The LORD came to a regular man and commissioned him to do extraordinary work. Moses was asked to take on the leading of Israel out of the bondage of slavery. And, as just a regular guy, look at his response to this commission.

“¹¹But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?’” – Exodus 3:11 (ESV)

I believe that I would say something very similar if God were to ask me to take on such a notable task for Him. But, isn’t that how it is all the time? The LORD asks us to act and we do not really know the full impact of what He is asking. All of the actions He commissions us to undertake are notable to Him. My job is simply to take them on and know that I may see myself as a simple, unknown, regular guy, but God sees me as His child and chosen for a reason. God uses us all for His work.

What is your view of your station? Do you see yourself as a simple, unknown, regular person? What if you saw yourself as God does, His child and know that He chooses you for a reason, for His work?

The LORD Will Make You

Patience is a virtue as noted by William Langland in his poem “Piers Plowman”. And this is certainly true when following the LORD. The LORD says in His word that He will do or it will be given, but He does not indicate when. As with Abram and the LORD telling him to leave his home and that he would be made great.

“¹Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ²And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’” – Genesis 12:1-3 (ESV)

The LORD told Abram to go and that at some point he would be made great. No mention of when, no mention of anything additional that was needed, just go and do. And so he did.

“⁴So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.” – Genesis 12:4 (ESV)

Notice even here the age of Abram at the time. He had lived a pretty full life, reaching the age of 75 (at least by today’s life expectancy). Yet, he obeyed the LORD and went. He trusted that what the LORD was telling him was indeed what He was going to do. He was not concerned with the timing of things, only that the LORD was going to do that which He promised.

Do we trust and obey as Abram did? I wonder every day if I really do. I think about my Bible Study and the learning of God’s Word and the impact that it has on my life. I wonder if I am doing all that I am supposed to do as I have not seen great and overt reward from the LORD to this point. I wonder if I ever will experience the reward the LORD promises. Then, I think about the promise.

The LORD has promised eternity and glory in heaven. I am not there yet. I will be. And when I get there, I will be rewarded with all that He has promised. He promised and He will deliver. The LORD will make me into what He has promised, I have to remember the promise and that everything is in His time and not my own. Patience is a virtue and with the LORD, I have to remember that patience and know that I may not receive right now, but I will be made by the LORD in His time.

What is your view of being made by God? Are you impatient with what you are to receive? What if you remembered the promise of the LORD and remained patient for His actions to make you?

Sent By The Father

This morning as I was reading and studying my bible I was reminded that it is the Father, God, LORD, who sends me out. I know what we may be thinking, and frankly when you read, it was Jesus who sent the disciples and by extension, us out to spread the gospel. And where that is true, I have to remember that Jesus is LORD and God and Father.

“²¹Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’” – John 20:21 (ESV)

Here in this passage it was indeed Jesus. But look closely at the above verse and see how, when we know that Jesus is the Father, it is stated, “As the Father…I am sending you.” Oh how my conscious view changes.

Even in the secular and societal world, when someone is given a directive from an authority to send or have someone do something, they are doing so as if the authority itself sent and has them do. Now I am not comparing the secular and societal world to God the Father and His direction, but I am showing the parallel that can be drawn.

I am sent by God the Father to do His will. I was given the directive from Jesus, who is the Father as part of the trinity with the Holy Spirit as well. In fact, as you look into the next verse in the passage, Jesus directly extends the Holy Spirit to the disciples as He does for each of us as well.

“²²And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” – John 20:22 (ESV)

I see this verse and recall that our Father would send the helper, the Holy Spirit, to be with us. Jesus is in the Father and the Holy Spirit is in Jesus whom He shares with the disciples, you, and me.

Jesus said the words sending me and breathed the Holy Spirit onto me, not as an act of a messenger, but as the Father. The Father is sending me out to do His will and spread the Good News.

Who is sending you? Are you caught up in the words and who they are delivered by? What if you accepted that the words were given by Jesus, but as the Father, He is sending you?

Come/Go to the Father

It is not enough that we exist in this world. We are to be going forward, or we might as well be going backward. Where better to be going that to the Father. Our Father is our comforter, protector, guidance counselor, and confidant. And how do I get to Him? Well I have to come/go to the Father through Jesus, the Son.

“⁶Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” – John 14:6 (ESV)

Thomas asks a similar question to which we can see the response from Jesus above. How do we get to the Father, through Jesus. Jesus was sent to this world to be God in human form. He is the Father for me to see and interact with. I should be taking Him at this and not looking for some other way. There is only the one way to get to the Father and that is through the Son.

Before Jesus, to get to God, we went through the priest. As good as that was, and yes, there were good God fearing priests, they were not always on my side or frankly the side of God. They were on their own side as in order to gain access to God, there was a “need” to provide more and more to the priest.

With Jesus, the only thing asked of me is that I accept the gift of salvation, accept that He died for my sins, and accept that He is LORD. Yes, that is it, there are no other ways to gain more access. There are not any monetary considerations. There is only the acceptance of Him as LORD and as he says, He is the Father.

“⁸Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’ ⁹Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. ¹¹Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.’” – John 14:8-11 (ESV)

I have to come/go to the Father from this world and the way to Him is through the Son. I have to know that when I am with the Son, I am with the Father also.

What does your path to the Father look like? Are you trying to get there through some monetary means? What if you came/went to the Father through the Son by accepting His offer of salvation and accepting that He is LORD?

Leave Your Father

“²⁴Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” – Genesis 2:24 (ESV)

Lori and I have been married for 27yrs plus. There is nothing I would not do for her including going. Going to the store, to the game, to the theater, frankly, wherever she would like to go. We are one in this world together and have been since the day we said “I do”. There has never been a question as to where I am to spend my life and time, with her.

I believe that I have trained my boys to be the same. Take care of their wife (whoever and whenever that might be). Being fully with them in all. I am their earthly father and love them dearly, yet they are not mine to keep. My boys are the sons of the Father on high. They should leave me and be with their wives and be with their heavenly Father going forward.

I will admit that I am internally emotional with my sons leaving when the time comes. I ask myself, have I trained them up, are they ready to be husbands and fathers themselves, did I do well enough? And, I also know that there is nothing that I can do to fully prepare them for all that is coming in their lives. But the one thing I can hold on to is that I did the best that I could with what I have and that I leave it all up to their heavenly Father to carry them through going forward.

They are not their fully yet. Bryson has a serious girlfriend and Aarron is headed to the Navy. So, I have some additional time to prepare them for leaving me as their father. But they will and that is expected. I do not wish they stay with me. They are to go and be with their wives when the time comes and that will leave me to fully be with my wife Lori for the rest of our time here in this world.

What is you view of where you are to be when the time comes? Is your wife to be with you? What if you take to be with your wife and know that is where the LORD wants you to be?

Just Respond With “Here I Am”

How often are we asked something and before we even offer to be available, we are looking for clarity first? Ex. “Can I get your help?” — “With what?”, “Will you do me a favor?” — “How can I help?” Now it may seem as though we have placed ourselves in a position of offering, when in fact we may be looking for the way out, the excuse to avoid. Abraham did not seek clarity first, he simple said to God that he was there and available.

“¹After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’” — Genesis 22:1 (ESV)

I have to be better at this. I have to give the response of “here I am”. I have to just do and not look for the why or the how. I have to act and not sit on the sidelines. I have to do more.

In 2023 my word of the year was “act” and after reflection, I do not feel as though I accomplished what I set out for at the beginning of the year. I feel as though I may have sought clarity and was looking for the “perfect” opportunities. I was not saying “here I am”.

With 2023 in mind I have chosen the word “more” for 2024 with the intention of just that for the year and forward. I have to look at each opportunity as a chance to just be there and take on whatever asked. I have to get out of the mindset of picking and choosing to help and just be available to help. I know, asking how or what help is needed does not seem to be out of bounds, but as I read this morning, I see that it can be restrictive and setting up for the out.

Abraham did not qualify his availability to the LORD. He simply said “here I am” and was willing to take on whatever he was asked. He had sojourned and waited. God did not provide for Abraham at the instance he asked, Isaac came along well after God said he would have a child with Sarah. Abraham, just heard God and said he was there.

I have to do more to just be there. I have to say “here I am” more. Whether that is to God or anyone who asks, I have to be there. I have to remember that someone has asked me and I have to go, regardless of what is needed.

When have you been asked and sought clarity first? Are you maybe looking for the way out of it as opposed to looking at helping? What if you just went with “here I am” and took whatever came?

Be Restored Then Teach Other Sinners

How often have I seen in the world that there are those working in the school system or in society that are teaching others of the right things to do and yet they are not doing them?

“¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and uphold me with a willing spirit.

¹³Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

and sinners will return to you.”

— Psalm 51:12-13 (ESV)

I have studied Psalm 51 a number of times and have so much written in the margins, what else is there I can learn. Well, there is more. God’s Word here makes it clear that before I can or should be teaching others, I have to get my own spirit right. I have written in the margin of verse 12: “Time to get right with God and give all over to Him” and “In order for us to understand we need a right willing spirit and only God can give us that”. And then for verse 13 I have: “Spread the Word of God to those around you so they have the opportunity to experience the joy”. Yet, there is no connection here of the two verses.

Over my time of studying God’s Word intentionally for the past seven years, I have indicated that it is important to put all of God’s Word together in context and not just pick and choose what verses and passages apply to the moment. In all of that time I am sure that I have connected the concept of getting ourselves right before leading others to get right. Here I have to listen to my own indications and read and understand the totality of the passage so as to apply it properly in my life. I have to connect the verses.

I am to follow the teachings of Jesus in the Great Commission:

“¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” — Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)

Here is my task that has been given to me by Jesus and it aligns beautifully with verse 13 above. I am to go and spread the gospel to all that I come in contact with. Yet I also should be willing to get right with God, leave all else behind and fully follow Him in all that I do as mentioned here in Matthew 19:

“²¹Jesus said to him, ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’” — Matthew 19:21 (ESV)

I have to first give up all else and fully follow the LORD and then I will be able to completely fulfill all that He has for me. I have to connect the getting right with God and then I should go and spread the Gospel. I have to be like the leper who was cleansed by Jesus.

“¹⁵Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; ¹⁶and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷Then Jesus answered, ‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? ¹⁸Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ ¹⁹And he said to him, ‘Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.’” — Luke 17:15-19 (ESV)

What is your condition as you come to God and going to do His work? Are you right with Him first before you go? What if you first focused on your relationship with God as a sinner and got your heart and spirit right, then go and spread the gospel to all others?