WHY ME? WHY THIS? WHY GOD?

Life’s ups and downs may lead you to ask these questions.

And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Moses went through several ups and downs because God was preparing him for not just a journey but a task that will deliver God’s people from slavery.

Our personal story is often connected to a larger story.
It is very possible that our view can become so myopic that all we see are the things that concern us.

I love what the great evangelist D.L. Moody said, “Moses spent his first 40 years thinking he was a somebody. He spent the next 40 years learning he was nobody. He spent his third 40 years discovering what God can do with a nobody.”

It is often that God allows us to go through fire to melt away the very things that keep us from the purposes of God.

God had to strip Moses of his pride, selfish ambition and arrogance before He could use him for His glory.

God’s training ground usually is made up of life experiences that will contribute to the ultimate assignment God has for us. (Os HIllman)

God is the Divine Orchestrator. Remember what He said in Romans 8:28 (The Message)?
“He (God) knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.”


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PHOTO CREDIT: http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelknights/

REPOST: “Taking Notice”

My 17 year old son, Nathan, wrote a blog post recently.

It was so insightful, I had to repost in my blog.

Here it is…

The world moves fast. Everything seems to be a blur nowadays as everyone focuses on the now. Today’s lifestyle is high-speed, fast-paced and on-demand. It’s hectic and busy and hard to keep up with at times.

This pace has a way of leading our focus away from the tiny, everyday things we get so used to. We start to neglect these seemingly unimportant things because we’re already familiar with them.

But sometimes, taking time to notice little, ordinary things can bring about great, extraordinary wonders.

In the third chapter of Exodus, we find a Hebrew fugitive tending the flock of his father-in-law. He led the flock far into the desert, where the heat was so intense that bush fires weren’t unusual. This guy, called Moses, was probably busy thinking about the food back home or the rest he would soon have or getting under some shade because it was so hot. There were probably times a sheep or two would stray off and he would have to look for them and bring them back to the flock. I’d bet he wasn’t having the time of his life. Shepherding far into the desert isn’t exactly a walk in the park.

When Moses and the flock came to Sinai, or the mountain of God, he decided to stop and take notice of a burning bush for some strange reason. Think of a fisherman taking notice of a coral or a farmer taking notice of a rock on his field. It’s unusual seeing someone taking notice of something usual.

But Moses saw that the bush wasn’t burning up like all burning bushes do, so he went nearer to take a closer look, perhaps expecting a miracle or something amazing. Instead, he encountered something more unique than he had ever imagined. He encountered the living God and interacted with him, and Moses was left changed forever.

Sometimes, taking time to notice little, ordinary things can bring about great, extraordinary wonders.

In our busy, fast-paced lives, it’s not easy to take time to pay attention. But like Moses, we often encounter God in the most refreshing ways when we take notice of what’s going on around us, especially stuff we often neglect: people, situations, little blessings, quiet moments, creation, so on.

Remember that amazing things can come out of simply paying attention and listening for God’s voice, even in the most ordinary of places.