Friday, June 27, 2008

Words of Encouragement

Like Moses, God uses everyday people to lead his people. Like Moses, we too sometimes think, can I teach your people? Can I lead your people? Like God's answer to Moses, it is the same with us, I will go with you. This is me at a women's conference in Dallas. I taught three conferences on raising healthy children. And truly I thought, what can I tell these women? Yet God used me and many women came back later and told me of the blessing God gave to them. Praises to God!


Moses said to the LORD, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with me.' If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people." The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." - Exodus 33:12-14



My Communion with God. Instructs me. Moses has been given an awesome challenge by God. I can call it awesome because any thing that we are told to do by God, can only be accomplished by the awesomeness of the one giving it. Moses understands this because he ask, who will go with me to do this great thing you are telling me to do.



Moses also understands something else, that he will not be able to do this great thing unless God teaches him how to do it. He knows he is not capable of the task. This isn't a pity party, but wisdom that lets you understand this is far greater than myself. If God is with me then I will be able to handle the awesome task.



God gives Moses reassurance of his presence. He tells him I will go with you and then he promises I will also give you rest. What an unusual answer, don't you think? Not really. What God promises is he will be with Moses and he does not have to worry, or fret, but he can be secure in the knowledge that the heavy task will be accomplished by God. That is the promise of rest God is giving to Moses. Don't worry Moses, I've got it handled.



This is what we too can receive when we go to our time of communion with God, instruction for our life's journey. God will be with us and he tells us, don't worry, I got it. I've got the difficulty handled. The problems in your finances, I've got it handled. The problems in your family situations, I got it handled. The problems with your health, your job, all your burdens, don't worry, I've got it handled. You have found favor with God because you are his child and his promise is that he will go with us and he will teach us his ways. He wants to teach us his ways so that we will not sin against him.



This is all the benefits that we receive with our communion with God. I end this lesson this week with this vital point, all the things listed this week are the benefits for our communion with God, not the purpose however for it. The true purpose for our communion with God, is simply to have time with the one that loves us. Not just so that we can receive answers, or give our list of desires, but just to get to know him. God sets the agenda for our time and in that time he wants to answer us, teach us, restore us, and purify us.



Let us thank God today for wanting to spend time with us. Lord thank you for loving us enough to want to talk to us and to teach us. Help us to always realize the importance of time with you.