God and Moses

And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow (Exodus 4:6)

One reluctant cat
I am laughing, after just having read Exodus 4:1-11. If you don't own a Bible, and you do have the internet, you can read this for yourself. God is giving Moses his work order, and Moses is one reluctant cat. When I think about having a direct conversation with God, how Moses had this type of relationship with God Almighty, I am astounded and amazed, that he would argue with His creator. Then I think about me, and how willing I am to do the same, each time I forget to remember that I am powerless, while God, is all powerful! 

Moses is afraid of public speaking, he is afraid people won't believe him, and he asks God to find another man to do His bidding, despite God turning a staff into a snake, a healthy hand turned leprous and back again, and a promise to turn water into blood.

The point here, is that we can do nothing by our own strength and everything with God working in and through us.

And the LORD said to him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? (Exodus 4:11-12).

God empowered when we submit

I have to chuckle again, because Moses remains reluctant, and aren't we the same dear reader? I mean we get excellent instruction, we get our marching orders, we are equipped and then, we stutter start, doubting ourselves, our capabilities, our calling... and rightly so! We can do nothing powerful from our own strength:

I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me (Philippians 4:13)

It is our ego and pride, that prevent us from performing-and it is performance that is problematic! The self-consciousness that accompanies being centre stage, is about how we believe we will be perceived, rather than how we can glorify God, by doing what He asks of us: we are, after all, so very self-absorbed by nature.

And he said, O LORD, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send (Exodus 4:13)

Well this is not good dear one. Moses is so frightened, that he asks God for a replacement. No guts, no glory? Not really. God is merciful and gives us ways to complete the tasks He assigns. He will take our human frailty and obstinance, and get the job done regardless of our unbelieving attitudes; He does, however, get irritated with us:

And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs (Exodus 4:14-17)

Gods anger burned against Moses. Have you ever gotten red-hot-burning-mad dear reader? Have you ever felt so hot under the collar, that you wanted to hurt someone because they went against all that you believe in, hold near and dear, and would die for even? What did you do with yourself in that state? Did you give yourself full permission to attack, vent, explode, retaliate? Look again at the above verses, at how God handled the situation.

God lets us know He is in charge
I like the fact that God asked Moses to put his hand inside his cloak and it came out leprous. I see in this one simple act, God letting us know who is in charge. Nothing and no one, is beyond His power, and He can and does, do with us what He wills. It is no consequence to Him, when we disregard or disobey, He will still, get the job done, even with unwilling participants. It is contentious to argue with Him, and we run the risk of His disapproval when we do.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7)

God offers
God makes us offers all the time. He knows what abilities we have, and do not have, and He tells us, you can do this, not because you are oh so astoundingly awesome, but because I AM. What He asks of us, He will equip us for, in the doing. You don't have to worry, wonder or doubt, He has every bit of the plan covered, with or without our willingness.

So, what has He asked you to do, to say? Are you saying no to Him dear reader? Still? Are you sure you want to keep that up? He is, after all, God, you know! 

Cup your ears, have a good listen, get your work order and get the job done.

Go on now, don't leave His work for you, up to someone else:

For it is God which worketh in you to will and to do of his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13) 

Fire and Prayer

Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy  (Zephaniah 3:8)

Man made Paradise
I wonder, about a place called Paradise, in California. According to the latest early Sunday morning reports, 80-90% of homes in Paradise have been incinerated (my word): they have literally, gone up in smoke. The fire came quickly upon the city and the people living there, causing mass destruction. The mayor is quoted as saying "We do intend to rebuild; it's going to be a process--a lot of hard work, a lot of coming together" Paradise Mayor Jody Jones.

He alone is God,
The elements are Gods dear reader. I sit with the morning sun shining in on the lovely front room in my house, cozy and warm on the inside, crisp and cool, November air on the outside. Am I immune to the threat of fire? Yes, currently, I am. Have I prayed for weather to be abated, for Gods hand to cover my home, my city and surrounding area, my loved ones and community members, why yes I have, many a time. Do I believe God has protected me and my own. Yes, yes again, I know He has. 

What I also know is this: He alone is God. He is in charge of rain, driving wind, fire, and the earth that we live on top of quite comfortably most of the time, and rather petrified some of the time, as in running for your life from a fire that licks at your heels...

Dismantled in a matter of seconds
When it comes to be subjected, being subjects of the Sovereign, it would be wise to admit dear reader, that what we build with our own arrogant and tiny minds and hands, He can dismantle in a matter of seconds. What it takes us years to accumulate, to create our own Paradise, He demolishes in a matter of hours. Rebuild, recommit, re, what?

Mother Nature, mean and kind witch
Is God mean? Are we little ants? Does He come with a wicked grin, and with one swish of His mighty hand, wipe out the little man made mansions and self appointed King and Queen castles we have built? Or is it Mother Nature, that mean spirited and often kind hearted witch, that just randomly does as she pleases, while we scramble to reclaim what she so cruelly flattened within our clear and helpless sight?

Prayers of the righteous
Warnings dear reader, there are warnings in The Bible, one after another after another after another: it is getting worse. "It" will continue to get worse: because man has this crazy idea that they can create a Paradise on earth, and reject the one who created them to worship Him, and Him alone. None of us are immune. I heard a mom whose son was murdered say: I don't want prayer or good thoughts, I want gun control. This is my point, dear one. You and me, we have perceived control, and nothing more. It is the prayers of the righteous that are powerful and effective:

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5:16)

This woman has it all wrong dear one, and my question is, do you too? In her devastated emotional state, she angrily insisted that prayers and good thoughts would not help her. She was correct on this front, if the point is that the prayers and thoughts will not resurrect her dead son, or save her from the fact that she feels helpless in the battle, and could not save him herself. The problem is her grasping for man to make it right, protect her, prevent atrocities: it is man that is the threat, with charred and blackened unrepentant hearts. She is turning in the wrong direction, she turns toward the fire instead of rushing away.

Prayer heals

Be consumed by the fire of faith

... for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (I spliced these verses together).

God is not mean. God is just. He wants you to be consumed and consecrated. He wants each of us to be on fire in faith. We will see much more destruction dear one, it is prophesied and, God is no liar.

Open your Bible, buy one if you don't have one. Attend church. Join a Bible study. Do something for yourself and your family, that leads you to God, to Truth. It is our souls, not our physical bodies, that are in jeopardy.

If you haven't yet, thank God today for all of your blessings. They come from Him and He sees you, from His heavenly Paradise. Secondly, do pray, for those in need, their homes and lives changed forever by fire, and murder. It is our prayers, offered up to God, that are fragrant, powerful and effective. One day soon, it will be me, it will be you, that needs the prayers of many.

Let us never forget, on this Remembrance Day, who Sovereignly rules, jealously. 

Low Hanging Fruit

Delectable
I love the image of low hanging fruit. It is luscious to think of pickable pears, appealing apples, scintillating citrus, all within reach. I recall picking plums in Italy: my mouth waters at the thought of those ripe yellow flavour packed plums. That tree was planted for me. That is how I treated the fruit of its labour: I ate with abandon. The tree dripped its prize and I drank deeply

Personifying fruit
I think of the health of a tree. How a healthy tree, will produce healthy and abundant fruit. A sick tree simply cannot do this, and the resultant fruit can grow, but in a distorted and abnormal fashion, a semblance of itself: something short of what it could be, but somehow not looking like its fully potentialize(d) fruit brothers and sisters, cousins, uncles and aunts, and ultimately, its great great grandparents. Of course, we, you and I, both know that I am personifying fruit, dear reader: I am not the first to do this, I follow in mighty leader footsteps.

For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes (Luke 6:43-44)

Rotten or edible?

Unresolved issues
This theme of low hanging fruit came to me as I thought about unresolved issues, the kinds we all have as individuals. These unaddressed soul wounds, are a lot like heavy hanging rotten fruit, over ripe and no longer palatable, let alone nutritiously fulfilling. 

Can you see this too, dear reader, people sagging with the weight of a past, their own or that of a fellow fruit, I mean relative, rotting them from the inside out? I don't know about you, but I will be damned, yes, this devoted Christian woman referenced damning, if I ever become the type of person that does not process my pain, so that I never become rotten

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh (Luke 6:45)

Look at your heart
So here is the challenge and the work:

• You look at your heart, right here, right now, and ask yourself, what is in there? Once you have done this, ask yourself:
• What comes from my mouth? 
• Is what comes from me alive and affirming, or is it rotten and unworthy of consumption? 

If what you say edifies another, gives them hope and reason to keep going, living, loving, trying, then you are a tree of life to others dear one. Dare I say what you are to others when the opposite is true? Must I fill in the blanks here? 

Unresolved family tree issues, problems, habits, rituals, modes of being that are unhealthy, unsavoury, repulsive, and death inducing, must be addressed, so that the fruit of your labour can produce life affirming deliciousness, that all can see and experience in your loving presence. 

We cannot hide
We are known dear one. We cannot hide from the many eyes that follow us to and fro. We each get to decide: every day, in every way. 

Are you yummy, or just plain old rotten?