Verse of the day: Exodus
3:4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him
from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here
I am.”
An
amazing sight this must have been; so much so, that Moses was curiously drawn
to it. I must stop and ask, “Are we still amazed, and awestruck, at those
moments when God makes His presence known in our lives?” Have we become
desensitized to God being ever-present, and never forsaking us? Do we still
lift our voice in praise and reverence at the realization that God is with us, guiding
us, and blessing us beyond what we deserve? Do we stand ready to not only
respond, but also do whatever God calls us to do? Note that Moses not only
approached to see what it was that had just appeared, but he readily responded
to God’s voice. Are we truly ready to respond to God’s call, or are we full of
excuses as to why we cannot “go” right now? In Matthew 8, and Luke 9, we see
the account of all those who gave Jesus excuses for why they could not follow Him
at that moment when He called out to them and said, “Follow Me.” What excuse(s)
do we have today? It is curious that the Lord did not call out to Moses until
after Moses put His eyes on Him and drew near. James 4:8 tells us that when we
draw near to God, He will draw near to us. So, how do we draw near to God
today? He is not going to appear in a literal burning bush for us to approach.
However, He has provided us with His Son Jesus, who is the Way in which we can
draw near to our God. Jesus said, in John 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth, and
the Life. No one come to the Father, except through Me.” Beyond this, however,
there is something we must do in order to draw near to God, in Christ. James,
in chapter 4, prior to telling us to draw near to God, warned us that being a
friend to the world, puts us at enmity with God. This means that we must
forsake the sinful ways of the world (James 4:4-5). He goes on in verses 7-10
of chapter 4 to tell us that we must submit to God, cleanse our hand, purify
our hearts, mourn and weep (over our sin), and humble ourselves before Him.
Hebrews 10:22 put it this way, “Let
us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts
sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
In other words, we must draw near to God by faith, not trusting in our own
abilities or works. We must approach Him with a pure heart, a clear conscience,
and doing all we can to live righteously before Him. Too many born again
believers are dabbling in the things of the world, looking lightly upon sin,
and even excusing it, then questioning why they do not hear from God. We cannot
neglect prayer, the reading and studying of the Word of God, then, expect to
hear from the Lord. How do we recognize His voice if we do not do the things
required to help us recognize it? In Jeremiah 29:11-13, we find a promise made
to Israel, whose truth and principle applies today to us, His children, “For I know the thoughts that
I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not
of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go
and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all
your heart.” Jesus told us in Mark 12:30, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.” Note that Moses had this
encounter as he diligently, and faithfully, carried out his daily
responsibilities. Today, if we truly desire to hear from the Lord, and respond
to His call on our lives, we must stop and examine whether or not we are doing
all we can to draw near to Him in our daily living. We will hear His voice, and
His calling on our life when we least expect it, but according to His perfect
timing. Will we be ready to respond?
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