Moses

preparing for destiny: excellence

2/22/2007 · 0 comments

in calling

Last night over coffee, a group of us were talking about God’s plans for our lives and learning to wait while the plans unfold. The conversation turned to Joseph and Moses, who both knew God had called them to something great and yet waited a long time to see it come about.

What did these men do while they waited, Joseph in slavery and prison, Moses in the wilderness? Did Moses have aspirations to one day return to Egypt and free his people, or did he settle down into family and work, assuming that was all that was left for his life? We’re not told how Moses knew he was to deliver Israel, but Stephen tells us that “He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand” (Acts 7:25); clearly, Moses sensed a divine destiny.

In contrast, Joseph had two vivid dreams that showed him he was destined for great authority; he knew from God that something was ahead. read the complete post

Tagged as: destiny, dreams, excellence, favor, Joseph, Moses, preparation, success, waiting

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personal attention

1/3/2007 · 0 comments

in meditations

Most of us like personal attention, knowing that someone else has given thought to us individually and specifically. But so many Christians don’t seem to believe that personal attention can occur between themselves and God, and certainly, the lost don’t believe that such a thing exists–and they often make fun of us who not only believe in it but expect it.

Growing up, I heard about “getting saved,” and it wasn’t until I was an adult that I heard phrases like “a personal relationship with God” or “accept Jesus as your personal Savior.” I had mixed feelings about such wording, particularly the second one, which sounds a little too much like Jesus is in the same category as personal chefs, personal assistants, and personal trainers.

But, I have come to appreciate more and more the thought behind such phrasing, because it points toward the heart of what I believe Christianity is about: relationship, as opposed to religion. read the complete post

Tagged as: Abraham, attention, David, father, Gerard Manley Hopkins, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Moses, personal, prayer, relationship, relationship_with_god, religion

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risk everything

June 17, 2006

In today’s reading from By Faith Alone, Martin Luther writes about the mistaken idea that we must somehow be worthy to pray, taking the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee as his text. Luther says that if we trust in our own worthiness, we’ll never be able to pray. Instead, “We become worthy to pray when we risk everything on God’s faithfulness alone.” I love Luther’s choice of words: risk everything. It occurs to me that this is why legalism becomes such an attractive approach to Christianity.…

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