FIRE!!!

The children of Israel groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and HE remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. SO God looked on the Israelites and was concerned, God understood.
God answered their cry, and the answer to Israel's cry began faraway in the wilderness where Moses was watching over his father-in-laws flock of sheep.
Moses had fled from Egypt and for the last forty years he had been in the employment of Jethro, his father-in-law, as a shepherd. What a humble and humiliating job. You see, Moses had grown up in the royal courts of Pharaoh. The Egyptians were not the sheep herding type, they thought of it as a lowly, below their pay grade, type of profession.
So, here is Moses, raised in the royal courts of Egypt, a fugitive and murderer on the run living a life that he probably thinks he deserves because of his sin of murder, punished for the rest of his life to live as a humiliated shepherd.
Remember Sunday, when we talked about Exodus not just being some old story about some people long ago, but rather how it is a part of our story? Well, some times in our lives we think that we are being punished because of some sin in our past and that we are 'doomed' to live the rest of this life as the ultimate living example of what not to do. Just like Moses, God uses situations in our lives to teach us and prepare us for what He has for us next. God knew exactly what He was doing in the life of Moses. For you see, God wasn't waiting for Moses to move, but rather God was moving Moses. God brought Moses to the 'back side' of the desert to 'the mountain of God' so God could speak to Moses through the burning bush.
There was fire in the desert and that fire was the holiness of God. In the 'bleak mid-winter' that we are experiencing in the Texas Panhandle is there fire that God wants to call your attention to today? Has He moved you to a place that you can stop, listen and worship today?
Till tomorrow...Bro. Alan

More Wanderings

As most of you know I have been sick lately, I don't know if God is preparing me to speak about the plagues and giving me some first hand experience or what? :) But anyway, Sunday we saw how God has a plan...He brought the children of Israel into Egypt and they grew into a nation, they multiplied and their numbers grew 'exceedingly great.' The 'new king' felt threatened and put the people into slavery, but God had a plan...Moses was born, raised in royalty, committed murder, was caught and ran...but God has a plan. We ended Sunday with Exodus 2:23-25, the people cried out in their persecution and God heard their cry and looked upon the Israelites and had compassion. God has a plan. This week we are going to look at God's call to Moses. We are going to see how it is not about Moses delivering the children of Israel, but rather how it is about God's plan...not only God's plan for Israel, but God's plan for Moses and God's plan for us. So, this week let's seek God's plan for us as we study...