October 19, 2004

• England Reflections #1
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  "God's will" if done in our way and in our time is NOT God's will.

  "Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he
  went out to visit his people, the Israelites, and he saw how hard they
  were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one
  of the Hebrew slaves. After looking around to make sure no one was
  watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand."
  Ex 2:11-12 [NLT]

   

  This was the first message Pastor Luke gave during
  the essentials conference. The truths were familiar, but God's spirit
  was tugging on my heart. It was a simple revelation that "God's will"
  (or what we think is something God desires) if not done in God's way
  and God's time ceases to be His will. In fact, it is blatant
  disobedience. Moses, a prince of Egypt raised in the house of Pharaoh,
  saw the injustice done unto his own people and wanted to free them from
  their bondage. Moses might've been thinking,"I am Moses! How dare this
  Egyptian beat one of my own people? I can easily overpower him and
  should stop this. After all, this must certainly be the desire of the
  God of my father and my father's father."

   

  Moses' one impulsive act aroused the wrath of
  Pharaoh. Moses fled Egypt and dwelt in the land of Midian. He got
  married, tended sheep, and lived in the desert in obscurity for many
  years before the Lord called him again to free His people, His way and
  in His time. How often do we do what seems "right" and rely on our own
  strength, our own talents, our charismatic personality, our own sharp
  intellect or our keen sense of administration? Swindoll points out that
  human might (where the energy source is human strength) is impressive
  (and may sometimes generate the same external results) and people with
  personality power may get their way with people, but ultimately there
  is no glory to God. You know that God didn't do it, you did it!

   

  Have you ever had those times in life where nothing
  went the way you intended, but everything worked out for great good?
  Have you experienced things that just had God's name, God's glory and
  God's fingerprint all over it? It's really good, isn't it? I
  was visiting my old church in Portland recently and was
  deeply amazed as I was told the story of how they got their new
  building and how God had undeniably worked throughout the details. It
  may not be obvious at first glance, but ministries that are
  characterized by a constant dependence on God bear a different kind of
  fruit than one fueled by human might. We saw this as God worked
  powerfully in the lives of many during the Essentials conference.
  Praise God for Bert who modelled this humble reliance on
  God to us and to the youth leaders ... this is Surrender! I'm a
  bit ashamed to say that our time in England convicted me of how little
  I pray and really depend on God in both ministry and life. But now ...
  I don't think I can go back to the same way of living again.

   

  Look at the difference when Moses did it God's way.
  It was nothing like what he could've planned or imagined. Could Moses
  have imagined that he would be in the direct presence of God in the
  form of a burning bush? Would Moses have thought of using gnats, flies,
  frogs, locusts, boils and hail (and a few other plagues) to eventually
  accomplish God's purposes? Could he have imagined the Red sea parting
  to allow the Israelites to escape pursuing Egyptian chariots? or that a
  pillar of cloud would guide them by day and a pillar of fire by night?
  God's purposes in God's way and in God's time resulted in God's glory.
  I don't think that Moses could've ever imagined that the Israelites
  would be released from the bondage of Egypt in such an unusual manner.

   

  Do you know that God loves you? Dr. Scorgie
  said that, "nothing is so fundamental to the Christian jouney as
  knowing and feeling that we are loved." And Bert said that this was one
  thing that he really wanted his youth to know in a real way. Surrender
  is certainly easier when I know that God loves me.

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