THE BURNING TREE EXPERIENCE – Pt 3

Exodus 3:1-5 “Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.”

In these series of CHALLENGING CONCEPTS we are examining the call of God upon the life of Moses. He calls all of us. It may not be to be a great leader like Moses or it may not be as dramatic as the burning bush, but He has a will for each of us and calls us to do that will.

Many struggle with God’s will for their life. One such man was the prophet Jonah. In fact, in the story of Jonah you see the struggle of two wills. There was God’s will and Jonah’s will. It wasn’t that Jonah did not know God’s will because God was very clear in what He told Jonah to do. Jonah knew, but just chose not to do it. Of course Jonah is not the only prodigal recorded in the Word of God. He is also not the only believer who struggles with this concept. Many believers struggle even today.

I trust you are not a prodigal but are willing to do exactly what God wants and calls you to do.

We were reminded in last week’s CHALLENGING CONCPETS that God audibly spoke to Moses in a dramatic way. He doesn’t do that today but primarily speaks to us through the Word of God. Let’s go a step farther into God’s call on our lives by looking at the life of Moses.

II. OUR CALL IS A SOVEREIGN ONE

When you go back in your mind to the early life of Moses, you’ll remember that he grew up in the Egyptian Courts. As the adopted son of Pharoh’s daughter, he was trained to be a leader in the nation of Egypt. They had trained him to be a great man in the politics of that nation. But there was a burning desire in his heart for his own Hebrew people. He wanted to be a blessing and help the Israelites who under heavy burdens. After his failed attempt to bring comfort to his people and having to flee for his life, Moses found himself on the back side of the desert, tending sheep that were not even his. At this time in his life, Moses was not even close to fulfilling his potential as a man or as a real servant of God.

But God was at work. He always is. God was working in the life of Moses. I believe Moses knew that there was a beautiful plan for his life, but he didn’t know how to see it come to pass. Notice that the burning bush experience came when he was on the “backside of the Desert.” This was the farthest point from his objective of freeing his people.

Moses was living his life in the best way he knew how. It had been forty years since he had made an effort to fulfill his desire. Why did God wait until this point to reveal Himself? Why did God choose this point in time? It seemed to Moses as if these last forty years had been one great big waste of time. But it wasn’t a waste of time in the eyes and plan of God. God never ceases to work out his will in the life of his people, no matter where they find themselves or how long it takes.

In the 5th chapter of I Thessalonians the Apostle Paul is writing about how God works in the life of His children. In verse 24 Paul writes “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”

God saves us and continues to work in our lives day by day. One of my favorite verses of Scripture is found in Philippians 2:13 “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Paul is saying that God works in His children to “will” and “do” His plan for their life, if they will surrender to that plan. I have experienced that work in my life. He puts a desire in my heart and then gives me the ability and power to accomplish it. That’s also what He had been doing in the life of Moses. The desire Moses had was part of God’s work, and for the last 40 plus years God had continued to empower and equip Moses for this time.

God in one way or another calls all believers to serve Him. We all are different so the calling of God will be different. The responsibilities are different also, but we all have a place in the service of God. Our “burning bush” experience comes directly from God. It cannot be demanded or even sought after. It’s given in the sovereign will of God. God will work in us His plan and purpose in His timing. It’s our duty to follow God’s leadership as we discern it. It’s God’s responsibility and good pleasure to give us instructions for the journey.

In Psalm 32:8 we read “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”

We also read in Psalm 48:14, “For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.”

God leads and guides through the Word of God. That’s why it’s so important for us to be in the Word of God on a regular basis. I love what we read in II Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

God’s word is very practical. Paul talks about God’s Word being “profitable.” One part of the practical aspects is that it gives “instruction in righteousness.” The word “righteousness” means equity of character or action. This was what God had been doing in the life of Moses and what He’s also doing in the life of the believer if he is spending time learning and applying God’s Word.

God’s Call is one of SCRIPTURE and one of SOVEREIGNTY. I trust you are responding to God’s call upon your life. In next week’s CHALLENGING CONCEPTS we will explore the SELECTION process of God’s call.

That’s my view; how about you?