God’s Heart to Meet with Moses..... Craig Denison

 

God’s Heart to Meet with Moses

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

Throughout Scripture we see countless examples of God meeting with man and countless lives being transformed as the result. These examples are in Scripture to stir our faith and fill us with a desire to meet with our Creator. When we read about the life of David, we should be filled with a longing to live as he did, centered around meeting with our heavenly Father. When we read about Gideon or Moses, we should long to know our God as they did. When we read about Jesus coming down to us or his heart for the woman caught in adultery, we should respond by pursuing encounters with our Savior. And when we read of Pentecost and Jesus’ second coming, we should seek out the fullness of God’s presence available to us on this earth in preparation for the age that is to come. May your heart be filled with a wholehearted desire to pursue meeting with God this week.

Scripture:“Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.”  Exodus 33:11

Devotional:

The story of Moses is one marked by powerful encounters with the presence of God. Moses was a man anointed by God to fulfill God’s heart for his children to be free from captivity and safe under his lordship. From birth, Moses was divinely set apart to lead God’s people back into right relationship with God. And this calling was fulfilled because of God’s desire to consistently meet with Moses and show up through his life in miraculous ways. In looking at the life of Moses, two types of encounters with God stand out as especially transformative and illustrative of God’s heart to meet with his people. As we look at these two examples of God meeting Moses, may Scripture fill your heart with a desire to meet with your heavenly Father as Moses did.

First, Exodus 3:1-6 gives us insight into the first real encounter Moses had with the Great I Am. Scripture says,

Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

In the story of the burning bush, we see God’s grace and divine favor on the life of an undeserving man. Moses had fled the scene after murdering an Egyptian for assaulting a Hebrew man. For years he had been hiding in the desert, living outside of any real earthly impact. But God called Moses out of the wilderness into a life of deep, eternal impact.

Second, we see God’s heart to consistently meet with Moses in the Tent of Meeting found in Exodus 33:7-11. Scripture says,

Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise up, and each would stand at his tent door, and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

How incredible is the heart of our God that he would meet with Moses “face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” If God would meet with Moses, a man who has not been redeemed by the sacrifice of Jesus, how much more would he meet with you and me? If God would show grace to Moses, how much more available is grace to us who now have God himself dwelling within us!

You and I have access to relationship far greater than a face-to-face encounter like Moses had. We have God’s Spirit within us fellowshipping with our Spirit. We never have to leave the burning bush or the Tent of Meeting. True restored relationship finds its source in continual, unending encounters with God’s presence dwelling with us and upon us.

May you pursue the greater portion of relationship with your heavenly Father today. May your Spirit come alive as you grow in your awareness of God’s Spirit. May you have powerful, transformative encounters with God’s presence likened to that which Moses experienced.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on God’s desire to meet with Moses. Allow Scripture to fill you with a longing to meet with God as Moses did.

“When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said, ‘Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ And he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.” Exodus 3:4-6

“When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.” Exodus 33:9-11

2. Where can you make your tent of meeting? Where and when can you consistently encounter the presence of God and meet with your heavenly Father face-to-face?

3. Take time to meet with God as Moses did. Open your heart and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal his nearness.

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” John 14:15-17

Having a consistent time and place to meet with God allows us to develop a rhythm by which we grow in experiencing God’s presence. To have our own Tent of Meeting is vital to Christian spirituality. Choose a place and time that won’t get disrupted and will help you center your life around meeting with your heavenly Father. There is absolutely nothing more important or pressing than seeing the face of God and being transformed by his love and nearness every day.

Extended Reading: Hebrews 11

We Were Not Meant to be Glorified ..... By: Betsy St. Amant Haddox

 We Were Not Meant to be Glorified (John 3:29-30)

By: Betsy St. Amant Haddox

Today’s Bible Verse is: John 3:29-30 (ESV) “The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.”

It’s old news now—you turn on the news or open your social media account to discover yet another child star has gone off the deep end. Once bright, vibrant teen sensations on popular TV shows, now incredibly unhealthy adults with horrible self-esteem and shocking Instagram feeds, leaving behind a wake of bad relationships and rash decisions. When young adults peak in fame and popularity so young, there’s nowhere to go but down.

It’s not just the youth that fall prey to this type of spiral, though. None of us were meant for fame. The human heart wasn’t intended to bear that burden. We were created with a deep, innate need to worship—not be worshipped. Everything in our life gets flipped over and upside down when we mix that up.

I have so much respect for the wisdom of Bible teachers and pastors who point to Christ and away from themselves, even as their book sales increase or their social media stats grow. They know the danger and pitfalls around them and are cautious to stay humble. It’s a tricky balance at times—to teach, share, and help others grow, all while not letting a semblance of “fame” go to your own head.

Celebrities rise and fall. Tabloids crank out rumors of divorce, scandals, affairs, and other pieces of news that turn heads and spike sales. However true or false some of those headlines might be, we can tell from even a cursory, surface-level glimpse inside Hollywood that all is not well with their souls.

We were not meant for earthly glory.

True peace and fulfillment in our lives comes only from giving Christ glory. When He increases and we decrease is where we find trust rest for our souls. Our success as Christians is not related to how many followers we have, but how well we follow God. Our self-esteem comes not from multiple likes on a social media page, but from our degree of likeness to Christ. We were made in God’s image, but we dare not steal His glory. It will crush us.

Today, if you’re feeling the pressure of needing to collect more numbers, followers, likes, or clicks—take a step back. Whether the pressure is from a boss, a publisher, a leader, or simply the lies rattling inside your head demanding validation, just breathe. Redirect your focus to God. Inhale His glory and exhale your own stuffy, stale counterfeit version. True peace, success, and fulfillment comes when we lay down the sacrifice of self and worship Him alone.

Lessons from a Superhero..... by Ryan Duncan

 Lessons from a Superhero

by Ryan Duncan

"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14 NAS

Who is your favorite superhero? If you asked me, the answer would be Aquaman. Most people might find this surprising since, let's face it; Aquaman has never been that popular of a superhero. He doesn't strike fear into the heart of evil, like Batman, or block bullets like Wonder Woman. Heck, even most sidekicks are able to fly, but Aquaman needs to hail a seahorse to get anywhere.

For me though, that's why I like him. Whenever Aquaman fights, he's always at a disadvantage. His ocean powers never help him on the land, but despite that he still fights the bad guys and wins. It's easy to be brave or strong when you have the home field advantage, but what happens when the tables are turned and you find yourself in enemy territory?

This all sounds pretty corny, I know, but things like this remind me of what Jesus faced when he became a man. We Christians are quick to quote Jesus' death on the cross, the sacrifice he made so that we could be forgiven, but sometimes I think we forget about his life. We forget the miracle that occurred when a Holy God chose to step into a world overrun by sin.

Can we even begin to imagine what it must have been like for the all-knowing, all-powerful God of the universe to become a human? To understand the indignity of stubbing a toe or skinning a knee, the frustration of being confined to a small desert when the whole universe could not contain him, the humility required to endure hunger and thirst? Meanwhile, the devil stood in the background promising release, offering to make everything the way it was if Jesus would only pay a small, insignificant price.

I think C.S. Lewis says it best in Mere Christianity when he writes,

"Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is.... We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means—the only complete realist."

Jesus greatest triumph was His death and resurrection, there can be no mistake. Yet every day he lived, he battled the temptations of lust, envy, greed, pride and triumphed over them. So this December I encourage you to read the Christmas story and remember the miracle of Jesus' birth. Remember that our Heavenly Father became a small baby so that we might one day live in eternity with him. Remember that Christ lived as a man, was tempted as we were, and has defeated sin.

We are His, and He is ours.

Further Reading:
Luke 2:1-21

Prayer to be Unshakeable..... By Kelly Balarie

 A Prayer to be Unshakeable

By Kelly Balarie

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Col. 3:17

Make no mistake, my fellow seekers, we are all after something. Many of us just don't acknowledge it - because we are afraid to look at what our heart really wants. We are embarrassed; we don't really want God after all. No shame here friends. I get off track all the time. I blow it!

Getting off track is not the major problem, but remaining in denial of the problem - always is. Where are you in denial?

Confront these questions (this means really consider them):

What is your heart's goal on the daily basis?

Is it about pleasing God or pleasing man?

Seeking self or glorifying God?

Self-protection or God-dedication?

Go where He wants to go, knowing that it is the ONLY and the BEST place to go.

A person dedicated to the Lord is like a ship anchored to the core of the earth. He is unwavering, unbreakable and unshakable.

Prayer to be an Unshakable:

God, help us. Where we are weak, make us strong. Where we are wavering, help us lay our anchor down. May we find strength through knowing you hold us. We no longer need to be held down by the world's claws. May we believe you are so believable we see your hand in our everything. May we so fall into your arms of grace, so we never feel the pangs of condemnation rip us apart. That is not you. And, truly, we want nothing that is not associated with you - it will only leave us empty. God, you are one that leaves us on full. Not once, but all the time. God, give us you. Increase our faith; make us into fighters who don't back down. May we know, strongly, you are what we need to run after. You are the answer to everything. You are the only way. Tie down our heart into you.

Amen.