Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Exodus 3:2, “And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.”

Background

As my mission trip approaches, there comes with it an amazing sense of urgency. Besides all of the practical things that need to get done in these final hours, there is a deep sense of spiritual readiness that beckons. Our team has been concentrating on being able to tell the story of the Bible in simple, common language that will be understood by the very superstitious people who live where we will be going. We have also focused on relating our testimony of becoming a Christian using that same type of language, while keeping the story to a succinct three or four minutes. These are powerful approaches for many reasons, and they illuminate very quickly several things in our lives. One is that we believers have a certain way of talking. We use certain terms and understand certain concepts without even giving them much thought anymore. And when we try to undo the church-speak, it can make for a clunky delivery at first. But it also pointed out that we can be tempted to believe that the thoroughness of our preparation will somehow influence the success of our trip. Feeling comfortable with the different sections of the story of the Bible can bring a false sense of security in the words that we will say.

Application

But the great thing about the trip is that God has been working over there for a long time, and nothing that He plans to accomplish depends upon how smoothly I present His gospel story. When God called Moses to go deliver His children from Egypt, Moses asked Him, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” Moses realized he was nobody. But his mistake was that he thought God needed a somebody to do His work. He didn’t. All God needed was a bush that He could burn through so that all could see His glory. And a Hebrew murderer who was raised as an Egyptian and was now hiding in the wilderness as a shepherd seemed to fit the bill. Well, I’ve broken every commandment more times than I can count, so hopefully this ill-equipped shrub can be used to somehow further His kingdom. And I hope you can do the same wherever you are planted.

Charge

As we seek Him today, turn away from relying on your own strength, or your own skill, or your own methods. Ask God for a simple faith that will trust in Him to provide exactly what is needed.

Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words