Monday, February 9, 2009

February 9, 2009

Then the Lord spoke to Moses...
-Exodus 19:21a (NASB)

At the beginning of this year, I embarked on a mission to read through the Bible in a year. The last month since starting I've been absolutely blessed by how much I've learned and grown through this study (which is a wonderful devotion that I would definitely recommend to anyone). The last few days, however, I found myself drudging through Exodus chapters 25-30 in my Old Testament portion of the daily assignment. These are some of the chapters where God gives Moses instructions on how to perform sacrifices, how the temple should be constructed, the exact measurements of the alters, curtains, etc. Needless to say, its not exactly the most exhilarating read.
Today as I was reading, however, I realized how often a passage begins "then the Lord spoke to Moses" or "then God said to him", etc. I've read those words thousands of times and they're not exactly anything particularly special, but today I couldn't help but be captivated by them. How cool would it have been to be Moses, and actually have face to face conversations with God? The Old Testament talks about how the glory of God was so amazing that the Israelites had to keep their distance, but moses was invited to come and speak with God directly.
Wow. Simply, wow.
But as amazing as that is, I am even more amazed by the incredible grace of God. Jesus' death on the cross allows us to have that personal relationship with our Lord and give us the opportunity for conversations with God. I am so grateful for all the word God is doing in my life, especially in these last few weeks and the way he has already been speaking to my through my devotion. Today was just another reminder of His faithfulness and how gracious He is, through the simplest of verses in the simplest of ways.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

February 4, 2009

As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.
And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by cried out, "Lord have mercy on us, Son of David!"
The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"
And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for ou?"
They said to Him, "Lord we want our eyes to be opened."
Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.
-Matthew 20:29-34

You know, I'm one of those people who has been raised and church and heard all the Bible stories since I was a little kiddo in the nursery. So I'm more than sure that I've probably heard this particular story hundreds of times before. But tonight it struck me in a far different way than ever before. The two blind men heard Jesus was coming and instantly longed for Him to come and change their lives. They couldn't see Him but had faith that the could heal them and restore their lives. They couldn't see Him but had faith that he could heal them and restore their lives. And their faith was rewarded. Jesus felt such a compassion for them and their desire to know and see Him that he restored their sing. And that's the end of the story... right? The thing that struck me the most was those last three words: and followed Him. They left everything behind to follow the man who had so dramatically altered their sight and given them back their lives. I wish I had their faith. But God has essentially done the same for me. "I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see" is arguably the most famous hymn ever written, but somehow those words get lost between my head and my heart. Despite all that God has done for me, I am so reluctant to give Him my everything and devote my entire being to Him.

So while God is working all this in my heart, I continue reading and, lo and behold, just a page or two later:

[Jesus said to them], "A man had two songs, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go work today in the vineyard.' 
And he answered, 'I will not'; but afterward he regretted it and went.
Then man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, 'I will, sir'; but he did not go.
Which of the two did the will of his father?" [The priests and elders] said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you."
-Matthew 21:28-31

Being a follower of Christ means so much more than the words you say or how often you go to church. Being a follower of Christ means making Him the absolute center of your being and striving to make every aspect of your life worship to Him. After all, he cured me from "blindness" and never ceases to love me. He deserves my everything! I know He has called me into a life of full-time ministry and I am so excited to see where He leads me. But I can't continue to just talk about what I'm going to do for Him. Even though I feel my ministry is going to be my career, I don't have to and shouldn't wait until I have a degree to begin. I don't want to be that second son.