Exodus 4:2-5
2Then the Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" "A staff," he replied. 3The Lord said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4Then the Lord said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand.
This passage was part of Pastor's sermon today. When I read it, I was captivated by its content. At first it was all about the snake....I hate snakes! They disgust and scare me! (Sorry, Wronas!) I would have run away from it just as Moses did...except, I'm not sure I could have come back and grabbed it by the tail, even if God had asked me to. Isn't that horrible? I would have let fear cause me to disobey God.
.....then I thought about it some more.
Here Moses had this staff that he was familiar with, comfortable with, and maybe even a little dependent on...hey, shepherds need their staffs. God turned it into a snake...God did, not Moses' enemy, but The Almighty God who loved Moses and had a divine, awesome plan for Moses' life. Anyway, so God turned Moses' staff into a snake. Moses ran. I totally would've been out of there, too! But, would I have turned around, walked back and picked up the snake by its tail if God asked me to? I would have been stupid not to, as long as God had asked me to. But, would I have listened and obeyed?
So, there's this important part of my life that I've been comfortable in and familiar with that has turned into a disgusting, scary creature. I am not saying that God has turned it into what it is, but He has certainly allowed it to happen. So, my first reaction is to run away. And, in a way, I have emotionally. But, what if God is calling me back to pick the snake up by its tail? When I am obedient, God will calm this creature and turn it back into the safe thing it was. But what if I don't? What if the staff stays the serpent because I didn't pick it up? What if I let the serpent cause me to run away from the plans that God has for my life, for my church? It's not God who has lost out here, it would be me.
I choose obedience to God.
.....then I thought about it some more.
Here Moses had this staff that he was familiar with, comfortable with, and maybe even a little dependent on...hey, shepherds need their staffs. God turned it into a snake...God did, not Moses' enemy, but The Almighty God who loved Moses and had a divine, awesome plan for Moses' life. Anyway, so God turned Moses' staff into a snake. Moses ran. I totally would've been out of there, too! But, would I have turned around, walked back and picked up the snake by its tail if God asked me to? I would have been stupid not to, as long as God had asked me to. But, would I have listened and obeyed?
So, there's this important part of my life that I've been comfortable in and familiar with that has turned into a disgusting, scary creature. I am not saying that God has turned it into what it is, but He has certainly allowed it to happen. So, my first reaction is to run away. And, in a way, I have emotionally. But, what if God is calling me back to pick the snake up by its tail? When I am obedient, God will calm this creature and turn it back into the safe thing it was. But what if I don't? What if the staff stays the serpent because I didn't pick it up? What if I let the serpent cause me to run away from the plans that God has for my life, for my church? It's not God who has lost out here, it would be me.
I choose obedience to God.
2 comments:
wow. u sure u dont have a doctorate?
You always amaze me! Thank you for always being so real.
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