Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

“There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush, he looked, and the bush was blazing yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight.” Exodus 3:2-3

What should I do? Making hard decisions is never easy. You go through inner turmoil trying to figure out what to do or how to do it or is it really right for me. You look at multiple options and finally come down to what you think is the best. Then you may live with the “only if” questioning for days, months or maybe years. How often have  you said if only you could have a burning bush clarity. The thought of a burning bush experience seems like a fantastic way to know, yet there is a cost to burning bush experiences.

  • Burning bushes will necessitate worship:

You can’t play religion if you want to get close to the burning bush. You can be curious and “turn aside and look.” You can ponder why “the bush is not burned up” but burning bushes require you to “remove the sandals from your feet.” Religious people find a fire extinguisher to put out the fire. You worship at the burning bush because you know “the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

  • Burning bushes create questions:

“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” God welcomes questions, the more the better. Samuel asked “How can I go? Saul will kill me.” (1 Samuel 16:2)   Mary asked, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34) Peter knew enough to question, “By no means, LORD; for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean.” (Acts 10:14) Questions will come at the burning bush but “The Samuels” go, “The Marys” obey, and “The Peters” follow.

  • Burning bushes destroy the edges of one’s comfort zone:

“I have never been eloquent…I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” Comfort zone living is a lot easier. We can be content in the world we know and don’t have to push the edges. Yet somehow God doesn’t see our self-limitations. So, you don’t think you can speak? God has the answer, “Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to speak.”

  • Burning bushes will burn away the undergrowth of yesterday’s failures:

“When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses.” You may have lived in palaces, studied at the best schools, had an unlimited bank account but you blew it. A nasty divorce, a horrendous scandal, a horrible financial mistake. Guess what? God calls your name and gives you another job. “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” God reminds you, “I think I can handle your past!”

  • Burning bushes do have a cost:

Moses had to go but also “Moses took his wife and his sons, put them on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt.” Jethro watched as his son-in-law, daughter and grandsons left for the mission field. Hannah cried as she left little Samuel at the temple. Jesus’ body torn to shreds, nailed to the cross, cried out in agony, “It is finished.” Yes, there is a cost when you respond to God’s call in your life yet “God never leaves you nor forsakes you.”

  • Burning bushes do make a difference:

“God wants to lead us. Not all the ways of humans are God’s leading. For a long time, we can walk our own paths. On those we are pawns of coincidence, whether they bring good luck or misfortune. Our own ways always lead in a circle back to ourselves. But when God leads our ways, they guide us to him. God’s ways guide us to God. God leads us through happiness and unhappiness always and only towards God. In this we recognize God’s ways.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

Moses led a nation out of slavery heading for a new land. Esther saved a nation from mass annihilation. The widow of Zarephath fed her household. David stood in front of a giant to unite a nation. The disciples fish net was overflowing. Jesus stood at the front of an empty tomb declaring victory over death!

Maybe we will not have as dramatic of a burning bush experience as Moses but we do have our burning bush. God has provided Scripture to be “a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” (Ps 119:105), Jesus has come who “will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” (Is 9:6) and daily “God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.” (IThess 4:8b).

The question becomes, “Do you choose to turn away or stand on holy ground?”

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.” (2 Cor 13:14)

God is great!

Pastor Lynn

Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

“Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” Genesis 27:41

Hatred is a pattern that repeats itself for generations, often a pattern that is never broken. One of the more famous examples of generational hatred in our nation was the Hatfield-McCoy feud that covered several decades in the 1800s. These two rural families from the West Virginia-Kentucky area would live for decades under the siege of hatred, distrust and violence. It was one act of violence by one family leading to a retaliatory response by the other family and a feud that implanted seeds of bitterness that bore fruit in the coming generations.

“Esau hated Jacob” set in motion a bitterness that would drive a wedge between two brothers and would ultimately live on for generations. Esau did not care about his role as first born and Jacob took advantage of the situation. A feud sparked out of jealousy, scheming and hatred until a family was split apart. We find the pattern of hatred that drove Esau and Jacob apart repeated often.

Cain in jealous hatred kills Abel.

David in lustful hatred has Uriah killed.

Joseph’s brothers in jealous hatred sell their brother into slavery.

Absalom out of revenge hatred kills his brother Amnon.

Judas out of power hatred betrays the Son of God.

“There is no positive benefit or place for hate other than directing that emotion to evil.” Psalm 97:10. “Let those who love the Lord hate evil.” “The way to get out of that darkness is to walk in the light and allow God to transform your heart. Forgive those who have hurt you, let go of bitterness and the need for revenge, stop thinking and ruminating about your injustices. Rather think about how can you be part of the solution and begin to open your heart to love.” Dr. Linda Mintle

This illustration from a Native American anecdote sums up well the power of hatred. “A grandfather talking to his young grandson tells the boy he has two wolves inside of him, struggling with each other. The first is the wolf of peace, love and kindness. The other is the wolf of fear, greed and hatred. “Which wolf will win, grandfather?” asks the young boy. “Whichever one you feed” is the reply.”

Which wolf are you feeding? In our current culture it is easy to find yourself feeding the wrong wolf within your soul. Jesus said “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.” Mark 7:20-23 (NLT)

Love is not the opposite of hate but love is the transformer of hate into love. A love that is not some cheap perfume that covers the stink of evil but a love that was born on a splinter laden cross is the only way to overcome the power of hatred.

Allow 1 John 4:20 to awaken a new prayer within your heart for ourselves, our families and our nation. “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.”

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

 

Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

“After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham! ‘And he said, “Here I am.”” Genesis 22:1

The very thought of being tested sends fear through my mind. I hated to take tests in school; they always made me nervous. Questions raced through my mind, “Did I know the subject material well enough? Can I pass the test? What if I make a bad grade?” Usually, I knew the material well enough to pass the test. Occasionally I totally blew it. Regardless of the outcome, I had to face the test. The times I did well were usually the result of time invested in studying until I knew the subject material. Failures to do well were normally because I had not properly prepared myself for the test.

As much as I dislike tests, I realize they are important. Knowing the test day is coming forces me to focus on the material until I am prepared. When I pass the test, there is a certain feeling of accomplishment, a sense of inner pride. More importantly the test grade represents a symbol of my knowledge and the passing grade lets others know I have mastered the material.

I build confidence from the fact that the surgeon who is getting ready to operate on me passed their Board exams. I relax a little at 10,000 feet knowing the pilot passed the aviation test and is certified to fly the plane. I feel comfortable traversing the Mississippi River knowing the engineer who designed the bridge passed the civil engineering test.

Abraham had been preparing for this day of testing. When God asked him to move to a distant land, he packed his bags. When Abraham could have had his choice of parcels of land, he allowed Lot to take the best piece. When his nephew was captured, Abraham pulled together his troops to go into hot pursuit to rescue Lot. When God asked him to give up his only son, Abraham was ready. Yes, Abraham failed a few tests in the process, yet God kept working with him to get him ready. Generations later Abraham’s test results were recorded in Hebrews 11. “Therefore, from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, “as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.” (Hebrews 11:12)

James captures well the purpose of spiritual testing as he writes, “My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-3)

Noah’s test came when God asked him to build an ark, even though it had never rained!

Moses’ test came when God asked him to pick up the staff and lead his people out of slavery!

Hannah’s test came when she left Samuel in the care of God at the temple!

Ruth’s test came when she declared, “your people shall be my people, and your God my God!”

David’s test came when God asked Samuel to anoint him as king, even as he tended sheep in the pasture!

What about you? How are you doing in preparing for your tests?  “Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you? –unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test! I hope you will find out that we have not failed.” (2 Corinthians 13:5-6)

How will you know if you passed the test? Maybe you will get to know but just as likely you will not know. “Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised” (Hebrews 11:39)

Don’t worry about the results, simply focus on God. Let God grow you through the test to become the person God intends you to be for His work. Job moves from questioning God, defending himself to his friends and family to the affirmation that being with God is more important than understanding the reason.

“Then Job replied to the LORD: “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely, I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:1-6)

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

 

 

Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17

I made my final trek this week to our outside storage building, carrying the last of Christmas 2020 decorations. I always enjoy Christmas and all the trappings of the season, yet there is something freeing as the house is finally returned to post-Christmas. All the furniture is moved back into place, floors swept and tables dusted. There is a freshness and cleanness about the house and a sense of restoring order out of a joyful chaos.

Celebrating a new year represents more than just a day on the calendar, it marks a new beginning. So how can one 24-hour period make such a difference? One day it is the old year, the next the beginning of something new. Yet in the turn of the calendar page, there is excitement, hope, freshness and a restored outlook.

“There, where clinging to things ends, is where God begins to be. If a cask is to contain wine, you must first pour out the water. The cask must be bare and empty. Therefore, if you wish to receive divine joy and God, first pour out your clinging to things. Everything that is to receive must and ought to be empty.”

These words were written centuries ago by German theologian Meister Eckhart. However, centuries before Eckhart, Jesus responded to the accusation that he wasn’t following the regulations of fasting by saying “no one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew 9: 6-17)

Jesus didn’t have a problem with fasting or keeping religious traditions. However, He did have a problem if the old kept someone in ritualistic bondage. Jesus had a problem If the old kept someone from truly enjoying their life with God.  Jesus knew the old wineskin couldn’t hold both old and new. “You must first pour out the water. The cask must be bare and empty.”

I wouldn’t put myself into the category of a hoarder but you can talk with my wife. I would simply call myself a serious collector of things. The problem with my collecting things is that I run out of storage room. I can’t find what I am looking for because it is part of this vast collection of things and gets lost in the midst of everything.

I could have kept the Christmas decorations in the house but the challenge would be that the old would have kept us from ever enjoying the excitement of change. The beautiful decorations that make Christmas special would look out of place at Easter, 4th of July or Thanksgiving. The old gives way to allow the new to come into our home.

Holding onto the old keeps us from the blessings that God would like to give us. Billy Graham wrote about letting go in this story of a father and son:

“A little child playing one day with a very valuable vase put his hand into it and could not withdraw it. His father, too, tried his best, but all in vain. They were thinking of breaking the vase when the father said, “Now, my son, make one more try. Open your hand and hold your fingers out straight as you see me doing, and then pull.”

To their astonishment the little fellow said, “Oh no, father. I couldn’t put my fingers out like that, because if I did I would drop my penny.”

Could this be the year when you need to open your hand and let go of the worthless penny in your hand?

Could this be the year when you pour out the old to enjoy the new?

 

“As children bring their broken toys

With tears for us to mend

I brought my broken dreams to God

Because He is my friend.

But then, instead of leaving Him

In peace to work alone

I hung around and tried to help

With ways that were my own.

At last I snatched them back and cried,

How can you be so slow?

My child, He said, what could I do…

You never did let go.” (Broken Dream by Lauretta P. Burns)

 

God is great,

Pastor Lynn Burton