Why me?

10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” 13 But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” 14 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses...  (Exodus 4:10-14a, ESV).  

Previously in Chapter three; God had given Moses a mission to rescue His people from the oppression of the Egyptians (Exodus 3). Fast forward, here we see Moses having a why me moment with God. Moses begins to tell the Lord his reasons why he’s not qualified, beginning with his not so eloquent speech.  Of course God will have none it!  God so nicely, or not nicely reminds Moses who created him and who made man’s mouth. Then the Lord’s anger kindled against Moses.  

I have certainly had my “why me?” moments with God. Almost ten years ago, when I first began to sense God’s call on my life to speak and teach, all I was thinking was, “Why me, can’t you send someone else?”  And God’s response was, “No, it’s you I’m after.”  Well, like I said, it’s been about ten years later that He had unearthed this desire to speak, teach, and preach, and still He refuses to hear any complaints.

You know, when God asks you to do something (call someone, share the gospel with someone, invite that person to church).  Many of those moments we're like, really Lord, you want me to do that?!

Looking back, we can see God at work preparing Moses for the mission. After all, Moses was rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter and grew up in Pharaoh's household (Exodus 2). Interestingly enough, God sends Moses on this mission and Moses encounters all sorts of opposition. Through the plagues, Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and many verses tell us by God Himself (Exodus 11:10, 14:4, 14:8).  Hmm, a different topic for a different day!

Moses wasn’t the only one, there were others in the Old Testament.  For example King David, the least likely.  After Samuel anointed him, he faced all sorts of opposition including running for his life from King Saul for fifteen years.  

 

I’m now convinced God loves a challenge!  Maybe even some of you agree. Including some of you whom God has called to minister or mentor me; Really Lord, her?  

Seriously. In the Garden of Eden everything was perfect. God created man and woman to dwell with Him forever, easy right? Oh no, out of nowhere there appears this serpent. The serpent that deceived Eve into sin, ultimately leading to the Fall of mankind. When sin entered the world, it brought separation in our relationship with God, spiritual death, and spiritual bondage. Now Satan had been given reign over this world.   

But God had a plan, a mission, to send Jesus. He was sinless, yet paid the penalty for all sin by His death on the cross. Jesus came to reverse all that went wrong.  His mission was to reclaim the lost by restoring our relationship, healing the sick, and set the captives free from bondage. Jesus’ death and resurrection defeated Satan and death. Then Jesus called His disciples to do the same and make more disciples.

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20, ESV).  

So why me? Because I’m called to a mission. Right now, He has given me a heart to seek and reclaim the lost, beginning with, but certainly not limited to, our youth. Hindsight’s 20/20 and looking back, I see His hand at work throughout my life preparing me every step of the way.  Called for a purpose, a mission to be a part of His redemptive plan.    

What about you?  Where is God calling you to participate in His redemptive plan?  

Lord, Praise and glory to our one and only true God, to our God who redeems. You have chosen us since before the foundations of the world. You have reached down and snatched us in Your hand. May You bless us as You send us, for the purpose and plan You have called us to! In Jesus Name, Amen.  

It’s Time

1There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: 2a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot… (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2).  

Let’s stop right there.  A time to uproot…  

Yeah that never sounds good.  However, I have learned in all my years of walking with the Lord, when things/situations keep resurfacing in my life, God is definitely after something.  Usually it’s an uprooting of some kind.  Granted the situation may slightly vary, sometimes it’s the same person(s) or maybe a different person(s). Nonetheless the underlying circumstance, the principal, is always the same.  The same emotions (frustration, anger, jealousy) are triggered, the same deep wounds are reopened.  All the while those nagging thoughts (aka conviction of the Holy Spirit) are repetitively pressing in bringing things to remembrance. This is usually the time we want to kick back our hind legs, bury the ...crap, and move on.  But God says, NOT THIS TIME!

Don’t believe me?  Well you don’t have to believe me, however the Bible is filled with examples of God’s uprooting.  For example, the book of Jeremiah speaks about God uprooting nations!  The Prophet Jeremiah had to deliver a hard message to the people: God’s judgment against the people for their wicked ways:

16 I will pronounce my judgments on my people because of their wickedness in forsaking me, in burning incense to other gods and in worshiping what their hands have made (Jeremiah 1:16, NIV).  

The amazing part is that even with the uprooting for their wickedness, God’s desire was and is for the people to repent of their unfaithfulness, return to Him, and He would be merciful.  

12 Go, proclaim this message toward the north:“‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord,  I will frown on you no longer, for I am faithful,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will not be angry forever (Jeremiah 3:12).  

The Sovereign Lord uprooted nations to get the attention of His people, don’t think He wouldn't uproot your life to get your attention!  

More on Biblical uprooting.

12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” 13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit” (Matthew 15:13, NIV).

For starters, Jesus had no problem offending the Pharisees.  By the way, this is not the only time Jesus did this, He repeatedly stirred up frustration within Pharisees ultimately exposing their hypocrisy.  Interesting, everything that has NOT  been planted by God will be pulled up by the roots.  

Those lies planted by the enemy will be uprooted.   

Those plans and agendas we have that are not of Him will be uprooted.

Those destructive relationships or people in your life that try to tear you down will be uprooted.  

And of course, my personal favorite:

16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet (John 4:16-19, ESV).  

Within just a few sentences, Jesus uprooted her life; her past, her shame, and her unhealthy ways of trying to find fulfillment.  There are times when scripture starts to come to life and we can see our self having that encounter with God.  

Legit, I have been her, MULTIPLE times!  Fifteen, twenty, twenty five years later and He has brought me face to face with...

My deep rooted insecurity.

Past relationships where I’ve been hurt or have hurt others.

Relationships and situations that needed closure.

The unhealthy ways I tried to seek fulfillment.

Well, the list could go on.  

Realize God will orchestrate certain events in your life that lead to this type of uprooting. Naturally, we live in the mentality to just move on and not get “stuck” in the past.  However, we fail to realize our past is always with us, and if we don’t deal with it in healthy terms, we will continue to be “stuck” in it.  We will find ourselves reliving the same unhealthy patterns, sins, failures, bitterness, resentments, immature behaviors, etc., etc.  

Getting out of dodge won’t help, you still have yourself with you.  Pretending your past failures weren’t that bad, doesn't’ change the truth that they were.  Changing your gender will not help, because underneath you are who God created you to be.  The internal wiring is still the same, and left unkept, we will continue to repeat the same behaviors and fall prey to the same poor choices and responses.  The internal wiring needs to be changed and this means facing our past and facing it in truth. Yes the truth hurts, but we have to go there!  It’s time to own it, confess it, and deal with the truth that hurts so deeply.  It’s time to uproot!  Uproot those childhood wounds, the mommy issues, the father issues, the unforgiveness towards someone who hurt you, the rebellious spirit to have your way...

The process is never easy,  but the outcome is healing and freedom.  

28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him (John 4:28-30, ESV).  

After her encounter with Jesus, she left her jar and ran right into town.  No fear of her past or hiding in shame, but ran right into town saying, "Come see the man who told me all that I ever did.  Can this be the Christ?"

What is He uprooting in your world right now?  Don’t be so quick to dismiss it, it may be Jesus!  

Lord for many of us, You have already begun to orchestrate those specific events in our lives leading to an uprooting!  You have our full attention and It’s time deal with it.  Lord, give us the strength, cover us with your mercy through the process, and sustain us to get through!

A Mirror or a Window

1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed (Romans 2:1-5, ESV).  

Ever have those times when someone just looks at you and you know they have already summed you up in their minds.  They have completely judged you according their standards or opinions of others.  Perhaps, they have already disqualified you.  Just wondering, do they judge themselves according to the same measure they judge you?   

Far too often, we find ourselves looking through a window rather than a mirror.  Honestly, it’s so much easier to pick out everyone else’ sin, faults, and failures, rather than confront our own.  Yet if we’re honest, we find ourselves doing the very same things. In our mind, it’s easy to excuse our own sin, shortcomings, and failures.  It’s easier to shift blame instead of taking responsibility.  But realize, that’s not what God calls us to do.  We are not to judge someone else and deem them unworthy of the call God has placed on their life from our limited human perspective!  We are not to stand back and justify our own sin, while in our thoughts magnifying the sin of others. After all, we all sin and fall short of the glory of God! That sin that costs us and many others around us.

When we use Scripture as a window judging others, we’re missing the point.  Scripture is a to be used as a mirror to measure against ourselves.  Why a mirror?  To lead us to repentance.  If we continually sit back and claim God’s grace under the canopy of His kindness towards our self, but are unwilling to extend the same grace and kindness to another, we have just judged.  Perhaps just judged that person as less than, not good enough, or unworthy of God’s kindness.  More importantly when judging, we are in danger of exalting our self and possibly in a place of un-remorse for our own actions.  The posture of un-remorse is the exact opposite of repentance.  

Through His kindness and patience, we can look straight in the mirror and come to reality of our own sin, knowing Jesus paid for it on the cross.  Having done that, we can come to Godly sorrow for our actions leading us to repentance.  Repentance, the action of turning away from our sin.     

Lord, thank You for Your kindness and patience towards us, even while we are yet sinners and fall short of Your glory.  Lord I pray, we would take the time to search our own hearts.  Would You reveal to us our sin and bring us to Godly sorrow leading us to repentance.  Keep us from judging others. We may judge too harshly or too softly according to our standards and/or self preservation, especially since our judgment comes from a limited scope of human perspective.  Only You Lord know the work You have begun, and the work You will carry to completion.  Praise You for that!  In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.