This past week was a busy one for me, with two college classes that had their final exams, plus two other classes that I taught. For one of the classes, I wrote a devotional in response to another devotional we were reading as part of our class material, and when I read my response to the class, I thought, "I am going to share it with my Memo readers." So here it is for your reading enjoyment and edification.
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So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—
why the bush does not burn up.”When the Lord saw that he
had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush,
“Moses! Moses!" - Exodus 3:3-4.
The author of tonight's devotional takes us to study fear today based on the verses about the burning bush. With your permission, I want to go in a different direction. I use this passage all the time when I coach and teach about purpose. Using these verses, I encourage those with whom I work to follow their curiosities. Let me explain what I mean.
I have been to the deserts in the Middle East and they are hot, very hot places. When I landed in Dubai a few years ago, it was 127 degrees. Then the nights cooled down to about 109. These are the conditions under which Moses tended sheep. I would imagine he saw more than one burning bush, sparked into flames by the intense desert heat. There was one major difference with this particular bush, however, and that was it burned but was not consumed. The longer Moses looked, the more curious he became, so much so that he finally exerted some energy, which he was trained to conserve in the desert heat, to go over and take a look. He was curious.
It was when he came face to face, so to speak, with the bush that the voice of the Lord came to him. When he followed his curiosity, Moses found the Lord! The same is true for you. Don't try to figure out what interests you; just follow your heart! You don't know where it will lead you, so don't try so hard to figure it all out, where it will lead you and whether or not it is the Lord. Just follow and trust, and see what happens.
One more thing: The bush burned but was not consumed. The same is true for your purpose. When you are doing God's will, you will burn with intensity. You may be tired, but you will never burn out! Burn out is always an indicator that you are doing things you were not meant to do - things that take your life and energy and don't put them back. Purpose replenishes its own supply of energy and you never run out of creativity and enthusiasm for the purposeful work at hand.
So the next time you are faced with something that captures your attention and piques your curiosity, run to it. When you get there, you may just hear the voice of God telling you that you are on holy ground.
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KENYA: I have two updates on my blog site from Kenya, one including a video tour of our library project there. Please take time to read them both and then do what you can to help us continue the work there. Also, Mary is off to her second term at school. I am so grateful for your help that is helping her. You can read in one of the updates what it means to orphaned Mary and her pastor. Then please give through my website or by sending a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. Thank you and God bless you.
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