Last week I began a six-week series on the five c's in Succcccess. I promised to touch on each one of the five in more depth in the coming weeks, so here is the follow up to that promise. I have actually thought of several more c's since last week, but I am not ready to expand the series, otherwise I will have to spell success "Succcccccccccccess." Maybe that would not be such a bad thing, but for now, let's dive into the concept of curiosity and how it ties in to succcccess.
A BURNING BUSH
We know that Moses tended sheep in the wilderness for forty years! I have been to the Middle East numerous times and it is a hot, hot place. Moses had to work in this heat year in and year out, and I am sure that every now and then a dry bush would burst into flames due to the super-hot conditions. Then one day Moses saw something unusual that captured his attention:
Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up" (Exodus 3:1-3).
What was unusual about this bush is that it burned, probably a common sight, but the bush was not consumed. It just kept on burning. Moses could have easily dismissed this sight and went about his business, but he decided to investigate further. Upon closer examination, he had a surprising thing happen: "When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am" (Exodus 3:4).
SO WHAT?
It is interesting that God did not call Moses and that is what drew Moses to the bush. It was his curiosity that caused him to pause and look, and then and only then did God call out to Moses and initiate a series of events that changed the course of history. In this order of events, first came Moses' curiosity, his reaction, God's call and then Moses' response to God. What does this have to do with your success?
There are many people waiting for God's call. Perhaps you are one of them. Did you ever consider that the call may be in what interests you? You are busy and don't see how what interests you can add to your career, so you don't pursue what is in your heart. Because you don't trust what is in you, you go about your business and wonder why God is not answering your prayers to be used or promoted.
Do you realize that it was Saul's interest, his obsession with persecuting Christians that led him to be a Christian and become the apostle Paul? If God can use Saul's misdirected interest to direct his steps, then God can use your curiosities to do the same? Succcccess starts with investigating what piques your interest and I urge you to do something to satisfy your curiosity this week. As you do, be lsitening for the voice of God and then follow His directions, just like Moses and Saul did. Have a great week.
**************************************
KENYA UPDATE: I posted the latest pictures and update from Kenya, indicating that
Pastor Peter signed the lease and is ready to prep the space for the library. You can read about it here and then please give generously here to make this project and others like them (described here) a reality when I return next year. I can't do this without you, so don't delay in sending your financial help. The children pictured here (click on them to enlarge) need you to help them prepare for a succcccessful future through reading and studying. Thank you!
Comments