DAILY BYTE
This week we’ve been reflecting on the broad theme of responding to God’s word without delay. As we bring this week’s devotions to a close, let me pose some pointed questions to you:
As you look around at your life right now, in what ways have you hardened your heart in turning away in deliberate disobedience from what you know God is saying to you? And in what ways have you failed to hear God’s call to live a fuller, freer life, or act upon the call that you have heard?
Think about it - what higher, nobler purpose is God calling you to right now?
In your role as a child or parent or grandparent?
In your role as a husband or wife?
In your role as a friend, colleague, worker or employee?
What is God asking of you, right now?
What surprising gift of generosity could you offer?
What act of reconciliation might you initiate?
What example of integrity and faithfulness might you leave behind?
What sacrifices of love might you be offering to the lost and the lonely within your life?
What higher, nobler purpose is God calling you to right now?
These are just some of the exciting waters we get to explore when we commit ourselves to the life of radical discipleship. But of course, exciting as it is, it isn’t always plain sailing.
The reading from Matthew 8 that we started looking at yesterday goes on to talk about how Jesus got into a boat in order to cross over to the other side and his disciples followed him. Without warning a furious storm broke out that threatened to sink the boat. And the disciples thought they were finished. But what they had forgotten was that their very act of obedience in following Jesus meant that they were not alone. Their very act of obedience in doing what he said and going where he went, meant that they were with him and he was with them in this time and place of crisis and need.
As it turned out it was a time and place of grace – of seeing and experiencing for themselves the power and authority of Christ over the chaos all around them, as he calmed the wind and the waves.
What a powerful story that reminds us of what the life of radical discipleship entails – boldly following Jesus to places (on ‘the other side’) where others normally would not go; facing threatening storms that seem so overwhelming; experiencing the higher authority of Christ before whom no other principality or power can stand.
This is the kind of life that can be yours and mine. Today!
PRAY AS YOU GO
Our prayer today comes from a song by Dan Wilt:
This is the life, this is our dream
This is the place we want to be
This is your love, this is the healing of our souls
This is the time, this is the place
This is the season of your mercy
This is the hour, this is the day we’ve waited for
This is the life!
Yes, this is the life you have given to us O God. What a gift of abundant and breathtaking grace, that is available to us all right now. Help us Lord to take hold of this gift, through our obedience and trust, and to live to the glory of your name. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING
Matthew 8:23-27
Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"
He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The disciples were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"
Friday, 7 May 2010
Thursday, 6 May 2010
Hearing the call
DAILY BYTE
There’s another way in which we opt for one more night with the frogs. It’s through our failure to prioritize the call of God to give our lives to the greater purposes of God’s Kingdom.
In Matthew 8 we read about a teacher of the law who comes to Jesus and confidently says to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus reminds him that that’s easier said than done.
The passage then moves to other disciples making similar promises of their own, but only after they’ve dealt with other priorities in their lives. “I will follow you Lord, said one, but first let me go and bury my father.” “I will follow you Lord, said another, but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family.”
Jesus’ replies seem harsh and unsympathetic, as he effectively dismisses these concerns as incidental to the priority of God’s Kingdom. Now of course, Jesus isn’t being anti-family. He’s simply saying that there is no more pressing priority than giving yourself to him in discipleship. And that there is never a reason good enough to delay that from happening.
Remember, when Jesus called his very first disciples, Simon & Andrew, he said to them, ‘Come, follow me.’ And IMMEDIATELY they left what they were doing and followed Jesus. Then Jesus saw James and John. WITHOUT DELAY he called them and IMMEDIATELY they left their father and followed him.
We think that their response is somehow beyond us. But the story challenges our assumptions about what is most important in our lives. Think about it. Why would anyone not want to devote this one chance at life to some magnificent purpose?
Why would we not want these miraculous lives of ours to be offered to some great and glorious end?
What motivation could we possibly have to settle for unimaginative, mediocre, lackluster lives?
Why would we want to spend even one more night with the frogs when Christ calls us to a life that is so much more.
As you think about these questions, reflect further on these beautiful words of a contemporary song written by Gwyn Williams:
Jesus is calling us to a life that’s full, that’s free
He calls us out of mediocrity
So let us answer ‘Yes’
We will stand with him
To be the very best that we can be
We’re sons of light
And daughters of the day
Created to live in the light
Sons of light
And daughters of the day
Today, hear Jesus say:
“Walk out into daylight
Walk out from the night
Walk out dressed in faith and love
Walk out! Walk out!”
Walk out to salvation
Walk away from fear
For Jesus Christ has died to give you life
Walk out!
PRAY AS YOU GO
Lord Jesus Christ, in the prayer that you taught us we pray for your Kingdom to come and your will to be done. There can be no greater priority in our lives than that of doing your will, and serving the purposes of your Kingdom – for this is what will bring us and all those around us life in all its fullness. Help us to hear your call, and give us the wisdom and willingness to obey, without delay. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING
Matthew 8:18-27 (incl. Luke 9:61-62)
When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."
Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family.
Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.
There’s another way in which we opt for one more night with the frogs. It’s through our failure to prioritize the call of God to give our lives to the greater purposes of God’s Kingdom.
In Matthew 8 we read about a teacher of the law who comes to Jesus and confidently says to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus reminds him that that’s easier said than done.
The passage then moves to other disciples making similar promises of their own, but only after they’ve dealt with other priorities in their lives. “I will follow you Lord, said one, but first let me go and bury my father.” “I will follow you Lord, said another, but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family.”
Jesus’ replies seem harsh and unsympathetic, as he effectively dismisses these concerns as incidental to the priority of God’s Kingdom. Now of course, Jesus isn’t being anti-family. He’s simply saying that there is no more pressing priority than giving yourself to him in discipleship. And that there is never a reason good enough to delay that from happening.
Remember, when Jesus called his very first disciples, Simon & Andrew, he said to them, ‘Come, follow me.’ And IMMEDIATELY they left what they were doing and followed Jesus. Then Jesus saw James and John. WITHOUT DELAY he called them and IMMEDIATELY they left their father and followed him.
We think that their response is somehow beyond us. But the story challenges our assumptions about what is most important in our lives. Think about it. Why would anyone not want to devote this one chance at life to some magnificent purpose?
Why would we not want these miraculous lives of ours to be offered to some great and glorious end?
What motivation could we possibly have to settle for unimaginative, mediocre, lackluster lives?
Why would we want to spend even one more night with the frogs when Christ calls us to a life that is so much more.
As you think about these questions, reflect further on these beautiful words of a contemporary song written by Gwyn Williams:
Jesus is calling us to a life that’s full, that’s free
He calls us out of mediocrity
So let us answer ‘Yes’
We will stand with him
To be the very best that we can be
We’re sons of light
And daughters of the day
Created to live in the light
Sons of light
And daughters of the day
Today, hear Jesus say:
“Walk out into daylight
Walk out from the night
Walk out dressed in faith and love
Walk out! Walk out!”
Walk out to salvation
Walk away from fear
For Jesus Christ has died to give you life
Walk out!
PRAY AS YOU GO
Lord Jesus Christ, in the prayer that you taught us we pray for your Kingdom to come and your will to be done. There can be no greater priority in our lives than that of doing your will, and serving the purposes of your Kingdom – for this is what will bring us and all those around us life in all its fullness. Help us to hear your call, and give us the wisdom and willingness to obey, without delay. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING
Matthew 8:18-27 (incl. Luke 9:61-62)
When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."
Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family.
Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Hardened Hearts
DAILY BYTE
Yesterday we looked at the story of how Pharaoh chose to spend one more night with the frogs. Today and tomorrow we consider two broad ways in which this can be true in our lives as well.
The first is a condition that the bible describes as a hardening of the heart. This was Pharaoh’s big problem. 14 times in the space of just 7 chapters in this section of Exodus we read that Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. Quite simply it means that he refused to listen. He refused to respond to God’s word. He refused to change his tune, as he defied the authority of God over his life. His was an arrogant, obstinate, unyielding attitude, even in the face of the overwhelming evidence all around him of the utter chaos that he was bringing upon himself and his land.
The best contemporary example of this must surely be Robert Mugabe, who remains arrogantly and defiantly unmoved while his country plunges deeper and deeper into ruin. Zimbabwe is a tragic illustration of what a hardened heart can produce, written large upon the broad canvas of political history.
But the same tragic story is being written over and over again on the inner canvas of people’s souls because of their hardness of heart. Because of their refusal to listen and to respond to what God says. And make no mistake the chaos and turmoil within them can be every bit as devastating as what we’re seeing in Zimbabwe.
How might this be true for you?
Maybe there’s something going on in your life right now that you know is not what God wants for you. Maybe you can hear the witness of Scripture challenging and convicting some area of your life, but you’re turning a deaf ear.
God’s word says, ‘Forgive and you will be forgiven.’ But maybe you’re reluctant to forgive somebody who hurt you because you actually rather enjoy the little vengeful scenarios you get to play out in your mind.
God’s word says, ‘Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.’ But maybe you’re abusing your body in what you’re eating or the exercise you’re not getting, or the way you’re expressing your sexuality, and you think that it’s OK because there’s time to change.
God’s word says, ‘You cannot serve both God and money.’ But maybe you think that you can, and so you’ve set out making wealth and possessions your goal, just until you’ve got enough to feel secure.
The point is that all of us, in some ways, turn aside from what we know God is saying to us. And so with deafened ears, blinded eyes and yes, hardened hearts, we choose to spend one more night with the frogs. It’s the madness of Pharaoh all over again. And we fail to realize the damage that this way of living causes to our souls.
High up in the mountains a sudden avalanche swept away a young goat, killing it instantly. The body of the goat landed up on a large chunk of ice floating down a river towards a waterfall. A vulture circling high overhead spotted the goat. It landed on the ice floe and started eating the carcass. The roar of the waterfall was getting louder, but still the vulture ate. It thought to itself, ‘There’s still time to eat a bit more, and then I’ll fly away to safety.’ What the vulture did not realize was that its feet had melted the ice where it landed, but this melted ice was busy freezing again. At the last moment, as the ice floe went over the edge of the waterfall, the vulture tried to take off and fly to safety. But it couldn’t. Its feet were already frozen to the ice. It was too late.
That’s a picture of what can happen when we willfully persist in wrongdoing. We continue to nibble away at things that we know are bad for us, and sooner than we even realize we become stuck in the clutches of our indulgent sin. It’s the danger of choosing to spend one more night with the frogs!
PRAY AS YOU GO
Spirit of the Living God fall afresh on me, and soften the hardened places of my heart, that I may be more obedient to all that you ask of me. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING
Psalm 95:7-8
Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.
Yesterday we looked at the story of how Pharaoh chose to spend one more night with the frogs. Today and tomorrow we consider two broad ways in which this can be true in our lives as well.
The first is a condition that the bible describes as a hardening of the heart. This was Pharaoh’s big problem. 14 times in the space of just 7 chapters in this section of Exodus we read that Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. Quite simply it means that he refused to listen. He refused to respond to God’s word. He refused to change his tune, as he defied the authority of God over his life. His was an arrogant, obstinate, unyielding attitude, even in the face of the overwhelming evidence all around him of the utter chaos that he was bringing upon himself and his land.
The best contemporary example of this must surely be Robert Mugabe, who remains arrogantly and defiantly unmoved while his country plunges deeper and deeper into ruin. Zimbabwe is a tragic illustration of what a hardened heart can produce, written large upon the broad canvas of political history.
But the same tragic story is being written over and over again on the inner canvas of people’s souls because of their hardness of heart. Because of their refusal to listen and to respond to what God says. And make no mistake the chaos and turmoil within them can be every bit as devastating as what we’re seeing in Zimbabwe.
How might this be true for you?
Maybe there’s something going on in your life right now that you know is not what God wants for you. Maybe you can hear the witness of Scripture challenging and convicting some area of your life, but you’re turning a deaf ear.
God’s word says, ‘Forgive and you will be forgiven.’ But maybe you’re reluctant to forgive somebody who hurt you because you actually rather enjoy the little vengeful scenarios you get to play out in your mind.
God’s word says, ‘Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.’ But maybe you’re abusing your body in what you’re eating or the exercise you’re not getting, or the way you’re expressing your sexuality, and you think that it’s OK because there’s time to change.
God’s word says, ‘You cannot serve both God and money.’ But maybe you think that you can, and so you’ve set out making wealth and possessions your goal, just until you’ve got enough to feel secure.
The point is that all of us, in some ways, turn aside from what we know God is saying to us. And so with deafened ears, blinded eyes and yes, hardened hearts, we choose to spend one more night with the frogs. It’s the madness of Pharaoh all over again. And we fail to realize the damage that this way of living causes to our souls.
High up in the mountains a sudden avalanche swept away a young goat, killing it instantly. The body of the goat landed up on a large chunk of ice floating down a river towards a waterfall. A vulture circling high overhead spotted the goat. It landed on the ice floe and started eating the carcass. The roar of the waterfall was getting louder, but still the vulture ate. It thought to itself, ‘There’s still time to eat a bit more, and then I’ll fly away to safety.’ What the vulture did not realize was that its feet had melted the ice where it landed, but this melted ice was busy freezing again. At the last moment, as the ice floe went over the edge of the waterfall, the vulture tried to take off and fly to safety. But it couldn’t. Its feet were already frozen to the ice. It was too late.
That’s a picture of what can happen when we willfully persist in wrongdoing. We continue to nibble away at things that we know are bad for us, and sooner than we even realize we become stuck in the clutches of our indulgent sin. It’s the danger of choosing to spend one more night with the frogs!
PRAY AS YOU GO
Spirit of the Living God fall afresh on me, and soften the hardened places of my heart, that I may be more obedient to all that you ask of me. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING
Psalm 95:7-8
Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
One More Night with the Frogs
DAILY BYTE
The title of today’s devotion is, ‘One more night with the frogs.’ It comes from the story in Exodus 8. God had heard the cries of the Israelite people, who were living in Egypt as slaves under the oppressive hand of Pharaoh. So God sent Moses and Aaron to confront Pharaoh saying to him, ‘Thus says the LORD. Let my people go. And if you refuse, I will send plagues upon your whole country.’
Sure enough, Pharaoh refused, and so there followed a whole series of plagues.
The second of which was a plague of frogs. We read that the frogs came up out of the rivers and pools of Egypt and covered the whole land. They came into Pharaoh’s palace, they came into his bedchamber and even into his bed. Can you imagine what Mrs Pharaoh had to say about that? The frogs came into the houses of Pharaoh’s officials and all of his people. They even hopped their way into the Egyptians’ ovens and kneading bowls, so that they literally croaked their way onto every menu and into every dish.
Finally, Pharaoh couldn’t take it any more. He called Moses & Aaron and said to them, “Please, I’m begging you. Pray to the LORD to take these....$@%! frogs away!”
And Moses said to him, “Sure. Just tell me WHEN I am to pray for you and your officials and your people, that the frogs may be removed from you.”
And Pharaoh said...... TOMORROW!
Tomorrow? TOMORROW? The frogs are everywhere. They’re driving you crazy Pharaoh. What about today? What about right now? You know that they’ve got to go. So why wait? Why delay? Surely, surely, you would want this dealt with right away?
But Pharaoh says, “No thanks. Tomorrow is fine. I think I’ll have one more night with the frogs.”
It’s ridiculous. And we can laugh at Pharaoh’s stupidity. But before we laugh too loud, we would do well to recognise that in many ways we are just like Pharaoh. For we too often choose to spend one more night with the frogs.
Let me explain:
The frogs in the story could represent for us the things in our lives that are out of sync, out of kilter because of our resistance to what God requires of us. And even though we hear God’s word, and even though we know what God wants. Even though we feel the intense discomfort and distress from continuing in ways that are opposed to the ways of God. Even when we toss and turn in the middle of the night, unable to sleep for conscience’s sake - constantly hearing in our ears the croaking of our disobedience. Even when we know that this cannot continue and that something simply has to change. Yet, just like Pharaoh, there is a strange reluctance within us to deal with these things, to face the source of our anxiety and stress. And so, just like Pharaoh, we choose to spend one more night with the frogs.
Over the next couple of days we will look at two broad ways in which this can be true for our lives.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Forgive us Lord for growing comfortable with mediocrity, complacent about dealing with what is wrong in our lives, and resistant to life-giving change. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING
Exodus 8:1ff
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. The river shall swarm with frogs; they shall come up into your palace, into your bedchamber and your bed, and into the houses of your officials and of your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls….
So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.
Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and said, "Pray to the LORD to take away the frogs from me and my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD." Moses said to Pharaoh, "Kindly tell me when I am to pray for you and for your officials and for your people, that the frogs may be removed from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile."
And Pharaoh said, "Tomorrow." And Moses said, "As you say!”
The title of today’s devotion is, ‘One more night with the frogs.’ It comes from the story in Exodus 8. God had heard the cries of the Israelite people, who were living in Egypt as slaves under the oppressive hand of Pharaoh. So God sent Moses and Aaron to confront Pharaoh saying to him, ‘Thus says the LORD. Let my people go. And if you refuse, I will send plagues upon your whole country.’
Sure enough, Pharaoh refused, and so there followed a whole series of plagues.
The second of which was a plague of frogs. We read that the frogs came up out of the rivers and pools of Egypt and covered the whole land. They came into Pharaoh’s palace, they came into his bedchamber and even into his bed. Can you imagine what Mrs Pharaoh had to say about that? The frogs came into the houses of Pharaoh’s officials and all of his people. They even hopped their way into the Egyptians’ ovens and kneading bowls, so that they literally croaked their way onto every menu and into every dish.
Finally, Pharaoh couldn’t take it any more. He called Moses & Aaron and said to them, “Please, I’m begging you. Pray to the LORD to take these....$@%! frogs away!”
And Moses said to him, “Sure. Just tell me WHEN I am to pray for you and your officials and your people, that the frogs may be removed from you.”
And Pharaoh said...... TOMORROW!
Tomorrow? TOMORROW? The frogs are everywhere. They’re driving you crazy Pharaoh. What about today? What about right now? You know that they’ve got to go. So why wait? Why delay? Surely, surely, you would want this dealt with right away?
But Pharaoh says, “No thanks. Tomorrow is fine. I think I’ll have one more night with the frogs.”
It’s ridiculous. And we can laugh at Pharaoh’s stupidity. But before we laugh too loud, we would do well to recognise that in many ways we are just like Pharaoh. For we too often choose to spend one more night with the frogs.
Let me explain:
The frogs in the story could represent for us the things in our lives that are out of sync, out of kilter because of our resistance to what God requires of us. And even though we hear God’s word, and even though we know what God wants. Even though we feel the intense discomfort and distress from continuing in ways that are opposed to the ways of God. Even when we toss and turn in the middle of the night, unable to sleep for conscience’s sake - constantly hearing in our ears the croaking of our disobedience. Even when we know that this cannot continue and that something simply has to change. Yet, just like Pharaoh, there is a strange reluctance within us to deal with these things, to face the source of our anxiety and stress. And so, just like Pharaoh, we choose to spend one more night with the frogs.
Over the next couple of days we will look at two broad ways in which this can be true for our lives.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Forgive us Lord for growing comfortable with mediocrity, complacent about dealing with what is wrong in our lives, and resistant to life-giving change. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING
Exodus 8:1ff
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. The river shall swarm with frogs; they shall come up into your palace, into your bedchamber and your bed, and into the houses of your officials and of your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls….
So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.
Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and said, "Pray to the LORD to take away the frogs from me and my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD." Moses said to Pharaoh, "Kindly tell me when I am to pray for you and for your officials and for your people, that the frogs may be removed from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile."
And Pharaoh said, "Tomorrow." And Moses said, "As you say!”
Monday, 3 May 2010
Now is the time
DAILY BYTE
A CEO went on a business management course, and was deeply challenged about the amount of time wasted in his company through procrastination. Wanting to inspire his employees to make the most of every moment he had a whole lot of signs printed and put up throughout the company. The signs simply said, ‘Do it now!’
The message really got through, because the very next week his secretary asked for a raise, his accountant disappeared with millions he had embezzled, and the Board of Directors asked for his resignation!
This week we will be reflecting on the importance of taking hold of the present moment, and not delaying in turning our lives to God. Sadly, many people suffer from the condition of spiritual procrastination. They have the sense that there’s really nothing that urgent or pressing about the spiritual life, so long as they get around to it sooner or later.
But nothing could be further from the truth. Because the decision to put off what is truly important for sometime later, is usually the decision to put off what is truly important for ever. Richard Rohr says, ‘How you do it now, is how you do it.’ It’s the present moment that reveals our true nature. Our priorities RIGHT NOW, by and large, reflect our priorities – period!
So if we’re serious about living a new life, then there’s no better time than the present to begin. In fact, there’s no other time for it ever to begin.
On this the scriptures are clear. In 2 Corinthians 6:2 we read, “NOW is the time of God’s favour. TODAY is the day of salvation.” It is in this present moment that God can be encountered and known.
Here’s a poem by Helen Mallicoat that reflects on what it means that God’s name is ‘I AM’. (There may be some biblical scholars who would differ with some technical aspects of this interpretation of God’s being, but the underlying sentiment of the poem conveys a profound truth.)
I was regretting the past
and fearing the future.
Suddenly, my Lord was speaking.
"My name is I Am"
He paused. I waited. He continued.
"When you live in the past,
with its mistakes and regrets,
it is hard. I am not there.
My name is not 'I was'.
When you live in the future,
with its problems and fears,
it is hard. I am not there.
My name is not 'I will be'.
When you live in this moment
it is not hard. I am here.
My name is 'I AM'.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Lord God, it’s so easy to put off until later things that really matter. And as a result our lives become a sad array of good intentions that were never translated into present reality. But thank you that your very being is PRESENCE – you come to us here and now in all your glory, and you invite us to take hold of you. Help us today, and each day, to be present to your presence in our lives. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING
Exodus 3:7-15
The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering…. The cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."
But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
And God said, "I will be with you…”
Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"
God said to Moses, "I am who I am .This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "
God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.
A CEO went on a business management course, and was deeply challenged about the amount of time wasted in his company through procrastination. Wanting to inspire his employees to make the most of every moment he had a whole lot of signs printed and put up throughout the company. The signs simply said, ‘Do it now!’
The message really got through, because the very next week his secretary asked for a raise, his accountant disappeared with millions he had embezzled, and the Board of Directors asked for his resignation!
This week we will be reflecting on the importance of taking hold of the present moment, and not delaying in turning our lives to God. Sadly, many people suffer from the condition of spiritual procrastination. They have the sense that there’s really nothing that urgent or pressing about the spiritual life, so long as they get around to it sooner or later.
But nothing could be further from the truth. Because the decision to put off what is truly important for sometime later, is usually the decision to put off what is truly important for ever. Richard Rohr says, ‘How you do it now, is how you do it.’ It’s the present moment that reveals our true nature. Our priorities RIGHT NOW, by and large, reflect our priorities – period!
So if we’re serious about living a new life, then there’s no better time than the present to begin. In fact, there’s no other time for it ever to begin.
On this the scriptures are clear. In 2 Corinthians 6:2 we read, “NOW is the time of God’s favour. TODAY is the day of salvation.” It is in this present moment that God can be encountered and known.
Here’s a poem by Helen Mallicoat that reflects on what it means that God’s name is ‘I AM’. (There may be some biblical scholars who would differ with some technical aspects of this interpretation of God’s being, but the underlying sentiment of the poem conveys a profound truth.)
I was regretting the past
and fearing the future.
Suddenly, my Lord was speaking.
"My name is I Am"
He paused. I waited. He continued.
"When you live in the past,
with its mistakes and regrets,
it is hard. I am not there.
My name is not 'I was'.
When you live in the future,
with its problems and fears,
it is hard. I am not there.
My name is not 'I will be'.
When you live in this moment
it is not hard. I am here.
My name is 'I AM'.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Lord God, it’s so easy to put off until later things that really matter. And as a result our lives become a sad array of good intentions that were never translated into present reality. But thank you that your very being is PRESENCE – you come to us here and now in all your glory, and you invite us to take hold of you. Help us today, and each day, to be present to your presence in our lives. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING
Exodus 3:7-15
The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering…. The cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."
But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
And God said, "I will be with you…”
Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"
God said to Moses, "I am who I am .This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "
God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.
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