The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. from The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States Moses’ excuses, the LORD’S power for Thursday, 25 August 2016
Exodus 4:1 Moshe replied, “But I’m certain they won’t believe me, and they won’t listen to what I say, because they’ll say, ‘Adonai did not appear to you.’” 2 Adonai answered him, “What is that in your hand?” and he said, “A staff.” 3 He said, “Throw it on the ground!” and he threw it on the ground. It turned into a snake, and Moshe recoiled from it. 4 Then Adonai said to Moshe, “Put your hand out and take it by the tail.” He reached out with his hand and took hold of it, and it became a staff in his hand. 5 “This is so that they will believe that Adonai, the God of their fathers, the God of Avraham, the God of Yitz’chak and the God of Ya‘akov, has appeared to you!”
6 Furthermore Adonai said to him, “Now put your hand inside your coat.” He put his hand in his coat; and when he took it out his hand was leprous, as white as snow. 7 Then God said, “Now put your hand back in your coat.” He put his hand back in his coat; and when he took it out, it was as healthy as the rest of his body. 8 “If they won’t believe you or heed the evidence of the first sign, they will be convinced by the second. 9 But if they aren’t persuaded even by both these signs and still won’t listen to what you say, then take some water from the river, and pour it on the ground. The water you take from the river will turn into blood on the dry land.”
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Even having God reveal a unique divine name didn’t completely “sell” Moses on God’s call. Next, he raised the issue that the Israelite people weren’t there with him at the burning bush. They’d have to take his word for what had happened, and Moses feared, “They might say, ‘The Lord didn’t appear to you!’” No problem—God gave him signs to show cynics the divine power at work.
Prayer: Dear God, I sometimes wish for some amazing sign of power, yet I shrug off a beautiful sunset or a stirringly joyful bird’s song as just business as usual. Open my heart to the signs of your power and love all around me. Amen.
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Insights from Janelle Gregory
Janelle Gregory serves on the Resurrection staff as a Human Resources Specialist.
A friend of mine is convinced that Bigfoot is real. We’ve had conversations where he has gone into great detail about his theory, the proof that Bigfoot exists, and the conspiracies behind hiding the truth. Without a doubt, he is positive that there is a stealthy sasquatch creature roaming the forests. He is confident that this will come to light one day.
As he talks I sit, I listen, and then I roll my eyes. Bigfoot. Really? I find it very difficult to believe that we have the technology to find galaxies over 13 billion lightyears away, yet we struggle to find a giant, furry beast lumbering through some trees. I mean, seriously…
But then I think about what I believe as a Christian: virgin birth, resurrections, afterlife, miracles, and prayers. Sounds kooky. Sounds Bigfootish. Which is why the biggest fear I have in talking about my faith comes down to – what if they don’t believe me?
I ruminate over and over about this kind of conversation. Can I use scripture in a convincing way? Is there proof of God that I can share that will make them believe? If I talk about all the love and greatness I believe God to be, is that enough?
The answer? Maybe. Maybe not. For any of these, there will always be people who come back to make arguments against them. Certainly there are those who can speak about these topics more thoroughly and eloquently than me, but still – it’s difficult to show any definite and absolute proof of God.
While I may share scripture and tell all that I believe God to be, what I feel most confident in speaking to is how God has worked in my life. “This is what I believe God was telling me.” “Here’s how God worked through this situation.” “If it weren’t for the nudge from God, I never would have done this.”
There will always be people who won’t believe no matter how much they have heard or what they have seen, but I think that many will at least consider the possibility of God when we speak to how we experience his work in our lives. This is truth we know and truth we can share.
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Join us for worship today - click here for information on worship times and locations. If you are not in the Kansas City area, you can take part in our worship via live Web stream at rezonline.org.
Download a printable version of this week's GPS.
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6 Furthermore Adonai said to him, “Now put your hand inside your coat.” He put his hand in his coat; and when he took it out his hand was leprous, as white as snow. 7 Then God said, “Now put your hand back in your coat.” He put his hand back in his coat; and when he took it out, it was as healthy as the rest of his body. 8 “If they won’t believe you or heed the evidence of the first sign, they will be convinced by the second. 9 But if they aren’t persuaded even by both these signs and still won’t listen to what you say, then take some water from the river, and pour it on the ground. The water you take from the river will turn into blood on the dry land.”
-------
Even having God reveal a unique divine name didn’t completely “sell” Moses on God’s call. Next, he raised the issue that the Israelite people weren’t there with him at the burning bush. They’d have to take his word for what had happened, and Moses feared, “They might say, ‘The Lord didn’t appear to you!’” No problem—God gave him signs to show cynics the divine power at work.
- As Moses struggled with God’s call, God didn’t give Moses 10,000 soldiers, or even a spearproof chariot. Instead, God asked, “What’s that in your hand?” He used what Moses already had. (On Saturday, we’ll read that when Moses left for Egypt, he took that staff with him.) What’s in your hand? What abilities, experiences or connections do you have that God can use, if you make them available?
- Notice that God didn’t start with visible, hard-to-explain signs. Sometimes we think, “If God would just dazzle me with some sign of power, then I could believe.” But Scripture often told stories that show people who saw signs, yet still refused to believe (including Pharaoh, as we’ll see—and notably in Jesus’ life). What, now or earlier in your life, caused you to hold back from believing? How did you make the inner shift to becoming willing to believe?
Prayer: Dear God, I sometimes wish for some amazing sign of power, yet I shrug off a beautiful sunset or a stirringly joyful bird’s song as just business as usual. Open my heart to the signs of your power and love all around me. Amen.
-------
Insights from Janelle Gregory
Janelle Gregory serves on the Resurrection staff as a Human Resources Specialist.A friend of mine is convinced that Bigfoot is real. We’ve had conversations where he has gone into great detail about his theory, the proof that Bigfoot exists, and the conspiracies behind hiding the truth. Without a doubt, he is positive that there is a stealthy sasquatch creature roaming the forests. He is confident that this will come to light one day.
As he talks I sit, I listen, and then I roll my eyes. Bigfoot. Really? I find it very difficult to believe that we have the technology to find galaxies over 13 billion lightyears away, yet we struggle to find a giant, furry beast lumbering through some trees. I mean, seriously…
But then I think about what I believe as a Christian: virgin birth, resurrections, afterlife, miracles, and prayers. Sounds kooky. Sounds Bigfootish. Which is why the biggest fear I have in talking about my faith comes down to – what if they don’t believe me?
I ruminate over and over about this kind of conversation. Can I use scripture in a convincing way? Is there proof of God that I can share that will make them believe? If I talk about all the love and greatness I believe God to be, is that enough?
The answer? Maybe. Maybe not. For any of these, there will always be people who come back to make arguments against them. Certainly there are those who can speak about these topics more thoroughly and eloquently than me, but still – it’s difficult to show any definite and absolute proof of God.
While I may share scripture and tell all that I believe God to be, what I feel most confident in speaking to is how God has worked in my life. “This is what I believe God was telling me.” “Here’s how God worked through this situation.” “If it weren’t for the nudge from God, I never would have done this.”
There will always be people who won’t believe no matter how much they have heard or what they have seen, but I think that many will at least consider the possibility of God when we speak to how we experience his work in our lives. This is truth we know and truth we can share.
-------
Join us for worship today - click here for information on worship times and locations. If you are not in the Kansas City area, you can take part in our worship via live Web stream at rezonline.org.
Download a printable version of this week's GPS.
-------
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