Readings: Exodus 3: 1-19 Mt. 28:19 Mt. 26:27
Exodus 4: 1-18 1 Cor 2:10 Ps. 115:1
Mt. 25: 21
Last Sunday’s (03.13.05) worship service pierced my heart. I admit that the message was REALLY for me. I had been contemplating to write this topic but never get started to scribble a paragraph. I had been laying the thought aside until yesterday the idea confronted me.
Just for a background, I’m the kind of person who scribbles my thoughts (not for others to read of course; I don’t usually share my memoir—not til recently I started posting some of it. My special friends- Christiné Grotiendek, Judy Clarke and Helen Johanson—have inspired me to share my write up. They are my mentors in my spiritual growth, they nurtured me when I was still a babe in Christ. Thank you sisters for the love and concern! God bless you.) I write whatever opinions/ views/ feelings toy my head so I can process it within, and then agree to the fact that it exists and/or is really happening to me or around me, and finally won’t make an excuse of denying the situations. (I’m prone to “self-denial” mechanism; my self-defense against pain, burden and reality confrontation)
Back to the main issue of this journal, last Sunday’s speaker (Bro. Cris B.) talked about taking our mission order from God. His best example?, MOSES!
Yeah, Moses! And we all know his life, from being the Prince of Egypt (for his first forty years), to living a life as a shepherd in the wilderness (his next forty years), and as a missionary ( the last forty years of his life).
Good for Moses, he finished his orders well despite the fact we know he had some bumpy journey but still he finished well, I must say. What amazed me with Moses’ life was even if he didn’t enter the promise land as the consequence of his action (as we all know, Moses broke faith with God & didn’t uphold God’s holiness—Deut. 32: 51) and yet, God himself buried Moses (Deut. 34:6). It’s really a marvelous truth, looking at the angle of God’s very nature. See the picture? Moses failed at one time ( big time or small time perhaps—but it doesn’t matter on what perspective you are examining) but the point is God STILL poured out His love on Moses regardless of his failure. Ain’t that a demonstration of God’s JUST and LOVING nature? Not going to the promise land could be sad, everyone was going but not you. The big HOWEVER was BEING buried by God (our CREATOR- the Almighty) was far greater than honor and joy ( there was none after Moses recorded in the bible that was being buried by God; none after Moses who knew God face to face)
We will not be buried by God (definitely, we won’t be). But I would like to hear God tell me “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Mt. 25:21). It’s more than the gold medal each one aimed when we were yet in high school. It’s far more than honorable being the Summa Cum Laude. And this is what I want to dig in my write up.
But first, for us to be commended by God “well done, good and faithful servant…”. We have to take our mission orders from Him.
Do we know our mission orders as Christians? One of our mission orders is in Matthew 28: 19 says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…”. Or do we reject our mission orders for reasons we enumerate before God? Moses made his alibis too ( Exodus 3-4). But no matter how valid our excuses are. No matter how long the list can be, the point is God commanded us. Don’t miss the idea, that God, the Self-Existing one, the Creator, the Almighty, the Sovereign, is the one telling us to go.
Easier said than done! True. But unless you understood that it’s not about you, it’s about God. Knowing that it is He that created us, and it is He that will send or command us, it is He that will equip us, sustain us against the numerous limitations we set before God (just to justify our unwillingness to obey or our certainty to fail the orders, actually).
It makes sense to me why Moses or Paul had to go downhill from their social status ( a prince of Egypt and zealous Pharisee, respectively). God humbles them down so that there will be no feeling of superiority, self-centeredness and egotism. No “puro na lang ako, ako” mania. This also happens so that the less schooled individual could see that it is when we are empty of “self” that God uses us. Basically there’s nothing in us that God needs in order to qualify as ambassador of Christ. He simply chose us because that’s the PURPOSE of our existence not because we are brilliant, have an edge compared to others, best in our fields, wealthy, or famous. No! it is not our standard. We are called for – (as Christians) BY GOD.
And to be able to finish the task well, IS to be DEPENDENT on the SENDER moment by moment. Apart from Him, we are nothing. Our diploma is NOTHING.
If you won’t do what God commanded you to do, someone will. You’ll never know what you are missing. God’s plan will always prevail. To be on God’s team is more than what one can ask for.
_____________________
written and inspired by last sunday's worship service-- march 13, 2005 @ CCF Mlybly
Exodus 4: 1-18 1 Cor 2:10 Ps. 115:1
Mt. 25: 21
Last Sunday’s (03.13.05) worship service pierced my heart. I admit that the message was REALLY for me. I had been contemplating to write this topic but never get started to scribble a paragraph. I had been laying the thought aside until yesterday the idea confronted me.
Just for a background, I’m the kind of person who scribbles my thoughts (not for others to read of course; I don’t usually share my memoir—not til recently I started posting some of it. My special friends- Christiné Grotiendek, Judy Clarke and Helen Johanson—have inspired me to share my write up. They are my mentors in my spiritual growth, they nurtured me when I was still a babe in Christ. Thank you sisters for the love and concern! God bless you.) I write whatever opinions/ views/ feelings toy my head so I can process it within, and then agree to the fact that it exists and/or is really happening to me or around me, and finally won’t make an excuse of denying the situations. (I’m prone to “self-denial” mechanism; my self-defense against pain, burden and reality confrontation)
Back to the main issue of this journal, last Sunday’s speaker (Bro. Cris B.) talked about taking our mission order from God. His best example?, MOSES!
Yeah, Moses! And we all know his life, from being the Prince of Egypt (for his first forty years), to living a life as a shepherd in the wilderness (his next forty years), and as a missionary ( the last forty years of his life).
Good for Moses, he finished his orders well despite the fact we know he had some bumpy journey but still he finished well, I must say. What amazed me with Moses’ life was even if he didn’t enter the promise land as the consequence of his action (as we all know, Moses broke faith with God & didn’t uphold God’s holiness—Deut. 32: 51) and yet, God himself buried Moses (Deut. 34:6). It’s really a marvelous truth, looking at the angle of God’s very nature. See the picture? Moses failed at one time ( big time or small time perhaps—but it doesn’t matter on what perspective you are examining) but the point is God STILL poured out His love on Moses regardless of his failure. Ain’t that a demonstration of God’s JUST and LOVING nature? Not going to the promise land could be sad, everyone was going but not you. The big HOWEVER was BEING buried by God (our CREATOR- the Almighty) was far greater than honor and joy ( there was none after Moses recorded in the bible that was being buried by God; none after Moses who knew God face to face)
We will not be buried by God (definitely, we won’t be). But I would like to hear God tell me “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Mt. 25:21). It’s more than the gold medal each one aimed when we were yet in high school. It’s far more than honorable being the Summa Cum Laude. And this is what I want to dig in my write up.
But first, for us to be commended by God “well done, good and faithful servant…”. We have to take our mission orders from Him.
Do we know our mission orders as Christians? One of our mission orders is in Matthew 28: 19 says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…”. Or do we reject our mission orders for reasons we enumerate before God? Moses made his alibis too ( Exodus 3-4). But no matter how valid our excuses are. No matter how long the list can be, the point is God commanded us. Don’t miss the idea, that God, the Self-Existing one, the Creator, the Almighty, the Sovereign, is the one telling us to go.
Easier said than done! True. But unless you understood that it’s not about you, it’s about God. Knowing that it is He that created us, and it is He that will send or command us, it is He that will equip us, sustain us against the numerous limitations we set before God (just to justify our unwillingness to obey or our certainty to fail the orders, actually).
It makes sense to me why Moses or Paul had to go downhill from their social status ( a prince of Egypt and zealous Pharisee, respectively). God humbles them down so that there will be no feeling of superiority, self-centeredness and egotism. No “puro na lang ako, ako” mania. This also happens so that the less schooled individual could see that it is when we are empty of “self” that God uses us. Basically there’s nothing in us that God needs in order to qualify as ambassador of Christ. He simply chose us because that’s the PURPOSE of our existence not because we are brilliant, have an edge compared to others, best in our fields, wealthy, or famous. No! it is not our standard. We are called for – (as Christians) BY GOD.
And to be able to finish the task well, IS to be DEPENDENT on the SENDER moment by moment. Apart from Him, we are nothing. Our diploma is NOTHING.
If you won’t do what God commanded you to do, someone will. You’ll never know what you are missing. God’s plan will always prevail. To be on God’s team is more than what one can ask for.
_____________________
written and inspired by last sunday's worship service-- march 13, 2005 @ CCF Mlybly
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