Just some early morning thoughts from me to you…
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.”
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.”
“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father,the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
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. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey…And now 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.
Exodus 3: 1-12
It’s coming to an end as we have known it. We all knew that one day it would.
As I sit here this morning I remember the first time Lynda and I watched it together some forty-five years ago during the first year of our marriage.
Year after year it ran from early Sunday evening all throughout the night and through the entirety of Labor Day with the host singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” to close the show at about 6:30 pm on Monday. It was affectionately referred to as the annual prescription for insomniacs, but was better known as the Jerry Lewis Labor Day MDA Telethon. It has brought hope to countless of millions through the years; hope that has offered the probability for many of dreams coming true.
The MDA Telethon has raised hundreds of millions of dollars over the years to help those afflicted with, and to find a cure for, forty-three horrific neuromuscular diseases. It offers hope, often where none can be seen on the horizon. As its national chairman, Jerry Lewis, for reasons he has never shared, tirelessly, along-side thousands of volunteers and friends, devoted his time, talents and treasures with every fiber of his being to provide a glimmer of hope to others as they reached for their dreams of a better life and for an ultimate cure for these dreaded diseases.
It will look different this year. No telethon, and for the few hours a show will occur, Jerry Lewis will not be there.
But hope remains.
And that’s always a fact within the promises of God—hope remains.
People like Jerry Lewis took on the cause of MDA and with God’s help—no doubt—moved it as a mission that has blessed the lives of countless others.
Things happen for God’s glory and our good—hope and blessings—when we answer the call to do that which God calls us to do, and continue to align our lives in obedience with Him and especially as it relates to touching the lives of others. It’s in those moments when we sense hope filling our lives and the lives of others in the world, and it’s then we begin to experience all the blessings God has in store for us.
In every act of obedience to God’s call on our lives, there is a blessing just around the corner. In every act of obedience, there is the assurance of God’s protection on our lives.
Moses didn’t think he would be able to do that which God called him to do—to lead the Israelites out bondage and out of Egypt. But he did what God called him to do—he acted in obedience to God’s call. And God led and protected him and the Israelites to freedom and safety all the way to the Promised Land—to the land of milk and honey.
What is God calling you to do?
What is it you know you should do—that you know would move you closer and closer to becoming the person God created you to be?
What is it that would be an act of obedience for you—resulting in a fistful of blessings on the other side of your decision, on the other side of your act of obedience?
Whatever it is—do it!
Because to not do what you know God is calling you to do is to settle for less. Less than what He wants for you; less than who you can be; less of the blessings which God stands ready to heap on you and those around you.
Don’t settle—but instead step out in obedience to whatever God is calling you to. Step out and continue to be all He calls you to be.
He stands ready to bless you, and bless all you do for and with Him.
In His Name—Scott
Copyright 2012. Scott L. Whitaker. All rights reserved.
