By Jeff Church Hill Elder BFC

THE LORD'S APPOINTMENT -- Exodus 3:1-10 NIV

Exodus 3:1-10 NIV  1 "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 desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 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. 3 So
Moses thought, I will go over and see this strange sight-why the bush
does not burn up.

4 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.

5 Do not come any closer, God said. Take off your sandals, for the
place where you are standing is holy ground. 6 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.

7 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. 8 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-the
home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and
Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I
have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am
sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."

Imagine how Moses felt at this point.  There he was, having just been
spoken to by God Almighty, right there in person.  And God had just told
him that He had heard the cries of His people and would deliver them
from their bondage.  Moses was probably about ready to leap to the sky!
After all, Moses, too, had been upset about what had happened to the
Hebrew people.  Remember?  He even killed one of the Egyptians in a
blundering attempt to help. That's how he ended up where he was.  I can
just see him, about ready to burst with joy that the Hebrews would
finally be brought out of slavery!  Then God dropped the other shoe.  He
was going to use Moses to get them out.  Even though God had said, "I
have come down to deliver", He was going to use Moses to do it.

As we said before, God didn't need Moses to accomplish His purpose for
the Hebrew people.  He doesn't need you or me to accomplish His purpose
today.  But He is a God of love.  And by allowing us to participate in
His redemptive work, He allows us to share in His joy.

Look around you.  Slavery still exists... In fact, slavery is a
prominent part of life most everywhere... slavery to money, to drugs, to
alcohol, to co-dependency, to work, to sex, to food, to status, and
possibly worst of all, to works-oriented religion.  It's all around us.
As a Christian, you have a wonderful opportunity to be an instrument for
God in delivering people from their particular form of bondage and into
freedom through Jesus Christ.  And by being His instrument, you have the
opportunity to share in His joy.  Pray that God will show you where He
wants you to serve.  And remember, God doesn't ask about our ability or
inability, just our availability.

"...shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under
compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for
sordid gain, but with eagerness."  1 Peter 5:22 NIV