“Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” Exodus 3:10 ESV
I remember, shortly after becoming the Lead Pastor of my church, receiving an invitation from the leader of our denomination. The letter invited me to join his team to help prepare and invest in the future generation. I was excited and really thought I was needed. I thought to myself, if I am being called to headquarters, they must want something I have. When I arrived at the event, I soon learned it was more of a fundraiser to invest in the next generation than it was him or anyone else wanting my ideas and input. They didn’t want me; they wanted the resources I represented. I have to say, though I am sure the intentions of the invitation were pure, it did feel like it could have been clearer in what was really expected of me but follow this devotion. It gets good.
Moses received an invitation from God to join Him at the bush that was set ablaze, but not consumed. Moses was making his way through the desert to find good grazing land for the flock he was leading. God knowing where Moses was, presented the opportunity for the encounter. Moses responded to the invitation by becoming curious and that curiosity changed his life and the lives of many others.
There are two key directions in this invitation that we can learn from. The first is the invitation to come to the Lord. Moses saw the bush, but he still had to make the effort to go to it. It is from this experience he encountered God who is holy. Where God is, that place is holy. It is pure, it is powerful, and it is life changing. God made a bush in a desert holy. Imagine what He can do where you are?
Jesus tells us to come to Him when we are tired and weary. Throughout the Bible, that powerful invitation of coming to the Lord changes our lives. We get rest, we learn, we grow. We come to Jesus in prayer. We come to Jesus in reading and studying His word. We come to church to gather with other believers to meet with Jesus. Coming to the Lord makes us better.
As I look back on when I was asked to go meet with our denominational leader and with other pastors, I was responding to the invitation to come and learn. That is what I did. I learned what they wanted to do to reach the next generation. I learned the heart of our Superintendent. I learned the plans of how we were going to accomplish the goals. I did not walk away empty. I walked away with opportunity.
When God calls us to come to Him, there is usually the invitation to go with Him. This is the second direction of the invitation. Moses came to God, heard God and then obeyed and went with God to do the assignment. If you ever wonder why the enemy wants to distract you from prayer, the Bible, and going to church, you now know why. He does not want you hearing about your mission, your destiny, and your purpose.
I like what Pastor John Hagee says about Romans 10:17 that tells us faith comes by hearing the word of God. He says if faith comes, it also goes. God said to Moses, “Come, and I will send you…”. The faith of Moses was going to be put into action. The time you spend personally with God will encourage and give you hope. He will meet your needs, but He will also equip you to go and do something with what you have learned from Him. Someone needs what you have from God to give.
When I came home from my time with other leaders in my denomination, I was equipped with a vision. I had been given a plan and an opportunity to invest. Our church did just that many years ago. As a result, I believe we are reaping the fruit of those seeds sown over 15 years ago. Our church has an amazing number of young adults who love Jesus. They are serving, going on mission trips, and reaching out to others. Our young families are raising generations who know Jesus. We launched an Academy two years ago that teaches high schoolers and college students the foundations of faith. These students come for a whole month in June, giving up the first part of their summer. They learn the Father Heart of God, Apologetics, The Holy Spirit, Identity in Christ and the Biblical foundations of our US constitution. They are being prepared for college campuses and careers with strong faith.
I look back and I see it is a result of responding to an invitation and going and making a difference in others with what I learned. You too can make a difference in what God is calling you to do. Respond to the invitation, meet with Jesus and go with Him to change the world.
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