Turned to Look

Exodus 3:3-4 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” 4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”

Do we hear, do we listen, and do we obey? Some of that may seem redundant, but there is a difference is hearing and listening. We can go through life without hearing God. We can turn our backs on God and live for this world’s pleasure, and be condemned to Hell for our hearts focused on worldly pursuits of any sort. We can never hear God I believe after a supposed salvation, a simple act of accepting Jesus, but moving back to the same misguided worldly focus, that I will not judge where our eternity lies. We only hear God if he demands to be heard, or if we pursue him through prayer and his Word. In biblical truth, we are actually responding in those acts to a pursuit by God towards us first; John 6:65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” He seeks you out first, not the other way around.

If we hear Him, do we listen or just move on? The listening requires a much more intimate relationship, an intimacy that grows in time together, and the acts of obedience. If we listen to him, we begin to understand it is God that is speaking to us, and he doesn’t waste any time or words. He doesn’t speak to hear himself talk, he desires you to be like Christ, and I promise you, that requires action on your part. When you listen, you will hear many things that sting, the pointing out of sin, the denial of your request for the better good, the tough ways God works through pain in our lives and around us, the truths of God do not agree with the world who lives for itself; God teaches selflessness and sacrifice love for others, listening requires change always.

If we hear, and begin to listen, we must act as Moses did. Obedience is the quickest and only way to draw near to God. Obedience is the act of making you a disciple of Jesus Christ, transforming you into his image, and the removal of sin one step at a time. Obedience declares war on Satan, and a true disciple will live a roller-coaster of highs and lows for the rest of their life as they dedicate this life to Christ, who gave his life for them. Obedience is a requirement and spine of every Christian’s life; if not, that is between you and God.

These scriptures are very personal to me. Without an exposition of the last ten years of my life, after feeling the call to preach, I have ridden that roller-coaster of a disciple. I have preached a short time, and stepped down from the pulpit. I have seen the ministries he gave me flourish and fade. I have seen the opportunity outside of church to proclaim the gospel to all that will hear. I have seen my testimony open new doors to proclaim in ways I couldn’t imagine. I thank God for reaching out to this wretched sinner, continually extending undeserved mercy, giving unmerited grace, and for a heart that seeks to listen and obey. I am so glad I turned to look. I pray that you will too.