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Ever found yourself wishing you could just skip some assignments? Reading through Chapter 3 of Exodus and reading a recent post over at Denise’s and Sharon’s blog, triggered me to thinking about how we all have some assignments we would rather pass up.

The Call of Moses

During an ordinary day of tending his father-in-law’s sheep. Moses sees an unusual occurrence-a burning bush that is not consumed. As he draws closer, the great I Am informs him that he has been hand selected to rescue the Israelites from Egyptian captivity.

I am grateful for a God that is able to capture my attention even in the midst of the mundane tasks of life.

The Excuses of Moses

Like any good person who has been unwittingly volunteered by another individual to do a job that has never been done before, Moses had plenty of reasons why he was unfit for the job. The litany of Moses excuses included being afraid of what other people would think, not being an eloquent speaker, and not being properly equipped for the assignment.

Even with all the time that has passed between the call of Moses and the days of my life, I find myself having those very same excuses. When asked to do something outside of my comfort zone, I wonder:

1. Who am I that I should be the one to do it? Surely there is someone else who can do it better than me.

2. But God surely you know I’m not very good at___________________ (fill in the blank)

3. What if people don’t like what I say or what I write?

The Equipping of Moses

What I like about Moses’ story is that God was patient with him. He didn’t just ignore Moses’ concerns. Although He acknowledge his concerns, He did not acquit Moses from the intended assignment. Instead God reminded Moses that he was the creator.

“Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say. Exodus 4:10-11 (NIV)

Like Moses, I can be consumed with me and totally lose sight of the fact that it’s not about me at all. I’m only the vessel that God chooses to use. Anything that I say or do that has impact on another is only because of the Him.  Even with all my flaws, God counts me as usable. Now that is amazing!

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Numero uno. Just one. Who wants to me alone when they’re in the heat of a battle?

Nope not me. I’m not raising my hand. As I think about the Sunday school lesson dealing with Elijah’s battle royale with prophets of Baal, I am just amazed. Not only was he outnumbered but he made the contest harder by insisting that the alter be dashed with water multiple times. Now anybody knows it’s difficult to get wet wood to burn.  

But burn baby burn it did. Not only did the wood burn but all of the water was soaked up as well.

Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said , The LORD, he is the God; the LORD,he is the God. I Kings 18: 38-39 (KJV)

When we are faced with our very own show downs and it appears as if we are outnumbered and in the midst of impossible situations, it often looks like we are all alone. But  the story of Elijah illustrates  that me (you) and God are enough.

Personally, I have found that it’s during those time of intense battles where it’s just me and God that I come to know the Lord is indeed God in more ways that I had known before.

LORD, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.
      You guard all that is mine. Psalms 16: 5 NLT

Just sharing a verse that stuck out in my reading today. Are you enjoying your cup of blessing? If God is guard all that belongs to us why are we fretting?

While our dream may not be of the same magnitude as Dr. King, God has given each of us a dream—a picture of what our future can be. And in order to bring that dream into fruition, it will require that same tenacity and fortitude. Everyone will not agree with our dreams and others will outright oppose it but we must be willing to press forward any way.

But the land which you enter to possess is a land of hills and valleys which drinks water of the rain of the heavens. A land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.  Deuteronomy 11:11-12 (AMP)

Do you see it? God has your whole year covered.

Each and every day is under the watchful eye of our Lord. Just as the land the Israelites were going to possess contained hills and valleys, we can expect our 2012 to contain some ups and downs. But God not only knows that, He cares about you and me. From start to finish, 365 days of this year, He will have His eye on you.

One of the books I’ve started reading this year is Joyce Meyer’s Power Thoughts. It has been waiting among the heap of books on my TBR pile for quite sometime. But for whatever reasons, I decided to delve into this year. The quote below stood out to me.

Your mind can be a junkyard or treasure chest, and you alone have the power to choose what it will be.

I read some where that the average number of thoughts per day is between 12,000 to 50,000. Now that’s a lot of thinking. Much of what flounders through my mind is random frets, worries, or anxieties about upcoming tasks. One moment my thoughts are on work and the next a myriad of other things are pressing on my mind.

According to Joyce we have the power to make a choice. During this year, I am trying to be more cognizant of making better choices on where I allow my thoughts to dwell. Philippians 4:8 admonishes us to think wisely.

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. (The Message)

A key to making the most of our new beginning this year is garrisoning our thought life. Wishing you a year of mindful thinking!

There is just something about the dawn of a new year that has many people embracing new possibilities. Every year we convince ourselves that some how this year will be different for us. We will leave behind the past and become the best that we can be. January is a month that has us feeling hopeful and envisioning all the good things that life may unfold throughout the year. It’s a brand new beginning.

The start of 2012 and my chronological Bible reading plan has me contemplating how to make the most of our beginnings. As I pointed out in my post titled, On the Crux of Eve, we are not limited to new beginnings just in January. But whenever we have the opportunity to start anew, how do we really make it count?

As I read the account of creation, I took notice of the activities that God was engaged in during the beginning of time.

When the earth was without form and void: and darkness was upon the face of the deep. The spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.  Genesis 1:2

When everything was a blank slate, God got busy moving. He was doing the following:

1. Creating
2. Speaking
3. Ordering

According to Genesis 1:26a, we were created in the image or likeness of God. Which has me thinking that during my beginnings I should be undertaking these same activities.  I have been handed a blank slate and the question is what will I be creating during the year? Will I let my creative abilities lie dormant? What words will I be speaking? Life or death? Will I seek to bring order into my life or will allow the chaos of the world to overwhelm me?

How do you spend the beginning of your year?

January is the time of year, when many resolve to do new things and essentially to become a better person. As I jumped around the blogosphere, I discovered an interesting challenge being hosted by Cindy at She Sparkles.

Participants are invited to memorize 26 verses in ABC style throughout the year. The challenge began on yesterday with the A-verse.

As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15b

A brand new verse is posted every other week. The challenge runs from January 1 to December 17. For more information or to join the challenge hop on over to She Sparkles.

Here we are nearing the eve of a new year. Every since a few days before Christmas eve, the word eve has been lodged in my forethoughts. As I thought on Christmas eve, I couldn’t help but wonder if any one could sense something different in the atmosphere. One day the world was still in the waiting stage, and the next day the wait was over—the Messiah had arrived.

Many people will gather at parties or perhaps church services watching and waiting on New Year’s eve. Waiting to see the old depart and welcome the new. The word eve is defined as the evening or day preceding a special day or the period immediately preceding a certain event. Our calendars help us to easily see the eve of Christmas and New Year’s. But there are some eves that can’t be easily identified by a calendar. Eves happen all around us and throughout our lives.

God does not need a specific date to give us an eve. My mind goes back to such individuals as Saul. One day he was headed out prepared to assassinate Christians not knowing he was on the eve of his deliverance and start to ministry. On an ordinary day of tending sheep, David was on the eve of being anointed King. Happily preparing for marriage, Mary had no idea she was on the eve of an unexpected pregnancy. Zachariah a faithful servant of God, while doing what was customary for priest, was on the eve of having his prayer answered.

During this time of year, it’s customary to have our thoughts filled with ideas for new endeavors or old endeavors that plan to tackle with new fervor. But much of the steam for these projects dies out during mid-year. However, I’m encouraged as I am reminded that I’m not limited to a eve on certain times of the year. With God things are subject to change at any time.

Like most people, there are different things I’m trying in this upcoming year. One of which you might have noticed. I have moved my blog to WordPress (hope I didn’t lose any of you in the process of my switch). And I certainly wish you well any new undertakings but do not lose heart if going into the new year some things remain the same. Your opportunity for an eve is not limited to December 31st.

Wishing you a Happy & Prosperous New Year!