The Crux of the Christian Life

 I would like to begin with one of the oldest stories many of us are acquainted with: Moses in the wildness of wilderness.

“The great illusion of leadership is to think that a man can be led out of the desert by someone who has never been there.”*

*Henri Nouwen: The Wounded Healer. p.72.

I want to apply the story in a much larger context: everyday life. It is in the wildness of the wilderness the Holy Spirit re-orients us to a new economy of living.

“One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro,[a] the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai,[b] the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. 3 “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.”

4 When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

“Here I am!” Moses replied.

5 “Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. 6 I am the God of your father[c]—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God” (Ex. 3:1-6 NLT).

The new economy? The dependence on God Himself. In all that could be said about this encounter, God was introducing Himself to a man who had been stripped of everything except his staff.

And now THAT staff.

The staff of Moses’ identity, snake of self, became a staff of surrender of Moses’ and God’s new identity.

In this encounter with God and, eventually, through the wilderness, Moses was going to know a new economy, a new dependence-God as his provision but, also a new identity of who God is and, therefore, who Moses is.

When we come to a deeper encounter with God, we become more of the person God intended us to be. Our core identity is freed from adaptations, forgeries, and dominations birthed out of the systems we created in order to survive life.

It is imperative, for us as believers in Jesus Christ, to understand the essence of who we are—this core—is restored only by the new birth. This is the crux of the Christian life. The Holy Spirit is committed to freeing us into the soul of who God created us to be - nothing less than resurrection living—Christlikeness.

What has God called you to surrender? In what way has it freed you to be more of whom God intended you?

God passions to be intimate with us His; presence be our purpose, our resource, our very life.

You must not bow down to another god, because the Lord is passionate: the Lord’s name means “a passionate God.” (Ex.34:14 CEB)

In the wildness of my own wilderness journey, I have come to realize my mind is primed to expect, “I am not going to make it.” I had to be ready for the worst to happen. I had to be prepared. As a child, I had to do everything possible to keep from dying. And yet, I did not have any tools to deal with life and how hazardous it would be. I could not rust anyone to take care of me. I was filled with anxiety and dread.  I had to push on no matter how dangerous.

This dread had become my default. However, I have come to the place to observe those body sensations and beliefs. Another way to put it, to calmly stand back in those situations which trigger that knee-jerk reaction, tag it as a “feeling”.

It’s been through this process, I have became more available to the Lord’s presence coming to see things from that divine perspective of God being my provision, resource and direction in life.

So here’s something you might want to reflect on:

And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. (1 Sam. 3:10-11 NLT)

Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Lk. 1:38 NKJV)

He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” (Mk.14:5-36 NLT)

What does it mean to you to be personally available to Christ?

Reflect on a specific challenging time the Lord called you to be available to Him. What made it challenging? What came out of that experience?

Are there situations or relationships which make it demanding to be at His disposal? If so, what are they?

The deepest level of worship is praising God through the pain, thanking God during the trials, trusting Him when we are tempted to lose hope, and loving Him even when He seems distant.

At my lowest, God is my hope.

At my darkest, God is my light.

At my weakest, God is my strength.

At my saddest, God is my comforter.*

*Rick Warren quote: The deepest level of worship is praising God  inspite of... (azquotes.com)

Michael