Where is God?

I am currently preparing for a mission trip to Cairo, Egypt. Myself along with the help of 6 other men have the oppertunity to teach people there what it means to be a follower of Jesus. The local church and pastor there in Cairo, have titled the week, "The Life of a Jesus Follower". In this week we will be studying three topics: 1. Your relationship to God, 2. Your relationship to others (Christian and Non-Christian people), and 3. Your relationship to God's mission in the world.

On Sunday March 9th, I have the awesome oppertunity to preach to them and have been led to use a passage of Scripture in Exodus 3. Here Moses is pasturing the flock of his father-in-law and an angel of the Lord appears to him in a buring bush. Moses wanting to see why the bush was buring and not being consumed came closer where God speaks to him. As you read through the rest of chapter 3 and into 4 you find God revealing to Moses His will. As I sometimes do, I was caught up in the calling and commissioning of Moses failing to see one of the biggest lessons in the first few verses.

It is here where we see God presenting Himself to Moses through a burning bush and I like many others have by-passed this portion of scripture going right to what God shared with Moses. When we do this we fail to see that God longed to have a love relationship with Moses just like he longs to have one with you. He may not always come to you through a buring bush, but God God does come. He comes in many forms: a not so friendly sales clerk at Walmart, someone who is having car trouble on the side of the road, someone who has a flat tire in the Publix parking lot, the lonly soul wondering around in a park or at the mall, the student who is being picked on day after day, the janitor at work, school or sports games, the co-worker who just received notice that the company is downsizing, your own child or spouse who has had a bad day at school or work. God longs for you to approach Him in all of these situations.

God presents Himself to us in many ways. He has come seeking out a relationship with you; He desires for you to be about His businees in this world. And like Moses he will call out to you, but it is up to YOU to answer back. God has given us the freedom to choose whom we will serve, "for you can not serve two master," Matthew 6:24. For it is when you do this that you will love one and despise the other. The question remains, "Do you love God enough to serve Him?"

As I said earlier God desires a love relationship with you. God took the initiative to come to Moses and initiate a love relationship with him. He has the same desire and passion for you, to be in a love realtionship with Himself that is real and personal. There are other examples of a love relationship in scripture: Exodus 33:7-34:10 or Numbers 12:-8. (information and study gathered from Henery Balckaby, "Experiencing God")

A love relationship with God is both real and personal. It is the most important relationship that you will ever enter into in your life. God wants you to love Him with your entire self. He loved you enough to send His Son Jesus for the remission of your sins. God demonstrated His love for you through the death and ressurection of His only Son Jesus at Calvary. Are you ready to love Him back? If not then you are openly admitting to loving the world more. The love of the world will not last, read Revelation chapters 19-22.

May the Lord bless you and keep you in all the days that are ahead.