We often feel like we have to get our act together before we can do something. We say things like, “We will have children when we are financially secure”, or “I will do this when I am older”, or “I will go to church when I have gotten my act together”, and so on. We often hold ourselves back from things we want to do because we feel like we need to make changes or improvements to ourselves first. But the gospel tells us to come as we are, and once we are there, God will show us what we need to do. In today’s story, we see Moses coming to God as he is, and God revealing to Him the first things he needs to know.
“The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. So Moses said, “I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.” 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.” Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.“ (Exodus 3:2-6)
Moses saw the bush, turned aside, and went to see it. God speaks to him from within the bush, and Moses answers. God tells Moses to “Take off your shoes, you are on holy ground.” The first thing we notice in this verse is that God does not tell Moses to get his act together and come back tomorrow. He waits until Moses is there, interacting with him, and then reveals to him his need to make some changes. Similarly, today God calls us to come to Jesus just as we are. He does not require us to change, to become something we are not, to “get our act together”, to grow up, etc., before we come to Him. He calls us to Himself just as we are, in whatever condition we are in. Once we are there, God reveals Himself to us and shows us what to do. We don’t change in order to get to God, we change because we have gotten to God.
This is a fundamental difference between Christianity and every other major religion on the planet. In the other religions, we must make adjustments to our life to get to the goal, whatever the goal may be in that particular religion. But in Christianity, God wants us to come as we are, and we make adjustments because we are in His presence, not in order to get there, but because we are there. This is connected to the fact that “God is light”.
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5)
To try to clean ourselves up before we come into God’s light is like trying to clean our house in the dark. God does not want us to “get our act together” before coming to Him because before we are in His presence we are in the dark and cannot see what needs to be done. We must come to the light first. Once we are in the light, we can now see what is needed. It is like seeing a bar or restaurant that we frequent in the daylight for the first time. It looks completely different, because we can see it clearly when the lights are fully on.
During our lives before Christ, we are walking in the dark and do not see very well. We are blind to the things of God. They often do not even make sense to us. But when we are born again, the light of God comes on in our lives and we see clearly for the first time, seeing things that we have never noticed before. His word in the Bible begins to make sense to us for the first time, for example. We see Him at work in the world around us for the first time. As a matter of fact, most of life looks completely different to us now that the “Light” is on, so to speak. Change is inevitable, at that point. We cannot help it. Like turning on a bright light in a dirty room, we cannot help but grab a broom and start sweeping. This is what it is like to be born again. It is like having the lights on in our life for the very first time, and being able to see life clearly. It is truly amazing.
Has the “Light” come on in your life yet? Has God told you to “remove your shoes” so to speak? Is there something in your life that you need to let go of in order to move forward in your relationship with God?
What one or two things is God telling you to do differently, to change, to start doing or to stop doing? What is the “Light” of God revealing to you about yourself? About your need to change?
I encourage you to be like Moses and go with it. Take off your shoes, for the ground we are on is holy. We are not standing next to a burning bush on a mountain but are standing by faith in the very Son of God, who gave Himself up for us, was crucified on our behalf, and has risen from the dead. We are indeed in a holy place, and should act accordingly.
If the “Light” has not come on in your life yet, even if you have been attending church for years, I encourage you to ask God to turn His light on in your life, right now, by earnestly praying to Him either in your own words, or by using the words below.
Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for Your forgiveness. I believe in You, that You came in the flesh, were crucified, buried, and rose from the dead, and are now seated at the right hand of the Father. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. I pray that Your “Light”, the light of God, would shine into my life, revealing to me my sins. I ask that You would give me “eyes to see and ears to hear”, that I may begin to understand Your ways and walk with You daily. Transform me by the renewing of my mind. Thank You Lord for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus name I pray, amen.
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”” (John 8:12)
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