We get stuck in life when we are
more interested in what we are doing rather than in what God is doing. Taking
time away on the Oregon Coast has reminded me of the presence of God through
the breathtaking view of creation. There
seemed to be an increased closeness with God as we walked down the beach.
Just a side note . . . it does seem that regardless of the weather, Oregonians love taking a walk down the beach . . . barefoot, feeling the sand between the toes, smelling the freshness of the sea, with the cool ocean breeze tugging at us . . . drinking a cup of coffee. It is what Oregonians like to do on our beaches.
How is possible to live aware of the presence of God in each
moment?
Think about what happened to Moses: 1-2
Moses was shepherding the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of
Midian. He led the flock to the west end of the wilderness and came to the
mountain of God, Horeb. The angel of God
appeared to him in flames of fire blazing out of the middle of a bush. He
looked. The bush was blazing away but it didn't burn up. 3 Moses
said, "What's going on here? I can't believe this! Amazing! Why doesn't
the bush burn up?" Exodus 3:1-3
Imagine Moses telling this story to the scribes as it was being written down for the book of Exodus. How could anyone adequately describe the fire of God revealed in a burning bush?The bush, not consumed by flame, portrays God as eternal, sufficient, and perpetuating.
And yet . . . in the midst of all the power . . . there was an incredible encounter
. . . the beginning of a personal relationship as well as an awareness of the living,
indwelling, holy God: 4
God saw that he had stopped to
look. God called to him from out of the bush, "Moses! Moses!" He
said, "Yes? I'm right here!" 5 God
said, "Don't come any closer. Remove your sandals from your feet. You're
standing on holy ground." 6 Then he said,
"I am the God of your father: The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the
God of Jacob." Exodus 3:6-8
Moses took his sandals off
in the hot dessert sand in front of the burning bush. In the ancient days, taking off sandals was a
symbol of surrender and respect. Like
Moses, we are created to pay attention and take our “sandals off” in the
presence of God. If, we refuse to take our sandals off, then, we are disregarding the presence of God.
Take
your sandals off in the presence of God and make the next 48 days before Labor
Day count.
Know God is present . . .
Live like God is present . . .
Encounter God . . .
Surrender your stuff to the presence
of God . . .
Engage and participate with what God
is doing . . .
Go barefoot . . . take your sandals
off . . .
And . . . while you are at it . . .
feel the sand in your toes and celebrate the presence of God.
Learning with you to KICK START the day . . . barefoot in the presence of God.
Pastor Kerrie
(written by Kerrie Palmer © 2010 All
Rights Reserved)
interactstudies/ ~
kpalmer@hillchurch.com ~Church on the Hill~700 N. Hill Rd.~McMinnville, OR
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