A New Calling, New Behaviors
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As I was thinking about what to preach on and God gave me this idea. A New Calling Requires New Behaviors. So many times we get stuck in the idea that if I do x- Y wil happen and we repeat that process over and over again. If I go to work and get my work done I will be paid. If I help clean the house my wife will be happy. If I press this button on the computer there is an expected outcome. If I go to the grocery store, run to this isle, I can pick up this item and all will be well.
We, as people, create patterns in our life based off of information that we have recieved. They do scientific studies on this all the time. Train a rat to press this button and food comes out. Every time the rat is hungry food will come out if he presses this button. Then they change things. The add a button. The button the rat is used to doesn’t give food, but the new button does. The rat starves because its trained itself to press that one singular button for food and now that button isn’t producing.
The grocery store changes the products around. We go in to our normal spot. What we need is no longer there. What do we do? We get angry we shuffle things around on the shelf looking for it and then we stomp around the store mumbling about the stupid grocery store moving things.
We are creatures of habit and pattern.
We see this same idea with Moses.
Exodus chapter 17 the Israelites are complaining in the wilderness of Sin (if that isn’t telling enough) that they are thirsty. They want water. God tells Moses to strike the rock and water will gush out, enough for the people and their live stock to drink. Moses is setting a patter in his life. He used the staff with Pharaoh numerous times, He used the staff to split the red Sea, and now he used the staff to give Israel water.
Fast Forward to Numbers chapter 20.
2 Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
3 And the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord!
4 Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle?
5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.”
6 Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them,
7 and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
8 “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.”
9 And Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he commanded him.
11 And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock.
You see Moses had a set pattern in his life. You take the staff you use the staff. The issue with this idea is that
1. Patterns become our god
When we are used to inputing said information and getting said result we get into a rut were faith is no longer required, thinking is no longer required, but rather one action and outcome.
Here God wanted Moses to speak to the rock. It doesn’t state for curtain why God wanted Moses to speak to the rock instead of striking the rock, but if you look throughout Israel’s history you can make a hypothesis.
If the staff is used too much the staff is deemed powerful and will more than likely become the object of worship in Israel’s life. We can conclude this becuase
12 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”
The idea was Moses was to speak to the rock, a different behavior than he is used to, so that God gets the glory and not Moses. Moses had to Act differently to achieve a higher blessing.
A Theologian declares this
A sin of impulse
In his impulse he put himself in the position to take God’s glory instead of giving the glory to God.
Sometimes God’s calling can be inconvenient. But God doesn’t do anything without reason. He wanted Israel to know who was supplying for their needs so they would continue to serve God. So they would see God’s hand in their lives.
2. a training in Perspective.
God changes our patterns to change our perspective.
God desires to be first in our life. And when God wants to elevate you to a higher level in your calling he will begins to change patterns in your life to make you ready for new behaviors.
In order to help us grow God must remove obstacles of faith in your life.
For Israel, and Moses, the staff became an obstacle of faith. The staff no longer represented God’s power, but rather it became indicative to Moses which is why God wanted Moses to speak to the rock instead of striking it.
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
The idea of we know of work is to earn, but this isn’t what Paul is talking about in this verse. In Farming famers say they are going to work the field. This this doesn’t mean they are going to earn the field, but rather they are going to
Bring out it’s fullness
The field has in it all that it needs to make the farmer profitable. To bless the farmer. The farmers job is draw out it’s resources, to take the produce of the field to its fullness.
Paul is telling the church that we have what we need to bring out God’s calling. But it requires God to train us so we can use our talents and stills to full completion.
There is this training that has to take place.
Life Change is not about trying it’s about training
God desires to for us to see him as our trainer. We must be able to shift our perspective. Your not struggle to stay alive your struggling to grow deeper. When I was lifting If I saw the weights as my enemy I never advanced in strength. But when I saw the struggle not as an enemy but as the path to progress my desire to over come the struggle and grow became deeper than my desire to stay the same.
Some of you need to see your situation not as killing you, but as training you. Because if your current situaiton wasn’t a struggle than God wouldn’t get the glory and you wouldn’t grow in faith.
Because as V 13 states:
13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
To will and to work.
He not only gives your the desire to grow, but he provides the working ground for you to grow in your relaitonship with Him. God desires to bless you, but he doesn’t want that blessing to over take you so first he must train you.
3. A Completion of Blessing
God wanted to prepare Moses and the Israelites for the Promised land, but instead Moses missed it because he didn’t train for it.
Now I believe Moses’ life is a principle for us to learn from. I don’t think it’s one mistake and your out, but if you go through Moses’ life it was a series of mistakes where Moses’ anger took position over God’s promises and I believe this is what God desires to show us today.
Don’t let a series of sin stop a series of blessing.
6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
There are three works I believe God gears us up for
The work God does for us- Salvation 2. The work God does in Us-Sanctification 3. The work God does through us-Service.
Everything God does comes from a place to bring us closer to God.
1 John 3:2 (NKJV)
.... we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
God desires to complete the good work he started in you, but it has to come out of a place of obedience and surrender. The struggle your facing now is training you for the blessing that is to come. I didn’t understand how to handle finances until I was in a position that I had to make every penny count. Until I realized every penny has a purpose. We determine what that purpose will be and we put that purpose into work.
The same is true with us and God. Every one of us has a purpose. God determined what that purpose is and now he is trying to work that full purpose into completion as we grow in Him.