God and Us Together
Scripture Reading — Exodus 3:1-10
"I have come down to rescue [my people] ... So now, go. I am sending you ..." Exodus 3:8, 10
Ever since we humans fell into sin, we've forgotten how to walk with God in the work he's given us. Instead we tend to fall into extremes regarding our God-given tasks. We either become passive, expecting God or others to do our work, or we feel overly responsible, taking on work that may belong to others.
I once knew a family with eight children. About half became passive while the others developed savior complexes. A couple of the oldest boys were unemployed. They continued to live for free at home well into midlife, spending the hard-earned money of their overly responsible sisters.
But maturity calls for shared responsibility--with others and with God. In our passage today God informs Moses of his plans to rescue Israel; then immediately God tells Moses to go and do it. God did not change his mind; nor was he contradicting himself. These verses help us see that God works together with us to accomplish his plans. God honors us with the privilege of being his coworkers. God is raising up mature sons and daughters. This is true in missions as it is in all of life.
God delivered Israel from Egypt with his mighty hand, but that meant Moses also had a job to do. And so do we. We must work with God to advance his kingdom in whatever place he has called us.
Dear Father, help us neither to waste our lives by being passive nor to cut them short by working anxiously. Teach us to work together with you for your kingdom. Amen.
About the author — Tim Holwerda
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