Walking with God Means Crazy Change

When God asked Moses to lead his people out of Israel, Moses was not ready for the challenge. And came up with as many reasons as he could to not do what God wanted to do. Would it have been possible for Moses to follow God, leading the people of Israel out of Egypt and remain a shepherd with Jethro?

When God calls us to things like He did for Moses in Exodus, will we have the luxury of keeping the same and embracing God’s call to us?

Some of us Christians get it. And we move to Africa. Or the Philippines. Or the Appalachian Mountains. Or Indiana. We hear the call of God and we then radically change to align ourselves with what God is already doing. Some of us do that.

But some of us aren’t there yet. We hear what God wants us to do, we see what God is already doing and we … try to make it work.

Now, “try to make it work” is just a different way of saying we try to remain as Shepherds and still lead Israel out of Egypt. We might even do pretty good at balancing the two. Some of our sheep might not be the healthiest and those Israelites that we do save would be a good start, almost what God wanted in the first place.

And we start to convince ourselves that we’re doing pretty good. That our walk with and for God is not too bad. And we get comfortable. Worse, we never really left the field and went to Egypt. But we think we sorta almost maybe kinda did God’s will – but really our version of it. A much more watered down – therefore not – version of God’s will.

It’s not easy, this thing called Christianity (I’m preaching to myself):

And he said to [them] all, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
— Luke 9:23, 24

Ugh, surprisingly familiar, isn’t it? It’s hard to push against God’s will and not embrace it. It takes energy. Maybe that’s why the draw to stay the same and almost do the required will of God is such a draw – it’s easier.

That’s where change comes in. If you are called up into what God is doing – you’ll experience change.

Are you experience change in your pursuit of God? Good question, isn’t it. Am I? I don’t know.

For me, I think each day is closer to where I want to be: I want to leave the flock like Moses, leave my homeland like Abram, leave the boat like Peter. I want to do all these things. Yet, I haven’t completely committed yet.

But… I’m not down on myself. I know God is patient. But I also know what will be/is required of me when I’m willing to fully let go of my own agenda.

Crazy change. Whew. Help me get there, God. And at the same time – make me.