You probably remember the details. Moses was on the mountain with God, getting the ten commandments, for forty days. The people had counted on Moses as their deliverer and leader. Aaron made a poor substitute.
Mankind has an inherent desire for an object of worship. While Moses was away, they remembered the gods of the Egyptians and wanted something tangible.
"Make us a god to go before us," they told Aaron.
"Sure. Great. Take the earrings from your wives and daughters ears and bring them to me. I'll make you a great little idol." (This is the Leanna Paraphrase, as are the following "quotes".)
It's a good thing I'm not God, because I would have zapped Aaron on the spot when that stupidity came out of his mouth.
On the other hand, I'm no better than Aaron. Although I don't make idols from earrings, I am as adept as anyone at attaching a greater significance to "things" than I should.
But I digress.
God, of course, knew about the "earring idol". He was ready to destroy the people and start over, but Moses begged for them.
"No. It will make you look bad among the surrounding peoples. They will think You couldn't deliver your people so you killed them."
God relented on destroying them, but He was still angry. He'd just delivered them from Egyptian slavery and done a flashy and fabulous miracle with the Red Sea.
"Go ahead to the Promised Land, Moses. I'll send you an angel to help, but I'm not going in your midst."
The people did a kind of "ornament fast" and mourned the loss, but God did not relent. Moses begged for them again.
"Don't make me go without You."
"Okay, Moses. You win. I'll go with you, but I've still had it with these people."
Moses begged one more time. "No, Lord. If Your presence doesn't go with us, don't make us go."
A miracle happened during that quiet time between God and Moses. The Lord God Almighty relented and agreed to go with the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land.
"And the Lord said to Moses, 'I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight, and I have known you by name." Genesis 33:17 nasb)
The people who journeyed to the Promised Land didn't know it, but they enjoyed the presence of God because of one man's passion for Him.
One man's passion for God can make a difference we can't begin to imagine.
D.L. Moody's friend, Henry Varley, once said, "The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in a man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him." Moody vowed to be that man. He went on to have an evangelistic ministry on two continents that resulted in more than one million conversions.
One ordinary man, serving an extraordinary God, can do things most of us don't dare to dream.
I'm just an ordinary woman. You're probably ordinary, too. It's easy to discount the kind of impact we could have on the world, but our surrendered lives, in the hands of God, can be part of incredible blessings. We can impact more than just the people around us. We can impact the world for God.
If we will.
Varley was right. The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in a man or woman who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him.
By God's grace, let's commit to be that one.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Our next Friday Night with Friends guest blog will post at 6 pm this Friday night. You don't want to miss it!
In case you missed one of the past week's posts, here are the links: Friday Night with Friends: New Beginning, The Temperament Test and Married Oneness, Leaving a Legacy: Choices That Last for Generations, Jumping to Conclusions: The Terrorists That Were Not, Nothing is Impossible: Ayman al-Zawahiri, and Morning Quiet Time: Who Speaks First.
#chronologicalBible #powerofone #changetheworld #Moses #presenceofGod #passion #disciple
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