"I AM WHO I AM", Who??
Have you ever thought about the way we read the Bible? What we think about and focus on? What we spend our time pondering?
Last Sunday morning in Sunday school, our teacher said something that I'd never thought about before. She asked, "Have you guys ever thought about what God's part in all the Bible stories is? I mean, we always seem to focus on what the person did, but do we ever think about what God did?"
I feel like just recently God has begun to pull me back to Himself. I'm beginning to feel this amazing feeling like I'm just around the corner from something incredible and I just want to sprint around the corner so see what it is.
But for now, I've just been given my next step to take (which is usually the only thing God ever shows us, but that's for another time). And that is that I need to begin to learn more about Him.
You see, all this time during my devotionals and Bible reading, all I've been thinking about is me, Me, ME. How does this apply to My life? What can I get out of this? How will this help Me?
But after my Sunday school teacher asked us that question on Sunday, I realized something. It's not about me at all. I mean obviously. But not so obviously at the same time.
This really is God's story that we're living in right now. We're all right here, somewhere in the middle of His amazing, wonderful, glorious story that He's writing. Which is really pretty cool if you think about it.
And no. I never had read a Bible story to see what God's part in it was. I was always so caught up in, "Ok, what did so-in-so do right in this situation so I can copy them and be totally awesome like them?" or, "Alright, how did what's-his-face totally blow it in this situation so I won't end up making the same stupid mistake they did?". But never before had I sat down and said, "Ok, what did God do in this situation? What does this show about God's character and will and power? What is God trying to tell me about Himself?"
Because in most of the Bible "stories" (not just the animated, little kid movie, Bible stories, but like the real thing that actually happened and that is legitimate history), we like to make heroes out of the people themselves. Or at least I do.
We put people like Moses, Abraham, and Joseph up on these "oh holier than us" pedestals as if they had something to do with their stories at all. Never did I even stop to think, "Hey, maybe these people are just average people like me. And, maybe, just maybe, they've only made it down through history because they trusted and followed an incredible God and His plans for them."
So, starting three days ago, I began reading the Bible to see what God did. And let me tell you, the Bible is so, So, SO much more interesting when I read it this way. It's seriously amazing.
Because God really is somethin else.
Did you know that Moses had pretty much nothing to do with any of the fame we now give him? He wasn't even supposed to be alive actually. His midwife that helped his mother give birth was supposed to kill him. But his mom saved him and hid him for three months. And when she couldn't hide him any longer, she sent him off in a floating basket down the river, where he, once again, probably should have died (when was the last time a three month old baby survived being sent down a river, in a basket, alone?).
Then, in a turn of events that could only have been divinely planned, Pharoah's own daughter found him, adopted him, and raised him in the palace. Oh, and the first thing we read about that Moses actually had something to do with, was when he killed a guy. And when Pharoah tried to kill him (which would make it, what, like the 3rd time he probably should have died...?), Moses escaped and became a fugitive in a foreign land. So, so far we have a murdering, banished fugitive to work with.
Oh and then he became a shepherd, an occupation so detested in Egypt, his birth land, that the Egyptians isolated the shepherds to their own section of the country, away from everyone else, so they wouldn't have to associate with them. I'm sure by now, Moses himself, and everyone else is really expecting great things out of him.
And, here enters the true hero of this story. Yep, you guessed it, God. YAHWEH. I AM WHO I AM.
And after looking at Moses for who he really is (not at all the hero of this story, but in fact, someone who we're beginning to wonder how he even made it into the Bible), this story begins to look much, much different.
Because now everyone has been put in their proper places. God, the All Powerful, All Knowing, Sovereign Author of everything that's happened in Moses' life is now about to actually speak to this rejected and rejected human who has shown little reason to deserve the honor of even being acknowledged by this Holy God.
And in the story that follows, God's amazing mercy and love and grace is fully and completely on display for all to see.
Because God tells Moses that, out of the entire human population on earth, God has chosen to use him to rescue His chosen people from the land of Egypt. Despite the fact that Moses is a complete reject, murderer, and not even a good public speaker as we come to find out, God chose him. To lead His people into paradise.
Now tell me, who is the hero of this story?
This is only the tip of the iceberg really. If you want, go read the beginning of Exodus to see how powerfully and perfectly God works as the author and hero of this historical event. Read it with an open mind and ask God to show you more about Himself. The Holy Spirit might begin to blow your mind like He's doing to mine.
But I really don't know. He's the one writing His story in your life, not me. And none of us have a clue what He'll do next.
It's quite exciting really. Kinda makes me want to go try to figure Him out some more...
And so, this is the corner I am about to go around. And I can't wait to see what He's going to show me when I get around it. Shall you join me? I'm sure we won't be disappointed in what we find.
PS. Last Sunday I also did a one page worksheet that I got from my church maybe a month or so ago title God Gazing that I'd never gotten around to doing. It gave me some verses and questions that helped me realize how I was looking at God, what my overall view of Him was, and how that compares to what the Bible says about God. I copied it into my computer but I couldn't figure out how to post it on here for you to see (I've never claimed to be tech savvy trust me). So if you'd like to do it (cause it will help with this whole thing I've been talking about), you can just email me at rpauly1@hotmail.com and ask for it and I'll send it to you. If not, that's cool too. :)
Last Sunday morning in Sunday school, our teacher said something that I'd never thought about before. She asked, "Have you guys ever thought about what God's part in all the Bible stories is? I mean, we always seem to focus on what the person did, but do we ever think about what God did?"
I feel like just recently God has begun to pull me back to Himself. I'm beginning to feel this amazing feeling like I'm just around the corner from something incredible and I just want to sprint around the corner so see what it is.
But for now, I've just been given my next step to take (which is usually the only thing God ever shows us, but that's for another time). And that is that I need to begin to learn more about Him.
You see, all this time during my devotionals and Bible reading, all I've been thinking about is me, Me, ME. How does this apply to My life? What can I get out of this? How will this help Me?
But after my Sunday school teacher asked us that question on Sunday, I realized something. It's not about me at all. I mean obviously. But not so obviously at the same time.
This really is God's story that we're living in right now. We're all right here, somewhere in the middle of His amazing, wonderful, glorious story that He's writing. Which is really pretty cool if you think about it.
And no. I never had read a Bible story to see what God's part in it was. I was always so caught up in, "Ok, what did so-in-so do right in this situation so I can copy them and be totally awesome like them?" or, "Alright, how did what's-his-face totally blow it in this situation so I won't end up making the same stupid mistake they did?". But never before had I sat down and said, "Ok, what did God do in this situation? What does this show about God's character and will and power? What is God trying to tell me about Himself?"
Because in most of the Bible "stories" (not just the animated, little kid movie, Bible stories, but like the real thing that actually happened and that is legitimate history), we like to make heroes out of the people themselves. Or at least I do.
We put people like Moses, Abraham, and Joseph up on these "oh holier than us" pedestals as if they had something to do with their stories at all. Never did I even stop to think, "Hey, maybe these people are just average people like me. And, maybe, just maybe, they've only made it down through history because they trusted and followed an incredible God and His plans for them."
So, starting three days ago, I began reading the Bible to see what God did. And let me tell you, the Bible is so, So, SO much more interesting when I read it this way. It's seriously amazing.
Because God really is somethin else.
Did you know that Moses had pretty much nothing to do with any of the fame we now give him? He wasn't even supposed to be alive actually. His midwife that helped his mother give birth was supposed to kill him. But his mom saved him and hid him for three months. And when she couldn't hide him any longer, she sent him off in a floating basket down the river, where he, once again, probably should have died (when was the last time a three month old baby survived being sent down a river, in a basket, alone?).
Then, in a turn of events that could only have been divinely planned, Pharoah's own daughter found him, adopted him, and raised him in the palace. Oh, and the first thing we read about that Moses actually had something to do with, was when he killed a guy. And when Pharoah tried to kill him (which would make it, what, like the 3rd time he probably should have died...?), Moses escaped and became a fugitive in a foreign land. So, so far we have a murdering, banished fugitive to work with.
Oh and then he became a shepherd, an occupation so detested in Egypt, his birth land, that the Egyptians isolated the shepherds to their own section of the country, away from everyone else, so they wouldn't have to associate with them. I'm sure by now, Moses himself, and everyone else is really expecting great things out of him.
And, here enters the true hero of this story. Yep, you guessed it, God. YAHWEH. I AM WHO I AM.
And after looking at Moses for who he really is (not at all the hero of this story, but in fact, someone who we're beginning to wonder how he even made it into the Bible), this story begins to look much, much different.
Because now everyone has been put in their proper places. God, the All Powerful, All Knowing, Sovereign Author of everything that's happened in Moses' life is now about to actually speak to this rejected and rejected human who has shown little reason to deserve the honor of even being acknowledged by this Holy God.
And in the story that follows, God's amazing mercy and love and grace is fully and completely on display for all to see.
Because God tells Moses that, out of the entire human population on earth, God has chosen to use him to rescue His chosen people from the land of Egypt. Despite the fact that Moses is a complete reject, murderer, and not even a good public speaker as we come to find out, God chose him. To lead His people into paradise.
Now tell me, who is the hero of this story?
This is only the tip of the iceberg really. If you want, go read the beginning of Exodus to see how powerfully and perfectly God works as the author and hero of this historical event. Read it with an open mind and ask God to show you more about Himself. The Holy Spirit might begin to blow your mind like He's doing to mine.
But I really don't know. He's the one writing His story in your life, not me. And none of us have a clue what He'll do next.
It's quite exciting really. Kinda makes me want to go try to figure Him out some more...
And so, this is the corner I am about to go around. And I can't wait to see what He's going to show me when I get around it. Shall you join me? I'm sure we won't be disappointed in what we find.
PS. Last Sunday I also did a one page worksheet that I got from my church maybe a month or so ago title God Gazing that I'd never gotten around to doing. It gave me some verses and questions that helped me realize how I was looking at God, what my overall view of Him was, and how that compares to what the Bible says about God. I copied it into my computer but I couldn't figure out how to post it on here for you to see (I've never claimed to be tech savvy trust me). So if you'd like to do it (cause it will help with this whole thing I've been talking about), you can just email me at rpauly1@hotmail.com and ask for it and I'll send it to you. If not, that's cool too. :)
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