Evotional: Take off your Sandals
Summer Reflections: Take Off Your Sandals
08.23.05
Pastor Mark Batterson
This evotional is part of my annual Summer Reflections series. You can watch this week's video illustration by following this link: "Cow Pasture."
Over the next two weeks I want to reflect on two passages in the book of Exodus. God tells Moses to do two things: take off his sandals and put down his staff.
That's what I do during my summer sabbatical each year. Here's why: I don't want to get so focused on tending the flock that I lose sight of the Promise Land. That is precisely what happened to Moses!
Habituation
Exodus 3:1 says, "Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian."
Let me say something upfront. I have nothing against shepherds. If you're a shepherd, please don't read this the wrong way. But Moses was the Prince of Egypt. He was voted Most Likely to Succeed by his graduating class at Pyramid High. I don't think staring at the backside of sheep for forty years is what Moses envisioned for his life. I don't think this is the way Moses would have written the script. I don't think shepherding sheep was part of his forty-year plan!
I don't know exactly what was going through Moses' mind as he followed his flock of sheep around. But I have a hunch. I think there was part of him that still believed he was destined for bigger and better things. I think there was another part of him that had settled for his situation.
I have a feeling that Moses got up on this particular morning, put on his sandals and picked up his staff, and figured it would be an ordinary day just like the day before and the day before the day before and the day before the day before the day before.
Hit the pause button.
One of the greatest spiritual dangers we face is something psychologists call habituation. When a new stimulus is introduced into our environment we become intensely aware of it. But we tend to adapt and awareness fades.
Have you ever looked all over for the pencil you put behind your ear? What happened? Awareness faded. A couple months ago I actually spent five minutes looking for my cell phone while I was talking on it. I kid you not.
Nine years ago we bought our first house a few blocks from Union Station. I still remember that first night in our new house. It seemed like there were sirens right outside our window all night. They kept waking me up. Now I can hardly sleep if there aren't sirens! They have that rock-a-bye-baby effect on me. But crickets! That's a whole other story. I can't sleep in the country. Why? Because I'm intensely aware of the new stimulus!
We adapt to our environment. We get used to certain sounds and smells and sights. I still remember the first time I saw the Capitol. We were driving down Pennsylvania Avenue at night. I was in awe. But, to be perfectly honest, I hardly even notice it anymore. Why? Habituation.
Here is the danger we face spiritually. God is introduced into our environment. We become intensely aware of His presence in our lives. But if we aren't careful, that awareness fades. We start taking the grace of God for granted. We stop thinking about the words and we start singing songs from rote memory. Church attendance becomes mechanical. Opportunities feel like obligations. We stop stretching spiritually and we shift into maintenance mode.
I think that is what had happened to Moses. He had a dream of delivering His people from the bondage of slavery. But the dream had faded like an old photograph. It had gathered dust. So forty years later, Moses had adapted to his environment. He was content living out the rest of his days tending sheep for his father-in-law. He had settled for his situation.
How do I know that? Because he says to God, when offered the job of leading the Israelites, Please send someone else.
Habituation.
God is calling Moses to lead the greatest rescue operation in history and Moses would rather stay put. God is calling Moses to deliver Israel out of Egypt and lead them into the Promise Land. And Moses is content tending sheep for his father-in-law. Instead of living in vision mode, Moses is content living in maintenance mode.
A.W. Tozer said, If we feel that we are what we ought to be then we will remain what we are.
That's a dangerous place to be spiritually.
Every summer I take a short sabbatical from preaching. Here's why. I need a season where I'm not standing and preaching. I'm sitting and listening. I need a season where it's not about what God can say through me. It's about what God wants to do in me. I'm not saying that I'm not growing while I'm fully engaged in pastoring and preaching. But my summer sabbatical is a chance for me to disengage from my day-in and day-out duties and reengage with God. In a sense, I take off my sandals and put down my staff.
Here's why. To counteract habituation!
I don't want to do ministry from memory. I think it's so easy to learn how and forget why. You just do what you did the day before. You just go through the motions. And if you aren't careful, you lose sight of the Promise Land and become content tending the flock.
Burning Bushes
Exodus 3:1 says, "Moses led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There an angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, 'I will go over and see this strange sight-why the bush does not burn up.' When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, 'Moses! Moses!' And Moses said, 'Here I am.' 'Do not come any closer,'God said. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground'."
Let me tell you what God is after: undivided attention.
That's what the burning bush is all about. God tells Moses to take off his sandals. Why? For starters, it's one way to get Moses to stand still.
In his book, Anam Cara, John O' Donohue's tells a story about an African explorer who hired some native Africans to help carry his equipment through the jungle. They didn't stop for three days. At the end of the third day, these hired hands stopped and absolutely refused to move on. The explorer asked why and one of the African natives explained, We have moved too quickly to reach here; now we need to wait to give our spirits a chance to catch up with us.
Most of us have moved too quickly to get to where we are. We need to let our Spirits catch up! We need to take off our sandals long enough to realize that we're standing on holy ground.
Original Calling
Over the past four weeks, God has brought me back to the burning bushes in my life. It started in July with a pilgrimage to Alexandria, Minnesota. It was during a prayer walk through a cow pasture in 1989 that I felt called to full-time ministry. Check out the "Cow Pasture" video.
I went back to where it all began for me. I went back to the place of original calling.
Did Jesus ever go back to Cana where He performed his first miracle? Did Peter ever row out to that spot on the Sea of Galilee where he walked on water? Did Zacchaeus ever go back to the sycamore tree he climbed to catch his first glimpse of Jesus? Did Lazarus ever revisit the tomb where he was buried for four days? Did Paul ever revisit the spot on the road to Damascus where he was knocked off his high horse? Did Abraham ever return to Mount Moriah where God provided a ram in the thicket? Did the paralyzed man ever climb up on the rooftop where his four friends had lowered him down?
I don't know the answer to all of those questions, but I think one key to overcoming habituation is going back to ground zero. It's returning to the burning bushes-those places where you have met God. I know that most of us have never experienced anything as dramatic as a burning bush. But do you remember when you first became conscious of God's presence? Is there a moment where the grace of God overwhelmed you? Are there places and experiences where God has revealed something to you? It may not be a physical place like a cow pasture or a burning bush. But we need to revisit those altars where God has done something of spiritual significance in our lives.
It's so easy to get all wrapped up doing things for God that you forget that it's really all about what God has done for us. During my summer sabbatical last year, I was totally impacted by one simple truth. I felt like the Spirit of God kept reminding me over and over again: it's not about what you can do for me; it's about what I have done for you. That one thought inspired my first book-ID: The True You.
C.S. Lewis said, We need to be reminded more than instructed. That's why we celebrate communion. That's why we build altars.
God is always calling us back to simple truths and original callings.
Dr. Karl Barth was one of the most brilliant intellectuals of the 20th century. He wrote countless volumes on life and faith. Millions of pastors and missionaries have been influenced by his theological writings. A reporter once asked Barth if he could summarize his greatest theological discovery. Karl Barth thought for a moment and said, Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.
Leverage
Archimedes, the Greek mathematician who discovered the law of levers, once said: Give me but one firm spot on which to stand and I will move the earth.
As far as we know, Moses only saw one burning bush. But that one firm spot gave him spiritual leverage. And God promised to bring him back to that "one firm spot." God said, This will be a sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship me on this mountain.
God is always bringing us back to the simple truths and original callings. In the words of Revelation 2:5, He wants us to Repent and do the things you did at first.
That is what God has done in my life over the past four weeks. He brought me back to the place of original calling and reminded me of why I'm doing what I'm doing.
We've got to be about the Father's business. We've got to redouble our efforts to reach the unchurched and dechurched, help them cross the line of faith, and become fully devoted followers of Christ.
That's what it's all about.
One last thought.
Not everybody has had a "burning bush" experience. But if you are a follower of Christ, the Cross is the "one firm spot" that gives us spiritual leverage. The Cross is the key that gives us access to the throne of grace.
Hebrews 4:16 says, Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
08.23.05
Pastor Mark Batterson
This evotional is part of my annual Summer Reflections series. You can watch this week's video illustration by following this link: "Cow Pasture."
Over the next two weeks I want to reflect on two passages in the book of Exodus. God tells Moses to do two things: take off his sandals and put down his staff.
That's what I do during my summer sabbatical each year. Here's why: I don't want to get so focused on tending the flock that I lose sight of the Promise Land. That is precisely what happened to Moses!
Habituation
Exodus 3:1 says, "Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian."
Let me say something upfront. I have nothing against shepherds. If you're a shepherd, please don't read this the wrong way. But Moses was the Prince of Egypt. He was voted Most Likely to Succeed by his graduating class at Pyramid High. I don't think staring at the backside of sheep for forty years is what Moses envisioned for his life. I don't think this is the way Moses would have written the script. I don't think shepherding sheep was part of his forty-year plan!
I don't know exactly what was going through Moses' mind as he followed his flock of sheep around. But I have a hunch. I think there was part of him that still believed he was destined for bigger and better things. I think there was another part of him that had settled for his situation.
I have a feeling that Moses got up on this particular morning, put on his sandals and picked up his staff, and figured it would be an ordinary day just like the day before and the day before the day before and the day before the day before the day before.
Hit the pause button.
One of the greatest spiritual dangers we face is something psychologists call habituation. When a new stimulus is introduced into our environment we become intensely aware of it. But we tend to adapt and awareness fades.
Have you ever looked all over for the pencil you put behind your ear? What happened? Awareness faded. A couple months ago I actually spent five minutes looking for my cell phone while I was talking on it. I kid you not.
Nine years ago we bought our first house a few blocks from Union Station. I still remember that first night in our new house. It seemed like there were sirens right outside our window all night. They kept waking me up. Now I can hardly sleep if there aren't sirens! They have that rock-a-bye-baby effect on me. But crickets! That's a whole other story. I can't sleep in the country. Why? Because I'm intensely aware of the new stimulus!
We adapt to our environment. We get used to certain sounds and smells and sights. I still remember the first time I saw the Capitol. We were driving down Pennsylvania Avenue at night. I was in awe. But, to be perfectly honest, I hardly even notice it anymore. Why? Habituation.
Here is the danger we face spiritually. God is introduced into our environment. We become intensely aware of His presence in our lives. But if we aren't careful, that awareness fades. We start taking the grace of God for granted. We stop thinking about the words and we start singing songs from rote memory. Church attendance becomes mechanical. Opportunities feel like obligations. We stop stretching spiritually and we shift into maintenance mode.
I think that is what had happened to Moses. He had a dream of delivering His people from the bondage of slavery. But the dream had faded like an old photograph. It had gathered dust. So forty years later, Moses had adapted to his environment. He was content living out the rest of his days tending sheep for his father-in-law. He had settled for his situation.
How do I know that? Because he says to God, when offered the job of leading the Israelites, Please send someone else.
Habituation.
God is calling Moses to lead the greatest rescue operation in history and Moses would rather stay put. God is calling Moses to deliver Israel out of Egypt and lead them into the Promise Land. And Moses is content tending sheep for his father-in-law. Instead of living in vision mode, Moses is content living in maintenance mode.
A.W. Tozer said, If we feel that we are what we ought to be then we will remain what we are.
That's a dangerous place to be spiritually.
Every summer I take a short sabbatical from preaching. Here's why. I need a season where I'm not standing and preaching. I'm sitting and listening. I need a season where it's not about what God can say through me. It's about what God wants to do in me. I'm not saying that I'm not growing while I'm fully engaged in pastoring and preaching. But my summer sabbatical is a chance for me to disengage from my day-in and day-out duties and reengage with God. In a sense, I take off my sandals and put down my staff.
Here's why. To counteract habituation!
I don't want to do ministry from memory. I think it's so easy to learn how and forget why. You just do what you did the day before. You just go through the motions. And if you aren't careful, you lose sight of the Promise Land and become content tending the flock.
Burning Bushes
Exodus 3:1 says, "Moses led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There an angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, 'I will go over and see this strange sight-why the bush does not burn up.' When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, 'Moses! Moses!' And Moses said, 'Here I am.' 'Do not come any closer,'God said. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground'."
Let me tell you what God is after: undivided attention.
That's what the burning bush is all about. God tells Moses to take off his sandals. Why? For starters, it's one way to get Moses to stand still.
In his book, Anam Cara, John O' Donohue's tells a story about an African explorer who hired some native Africans to help carry his equipment through the jungle. They didn't stop for three days. At the end of the third day, these hired hands stopped and absolutely refused to move on. The explorer asked why and one of the African natives explained, We have moved too quickly to reach here; now we need to wait to give our spirits a chance to catch up with us.
Most of us have moved too quickly to get to where we are. We need to let our Spirits catch up! We need to take off our sandals long enough to realize that we're standing on holy ground.
Original Calling
Over the past four weeks, God has brought me back to the burning bushes in my life. It started in July with a pilgrimage to Alexandria, Minnesota. It was during a prayer walk through a cow pasture in 1989 that I felt called to full-time ministry. Check out the "Cow Pasture" video.
I went back to where it all began for me. I went back to the place of original calling.
Did Jesus ever go back to Cana where He performed his first miracle? Did Peter ever row out to that spot on the Sea of Galilee where he walked on water? Did Zacchaeus ever go back to the sycamore tree he climbed to catch his first glimpse of Jesus? Did Lazarus ever revisit the tomb where he was buried for four days? Did Paul ever revisit the spot on the road to Damascus where he was knocked off his high horse? Did Abraham ever return to Mount Moriah where God provided a ram in the thicket? Did the paralyzed man ever climb up on the rooftop where his four friends had lowered him down?
I don't know the answer to all of those questions, but I think one key to overcoming habituation is going back to ground zero. It's returning to the burning bushes-those places where you have met God. I know that most of us have never experienced anything as dramatic as a burning bush. But do you remember when you first became conscious of God's presence? Is there a moment where the grace of God overwhelmed you? Are there places and experiences where God has revealed something to you? It may not be a physical place like a cow pasture or a burning bush. But we need to revisit those altars where God has done something of spiritual significance in our lives.
It's so easy to get all wrapped up doing things for God that you forget that it's really all about what God has done for us. During my summer sabbatical last year, I was totally impacted by one simple truth. I felt like the Spirit of God kept reminding me over and over again: it's not about what you can do for me; it's about what I have done for you. That one thought inspired my first book-ID: The True You.
C.S. Lewis said, We need to be reminded more than instructed. That's why we celebrate communion. That's why we build altars.
God is always calling us back to simple truths and original callings.
Dr. Karl Barth was one of the most brilliant intellectuals of the 20th century. He wrote countless volumes on life and faith. Millions of pastors and missionaries have been influenced by his theological writings. A reporter once asked Barth if he could summarize his greatest theological discovery. Karl Barth thought for a moment and said, Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.
Leverage
Archimedes, the Greek mathematician who discovered the law of levers, once said: Give me but one firm spot on which to stand and I will move the earth.
As far as we know, Moses only saw one burning bush. But that one firm spot gave him spiritual leverage. And God promised to bring him back to that "one firm spot." God said, This will be a sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship me on this mountain.
God is always bringing us back to the simple truths and original callings. In the words of Revelation 2:5, He wants us to Repent and do the things you did at first.
That is what God has done in my life over the past four weeks. He brought me back to the place of original calling and reminded me of why I'm doing what I'm doing.
We've got to be about the Father's business. We've got to redouble our efforts to reach the unchurched and dechurched, help them cross the line of faith, and become fully devoted followers of Christ.
That's what it's all about.
One last thought.
Not everybody has had a "burning bush" experience. But if you are a follower of Christ, the Cross is the "one firm spot" that gives us spiritual leverage. The Cross is the key that gives us access to the throne of grace.
Hebrews 4:16 says, Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
2 Comments:
Excellent! Just what I needed to read right now, Thanks.
Robert Pooley
Coast Community Church
Gulf Breeze, FL
Wonderful thoughts. Thank you.
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