Scripture portion: Exodus 3

In this well-known story from God's Word, we are being made to see how
each and everyone of us as God's witness can become fruitful and even abundantly
fruitful in God's service. All of us as fellow -believers are called by God to a high
heavenly calling. He not only forgives our sins but He also wants us to serve Him as
His co-workers. In two places in the Scriptures we are called God's co -workers. "For
we are laborers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building
We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the
grace of God in vain"(1Cor.3: 9; 2 Cor.6: 1). That privilege is not given to angels
even though they are mighty angels, and that is why nowhere in the Bible do we
read of angels as God's co -workers. God has called us not only with a heavenly
calling but also with a high heavenly calling, to build for Him His glorious,
everlasting, heavenly Sanctuary. That mystery cannot be understood by us, by any
kind of worldly knowledge, or wisdom. By faith we accept it, and by the same faith
we want to be prepared for our part in it. God wants us to be filled with His fullness
and become His everlasting Habitation in return.

From the story of Moses we see how God prepares us for His ministry. First of
all, we see that our human zeal cannot make us useful for God. Moses tried to serve
God with his zeal and met with failure. Even though he made a great sacrifice in
refusing to be called Pharaoh's daughters son, and showed much zeal to serve the
people of God and help them, he came across failure. He had to .run away and hides
himself in a desert with his father -in -law for forty years. During that period of forty
years, he forgot what all he learned in Egypt. Even though the man of God was so
mightily taught in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and in
deeds, God could not use him. To make him forget all what he learnt in Egypt, God
had to take him away from Egypt. Thus he became empty, before God could use him
mightily and fruitfully.

Then God gave him a definite personal experience of his holiness. That is how
the story begins in Exodus chapter 3. None of us can be useful to God by our human
qualifications, wisdom, or cleverness. First of all we need to have a personal
experience of the loving and the living God. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto
him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the
bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now
turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord
saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush,
and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, here am I" (Exodus 3:2-4).

By living in the desert with his father -in - law for forty years, Moses became
like a dry bush. Everything that he learned from the great teachers of Egypt was
forgotten by him completely. Only then he could become entirely dependent upon
God and God's word to serve Him and follow Him.

Then he saw the fire in the bush, and that bush was not consumed. He was
made to see how God is holy. God wants us to be indwelt by Him. In a symbolic way
it speaks of the experience of new birth. We know that in our flesh dwelleth no good
thing (Rom.7: 18). According to God's standard, He wants us to have everlasting
righteousness. Only then we can become His co -workers for eternity in His heavenly
kingdom. This burning bush and the divine fire, speak of the righteousness of God -
God's own righteousness. According to Rom.1 0:3,4 there is God's righteousness and
there is our righteousness. Moses tried to become righteous before God by his own
wisdom and zeal for his people. No one could find any fault in his life at that time. He
was a man of great sacrifice. Always he had some way to help his people. That way
he became self -righteous. What we do in self -righteousness cannot please God.
When Moses saw the fire, he understood how he had to become righteous before
God.

Now the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is our righteousness, not our Bible
knowledge, nor the rituals in which we take part. "But of him are ye in, Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and
redemption"(1 Cor.1: 30). By that righteousness alone we can stand before God for
eternity.

Now, having become righteous, Moses heard God's voice (Exo.3: 4). After we
become righteous by God's righteousness, we have to receive heavenly, definite
commission to serve God in some capacity. Many believers think of salvation only as
coming to meetings and going back home, or having their family prayers morning
and evening or giving some money for God's service. They are satisfied with these
things but do not make any inquiry from God or find out His purpose in saving them.
The very fact that the Lord Jesus Christ gave all that He had to be our Savior, is
proof to us that He had a high purpose in doing so. According to Col.1: 16 the Lord
Jesus Christ is the creator of the whole universe. He created it by one word. He
created it from nothing (Psa.33: 6 and Heb.11: 3). But to be our Savior and
Redeemer He had to empty Himself as we read in 2 Cor.8: 9. "For ye know the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became
poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich".