Jesus welcomed the people, taught them about the Kingdom of God and healed those in need. Luke 9:11

Seeds of the Kingdom

A Life Worth Watching

by Linda Fode

Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the Tent of Meeting. Anyone enquiring of the Lord could go to the tent. When the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshipped, each at the entrance to his tent. The Lord would speak to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend. Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua did not leave the tent.
Exodus 33: 7-11, NIV

Mentor is such a formal word. It smacks of expertise, solemnity, and an unequal relationship with an old, wise expert. But I see mentoring as a friendship; particularly between an older person and a younger. The younger is drawn to the older because he sees something worth watching; sees something he longs to repeat in his own life.

Joshua was mentored by Moses for forty years. He watched and imitated Moses. He watched Moses give leadership to the people. He watched as Moses faced disappointment, criticism and rebellion. He was there with Moses in the times of victory and the times of defeat. Most importantly Joshua watched Moses’ relationship with God. I believe that Joshua longed for the Lord to speak to him as He spoke to Moses; face to face as a man speaks to his friends.

Joshua watched the where, the what and the how of the relationship. He watched as Moses argued with God. He listened and heard God speak. Joshua probably asked Moses lots of questions about the dynamic of his relationship with God.

Are you trying to figure out your relationship with God; the where, the how, the what to do or what to say? How does God speak? How do you know it is Him? Like Joshua we would do well to watch Moses` life.

God Pursued Moses. He went from privilege to poverty. Forty years in a palace then forty years shepherding sheep. Then back in the wilderness shepherding people. (The sheep were much more responsive than the people).

Moses turned aside. He deliberately departed from his planned course of action to look and to respond to something out of the ordinary; a bush that burned. Then God spoke face to face with Moses, and Moses chose to respond. Moses turned away from his own agenda. God spoke to him and gave Him a task.

`Lead My people out of Egypt into the wilderness so they can worship Me` (Exodus 7:16). Moses` task was to mentor his people in experiencing God for themselves. Few responded! Joshua was one who did respond. He watched Moses. He stayed in the tent. He heard God. And Joshua led the people to the Promised Land.

Prayer: My heart has heard you say “Come and talk with me", and my heart responds, "Lord, I am coming" (Psalm 27:8). Father, I choose to come. I choose to stay. Teach me to pray. Provide someone to model real relationship with You. Amen.

Linda Fode and her husband Allen were the founding directors of Ellel Ministries Canada West. They stepped down from that position in October 2012. Linda’s passion is to mentor people in their relationship with the Father and to release them into their destiny in God.

 

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