Changing our thinking
by Goran Andersson
It is no easy thing to change the habits of an old man. Moses was eighty when the stillness of the semi-desert was broken by someone speaking with a human voice, and giving the old man a most extraordinary experience of challenges and miracles. But, like most of us, Moses was not willing to change his ways and routines for something he knew and understood very little about.
The dreams of his youth had died. The realities of life had made him accept a career as a shepherd. His only hope now was for an increase in his flocks, and an occasional glimpse of new grazing lands. His horizon really did not stretch very far these days. Gone and almost forgotten were the days of his youth, with an entirely different life, bright prospects and dreams of liberating his people.
But one day he ventured out beyond the desert, and this became the beginning of one of the most important journeys ever undertaken by a man. It began with a flock of sheep. It ended forty years later with a whole nation at the border of the Promised Land. Who could even in his wildest dreams have imagined that? Only God.
But it took a change in Moses` thinking and a breaking of his old habits. That seemed to be harder than speaking to Pharaoh later on, or leading the Israelites through the desert. No wonder the Bible so often addresses our mind, and the way we think, like Romans 12:2, Philippians 4:8, 1 Corinthians 14:20, and many more. Most of the spiritual battles we fight are taking place in our minds.
What is influencing your thoughts today? Deeply rooted habits and traditions, or a fresh challenge by the Lord? Obviously the example of Moses is a special challenge to the elderly, who tend to think the best days are past. And maybe they are. Not every eighty-year old should become a Moses. But the willingness and ability to catch the Lord´s vision for today is so important to us all: To break the pull of traditions and habits, not as an end in itself, but to catch the vision of what the Lord will do tomorrow. We should not just recount what He did yesterday.
Today may be the day of an important decision in your life that will affect the lives of others tomorrow. Learn from Moses. The God who challenges you to obey knows what He is doing, even when you question it in disbelief.
Look out for your burning bush today! And even more, let God who was in the bush, give you hope and faith for things you have stopped dreaming of. With God everything is possible!
Goran Andersson , together with his wife Roswitha, worked as missionaries in Japan from 1967 – 1985. They then pastored a church before moving to Kåfalla Herrgård, Sweden where Goran became Director. They have worked with Ellel Ministries since 2004 and are now part of the team of Ellel Ministries in Sweden.
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