Called to Follow
Exodus 34:29-35—Called to Follow
Following
Christ is central to our identity as Christians: as Jesus said in Matthew
16:24, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their
cross and follow me.” In Greek, the word “Christian” translates to
“Christianos” which means “Follower of Christ.” Christ began his relationship
with the disciples by asking them to follow him, and all Christians can trace
their faith back to the original calling of the 12. Accepting God’s call to
follow him and submitting yourself to his will is the only way to truly have
life, and Moses is one of scripture’s best examples of this.
Centuries
before Jesus would call the disciples, God called Moses through the burning
bush. God commanded Moses to go to Egypt and deliver the Hebrews from slavery.
The Lord appointed Moses to be the representative of the “I AM”, the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God intended for his role to be central to the
magnificent redemption story of the Hebrews, and Moses was terrified; he wanted
nothing to do with it. Just like Moses, we often respond to the glorious call
to discipleship with fear and trepidation. However, if you embrace the call to
follow, and give control over to God, he will transform your life dramatically.
Moses
was far from perfect during his time as Israel’s leader, but he walked with God
like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. No one else would experience that
level of intimacy with God again until he walked amongst us in human form. Moses’
closeness to God resulted from his humbling himself and accepting God’s will
for his life. All of the adventure that Moses would experience, and all of the
significance that He would have, was a direct result of that decision. Moses’
role was so significant that he was permitted to spend time directly in the
presence of God. He became God’s mouthpiece to the Hebrews, and after he spent
time in the Lord’s presence his face shined with God’s glory. It shone so
brightly that it startled the people who saw him. As Christians, this is
something that we should strive for.
“In
the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good
deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16). If you surrender your
life to God, you too will reflect God’s presence in such a dramatic way that it
will be blindingly obvious to everyone around you. The joy and hope that
radiate from people who are walking in line with God is what we are all called
to. The world is mired in the darkness of sin, and many people believe that
terrestrial pursuits are all that matter—lives spent in this way have no
impactful legacy. However, those who hear God’s call and decide to walk with
him, like Moses, will shine a light that can be seen for generations to come.
Michael Barrett
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