The bush that made heads turn

Exodus 3:1-3 - Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the 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.”

A common phrase often heard in boys' talk, "she makes heads turn." Why do men look at a particular woman, what makes their head turn when she walks by? Well I think you may have different answers and opinions but that's not my purpose of writing this devotion. Besides, I have passed that phase in life. Of course there are some who make heads urn for the wrong reasons as well. But have you ever heard of a bush that made a man turn aside and take another good look? Well, it did happen. In the passage above, a bush, often referred to as the burning bush, caught the attention of a shepherd, Moses. Moses must have walked on that path over many years and there must have been many bushes out there but only one particular bush caught his attention. What was so special about this bush?

• It was on fire. This bush was burning while all the rest of the other bushes were cold. The effect of the fire was that there were heat and light. That's what caught Moses' attention. It was an unusual phenomena. As Christians, we are to be different from the people of the world. Mathew 5:14 -16 - “You are the light of the world...... let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." A christian should make heads turn because he is a new creation and he is endured with power from on high. It is manifested in good conduct. Furthermore there is a change in his character as he begins to bear the fruit of the Spirit. Its not a one time transformation but a progression. 2 Cor 3:18 - But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. The result is God is gloried. The burning fire is so contagious that people are drawn towards the true light, Jesus Christ and new converts are added to the kingdom of God. That's what the Antioch Christians were. Not only do people turn their heads but even the demons turn their heads. In Acts 16:16-17 - Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." Even the demons recognize a spirit filled christian and are afraid of him.
  

• It did not burn up. Meaning it was burning continuously. A constant steady state. Unlike many Christians who are blowing hot and cold intermittently. We need to be consistent in our walk with the Lord. Not just being faithful when things are all going right for us but in all situations we are to shine as the light of the world. Paul and Silas were singing praises when in prison. Daniel continued his prayer even though there was a death threat against such homage. Job blessed God when everything was taken away from him. Be faithful and strong and don't be tossed to and fro in the spiritual walk. We also need to be faithful in public as well as in private. When no one is watching, am I faithful?
  

• It was a strange sight. It was something abnormal. It was a spectacle. Something was different about this bush. There was a sombre respect for the early Christians, Acts 5:13 - No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Do people have a sacred respect or a holy reverence when we are around?
  

What was the secret of the burning bush? When Moses pronounced a blessing upon the Israelites before his death, he reserved a special blessing for the descendants of Joseph. Deut 33:16 - "with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness and the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph." At the end of his life, Moses remembered the burning bush and the reason why it was special. It was because God himself was there in the bush and that was what made the bush so special. The bush did not burn on its own. It was the Spirit of God. Friends its in the indwelling of the Spirit of God that makes one special or makes heads turn. Paul urges the Ephesian church to be filled in the Spirit, walk in the Spirit and be led by the Spirit. Moses recognizing the undefiled life of Joseph reserves a befitting blessing on his generation. One can only live like Joseph when one is full of the Holy Spirit.

1 Peter 2:9-10 - But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

President Wilson used to tell a story about D. L. Moody. When Wilson was younger he went into a barber shop and took a chair next to the one Moody was sitting in. He did not know that Moody was in the chair but after a short while as Wilson phrased it, he "knew there was a personality in the other chair," and he began to listen to the conversation. He heard Moody tell the barber about Jesus and the "Way of Life." Wilson said, ‘I have never forgotten that scene to this day." When Moody left, Wilson asked the barber who he was and he was told that it was D. L. Moody. Wilson then said: "It made an impression upon me I have not yet forgotten." To which, if Moody was there he would have said: "But were you saved?"

Christian, do we make heads turn?