Ignited to Serve

Salad or Fajitas?

Imagine having lunch with a friend. You order the chicken salad and your friend orders the fajitas. As the waitress nears the table heads turn because something’s sizzling on the platter...and it certainly isn’t your salad! The Bible recounts a number of life stories of people who were leading safe lives, but God called them to something more challenging...a life that made heads turn…a life of service that asked them to walk near the fire, not away from it.

Stepping toward the fire
It was on fire…there was no doubt about it. The bush was lit up…but not burnt up. Moses, standing in the middle of the desert, saw this “strange sight” but did not run from it. He stepped towards it. By stepping towards the fire, God ignited a passion in Moses so deeply that he served God in amazing ways for the rest of his life. (Exodus 3)

How did God ignite Moses to serve? Yes, there was a bush on fire. That peaked Moses’ interest, but what eventually caused him to step closer and into God’s plan? Everyone has a past—even Moses did. Before the burning bush moment, Moses was treated as royalty in Pharaoh’s kingdom. Though he was the son of a Hebrew slave, he was adopted by the royal family and sheltered from his heritage of slavery. One day, while watching a Hebrew slave being beaten by an Egyptian, Moses killed the Egyptian. He couldn’t stand the injustice towards the Hebrew slave any longer. Then Moses ran—ran from the bad choice and fear for his life. He probably never wanted to think about that day ever again.

Fast forward several years. Do you think Moses ever forgot what he saw and did that day? Moses’ poor choice probably replayed over and over at first. Then, as time heals all wounds, he made a new life and probably saw the faces of the beaten Hebrew slave and the dead Egyptian less and less.

But Not Forgotten
But it can be so hard to erase those defining moments and poor choices. When God ignited that bush in the middle of Moses’ safe and secure existence away from Hebrews and Egyptians, he re-ignited a passion for injustice. God said, “I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have head them crying out because of their slave drivers and I am concerned about their suffering.” (Genesis 3:7) What image do you think played over in Moses’ mind as God reminded him of the Hebrew slaves? God ignited more than a bush in the dessert that day. Although it took some convincing and divine intervention, Moses finally agreed to serve and when he did, he ordered the sizzling fajita lifestyle and never looked back.

Sometimes God uses injustice, discontentedness, even anger to fuel a passion and purpose for him. Author and pastor Bill Hybels calls this fire holy discontent. “God’s heart and Moses’ heart were perfectly aligned around the intense frustration and the oppression of the Israelites.”

Is there something that makes your heart hurt, your anger burn? Moments of pain, suffering and injustice happen every day. “What moves sane, well-adjusted people from the comforts of the couch to the demands and hardships associated with engagement in our world’s problems? What force is powerful enough to do that in someone’s life? Holy discontent. That’s the key to understand what moves people to engagement,” says Bill.

So what lights you up? Is there some way you could step toward the issue, instead of away from it, aligning your heart to God’s heart? As you step in to serve and get near the fire, you won’t be alone. Abraham, Noah, Joshua, David, John, Paul… The Bible recounts a number of “safe salad” life stories that jumped into “fajita-style” service. You’re in good company. So, what kind of life are you cooking up?