Epistle for January 20, 2006
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Dr. Curt Scarborough, President
Freeway Foundation January 20, 2006
I Want To Be A Burning Bush
(Exodus 3:1-10)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on what was so special about that bush
1. It was planted on the mountain of God (Sinai; Horeb); as a "sign"
(v. 12), God's liberated people would come back here to worship
Him.
2. The Angel of the lord (Pre-incarnate Christ) was in the midst of
the
bush, similar to the Son of God appearing in the fiery furnace in
Daniel 3:25.
3. The bush burned without burning up! Moses "marveled" (Acts 7:31)
. . . because as a nomad in the wilderness for forty years, he had
never seen anything like that!
4. It produced the results which God purposed: stop, turn aside, draw
near, and listen.
II. Meditation: on where I can find holy ground
1. It is the place where I hear God's voice speaking my name
personally,
v. 4. God repeated Moses' name, making the call personal and
unmistakable.
2. It is the place where I transact spiritual business with God;
"Here I am,"
v. 4. I respond to His calling my name, and confirm my commitment to
follow His plan and purpose.
3. It is the place where I discover God's character and His heart; "I
AM,"
vv. 5-9. God sees, hears, loves, and purposes to save His people.
4. It is the place where God reveals His purpose and His promise to
me, vv. 10-12. God puts me on the road of fulfilling His destiny in
me and through me.
III. Revelation: on why I should take off my shoes
1. God is clean, pure, and holy, but my shoes and dirty. It shows my
reverence for holy God, and it acknowledges that I have walked in
some filthy, impure, unholy place.
2. This necessary act (repentance) allows Jesus to wash my feet,
John 13. He can't wash my feet until I remove my dirty shoes.
3. It signifies that someone else besides me is the Redeemer,
Ruth 4:6-7. I can't be the Redeemer; I relinquish all right to that role.
4. I am going to walk differently from now on . . . barefoot on the
sharp rocks. On rocky terrain, I must place my feet more slowly, more
carefully. (In fact, the Lord will give me a new pair of shoes,
Luke 15:22; Ephesians 6:15)
IV. Applications: on why I want to be a burning bush
1. I want to be planted on God's mountain . . . where He chooses.
2. I want to be filled with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. I want to burn brightly, but not to "burn out."
4. I want to cause people to turn aside, to draw near, and to
experience God.
PRAYER: "Lord, plant me, fill me, illuminate me, and use me." AMEN
"A Turned-Over Giggle Box!"
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I get a blast out of watching reruns of the old Carol Burnett
Show . . . especially
when Tim Conway is on camera with Harvey Corman. It's always a hoot to see
how
long it will take Tim to get Harvey to break up. First, there's the
crinkling around his
eyes, then the slight twitch at the corners of his mouth . . . finally, he
can't hold it any
longer, and Harvey explodes with suppressed laughter!
That's self-control! Or, rather lack of it!!
What about you? Did you ever get your "giggle-box turned over,"
at a most
inopportune moment? I mean, to have something strike your funny-bone during
a very
solemn occasion? Such as in the quiet time of a worship service . . . or
worse, during
a funeral? That's when you have to resort to covering your mouth and faking
a cough.
You're like a pressure cooker about to blow, and you've just got to release
the "steam"
somehow, or the interior laughter will burst your eardrums.
I once was introduced to a large assembly of women at a drug
abuse prevention
conference by a very dignified and proper lady. She was decked out in a
lovely silk
dress with a corsage, and wearing an over-sized hat. She droned on and on
about Dr.
Scarborough's educational background, his outstanding accomplishments in
service
to the church and community, his latest book. Finally, she summed it all up
by saying,
"Here's the real dope on drugs, Curt Scarborough!"
It took every ounce of self-control that I could muster to
squelch my intense
desire to react with roaring laughter! I've long since forgotten the
content of my
address to those ladies, but I'll never forget that introduction. It was a
show-stopper!
"Self-control" is the last of the nine fruits of the Spirit
listed in Galatians 5:22-23.
It means to have the power or the ability to check and restrain one's
temper, emotions,
and desires. Paul reasoned with Governor Felix about "self-control," (Acts
24:25) Peter
listed "self-control" as a characteristic that should be added to a
Christian's spiritual
life. (II Peter 1:6)
It is one of the qualifications listed for a bishop (Titus 1:8),
and Paul warned
Timothy about men who had no self-control (II Timothy 3:3). In I
Corinthians 7:9,
Paul applied the concept of "self-control" specifically to sexual desire:
"If they
cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry
than to burn
with passion."
Prayer for the Day: Lord, help me to cultivate "self-control"
in my
daily life. Grant me Your
strength to check and
restrain my hot temper, my
roller-coaster emotions,
and my lustful desires.
Pillsbury College & Seminary
Pillsbury College and Seminary is offering full tuition scholarships to the
first 100
Bi-vocational pastors who register in 2006.
Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Simply fill out the
Registration
form that you can find at http://www.pillsburycs.org <http://www.pillsburycs.org/>
and mail it along with a $50
check for the registration fee and you will receive your first textbook,
instructions,
and an examination by return mail within one week. You will also be
contacted
by your personal mentor . . . an ordained minister who has been assigned by
Pillsbury College & Seminary to assist you in earning your Bachelor of
Biblical
Studies degree.
If you have more questions, please contact drcurt@pillsburycollegecs.org or
telephone us at (314) 739-1121.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said: "Our lives begin to end the day
we become silent about the things that matter."
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