The Rod of God ⚡️

I have an adorable and slightly demanding dog that loves to go on walks. So I take him on a stroll around our neighborhood just about every day. Ever since Omaha's windstorm three weeks ago, I've been dodging massive piles of tree debris stacked near the street, just waiting to be hauled away.

In other words ... dead wood. 🪵

It's a picture of our life disconnected from Christ. Jesus himself said, "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned" (John 15:6 NASB).

God gave Moses some object lessons related to this very topic. I'm sure you're familiar with the burning bush. It's how Moses met Jesus.

Moses could not hide from his destiny. He was branded from birth. God was showing him an unforgettable vision for his future. Ultimately, it pointed to the passion of Jesus on the cross.

As Jesus is revealing himself to Moses and the details of his assignment, Moses raises several questions/objections about his own insufficiency. So the deliverer gets another object lesson. God asks him, "What is that in your hand?" And Moses replies, "A staff."

A staff is a branch. Dead wood. Disconnected. God is showing Moses the current state of his life. It was in his own hands: independent, isolated, impotent.

God gives Moses a command: "Throw it on the ground." Suddenly, it becomes a snake, and Moses runs from it. Then comes another command.

Do not miss the significance of what's happening right here. Moses is learning what it means to lay down his life. He is learning to surrender and obey the word of the Lord. He is learning about becoming a living sacrifice ... a sign and a wonder.

Fast forward 1400 years, Jesus echos this exact message. He tells his disciples, "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it" (Matthew 16:25 NLT).

Jesus is telling his closest friends for the first time that he was going to suffer, die, and resurrect on the third day. They have no clue how to process this revelation.

In John 10:18 Jesus gives more details: "No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”

Sound familiar? Throw it down ... Pick it up.

We enter God's kingdom through tribulation and death — laying down our sin-stained self unto salvation for our soul. It's a rebirth, a resurrection. It's a decision to abandon our own waywardness and follow The Way.

You are no longer your own. You belong to God and follow his commands. Your new life is in his hands.

Moses never saw his staff the same way. From then on, it's called the rod of God (Exodus 4:20) ... a scepter of God's power and authority. Moses was under royal orders. His life was the Lord's, whose mighty hand accomplished deliverance, provision, healing, and salvation.

God's promise to raise up one like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:18) was fulfilled in Jesus — and beyond. Jesus is the firstborn of many brothers and sisters (Romans 8:29). His work is finished, and he's passed us the baton.

Just like Moses and Jesus, your life can be a rod of God. ⚡️

What God is calling you to do will likely scare you. You may be running from it ... until a burning bush moment. All you need to do is obey the next thing he tells you, even if it makes little sense.

I'll leave you with this prophetic exhortation that I wrote in my journal as I was praying this morning...

We idolize and idealize the people in the Bible, not realizing they are our prototypes. They are there to provoke us to holy dissatisfaction and bold action. Never underestimate the power of a laid-down life. We are not mere readers and spectators. Saints, this is our story! It's time to participate and demonstrate, to push through perceived boundaries and barriers, to reveal the identity and majesty of Jesus on the earth.

I bless you to become the rod of God in our generation!

Chelsea