“The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’

Moses replied, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?’

But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, ‘Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?

Then Moses cried out to the LORD, ‘What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.’ The LORD answered Moses, ‘Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you stuck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.’” (Exodus 17:1-7).

Observation:
At the command of the Lord, the Israelites camped, but there was no water to drink. You’d think that if God commanded a camping spot, there’d be plenty of water, as well as a buffet line and waiters to bring them coffee and dessert. You’d think if God planned it all the logistics would have been taken into consideration and a catering company would be waiting for the Israelites as they arrived.

Application:
There will be times, even though the Lord leads us, when we will find ourselves with sparse resources. Not enough money. Not enough help. Not enough encouragement. But it doesn’t mean that God is not in the situation. Being patient comes hard when I am thirsty after a long trek. We can react prematurely, jumping to the wrong conclusions about how God is working. In doing so, we make the desert a hotter place than it needs to be. 

God is not finished yet. Think about it – God had water stored in a rock!

“Come, follow me” (Matthew 5:19a).

If you’ve been around church much, you have heard this a thousand times.

But here’s the million dollar question: what if Jesus literally meant for us to follow him? What if Jesus really meant that we are supposed to follow his example, his spirit? What if Jesus literally meant that we are to value the people he valued and serve the people he served?

The way we live our lives – including me – doesn’t really reflect this reality. We seem to be quite okay with going to church regularly, going to Bible Study or small group, and then basically living our lives the way we have always lived.

Dallas Willard, looking at the modern church in America wrote: “One is not required to be, or even have to have the intention to be, a disciple in order to be a part of the church. One may remain a member without any signs of progress toward discipleship. Contemporary Western churches do not require following in Jesus’ example, spirit, and teachings as a condition of membership. So far as the visible Christian institution of our day are concerned, discipleship clearly is optional…churches are therefore filled with ‘undiscipled disciples.’ Most problems in contemporary church can be explained by the fact that members have not yet decided to follow Jesus.”

Yikes!

The call to discipleship is and has always been, “Jesus declared, ‘Come, follow me.’”

Have you made the decision to follow Christ?

“After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.’ Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself” (John 6:14-15).

Jesus never had a problem in attracting the crowds. All it took was a miracle or two and there were throngs of people who gathered to witness the spectacle themselves. But each time the crowds would gather Jesus withdrew. Crowds were not what Jesus desired. Jesus was never interested in drawing big crowds.

The crowds were readily available. And, eventually, it was the crowds who crucified him.

He has been calling disciples. There is a huge difference between the crowds and disciples.

Crowds:

• Main aim – What’s in it for me?
• Desired outcome – What can I get from Jesus?
• When Jesus convicts, confronts, and challenges – Crowds turn on Jesus. Crowds crucified him.

Disciples:

• Main aim – How can I honor Christ?
• Desired outcome – How can I join in Christ’s work?
• When Jesus convicts, confronts, and challenges – Asks, what must I change in order to honor Christ?

No wonder Jesus was not interested in the crowds. Jesus was, and still is, only interested in calling disciples to himself.

So, which are you?