From the Edges – Morning Devotions; the Holy Spirt and Sharing Burdens and Purpose.

From the Edges – Focusing on the Holy Spirit
Sharing Burdens and Purpose
Pastor Calvin Cook – 5-14-2024

Scripture focus -Numbers 11:17 And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone.

Do you ever wrestle with purpose? What your purpose is? I would think that by now at my age that I would have become aware and immersed in my purpose. Maybe I have, and maybe it is because I have not found contentment in my purpose, because it is not many days the purpose God has designed for me.

In reference to Numbers this morning from the 11th chapter, we once again see Moses struggling with his purpose. We note a bit of insecurity and lack of humility and holy concern on Moses’s part. This has certainly migrated into frustration. Moses claiming his frustration for the people who just couldn’t get it. Could not see all that God was doing and how their lives were impacted by the presence of God.

Notice some very important holy moments in Numbers 11:17. God speaks to Moses and says “I will come down and talk with you there.” Describing God and God’s desire to not just rule from some where way out there but to be with the people in particular with the one who seems to be Moses at this point.

Years ago, I was hunting with my Dad, I grabbed hold of the idea that I knew everything and told my Dad that I was done hunting and started off on my own back to the truck. As confusion of where I was in these woods, I became fearful that I was lost. I began to worry, fret, think I would never get out of the situation. Sound familiar when we take off on our own away from God’s direction.
Little did I know that far away without me noticing was my Dad. At just the right time, Dad came from nowhere and said “You are lost, I know these woods, follow me” . We went off in a complete different direction finding our way home.

I almost feel God is saying to Moses in this short verse from Numbers “I got this, I have breathed the Spirit into you, you have been faithful, amidst everything, even the distractions of the world around you, you have remained faithful.” Now God is doing something more than just building Moses up, he is doing a new. God is giving Moses hope by empowering others with the same Spirit and desire that Moses has. This becomes known as the raising up the Elders or we might refer to them as the next generation. This could as well be one of the first references to discipleship.

Our relationship with God is not just for us, not just for our own needs and desires. When the Spirit is given to us it should be realized that this the Spirit is for the empowerment to share with others the relationship we all need to have with God the creator.
Genesis 2:7 highlights the breathing of life into Adam with reference to all of humankind. Life has been breathed into us, is it just for our own satisfaction and ability? If you answer Yes, I will pray for you, the Holy Spirit will intercede for you to bring us all to the place we need to be.

Receiving the power, presence and purpose of the Holy Spirit is contingent on you, will you receive it and share it with another person beginning today.