Verse of the day: Exodus 4:11 And the Lord said
unto him, “Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the dumb, or deaf, or the
seeing, or the blind? Have not I the Lord?”
And He said unto them, “Go you into all the
world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15). A very simple command; yet, all too often we find
it too difficult to carry out. Why? Fear…fear of rejection. Fear of persecution.
Fear of what others will think about us, or fear of whether or not we will know
what to say. It is fear. Fear was what caused Moses to make excuses with God as
to why he was not fit to go to Egypt and lead God’s people out of captivity.
His fear was rooted in the fact that Moses saw a task that was much greater
than he was capable of carrying out on his own. What he failed to see, and what
many of us fail to see, is that when God sends us out to serve Him, regardless
of how small or great the task, it is God who goes before us to prepare the
hearts of those who will receive the message. It is God who goes with us and
strengthens us to accomplish the task at hand. God is trying to remind Moses
that it is God who created him. Not only did He create him, but He created him
exactly how he was, with the characteristics, talents, abilities, and even his
physical shortcomings. What a beautiful reminder we see here that all who are
born into this world, whether whole or with a handicap, are born the way they
are for God’s purposes. I have seen, over the years, God use people who have
physical handicaps in ways that leave us in awe and praising God for who He is.
God reminded the Apostle Paul that in his weakness God would show His strength
(2 Cor 12:9). God was very clear with Moses that it is He who makes man’s
mouth, whether it is eloquent in speech, whether it stutters, or whether it can
speak at all. It is God who makes the ears and the eyes, and sometimes He makes
them to hear and see, and some He creates to be deaf and blind. Regardless of
how He makes them, He can use them for a greater purpose than we can ever
imagine! Sadly, I often see perfectly healthy, talented, and able-bodied
Christians who refuse to use their talents and abilities to serve the Lord.
They are more interested in using those talents and abilities for their own
gain of earthly wealth, and elevation of self in this world, than to lift up
Christ in their lives. We recoil at the thought of teaching a class in our
local church or serve in some other capacity, or fail to be vocal about our
faith at work or within our social circles of influence; but are quick to lift
up our favorite sports team or give advice about some worldly subject. We use
our mouths to promote self and break down and criticize others, but fail to
speak boldly about the One who was not ashamed to be publicly humiliated and
nailed to a cross for our salvation. God wanted Moses to know, just as He wants
us to know today, that He is the One who will be with us when He sends us out
into the world. He is the One who will guide us in what we are to say, because
He has already equipped us with the Holy Spirit who will guide our words and
tell us what to say (Lk 12:11-12). What have we to fear if God is with us when
we are sharing Christ with others? What have we to fear if God is with us when
He leads us to serve in our local churches? What have we to fear when He calls
us to stand and be apart from what the world says is acceptable? What have we
to fear when we stand for righteousness before a society that is dark and
wicked? When we fail to realize that it is God who will enable us to carry out
whatever task He sends us to complete, we will hesitate, and possibly miss out
on seeing God do something great in our lives or the lives of others around us.
Fear is what caused Peter to deny the Lord (Jn 18:15-27). Fear caused Gideon to
hide like a coward (Judges 6). Fear caused Abraham to lie (Gen 12:1ff; 20:1ff).
Fear caused the servant to hide the talent given to him by the master, rather
than invest it and gain more (Mt 25:24-30). Only when Peter feared God more
than man did he preach boldly (Act 2:14-42); and only then did both he and John
speak the Name of Jesus boldly in the face of persecution (Acts 4). What are we
putting off in our service to the Lord because of fear? What will it take for
us to be reminded that it is God who created us just the way we are and knows exactly
what we need in order to carry out the tasks and duties He sends us out to
accomplish? What will it take for us to realize that it is God working in us
and through us that will allow us to accomplish things that are far greater
than any of us can ever imagine? So, I ask us today…what is our excuse for not
going forward to do what God has called us to do?
No comments:
Post a Comment