Verse of the day: Exodus
4:10-11 Then Moses said
to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken
to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” 11 So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes
the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?
May
I start today by saying that not one of us who was born into this world was a
mistake? Regardless of the circumstances behind our conception, each, and
every, one of us was born because God allowed it, and because He has a plan for
each, and every, one of us. A plan that will only be truly discovered in
Christ. We may have been told by others that we were a mistake, and even
treated that way; but I want to say this unequivocally…God does not make
mistakes! We know from examples like Sarah (Genesis 11:30), the women in the
household of Abimelech (Gen 20:18), Hannah (Samuel’s mother; 1 Samuel 1:6), and
Elizabeth (the mother of John the Baptist; Luke 1:7), that God is the One who
opens and closes the womb. Therefore, if God did not want us to come into this
world, we would not be here. In saying that, I want to also say this…God is the
One who created us just the way we are. He created us with our talents,
abilities, our physical, and mental capacity as well. He has allowed some to be
born with handicaps, and some who have some sort of physical deformity that
limits their ability to function normally. However, I have seen God use people
with handicaps, physical infirmities, and limited capabilities, in amazing
ways. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 reads, “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many
wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the
foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the
weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and
the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen,
and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that
no flesh should glory in His presence.” Moses tried every excuse he
could think of to avoid going before Pharaoh, even after God told him that He
would be with him, and showed him what He would perform through Moses before
Pharaoh (v. 1-9). With nothing left as an objection, he resorted to pointing
out his difficulty with speech, as if God, who created his mouth, did not know
of his speech impediment. We, God’s children, must never forget what God says
to us in Psalm 139:14, “I will
praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are
Your works, and that my
soul knows very well.” One of the saddest things I have seen in Christianity
is all of us who have allowed man to paint a picture for us in respect to who
we are. We have allowed society to dictate who we are supposed to be, and what
we are supposed to look like. Some of us are guilty of putting others down,
rejecting, and making fun of others who did not live up to our expectations. We
have rejected one another based on looks, personalities, and status in society.
There is one thing that I despise when I see it within Christian circles, our
tendency to form “clicks” within local assemblies where people seek out others
that are of the same social status, or meet some other criteria that we have
decided on, that makes others feel like they are not good enough to part of our
fellowship. Note that God called Moses to His service, when his own brethren
rejected him (Exodus 2:14). All too often, we will allow the rejection of man
dictate whether or not we will serve the Lord. However, our call to service
does not come from man; it comes from God. God created us, and even if we have
some type of disability, God can show His power in the greatest of ways through
our shortcomings and weaknesses. The Apostle Paul suffered from an infirmity
that was obviously a burden for him. The Word of God tells us that he prayed
three times, requesting that God heal him, and he writes in 2 Corinthians 12:9
that God responded to his prayers in this manner, “And he said unto me,
My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of
Christ may rest upon me.” We must not let man (including ourselves)
dictate whether, or not, we can effectively serve our Lord; and we must not let
society dictate for us whether or not we are good looking enough, or talented
enough to serve God. Christ died for us, and in Him, regardless of who we are,
we are accepted in God’s family for His service, and His glory. The bottom line
is that God calls us into His service knowing exactly who we are, and what He
is capable of doing in us, and through us, if we submit our life and will to
Him.
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