2020-10-27
Hebrews 11:27 NIV
Fourth: you must persevere when life gets difficult. Moses’ life could be summarised in these two words: ‘He persevered.’ Moses understood that difficulties come into every life, and he knew how to respond to them correctly and move on. And we must learn to do that too.
As followers of Christ, we should never let problems defeat us; instead, we should let them draw us closer to God. God allows specific situations in our lives to bring growth, and without perseverance we won’t get very far.
Notice the words ‘By faith…he persevered. Moses’ faith and trust in God helped him through every challenge he faced. When God calls us to do a job, He doesn’t just give us the task and then leaves us to deal with it by ourselves in our own strength. He equips and empowers us. He walks alongside us, encouraging us and letting us draw on His strength. He goes ahead of us and provides everything we need.
When we say yes to His plan for our lives, we can stand on this promise: ‘We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose’ (Romans 8:28 NIV). If you want to live a life that’s successful in God’s eyes, you should do these four things: a) know who you are; b) take responsibility for your life; c) determine your priorities; and d) persevere when life gets difficult. If you stick closely to these Bible truths, you’ll live a life that’s truly blessed by God.
1 Tim 4-6; John 6:52-71; Ps 114; Prov 24:23-25
2020-10-26
Hebrews 11:26 NIV
Third: you must determine your priorities. ‘He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.’ At that time, a lot of the world’s wealth was stored in Egypt. So Moses already had what many people spend their lives trying to get: popularity, pleasure, and possessions. But when God asked him to do something that was more important, he did it. It was a matter of priorities.
Moses could easily have rationalised, ‘The slave situation is bad, so I’ll stay in the system and work for reform.’ Many people crave popularity, and most of us want to be liked, but the problem with being popular is that it often doesn’t last.
Then there’s pleasure. We all want to have fun, and there’s nothing wrong with that unless we find our fun in sinful things.
Then there are possessions. There’s nothing wrong with material success – some of the greatest people in the Bible, like Abraham and Solomon, were extremely wealthy. But Jesus said, ‘Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions’ (Luke 12:15 NIV). In the end, wealth doesn’t bring happiness. Money should be used – not loved. God wants us to use things and love people. But if we love things we’ll end up using people.
Moses had his priorities right; he devalued material things because there was something more important in his life – God’s will.
1 Tim 1-3; John 6:35-51; Ps 127; Prov 24:19-22
2020-10-25
Hebrews 11:25 NIV
Second: you must take responsibility for your life. ‘Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin’ (vv. 24-25 NIV). First, Moses refused to be anyone but himself. Next, he chose to go God’s way. One thing we can learn from this is that we can always replace a negative with a positive.
For example, we don’t just stop doing something bad – we should replace it with something good. Living a Christian life isn’t about following a list of negative rules and regulations. It’s about relationships with other people, with yourself, and most importantly, with God. Moses made his decision ‘when he had grown up’. It’s a sign of maturity when we can resolve to take responsibility for ourselves and our actions.
1 Corinthians 13:11 says: ‘When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things’ (NLT). When Moses was a baby, it was okay to postpone the decision about who he was. But when he became an adult he had to make a choice, take responsibility for his own life, and move ahead.
It’s easy to blame other people or situations for the problems we face, but we can control how we react to those problems. We can’t choose all the circumstances that come into our lives, but we can choose whether those things will make us bitter people or better people.
Matt 6:5-15; Jas 5:13-18; 1 Thes 5:16-18
2020-10-24
Hebrews 11:24 NIV
The life of Moses can teach us many things about what it means to live a life that’s successful in God’s eyes. Over the next few days, we’ll be taking a look at some of them.
First: you must know who you are. ‘Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.’ Moses was born a Hebrew, but he was raised as an Egyptian by Pharaoh’s daughter. Even though he was being trained and prepared to be second-in-command in Pharaoh’s kingdom, Moses knew God had called him to free his people and lead them out of Egypt.
Moses had every comfort he could wish for in the palace, and he could have stayed there, but he knew that working for Pharaoh wasn’t who he was meant to be. Moses made the right choice to follow God’s purpose for him, but it also meant spending the next eighty years of his life in the desert.
Every one of us must come to grips with our identity. We all have a deep need and desire to accept who we are. Accepting our God-given identity isn’t always easy, but trying to be who we’re not is stressful and puts us under immense pressure. Moses recognised this, and decided to stop pretending.
Choosing to accept God’s plan for our life frees us from the burden of pretending, and releases us into the unique identity and purpose God’s given us.
If Moses had stayed in Pharaoh’s court, we might only remember him as an Egyptian mummy in a museum, or maybe not at all. But he made the right decision, and from an eternal perspective, it was the best one.
Hab 1-3; John 6:25-34; Ps 98; Prov 24:15-18
2020-10-23
Matthew 7:2 NIV
Jesus said, ‘Do not judge…For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you’ (vv. 1-2 NIV). We can easily fall into the habit of judging others, even though Jesus forbids it. Sometimes we might do it because we’re trying to be honest and point out someone else’s flaw or sin so that they can work on improving. There’s definitely a place for that, and the Bible does tell us to confront sins (take a look at James 5:19-20. But we have to do it in the right way, from a place of love, and with God’s help. If we become judgemental, we’re not only hurting someone, we’re also going against what God’s Word commands.
We also have to consider that the other person could already have repented, confessed their sin, and received God’s forgiveness. They might already be working through an issue with Him. If God’s already forgiven them and is helping them, there’s no need for us to keep bringing it up. We might also start to judge people because we feel insecure about ourselves in some way, so we look for others’ faults to make ourselves feel better.
But Jesus said, ‘Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?’ (Matthew 7:3 NIV). Jesus also said, ‘They are blessed who show mercy to others, for God will show mercy to them’ (Matthew 5:7 NCV). God shows us grace and mercy despite our faults, so we should extend the same grace and mercy to others too.
Nahum 1-3; John 6:1-24; Ps 85; Prov 24:11-14
2020-10-22
1 Corinthians 4:5 NIV
Sadly, judging others often comes easily to us. And sometimes the worst critics are Christians who use Scripture as a weapon to condemn others. If you’re the one being judged, try to remember these four things:
1) Show humility. If you’re guilty, admit it to yourself, then to God, and then if it’s appropriate, admit it to others. Confession brings honesty and spiritual growth (take a look at 1 John 1:9).
2) Know your Bible. Satan took Scriptures out of context to try to trap Jesus, but Jesus knew the context so He didn’t fall for it (see Luke 4:1-13). If someone condemns you by taking the Bible out of context, remember God isn’t aiming at you. But if you’re rightly judged by God’s Word, don’t despair; it doesn’t mean He’s angry with you. You’re His child and He loves you, so He’ll use your actions as ‘teaching moments’ to develop you. ‘The Lord disciplines the one he loves, and…chastens everyone he accepts as his son’ (Hebrews 12:6 NIV).
3) Don’t be forced into justifying yourself. Judgmental people aren’t interested in facts – often they want to feel good by making you feel bad. Pick your battles wisely, and don’t waste time on unimportant things, or feel you need to reveal things that are just between you and God. Here’s how Paul responded to his critics: ‘I care very little if I am judged by you or…any human court’ (1 Corinthians 4:3 NIV).
4) Don’t judge yourself. If God doesn’t find you guilty, don’t keep believing you’re guilty. Follow Paul’s example: ‘Indeed, I do not even judge myself’ (v. 3 NIV). If you’re wrong, confess it, and correct it with God’s help. Then make up your mind to live your life free from condemnation.
2 Pet 1-3; John 5:31-47; Ps 126; Prov 24:10
