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
Hebreërs 11:26 NLV
Derdens, moet jy jou prioriteite bepaal. ‘Vir hom was die lyding wat hy ter wille van Christus, die Messias, moes deurmaak, ‘n groter rykdom as die skatte van Egipte.’ Baie van die wêreld se rykdom in daardie tyd was in Egipte gestoor. Moses het dus reeds gehad wat die meeste mense hulle lewens gewy het om te probeer kry: populariteit, plesier en besittings. Tog het God hom gevra om iets te doen wat belangriker was – en hy het dit gedoen. Dit was ‘n kwessie van prioriteite.
Moses kon maklik gedink het: ‘Die situasie met die slawe is so sleg, dus sal ek in die sisteem bly en dit probeer hervorm.’ Die meeste van ons wil hê dat mense van ons moet hou, maar daar is een groot probleem met populariteit: Dit hou nie. Jy kan vir ‘n ruk die ‘groot man’ op kampus wees, maar wanneer jy ‘n paar jaar later terugkeer, sal jy heel waarskynlik vind dat niemand meer dink dat jy spesiaal is nie.
Dan is daar plesier. Is plesier verkeerd? Dis nie verkeerd nie, tensy dit sondig is. Daar is ook niks verkeerd met materiële sukses nie. Sommige van die grootste mense in die Bybel was baie ryk, insluitend Abraham en Salomo. Jesus het egter gesê: ‘…Ware lewe word nie gemeet aan hoeveel ons besit nie’ (Lukas 12:15 NLV). Uiteindelik bring rykdom nie geluk mee nie. Geld is daar om gebruik te word – nie om liefgehê te word nie! God wil hê dat ons dinge moet gebruik en mense moet liefhê. As ons egter dinge liefhet, sal ons op die ou einde mense gebruik.
Moses het sy prioriteite reg gehad; hy het nie waarde aan materiële dinge geheg nie, omdat daar iets belangrikers in sy lewe was – God se wil!
Sielskos: 1 Tim 1-3; Joh 6:35-51; Ps 127; Spr 24:19-22
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.”
Much of the world’s wealth during that time was stored in Egypt. So Moses already had what most people spend their lives trying to get: popularity, pleasure, and possessions. Yet God asked him to do something that was more important – and he did it. It was a matter of priorities.
Moses could easily have rationalized, “The slave situation is bad, so I’ll stay in the system and work for reform.” Most of us want to be liked, but there’s one big problem with popularity: It never lasts. You can be the big shot on campus for a while, but when you return a few years after graduation, you’ll likely find that nobody thinks you’re special anymore.
Then there’s pleasure. Is pleasure wrong? It isn’t wrong unless it’s sinful.
Then there are possessions. And there’s nothing wrong with material success. Some of the greatest people in the Bible were extremely wealthy, including Abraham and Solomon. But Jesus said, “Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15 NIV).
Ultimately wealth doesn’t bring happiness. Ask the people who have it, “How much money does it take to be happy?” Answer: “Just a little bit more!” Money is to 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 – namely, God’s will!
Soul food: 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
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.
The principle here is that you can always replace a negative with a positive. You don’t just stop doing something – you start doing something else. The Christian life isn’t a matter of negative rules and regulations. It’s a matter of relationships – with God, with other people, and with yourself.
Notice, Moses made his decision “when he had grown up.” It’s a mark of maturity when you can settle the issue of personal responsibility. 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, assume responsibility for his own life, and move ahead. It’s always easy to blame others: “I’d go God’s way if my boyfriend or girlfriend, mother or father, husband or wife, would do it too.” Or, “I’d be a better person today if I had better parents.”
You can’t choose all the circumstances that come into your life, but you can choose whether those things will make you a bitter person or a better person. Ultimately no one can ruin your life except you! The Devil can’t, because he doesn’t have enough power – and God won’t, because He loves you. So choose to go God’s way!
Soul food: Matt 6:5-15; Jas 5:13-18; 1 Thes 5:16-18
