Why Moses?

Having recently done a little trip through Exodus I couldn't help but ask the question "why Moses?" I mean, let's get real here. He whined, argued, made excuses and, to get his attention, God had to put on a full Hollywood production – burning bush, leprous hand, staff into snake – and even then he still had an excuse as to why he couldn't do what God asked him to! Now Aaron, on the other hand, God gives him an instruction – to go and meet Moses in the wilderness – and off he goes. Now bear in mind that Moses had been out of Egypt for about forty years, and Aaron, (still a slave at age 83 so hadn't done much in the way of travelling), had no idea where to find him; hadn't seen his younger brother for all those decades and didn't really have much to do with him at all from when they were babies! But does he argue? Nope, he just goes off and does as God asks him too! Which brings me back to the point, why Moses? Why not Aaron? Surely Aaron, who was already in Egypt, spoke well, and apparently trusted God, would have been a better candidate? I mean, Moses had grown up in the Pharoah's home, lived in the lap of luxury whilst the rest of the Israelites were slaves, then he killed someone, covered up his crime and ran away – hardly the ideal person to win the trust of the Israelites.

I must admit that looking at the two men, if I had been God, I would have chosen Aaron! Which is probably why God is God and I'm just little old, flawed me. And that's exactly what Moses was – flawed – just like you and me. Aaron also had his faults, but Moses certainly appeared to have the lead in the number of flaws he possessed. Therein, I feel, may be one of the reasons that God chose Moses. He was flawed. He had a speech impediment, self-esteem issues, a hot-temper, in fact, he was a regular guy and God was able to use him. He used him to manage one of the biggest, most important events in the history of the Israelites and yet he was just like you and me.

I cannot claim to know the mind of God, but I do feel that one of the reasons that He chose to use Moses, was so that we could realize that He can use us, with all our hang-ups and problems, to do His work. That we cannot excuse ourselves, because when He calls us, it is because He can use us just exactly as we are – flaws and all!

Your strength – or His Power?

Eph 3:16-17 'I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources, He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit.'

Being strong, independent, self-sufficient, are all characteristics that present day society applauds. Successful business people are lauded for being "self-made" men and women. The focus is always on financial success or super-stardom, never on the person's true character or moral values. In fact, if they do tend to be people with questionable morals and the personality of a villain, it is viewed with amusement or admiration. How the person achieved their success is also very often overlooked, particularly if their methods were unscrupulous and dishonest.

So why do we all strive to be what society wants us to be? God has created us with limitations and weaknesses for a reason. It is through our limitations, our inability to be "superman" that God's amazing power will shine through. This will give Him the glory, and not us. People will realize that if God can use someone as limited as we are, then He can use them to. Through our limitations we learn to depend on God and trust Him for the things that we, on our own, cannot do. This strengthens our love for Him and deepens our relationship with Him.

Consider how puny man is up against the forces of Nature – who can deflect a tornado, stop an earthquake or put out the fires of a volcano? Not one of us, and yet, God created all of these things! Shouldn't the very power and wonder of the world around us make us realize that He is far more powerful than us, but that since He loves us so completely, we can trust Him to give us His strength in troubled times.




 

Worry is like a Rocking Chair….

Matt 6:34 'Don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today.'

I don't know what it is about this time of year, but it seems that just when we should be winding down and getting ready for the end of year festivities, people seem to be hit by all kinds of difficulties. My mother has been told that she is going to have to have a knee replacement operation; a friend has just discovered a growth on his kidneys, another has just found out that their new-born baby nephew is very ill, and the list goes on. However, the more I've thought and prayed about it, it really isn't the time of year, it's life! We all have constant challenges to face, difficulties that often seem insurmountable, but in reality, there is no problem too big for God.

God made us weak so that we could learn to depend on Him. He is our strength, if we allow Him to be. He made our lives short so that we could yearn for eternity. He gave us the ability to love, laugh and cry so that we could give our hearts to Him and show others the joy of knowing Him.

No matter what you are facing, ill-health, broken relationships, financial difficulties, just lay it all at His feet and trust that He knows what is best for you. It may be that through your financial struggles your direction in life changes so that God can use you more effectively. Perhaps through your ill-health you learn to slow down and spend time with your Saviour. I personally found that being bed-ridden for a while gave me ample time to pray for others.

To complete the phrase that I used to as this post's title: Worry is like a rocking chair ….. it gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere!! Turn your worried thoughts into prayer – its far more effective!


 

Allowing God to change you!

2 Cor 5:17 'Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone, a new life has begun.'
You are God's work of art – in process! A magnificent masterpiece that He will mould, shape and refine through life's up's and downs to make you the person He want's you to be. To have you reach your fullest potential and be all that you can be in Him!

The thought of God moulding and shaping us can be very upsetting to a lot of people, particularly those who see themselves as 'self-made', independent and strong. The thought that they are in need of change, that they may have to grow emotionally, spiritually and or mentally can be a severe knock to a person's ego and they will so often resist any thought of changing.

On a personal note, I can only tell you that God has, in so many ways, changed me for the better. Certainly, when I gave my life to God I felt that I was a good person, raising my sons on my own, strong-willed, independent and capable. What I was not prepared for was the things that I suddenly saw in my life that I realized were not pleasing to God. My temper for one thing! For such a tiny slip of a person (5'4" and only 58kgs), I was a force to be reckoned with when I got mad!! I remember having fetched all the children from school one day and my step-daughter commenting to me that my road-rage had gone! Then the others all started commenting on how previously I would have screamed at the car that had just cut in front of us, how I wasn't even swearing anymore! Wow!! I hadn't even noticed these things myself, but their comments certainly made me think about my behavior.

I know that the incident I have described above is rather small and inconsequential, and perhaps many of you have had more radical transformations than that, but it was that moment that was the turning point for me. It was this moment that made me realize that God had, already, without me being aware of it, started to transform my heart and, with this knowledge that He could change me without my conscious participation in the process, how much more could He do if I allowed Him to work in my heart?

I must admit that the process of allowing God to change me was not (sorry, IS not) always easy, but it is certainly worthwhile. The changes He has brought about have allowed me to release all my anger and bitterness, to learn to love myself (certainly the hardest battle) and to slowly start seeing that His plans and purposes for my life are far superior to any I may have had. I know that I am still taking baby-steps in my walk with the Lord, and that He still has LOTS of moulding and shaping to do to get me where He wants me to be, but I do know that I can trust Him through the process.