Reflecting What We Claim to Believe

“But Moses protested again, ‘What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, “The Lord never appeared to you”?’ Then the Lord asked him, ‘What is that in your hand?’” (Exodus 4:1-2 NLT)

What do you believe about God, Jesus, the Bible, faith? Whatever it is, it’s written all over your life. We can’t hide what we truly believe. Sometimes what we think we believe is hidden behind our blatant silence yet shouted loudly through the powerlessness of our life. Did anyone doubt for a moment what Jesus believed – about God, Himself, His mission, His purpose?

In the verses above Moses is making excuses for not wanting to obey God. The Lord has asked him to go to the Pharoah of Egypt and demand the release of all the Jewish slaves who had been under Egypt’s authority for 400 years. It’s complicated, but God chose Moses because he was the perfect candidate.

That’s why God has chosen us to reach the people in our spheres of influence. Yes, of course, like Moses we stutter and rebel against the idea. Surely, there’s someone more capable than me! Surely, You’ve made a mistake, Lord! But here’s the truth – God NEVER makes a mistake! He chooses us because He knows no one is better suited for the job.

Like with Moses, God has been grooming us for our entire life for the exact mission to which He’s now calling us. No one is better positioned to reach our family than we are. It’s no accident that we are in the neighborhood, job, church, social environment we’re in. It’s no accident we met the people we’ve met where we eat, work, exercise or play.

Ray Majoran challenges us when he prays: “By the power of Your Word and Spirit, make us mindful of what You have entrusted to us. Cause our lives to reflect what we claim to believe — that Your glory is weightier than our comfort, more worthy than our ambitions, and far greater than the fleeting approval of this world (Galatians 1:10). Keep us from dull hearts and tired hands. May we be found faithful with what You have given, unwavering in our allegiance to You alone. All glory belongs to You.”

The release of the Jews from captivity wasn’t about Moses, it was about God and His plan for the children of Israel, a plan they would never realize until God provided their release from slavery. We, you and I, aren’t the issue! We’re pawns the Lord is using to help position the people He’s placed on our hearts to receive Him, to be liberated from their sin, to be challenged to be more than they’ve ever imagined they could be.

The children of Israel couldn’t have imagined what the Lord had in store for them. A promised land? A home of their own? Freedom to live the kind of lives they’d never had and couldn’t have imagined if it had been explained to them in great detail. That’s how it was for each of us who have found freedom and deliverance through Jesus, and it’s how it is for those we’re seeking to reach.

They’re blinded by the life in which they’re entrapped; void of hope because they can’t see past where their life is in this exhausting moment. We’re their only hope of escape, of deliverance from the monotony and futility of a life apart from the Savior we know and too often take for granted.

Unless and until we begin to genuinely reflect what we profess to believe, those in our spheres of influence will continue to die and go into a Christless eternity. To allow that to happen is not only sin, it’s disgraceful and saddening to our Lord and King. We must not allow that to happen.

Let’s get over ourselves and boldly, unashamedly, and enthusiastically share our Savior with all who will give us an ear.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊