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Article Archive |
2008
Called by God
by Jim Morris
Look how God called people into His service. Isaiah jumped at the chance to serve. When God said, “Who will go for us?” Isaiah promptly said, “Here am I, send me!” (Isaiah 6:8). However, many others have responded like Jeremiah, who said, “Ah, Sovereign LORD . . . I do not know how to speak; I am only a child” (Jeremiah 1:6). Moses was called by God but it will surprise many that he responded as if he were just like one of us today!
In the book of Exodus, we read of God developing Israel into a mighty nation. In chapter one, God preserved and multiplied the Israelites for 400 years in Egypt. Then a new king arose who created hardships and even tried to kill the Israelites' newborn boys. In chapter two, God prepared His deliverer and His people for the proper time of their deliverance.
In chapter three of Exodus, God called Moses at the “burning bush” (3:1-4). However, when God warned Moses about the sacred nature of the encounter, Moses went from curious to afraid (3:5-6).
God saw the misery and suffering of His people, saying, “So I HAVE COME DOWN to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians. . .” (3:8). However, the shocking twist in God's plan came to Moses in the next verse: “So now, go. I AM SENDING YOU to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt” (3:10). Did you catch that? “I have come down. . . so now I am sending you.” Moses reacted in the same way that many of us do today -- with lame excuses!
Lame Excuse #1: “WHO AM I?” (3:11). Moses essentially said, “I'm a nobody.” God was silent. Instead, God said, “I will be with you” (3:12). Moses may have thought he was a nobody but with God he definitely became “somebody!”
Lame Excuse #2: “WHAT SHALL I SAY?” (3:13). Moses voiced our own fears when he said, “I don't know what to say.” Fortunately, God gave him, and us, the answer. He said, “This is what you are to say” (3:14-22). God explained the content and purpose of what Moses was to say to the Israelites, the elders, and Pharaoh.
Lame Excuse #3: “WHAT IF NOBODY BELIEVES ME?” (4:1). Moses was looking for proof that would establish his credibility when he spoke. God gave Moses three miraculous signs that would prove he was speaking for God—a staff that turned into a snake (4:2-5), his hand that became leprous when he put it in his cloak (4:6-8), and water from the Nile that turned to blood when poured on the sand (4:9). What if nobody believes us? Give them the proof God gives us in His written word!
Lame Excuse #4: “I CAN'T SPEAK WELL” (4:10). Moses complained, “I can't speak right.” But God said, “I will help you speak and teach you what to say” (4:12). We never have to tackle problems alone. We just need to be willing to tell others what God has done through Jesus.
Lame Excuse #5: “SEND SOMEONE ELSE” (4:13). This is the final excuse that angered God. It was pure insubordination! God called Moses but Moses refused. Christians are not called to force people to believe or to fix the world, but to obey God. God promised Moses, “I'm coming down. . . to go with you, to tell you what to say, to give you proof so that they will believe, and to empower you to accomplish My will.” God doesn't need extraordinary people to go it alone; instead, God needs ordinary people like us to trust and to serve an extraordinary God. God is calling. What is your answer?
07-23-08
# 30
