God's Tools

Exodus 4:1-5
Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’”
So the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?”He said, “A rod.”
And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand) “that they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

“Father, thank You for these stories about Moses doubting his ability to serve You. Thank You for continually being with him, and giving us a testimony of the beginnings of the world through him, and especially the testimony of your patience and love for us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Okay: so eleven verses ago, Moses asked God, ‘Who am I to go to Pharaoh and bring Your people out of Egypt?’ (paraphrased). God told him that He would be with Him, and said that when he served God on the mountain, it would be a sign to everybody that Moses was sent by God. Now we’re back at that point again.

This time, God knew that Moses knew that He would be with him. So God just jumped into the signs. So what do we take from this?

God gave Moses tools to let others know that He sent him. God always gives us the tools we need to let others know we belong to Him. The first is the Bible. When someone carries around a Bible, and can even be seen reading it, you know they are of God. Churches are another thing, but not as strong nowadays as a visible Bible for a sign. Parents can force us to go to church, but they can’t force us to read the Bible if they aren’t there to enforce it. The last, most subtle, and probably most effective is the kind, gentle and loving spirit. There are always exceptions, but the nicest people in the world are usually Christians. (John 13:35)

My favorite part of this story is that Moses was afraid of the sign that God gave him. We can’t be afraid to let others see our signs. Obviously, we shouldn’t shove it in their faces, but that loving spirit is the easiest way to find a happy medium. I think it's encouraging to know that God has given us signs to show others that we're His, because if He goes through the trouble of doing that, He'll stick by us (just in case I hadn't read any other Bible verse about God not forsaking us).

Moses’ next worry and his eventual decision after hearing all God had to say to him are coming up in the next few weeks.

Have a great weekend and week.
In His Service,
Joyce