February 7, 2016

God Uses Flawed People

23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 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. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

-- Hebrews 11:23-29

Moses was a murderer. Did you know that? It’s right there in Exodus, chapter two. Moses, while still living as Pharaoh’s daughter’s son, witnessed an Egyptian beating a Hebrew so he killed the Egyptian.

It’s not something you would think someone listed in the Hall of Faith would have in his past. We focus on the good -- and there is mostly good -- but it’s also important to remember his start. It helps us realize that we all have potential if we turn our lives over to God.

When Moses fled rather than face the consequences (death), he ended up defending the daughters of a priest in Midian. Their herds got water and Moses ended up with a wife.

What do the two stories have in common? Moses, who would later lead God’s people out of Egypt, had a heart for those who were being mistreated. With God’s grace and guidance, Moses became a man whom God spoke to as a friend. (Exodus 33:11)

We often make excuses for ourselves. God could never use us because of what we’ve done in the past. God could never use us because we aren’t qualified, we aren’t smart enough, we aren’t creative enough. Whatever God wants us to do, we’ve got an excuse.

But God isn’t calling us to do His will with our own power and knowledge. God is calling us to do His will with His might, His power, His knowledge. We just have to get out of the way and let Him do it.

Moses was a flawed man just as we are all flawed. But He loved God and chose to do God’s will. It wasn’t an easy calling. Moses didn’t feel qualified. But he went anyway. There’s a lesson in that for all of us.