Family and Ministry

"So Moses took his wife and his sons and mounted them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand." -Exodus 4.20

Moses is finally on his way to Egypt, but he isn't headed there alone. He takes his wife and his sons. He doesn't leave his family behind as he goes off on a mission, but he takes them with him. He takes his wife so that he can continue to provide for and protect her. He takes his sons so that he can continue to teach and guide them. He doesn't neglect his family for the work of God.

Men, too many have made this mistake. They put the work of the Church before their families. They invest their lives in strangers while their wives are lonely and their children drift away from God. They gain the church at the expense of their families, are you willing to pay that price? One day you will have to stand before God and give an account for the husband and the father you were, do you want to have to explain to Him why you ignored them as they cried out to you?

The work of God is why we are here. Loving our wives and children, and guiding them in the paths of righteousness, is our primary work of God. They are our primary ministry, and we cannot neglect them. And it is crucial for our families to see that though they are vitally important to us, our lives are caught up in something bigger. Our wives need to see us passionately following God and fighting for His kingdom. The warrior is who they fell in love with, and the warrior fighting for the kingdom of God is trained and ready to fight for her heart. Our children need to know, that though they are our most precious possessions, they are not the center of our universe. They need to see that our lives revolve around God. They need to see us in action, battling evil and standing for truth.

Moses gave his family that chance. He took them with him. He was a warrior for God, and a husband and father. IF God has blessed you with a family, don't neglect them, and don't idolize them. Serve God and serve your family. Family and ministry, we have both to do, so let's do them well.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Someone Else

"But he said, 'Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will.' Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses, and He said, 'Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I, even I, will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do. Moreover, he shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as God to him. You shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs.'" -Exodus 4.13-17

Out of questions, and out of excuses, Moses flat out says it, "God, send someone else." Here we have the oldest person in the world introduced, Someone Else. The answers God has given haven't given Moses confidence, and the signs and promises haven't filled him with courage. He's afraid to step out in faith and trust God to use him, and so he straight up asks God to get someone else to do the job.

God is angry. He tells Moses that his brother, Aaron, is coming to meet him and that Moses will speak to Aaron, God will be with their mouths and will teach them what to do. Aaron will be the one to speak to the people, but Moses will be the one to communicate between God and Aaron. And Moses will perform God's wonders. By asking for someone else to be sent Moses doesn't get off the hook, just a backstage view of it all. Aaron is going to play the lead role in the play Moses was to star in.

Men, when we ask God to send someone else to do our job, to play our part, we see that He will. But we also see that it doesn't free us from the task. Instead, we watch them do what we did not have the courage to do. We watch them do our public work and point others to God and direct praise and glory back to Him.

This is your part in the story. This is your role to play. Don't defer it someone else.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Excuses

"Then Moses said to the Lord, 'Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.' The Lord said to him, 'Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.'" -Exodus 4.10-12

Moses is running out of excuses. Everything he has brought up God has countered. He's given him a location, a name, and signs to perform. And even with these Moses is still unwilling to jump in with both feet. For some reason there is still fear and timidity, and so he starts making excuses for why he can't do this thing that God has asked. "I can't go, I don't speak well, never have." God's response is simple, "Who made your mouth? I did. God and I will be with you and show you what to say." God promises to be with him even in the area's of his physical limitations.

Men, what excuses are you making to God? Lack of time? Lack of money? Lack of help? Lack of... fill in the blank? What is your excuses? Now ask yourself, is that really the issue, or is it the security blanket you're holding on to, hoping God will change His mind? Think of what your fear is costing you.

First, it is costing you the chance to be part of something epic. God has a part for you in His story, a part only you can play, and fear is keeping you from it. Second, it's costing you time. The older I get I realize how short life is and how fast it goes by. I don't have time to waste being scared.

Third, fear costs us the opportunity to watch God do something great. Every shortcoming, every hindrance we see as preventing us from going, are just opportunities to see God work. A time issue is the opportunity to gain discipline, and watch God cut the unnecessary from our lives. A money issue is the chance to watch God come through and provide in ways we never imagined. A help issue is the chance to trust God and watch Him come through, and call others to use their gifts. Whatever your excuse is, it is the chance to watch God work wonders, and fear is keeping your from it.

God doesn't provide Moses with the words at that moment. He doesn't immediately become an eloquent communicator. God simply says, "I made your mouth. I will be with you. Trust me, and I will teach you what to say." Yet again there is the call to faith in God.

Without faith in God we cannot be part of His story. Without faith in God we cannot accomplish the epic. Without courage from God we cannot follow Him in faith. God has promised to be with us, and He will handle every excuse we can make if we'll trust Him.

What is keeping you from following? What are your excuses?

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Equipped for Epic

"Then Moses said, 'What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, "The Lord has not appeared to you."' The Lord said to him, 'What is that in your hand?' And he said, 'A staff.' Then He said, 'Throw it on the ground.' So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. But the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail' —so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— 'that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.'" -Exodus 4.1-5

Moses still isn't sure about all of this, and so he keeps bring up "what ifs" to God. Now he asks straight up, "What if they don't believe me or even listen to me?" God asks what he has with him, and he replies that he has his staff. God takes the ordinary that he possesses and turns it into something extraordinary. He uses what Moses has and then shows him how to use it for the task God has called him to.

God doesn't call Moses and send him to figure it out, God equips him for the epic story. And it isn't just with one thing, God gives Moses several. First it's the staff, then He allows him to make his hand leprous and heal it. And if neither of these two work, God gives him turning some water of the Nile into blood on dry ground. God doesn't send him empty handed, nor does He reveal all of the powerful things He will do.

He doesn't tell Moses that the magicians of Egypt will turn their staffs into snakes, or that Moses' snake will consume them. He doesn't tell him that the entire Nile will be turned to blood, or about any of the other plagues that will be sent on Egypt. I think knowing that would have been a little overwhelming, and knowing all of that wouldn't have required as much faith and trust. Just as God doesn't reveal everything about the journey to us at the beginning, He doesn't reveal all that we are equipped for at the beginning either. We journey, we trust, and God does amazing things.

Men, don't worry when God calls you to something epic, He will equip you for it. God created you to be part of His story, and He wants you to do well in your role for His Kingdom. He isn't going to leave you unprepared. He's given you gifts and abilities, and He'll show you how to use them. Don't shy away from the challenge because you feel unprepared, god will equip you for the epic.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor