God's Word for Me Today
Wednesday, October 17, 2001
Focus: Change the World!
A note about online study
Introduction to God's Word for Me Today
My Prayer Today
God, I find it easy to “protest,” to tell You all the reasons why I can’t be a witness today, why I’m not worthy to be a world changer. Forgive me, God. Change me from the inside out moment by moment through Your Holy Spirit. Let Your written Word speak to me today. Particularly let me see how You did not allow Moses’ human weaknesses be a reason to exclude him from Your service. God take my weaknesses, and use them to demonstrate Your strength. Whatever I like, make up by Your Spirit, that I may live boldly and courageously for You, and for the advancement of Your eternal Kingdom. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
God's Word for Me Today: Exodus 4:1-17
1 But Moses protested again, "Look, they won't believe me! They won't do what I tell them. They'll just say, 'The LORD never appeared to you.'" 2 Then the LORD asked him, "What do you have there in your hand?""A shepherd's staff," Moses replied. 3 "Throw it down on the ground," the LORD told him. So Moses threw it down, and it became a snake! Moses was terrified, so he turned and ran away. 4 Then the LORD told him, "Take hold of its tail." So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it became a shepherd's staff again. 5 "Perform this sign, and they will believe you," the LORD told him. "Then they will realize that the LORD, the God of their ancestors – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob – really has appeared to you." 6 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Put your hand inside your robe." Moses did so, and when he took it out again, his hand was white as snow with leprosy. 7 "Now put your hand back into your robe again," the LORD said. Moses did, and when he took it out this time, it was as healthy as the rest of his body. 8 "If they do not believe the first miraculous sign, they will believe the second," the LORD said. 9 "And if they do not believe you even after these two signs, then take some water from the Nile River and pour it out on the dry ground. When you do, it will turn into blood."
10 But Moses pleaded with the LORD, "O Lord, I'm just not a good speaker. I never have been, and I'm not now, even after you have spoken to me. I'm clumsy with words." 11 "Who makes mouths?" the LORD asked him. "Who makes people so they can speak or not speak, hear or not hear, see or not see? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now go, and do as I have told you. I will help you speak well, and I will tell you what to say." 13 But Moses again pleaded, "Lord, please! Send someone else." 14 Then the LORD became angry with Moses. "All right," he said. "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? He is a good speaker. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. And when he sees you, he will be very glad. 15 You will talk to him, giving him the words to say. I will help both of you to speak clearly, and I will tell you what to do. 16 Aaron will be your spokesman to the people, and you will be as God to him, telling him what to say. 17 And be sure to take your shepherd's staff along so you can perform the miraculous signs I have shown you."
Questions for Reflection
When have you felt inadequate to do something God has called you to do? How do you overcome it?
Look again at today’s text. What is there in it that would cause God to choose Moses?
Questions for Exploration
How many excuses does Moses make for not responding to God’s call? What are they? (4:1-17)
What is God’s response to Moses’ excuses? (4:1-17)
Questions for Understanding
Why does God allow Moses to keep making excuses for not responding to His call, if in the end He is just going to say, “Moses, just do it!
What characteristics of God do we find in this text?
Questions for Application
List the various excuses you have made for not following Jesus’ call in your life in the past six months. Ask God to forgive that unwillingness, and to empower you by the Holy Spirit to serve boldly in Jesus’ name.
What one step will you take today to overcome a sense of fear or inadequacy to serve Jesus?
Just Do It!
Nike has made the exclamation, “Just Do it!” famous. Apparently they were too original in formulating the slogan. God called Moses to be a world changer. Moses kept making excuses. People won’t believe me. People won’t follow me. I don’t speak well…Please, God, just find someone else! Finally, God said, “Moses, Just do it!” God had chosen Moses and God was going to use Moses. Finally, Moses did it. Sometimes, maybe most of the time, we find ourselves thinking and acting the way Moses did. Why me, God? Don’t you have someone better in mind? Why do you think people will listen to me?
When I was a junior in college, I was elected to be the chairman of the National Student Speech and Hearing Association Chapter at IUP. At my first meeting as chairperson, I sputtered and stuttered my way through, and my advisor offered this advice, “Chris, don’t ever go into a profession where you have to do public speaking.” It was sound advice—from a worldly perspective. I wasn’t much of a public speaker, but God had other ideas. God had already called me to serve Him, and I was in my Moses “routine.” I was saying, “I have a call on the other line. I have better things to do. You must surely be mistaken.” Finally, five years later, I said, “Okay, God, I’ll just do it!” The sooner we get to that point, the sooner God can use us as world changers—or at least people changers! Whatever our excuse, God is sufficient to overcome it, so, “Just do it!”
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