And you are living stones that God is building into His spiritual temple. What’s more, you are His holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. 6 As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honour and anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced.” 2 Peter 2:5-6 NLT
Who do you identify as, or perhaps a better word is, with? We often identify ourselves by that little voice inside our heads that the devil loves to use to condemn us as being the worst of sinners. Like John 10:10… “The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill and destroy.”
Certainly, not for building up as the Lord tries to get Moses to see. Moses repeatedly emphasizes his inadequacy for the task, while God describes His concern for His people in Egypt in Exodus 3:7-8a … “I have indeed seen the misery of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the Hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey” —
Have you ever identified yourself as the “worst sinner”? Paul did in 1Timothy 1:15-16. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason, I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His immense patience as an example for those who would believe in Him and receive eternal life.
Most of us have a time in our lives that we wish we had listened to that little voice in our head telling us – “Don’t do it!”, but barrelled on straight ahead anyway. At that point, like the Israelites, we completely miss out on the milk and honey rewards.
Perhaps that time haunts us still as we try to push them from our minds. We go about our day-to-day lives, sloughing it off with a smile and forced laughter, pretending the life we live is just fine. For a period of time, we are convinced that all is right in our world. Perhaps Moses did as a Shepherd far from Egypt, and the life from which he had escaped. But it always reappears at a time when we least expect it, along with a gloomy cloud pouring accusations down in a torrential downpour.
Moses may have been drenched in that very blanket of depression. “But Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” Exodus 3:11. Conviction of his past may have left him with low self-esteem, leading him to believe he was not strong enough to carry his present burdens, let alone the mammoth task God was asking him to do. God was asking him to go back to a land and a people he wanted to forget, a past he regretted, enslaved parents, and to make it worse, having to face Pharaoh, the King of Egypt, the cause of all his and his family’s heartache!
But God persisted and encouraged him, saying in verse 12, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you…” God handles Moses’ insecurities not with a pep talk, but says, “I AM THAT I AM.” In other words, I am not here to tell you about who you are, I already know that… I am here to reveal who I AM.
Paul continues with these words— “But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me Christ Jesus might display His immense patience…” Immense Patience? A glimmer of hope? Yes, but God offers much more than just hope; it is a chance at a full pardon! I AM is the One who patiently waits for us… “as an example for those who would believe in Him and receive eternal life.”
Finding my identity took many years and many personal losses before I finally learned that God saw me not as I am at present, but as I will be, burnished and perfected. He saw Moses in that same light. God knew Moses was now ready to accomplish His purposes. No matter how large or menial the task may be in our view, God will find a willing soul to accomplish His purposes.
How often the Lord has asked me to do something for Him in the past, and I listened to that negative voice in my head, throwing up every reason I was not good enough to accomplish what He was asking of me. There was always someone else who was better equipped, just as Moses threw up his excuses and used his brother Aaron to speak for him.
Of course, like Moses, I was completely forgetting everything I had ever accomplished or escaped from was not in my strength but the Lord’s strength, His words, His wisdom, His working in and through me whenever I was a willing vessel. Therein lies the key: Moses became a willing vessel right through to the end of his life.
For one’s own identity, one needs a clear view of who God is! He is the one who created you, gave you your gifts, and gives you purpose and identity. If we are made in the image of God, we are reflections of God. If God doesn’t make mistakes, what you want to change about you isn’t a mistake. It’s a time of learning and cleansing. It’s an opportunity to jump on board with Him for an adventure of a lifetime. Moses finally jumped on board, where God was able to use him to accomplish His work.
Moses obedience was not one for the faint of heart, and because of his impatience, he only got to see the ‘promised land’ from a mountain top. God used Him mightily and continues to use Him to encourage and strengthen believers to this day.
Trust in the Lord to use you for any reason.
Listen to that inner voice saying “Do It!” as Moses did.
Become a willing vessel and say to God— Send Me, Lord! Send Me!