Tag Archives: Moses

The Source of Our Courage

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Everyone probably struggles with fear in one form or another. I’m not really speaking of a serious phobia nor suggesting anything like paranoid behavior. I’m only pointing to the nervousness, doubt or hesitation that holds us back from that which we know deep down to be good. It can be revealed in our unwillingness to take the next step to advance our career, our reluctance to introduce ourselves to the new guy at work, or our inability to share an important struggle with a close friend who most likely would be happy to help us bear the burden.

We can learn a vital lesson from the life of Moses. Here was a man – a confessed murderer, no less – who fled from Egypt 40 years before. He then returned as a wilderness shepherd, staff in hand, and had the chutzpah to demand that Pharaoh release into his custody a large chunk of the Egyptian labor force. Courage exemplified.

So where did he get it? Was he just that kind of a guy – the kind of person I am not? Not hardly. If we journey to Exodus 3 to spy him at the moment God revealed this great calling upon his life, we find him just as fearful or hesitant as we might be – drowning, it seems, in a tank of inadequacy:

… Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” – Exodus 3:11 (NKJV)

But he was the guy to do it. So the Lord responded with:

… “I will certainly be with you…” – Exodus 3:12 (NKJV)

And that made all the difference. Moses, doubt intact, still did what he had to do. Later, Joshua received a similar command/promise:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 (NKJV)

And what was true for them is true for us as Christians:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. – Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV)

 

The Importance of a Good Memory

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Why do we ever forget important things? We might imagine that simply because something is important we should remember it – yet that is clearly not always the case. Birthdays, anniversaries, people’s names; the list goes on and on. We might never declare these things trivial, but they continually slip our minds causing us frustration and embarrassment.

In the spiritual realm, our ability to remember carries greater consequences. Moses, after teaching the children of Israel God’s laws and reminding them of His goodness toward them, added the following admonition:

Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren. – Deuteronomy 4:9 (NKJV)

If they forgot what the Lord said and did, they would soon forget God Himself, or simply assign Him a place in their national trivia. And this might ultimately lead to their demise. So, how did these hearers of Moses do? Not all that well, really. We soon read:

So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God, and served the Baals and Asherahs. – Judges 3:7 (NKJV)

The consequences of this national, collective Alzheimer’s disease were devastating. Much of the Bible is dedicated to the details, as the nation went through one enormous memory lapse after another. It’s safe to assume we’re capable of the same.

As a personal application, I intend to use many of these journal entries to tell and retell the stories of what the Lord has done in my own life and in the corporate life of Horizon Central. He has been exceptionally kind to us as a church and me personally. We dare not forget His goodness.