25
Jan '20
Who and Whose You Are
25
Jan '20
Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead My people Israel out of Egypt.” But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the One who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.” Exodus 3:10-12
For a number of years, I have tried to figure out what makes me tick. This is important as a person who manages others, for a wise person once said that the most difficult person to manage is yourself. I can recall various stories that influenced who I am, such as learning to never give up on something you want all because others say you can’t have it. There are people like my mother who endured a crippling disease, at times left her in the hospital for lengthy stays, but never complained once about her condition or circumstance (don’t complain about what you have). There were figures such as Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and Alex Haley in my younger years who taught me to be stronger than I thought I could be, and thought leaders like Steve Jobs, Marcus Buckingham, and Andy Stanley who pushed me to a more innovative and spiritual side. But it was not until a few years ago that I began to assert the ‘real’ me. The others were influential in molding me, but at some point, you have to convert everything that you have learned into practice and action. You might ask where Jesus Christ in all of this is. Well, He is quite simply the foundation. He is the driving force behind every action and reaction. I can not act without His influence, and most of my failures were without Him. I belong to Him. Like a great sermon early on in my journey of faith that said, “It’s not just who you are. It’s about Whose you are.”
When our foundation is Jesus Christ, that relationship allows us to have a more positive impact on the world around us. In the third chapter of Exodus, we find the calling of Moses by God. The eleventh verse is one of my favorite verses. To be more clear, it’s in my top three. Why? It is a constant reminder of our response to God whenever He calls us to do something that we fear is either not possible or beyond our capability. Clearly, Moses was feeling this exact same thing as he responded to God with the question, “Who am I?” In this case, he was saying I am but a sole shepherd in the desert, content to take care of my flock and wife. Who am I to become this holy man? Who am I to go back to the place where I was chased out and change the circumstances of my people? And as said in today’s verse, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh … to the lead the people of Israel?” If you read this as I have multiple times, you might hear your own voice in Moses. “Lord, who am I to do this thing You ask of me?” Notice God’s response was not of anger or frustration. He was not the jealous God of fire and brimstone even as He appeared to Moses as such. He said, “I will be with you.” These were the words of a loving God who understood Moses’ reservations and fears. These were the words of a reassuring God that said, “I know you do not see what I see, but trust Me because I have never failed you.” This is the lesson we can take from this portion of Moses’s story. If we trust God even when we have doubts, He will not fail us, and we will claim victory in the end.
When we know who we are through Christ, all things are possible. There is a reason Paul said, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13) He had an awe-inspiring sense of surety both about who He was to Christ and Whose He was through Christ. So, let us move forward trusting God to be there when we are walking on a journey where we may not see the end point right away. How will you make decisions knowing Jesus is your foundation? What can you do to remember you are a child of God? My prayer is that we remember as the sermon said, “It’s not just who you are. It’s Whose you are.” Amen!
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~Kent
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About Kent:
“I am what all Christians are: flawed and always growing. I am not immune to failure, and I don’t always do the right things, but I learn from my mistakes, and always show love to all who I know. Furthermore, through Christ I have joy knowing I have His grace even though I didn’t deserve it and His love even as I can’t imagine it. I have written devotion for the past 14 years using my life’s experiences both before and after being born again and focusing on its relevance to Biblical teachings and today’s culture.”
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Great message Kent! Thank you