now...|
Request books Request DVDs Monthly E-Newsletter Speaking schedule Want Mark at your event? Support Mark’s Ministry
|
|
| |
|
February 2012 Newsletter
I am very much enjoying reading through my Bible front to back again this year. It is great to reread
some of those great accounts of God’s power and how He uses people.
Remember though: Don’t just read your Bible, also heed what it says. ‘Read and heed’ is how one of my friends puts it. If we read our Bibles and obey what we read, it is always going to lead to an exciting life as we follow the Lord! Exodus 3:10 “Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.”
We see in this passage that God is about to use Moses in a mighty, mighty way. He is going
to use him to deliver His people from the Egyptians. Moses has to be so excited about being
used by the Lord like this. I can just imagine his response: “Thank you, Lord! Let’s
go and teach Pharaoh and the Egyptians a big lesson. They shouldn’t have messed with Your
people, and now they are going to pay for it. Onward and upward!!” Well, that is not
exactly how he responded.
Exodus 3:11 “And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
Here come the excuses. Here comes the doubting. Instead of just saying, “Here am I Lord,”
Moses wants out of this assignment.
Exodus 3:12-14 “And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”
Moses keeps coming up with questions. Now it is: “Who am I supposed to say is sending me?”
God then shows Moses that He will do miracles through his hand, and even demonstrates what some of them will be. And when we see God’s power, we just jump right on board and can’t wait to serve Him, right? When we see His creation each day, and read the Book that He has written, we can’t wait to obey everything He has told us to do just like Moses. Right? Exodus 4:10 “And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.”
Now we get to the point where Moses doesn’t think he speaks very well. He probably stuttered some.
I am guessing he didn’t have that ‘radio’ voice that sounds just perfect.
When I ask young people why they don’t offer to read the Bible out loud when I ask for volunteers, they will tell me things like they are shy, they might stumble over a word, or they don’t have a great speaking voice. Why is it that we as humans love to make excuses? Why can’t we look in the mirror each day, thank God that He made us exactly how He wanted to, and then just say, “God you have made me this way, so use this vessel any way You want to for Your glory!”? But instead, too many times, we look in the mirror and want to change everything that God has done that has made us unique and special. 2 Corinthians 12:10 “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
Paul finally got to the point that he knew no matter what weakness he had, it could not stop God from
using him! As a matter of fact, that was when God was able to show His power the most! Why? Because people
knew Paul couldn’t be doing things through his own power.
I love to hear people speak who don’t have a perfect speaking voice or look nervous on stage. Why? Because I know that takes guts. I know they are triumphing over what the world might think of them, but are only worrying about what God thinks of them! Those are people that God is going to use mightily in the days to come if they want to be used by Him. Oh, and by the way, Moses wasn’t done. You see him stand before Pharaoh and boldly speak Biblical truth to him. He concludes with this statement to Pharaoh: Exodus 10:29 “And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more.”
He was a changed man. You can almost see his boldness grow as he served our God. He trusted God and
knew He would always keep His word!
As I always tell people, at the end of your life, either Satan will have used you or God will have used you. But we are all going to get used. And if you have ever been used by another person, it is not a good feeling—can you imagine how much worse it will feel to be used by Satan? No more excuses. God has made you the way He wanted. Let Him use you all the days of your life for His glory and His glory alone!
Until the nets are full,
|