81. LEARNING FROM MOSES Hebrews 11”24.

When reading through the life of Moses we find there are four issues we need to come to grips with in order to succeed in life. First; Know who you are. (Hebrews 11:24) tells us ‘ Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter’ Moses was born a Hebrew, but was raised an Egyptian. Even though he was groomed to be second-in-command in Pharaoh’s Kingdom, Moses knew God had called him to free His people and lead them out of Egypt. So, He had to make a choice; ‘What am I going to do with my life? I am not who these people think I am.’ Moses had every comfort he could wish for in the palace, and he could have stayed there. What would you have done? Moses made the right decision, but it meant spending the next eighty years of his life in the desert. Every one of us must come to grips with our identity. All of us have a deep need and desire to accept who we are. Trying to be who we are not is a quick way to get an ulcer, because it puts us under so much pressure. Moses recognised this tension and decided to stop pretending. It’s liberating when we stop trying to be somebody we are not and accept God’s plan for our life. How would we have remembered Moses today if he had stayed in Pharaoh’s court? Maybe as an Egyptian mummy in some museum or maybe not at all! But he made the hard decision and, in the light of eternity, it was the best one. Learn from him. Secondly; Take responsibility for your life. In the second part of the above scripture we read’ Moses chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.’ He chose to go God’s way, and refused to be anyone but himself. The principal here is ‘You can always replace a negative with a positive’ You don’t just stop doing something, you start doing something else. The Christian life isn’t a matter of negative rules and regulations. It’s a matter of relationships – With God, with other people and with yourself. Notice, Moses made his decision ‘when he had grown up’ It’s a mark of maturity when you can settle the issue of personal responsibility. When Moses was a baby it was okay to postpone the decision about who he was. But when he became an adult he had to make a choice; to assume responsibility for his own life and move ahead. It’s always easy to blame others; ‘I’d go God’s way if my boyfriend or girl friend or, mother or father, husband or wife would do it too.’ or ‘I’d be a better person today if I had better parents.’ You can’t choose all the circumstances that come into your life, but you can choose whether those things will make you a bitter person or a better person. Ultimately no one can ruin your life except you! The devil can’t because he doesn’t have enough power – and God won’t because he loves you too much. So choose to go God’s way. Thirdly; Determine your problem. The book of Hebrews tells us in (Hebrews 11;26) Moses regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ; of greater value than the treasures of Egypt. Because he was looking ahead to his reward. Much of the world’s wealth at that time was stored in Egypt, so Moses already had what most people spend much of their lives trying to get; popularity, pleasure and possessions. Yet God asked him to do something that was more important. - and he did it . It was a matter of priorities. Moses could easily have rationalised, “The slave situation is bad, so I’ll stay in the system and work for reform’ Most of us want to be liked, but there is one big problem with popularity. It never lasts.. You can be a big name in your city or town for a while, but in just a few years, most people don’t even remember you. Then there’s pleasure; Is pleasure wrong? No, not unless it’s sinful. Then comes possessions; And there’s nothing wrong with material success either. Some of the greatest people in the Bible were extremely wealthy including Abraham and Solomon/ But Jesus said in (Luke;12–15) ‘Life does not consist of an abundance of possessions’ Ultimately, wealth doesn’t bring happiness. Ask the people who have it this one question, how much money would it take to make you happy? The answer is always ‘just a bit more’ Money is to be used, - not loved! God wants us to use things and love people. But if we love things, we will end up using people. Moses had his priorities right; he devalued material things because there was something more important in his life. - namely, God’s Will. Fourthly; Persevere when life gets difficult...In (Hebrews:11:27 we read “By faith… he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible.” We can sum up the life of Moses with these two words “He persevered.” It’s a fact of life that there’s no gain without pain, no advancement without adversity and no progress without problems. Moses understood that difficulties come into every life and he knew how to respond to them correctly and move on. And we must learn to do the same. As followers of Christ, we should never let problems defeat us; Instead, we should use them as an opportunity to draw closer to God. Someone once said the only time problems should get us down is when they get us down on our knees to pray! God allows specific situations into our lives to bring growth. And without perseverance we just wont grow. Notice the words”By Faith... he persevered.” Faith in what? Faith in whom? Faith in God! We are not talking here about some white-knuckled, flesh-based form of self-help. No we are talking about the fact that when God calls us to do a job, He equips and empowers us. He goes ahead of us, providing everything we need When you say yes to God’s plan for your life, you can stand on this promise; Found in (Romans 8:28) We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purposes.” So you must—a.) Know who you are: (b.) Take responsibility for your life (c.) Determine your priorities. And (d) Persevere when life gets difficult. If you live by these four Bible truths, you will live a life that is truly blessed by God. Thank you for reading these observations of this great man of God. In the end I believe it’s a life of submission and dependence on God that determines our destiny. The more we read His Word, the more we get to know Him, the more we know Him, the more we get to love Him and the more we love Him, the more we get to trust Him in life. So Daily, read, learn and trust God’s Word, (your Bible). That’s the only trustworthy way to know the truth about Life, Death and Eternity. it’s God’s ultimate Word for you and me. In the world today. God Bless. Phaline.