A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water? " Answers called out ranged from 250g. to 700g. The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it." "If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."
He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."
Yesterday morning, I preached a sermon based on the encounter of Moses and the "burning bush." This is recorded in Exodus 4:1-5.
The first 40 years of his life, Moses lived in the finest environment the world had to offer. Even though Moses was a Hebrew, he was adopted by an Egyptian Princess when he was an infant. At the age of 40, he killed an Egyptian, who was abusing one of the Hebrew slaves. He was forced to flee Egypt when he realized his actions were known.
Moses escaped to the wilderness. He married and lived for an additional 40 years as a shepherd. At the age of 80, he had an encounter with God. Through the miracle of a burning bush, God called him to go to Egypt and lead the Hebrews out of captivity. He would have to address Pharaoh, who would not be pleased to let such valuable human resources go.
Moses made a lot of excuses. He said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you (v.1).’”
I. Look in Your Hand
God asked, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod (v.2).”
For Moses, the rod or shepherd staff that was in his hand represented his identity. He supported his family by taking care of sheep. The staff was a valuable tool. He would use the rod to protect the herd from wild animals. He used the hook at the end of the staff to pull sheep from danger. At times, he would lean upon the rod as he watched the sheep.
What’s in your hand?
· Future
· Faculties
· Friends
· Family
· Finances
· Fame
· Faith
Everything in your hand determines your influence. Whatever we have in our hand can be used for good or evil. Rick Warren has said, "God never blesses us with affluence or influence just for the sake of our egos." Warren challenges people to be good stewards of their influence.
II. Lay it Down
Next, God instructed Moses, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it (v.3).
Whatever we have, whatever we hold dear, we must surrender it to God. Our identity is to be wrapped up in Him.
Recently, my daughter shared a quote that she found a friend's MySpace page.
"A woman should be so buried in God that a man has to go to Him to find her."
The things in our hands shape who we think we are, but our true identity should be based on whose we are. We belong to God.
III. Live in Obedience
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), 5 “that they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you (vv.4-5).”
Moses had to exercise incredible faith in obediently reaching out and taking hold of the serpent's tail. However, he was obedient. Consequently, the serpent became a rod. Now, God showed Moses how a common possession removed from his hand was a powerful supernatural sign in the hand of God.
What's in your hand today? What do you need to lay into the hand of God? What step of obedience do you need to take?
Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. - Corrie Ten Boom
