Year 3 Day 48

Year 3 Day 48


Pray (ACts)


Read - Exodus 4:11-12


Message - Alan Burke


“First posted Year 1 Day 323 - 10 Feb 21”


I am away on Post Ordination Training this week so my devotions are the last of some of the most liked of ‘Year One’.


“Who made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind?”


The Lord God, that’s who, and that’s how the Lord responded to Moses when he gave another excuse this time that came out of his own feelings of inadequacy, his own limitations. Here the Lord makes it plain and simple to Moses that no matter how great he may have thought his problem, that he was fearful and wonderfully made even though he couldn’t see it. Because what ever the problem with Moses’ speech, God had made Moses that way for his glory and Moses needed to stop mouthing off and instead remember that he comes before the Lord who will help him in it all. 


What God says to Moses is, I made you that way, you may not be eloquent, you may be slow of speech and of tongue but I made you that way. 


If that’s the case then our abilities, inabilities, and even disabilities are ordained by him. God has equipped us with every talent we need to do his will. He made us the way that he made us for his glory. That’s not saying you can’t get rehab after an injury or an illness, or you can’t get heart surgery, or an operation to remove a tumour, rather the focus here is that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. No matter your abilities, inabilities and even disabilities, God has made us the way we are and uses us for his glory. This also is a reminder to us in a society that doesn’t value the life of the unborn that they have been made by God and they are valuable to God and should be to us. 


Look then to what else God says to Moses in verse 12, “therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak”. Not only does God say to Moses that I made you, but also I can use your limitations for my Glory. 


Imagine that! God can use our limitations for His glory. 


This verse though is not an excuse for us to live according to our sinful desires or behaviour, that have been so affected by the fall. God was not telling Moses that he made him that way and that’s how he was, so Moses could live how he wanted. It is something that we all must know, that this is not an excuse for us to live according to our sinful desires or behaviour, that have been so affected by the fall.


Just because we have a temper does not mean that God made you that way so you should take it out on your spouse, just because we have sexual desires does not mean that you should satisfy them in the way you want, just because you like to know everyone’s business does not mean we should gossip. The list goes on and on, our sinful desires or behaviour that have been so affected by the fall are not an excuse to sin, because scripture make it clear that we are to “put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry (Col 3:5).


Those who are in Christ Jesus, who are the children of God through faith are to repent of our sinful desires and actions (Acts 3:19), we are to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (Rom 6:11). True repentance means a change of attitude and action regarding sin. Hatred of sin turns the repentant person away from his or her sin to God (Ps 119:128; Job 42:5–6; 2 Cor 7:10). This isn’t an excuse to defend sinful behaviour but a reminder for all of us that no matter our abilities, inabilities and even disabilities, God has made us the way we are and uses us for his glory.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q49 Which is the second commandment?
The second commandment is, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thy self to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. (Exod. 20:4–6)
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