Photo By : Diamond Montessori School (Creative Commons)
In keeping with this week’s theme of how our dreams and our life callings are directly tied to Jesus I was thinking about the story in Exodus chapter 17 where God tells Moses that as long as his staff is raised the Israelites will win the battle against the Amalekites.
By this time God has shown Moses that He is in control – having already demonstrated his power over the staff by turning it into a serpent then back into a staff. As a Sheppard, the staff would have been an important tool in the daily life of Moses – part of his calling.
I think the lesson here is that by using what Moses already knew God used him and allowed him to be a blessing to God’s people. God did not ask Moses to go to school – not that going would be wrong, to start a business or learn new skills – that’s the BIG take away for this.
God used the skills that Moses already possessed – the skills he’d spent his life developing. Moses had no idea that his whole life had been his training ground – his seminary.
Now, look at where you are in life. The head of a multibillion dollar a year company or just a lowly father who is living paycheck to paycheck? God can use you. Do you run an international fashion design company or a local children’s ministry? God can use you.
God can use you – right where you are. You just have to let him.
We – and by “we” I mean ME – often limit God by assuming that He could never use us – “me” – because “all I do is make copies” or “I am just a school teacher” but this kind of thinking plays into Satan’s hands and not into God’s plan.
We hamstring ourselves and our mission when we don’t use the skills and abilities God has blessed us with and nurtured our whole lives.
Please don’t misunderstand, if you work in child care I am not saying go raise a baby to the sky to see what God can accomplish and if you’re a car sales man – well, if you can pick a car up over your head – brother, call me because I want to see that!
The point is we – again, me – must take full advantage of being available to God in the moment we’re living – right now.
Mick Holt 
6 Comments
Yes. Yes. I needed this reminder. Thank you.
Of course you’re welcome. Thank you for stopping by and commenting.
We think and say if only I had ________ I could do _______ for God. And we cry to God to give us what we want.
God responds with “what do you have”
Until we can look around and respond with complete satisfaction and confidence that what we already have combined with Him is more than enough to do His work we can’t do anything. Moses not only had a staff. He had a brother who could talk, connections to both Pharaoh’s house and Israel, a knowledge of the desert. The widow had just enough oil for one cake, Rahab had a hiding place, the list is endless.
Well said Wendy. Why do you think we have such a hard time being satisfied with what we have?
I think it’s because everyone wants to do what they think is a big work. They try to define the value of what we do for God using a human definition of importance. I think to God all works we do are equal because isn’t it our obedience to God to act in love towards others all we can actually do? So perhaps That’s just how God sees it.
There is a man in the town 8 miles from mine. I promise you he has the best ministry ever. He is always at the Waffle House. One of his Ministries is making people smile. He comes over talks with people and tells jokes and just lightens people’s day. Now most people wouldn’t like that to well because they don’t see how telling someone a joke and making them smile can be Gods work. But my Bible tells me God has a sense of humor all throughout it. I mean Jesus nicknamed James and John the “sons of thunder” I think this gentle teasing them for their boisterous behavior and temperaments proves it.
everyone wants to be a Peter or John. Nobody wants to be a Simon the zealot. People have this misconception visibility translates to greater work and higher standing.
I agree about the desire to be one those that’s up front -but I would say that it’s less a misconception and more an issue of being mis-educated. We’re taught to be center stage. We’ve been told most of our lives that being number one is number one. Jesus taught a whole different lesson and it’s an important one that even in Christ’s church is not dealt with effectively.
I love that the guy makes people laugh and smile – I see that as a personal ministry too.