Do you believe that God is limited because of human frailty?
23 Jan 26
Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One
Readings:
Exodus 4
Exodus 5
Exodus 6
Matthew 16
I will build My church, and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).
Do you believe that God is limited because of human frailty?
The Lord calls Moses to an intimidating task. He needs to verbally inform Pharaoh that the Israelites are leaving Egypt. Moses tries twice to decline this assignment based upon his lack of eloquence. The sheepish leader says to God, “The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?” (Exodus 6:12). Later he tries again, saying to God, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh heed me?” (Exodus 6:30). God’s earlier question to Moses should have steadied his nerves: “Who has made man’s mouth?” (Exodus 4:11). Offer your service to God knowing that He alone can free a nation from bondage or build His church.
Employment Point: Know that God will finish His work, despite our human frailty.
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Reflections
We ourselves know we are weak compared to God but there are perhaps far more times we forgot about that and think that we are the best, especially when we receive recognition, promotion, praise, etc. We let it got to our heads and became a “big head”.
It is strange because when God calls us to do something, we never let that confidence rise and more often than not, we run away from it. Like what Moses did, we give 101 excuses to God and tell Him that we are not ready. He told the Lord that he is of uncircumcised lips a few times and angered the Lord. Most of us miss the point. It was never about us but all about Him! If we were so qualified to do the job, it is not His glory anymore. He often places us in situations where we felt perhaps unworthy to be in. So small, inexperienced in the big big world.
Remember David, where everyone mocked him saying he is so small and how he can fight Goliath, a giant. Yes, he is small but the God in him is greater than anyone else present in that place at that time. The Lord does not require a fully-abled bodied, a full of wisdom, super intelligent, etc kind of person for the job. He chose a person out of their obedience and their walk with God. A person who puts God greater than anyone else in the world and not afraid to let others know.
Friends, what Moses did cost him the promised land which he cannot enter. When our heart is for the Lord, the rest don’t matter that much. Set our hearts right with God, then with men.
“At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.)”
Exodus 4:24-26 NIV
- these verses were confusing as they do not fully explain why the Lord wanted to kill Moses. Having checked the commentary do I realised that it was a matter of obedience. The obedience for circumcision for their son was somehow not done and the Lord kind of pushed for it to be completed before He allowed Moses to be on his way.
- In a similar way, the Lord may also recognise some compromise in us and wanted us to resolve that compromise before He moved us on to the next season of our life.
- In a way, it also meant that the next season is going to be tough, therefore He wants to make sure that our hearts are right.
“The Israelite overseers realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day.” When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, and they said, “May the Lord look on you and judge you! You have made us obnoxious to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.””Exodus 5:19-21 NIV
- when difficult times hit us, we often do not know why we have to suffer. As readers of the Word and having known what will happen, this is like a glimpse of the Lord’s vision. He knew exactly what will happen. He just needs the people to obey. But in the midst of challenges, we are often too disillusioned to discern or obey the Lord. All we do is lament and complain.
- May this new insight grant us more patience, self control and perseverance when dealing with trials.
“When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.” Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Matthew 16:5-12 NIV
- At times we are as confused as the apostles. As we read, we do understand Jesus meant for them to guard against false teachings. It was not about physical bread but the spiritual one.
- Take courage that even though at times, we are confused and unsure what the Lord is saying to us, He does make it clear so that we are sure what He is saying. He never confuses
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”Matthew 16:24 NIV
- actually Jesus had mentioned this explicitly. He already told his disciples the requisite is to deny themselves, then follow Him.
- We may have read this a few times but do we really understand what His commands to us are? The surrendering of ourselves needs to come first, then the rest will come.
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The Unveiled Face
BY OSWALD CHAMBERS
January 23
And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image. —2 Corinthians 3:18
The most remarkable characteristic of a Christian is the unveiled face. Open and honest, hiding nothing, we stand before God so that our lives may become a mirror of his. By being filled with the Spirit, we are transformed. By standing unveiled before him, we become his mirror. It is always easy to sense when someone has been beholding the glory of the Lord. We can feel the Lord’s own character, shining out from within.
The golden rule for the Christian life is this unfailing concentration on God. If God requires it, we must be willing to set aside our concerns for everything else—work, food, clothing, shelter, everything. The busyness of modern life tends to draw our attention away from God, darkening the mirror within. Usually, the thing that dirties the mirror is a “good” thing, a worthy concern. It is the good that is the enemy of the best.
Let other things come and go as they may. Let other people criticize as they will. But never let anything disturb the life that is hidden with Christ in God. Never be hurried out of the relationship of abiding in him. This is the one thing that tends to get pushed aside, and it is the one thing that shouldn’t. It is the toughest discipline we undergo as Christians: the discipline of keeping our focus on the glory of the Lord.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
The great word of Jesus to His disciples is Abandon. When God has brought us into the relationship of disciples, we have to venture on His word; trust entirely to Him and watch that when He brings us to the venture, we take it.
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Reflections
People tend to only want the Father’s things but not the Father’s heart. The Lord got treated like an ATM and only going to Him when we need something.
The busyness in our lives also tend to distract us from the life that we should be pursuing. Sharing below an exhortation that was shared to us, so you too, may benefit from it.
*Busy, But Not Hurried: Serving God with an Unhurried Soul*
One of the ways we believe God calls us to do this is by helping one another understand the
difference between busyness and hurriedness.
Let’s look briefly at Mark 11, Jesus enters Jerusalem during one of the busiest weeks of his
life. He goes straight into the temple courts, looks around at everything, and then almost
surprisingly, he leaves.
Mark tells us: “Since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve” (11:11).
The next day, Jesus returns and cleanses the temple.
That small detail is actually quite profound. Jesus “looked around at everything”. He
clearly knows what needs to be done. Yet he chooses not to act immediately. He does not cram
one more task into an already full day. He waits.
Jesus’ life was full of activity. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus often appears as if he is on an
express train—moving rapidly from place to place, preaching, healing, casting out demons,
and responding to relentless human need. Mark’s favourite word is “immediately” (euthys)
One scene barely ends before the next begins. The pace is urgent, the demands unrelenting,
and the crowds constantly pressing in.
Yet Mark is careful to tell us something just as important: Jesus repeatedly withdraws into
solitude to pray. And yet, Jesus never appears frantic or rushed. Jesus was always busy but
not necessarily, hurried.
This distinction between Busyness vs. Hurry
• Busyness is about how full your calendar is. Hurry is about the state of your soul.
• Busyness is having a lot of meetings on your calendar. Hurry is scheduling those
meetings back-to-back forcing you to sprint from one to the next without enough time
to think.
• Busyness is having a lot of errands to run. Hurry is getting mad about choosing the
“wrong queue” at the supermarket because you have no margin for the thirty seconds
you lost by choosing lane 3 instead of 4.
• Busyness is attending three Bible studies a week. Hurry is not having enough time and
stillness to listen to God’s voice in between those studies.
• Busyness is being committed. Hurry is becoming anxious, irritable, distracted, or
resentful in the name of commitment.
Why Hurry Is a Spiritual Problem
Dallas Willard famously said, “Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day,” and urged
Christians to “ruthlessly eliminate it.” He was not talking about doing less for God, but about
living in a way that keeps the soul receptive to God.
• Hurry kills attentiveness. God often speaks quietly, gently, and over time. A hurried soul
struggles to notice.
• Hurry distorts love. When we are rushed, people become interruptions rather than gifts.
Ministry becomes a task to complete rather than a relationship to tend.
• Hurry feeds anxiety and self-reliance. Beneath hurry is often the belief: “If I don’t keep
pushing, everything will fall apart.” Jesus never lived that way. He trusted the Father
with outcomes, timing, and results.
This is why Willard insisted that we should eliminate hurry and it stands in contrast to a life
of grace.
What This Means for Us
As volunteers, your lives are often genuinely busy. Many of you are balancing family, work,
studies, caregiving, and ministry. The goal is not to shame busyness or demand less
commitment. The goal is to help you serve without sacrificing your soul.
Hebrews 13:17 tells us that pastors will give an account for how we watched over your
souls. Part of that calling is to say this clearly and lovingly:
• You are more valuable to God than your availability.
• Your soul matters more than your schedule.
Many of us in church life do not struggle with laziness. We struggle with hurry. And hurry is
dangerous not because it makes us ineffective, but because it slowly erodes our capacity to
love God and people well.
Learning an Unhurried Way of Serving
So how do we, together, grow into a culture of being busy but not hurried?
- First, identify hurry honestly. Pay attention to the warning signs: constant fatigue,
irritability, prayerlessness, loss of joy, and the inability to be fully present.
- Second, count the cost of your time. Not everything that can be done must be done
now. Discernment is as spiritual as diligence.
- Third, serve the person in front of you. Love requires presence, not speed. Often the
most faithful ministry moment is the one that slows you down.
- Fourth, build rhythms of rest and prayer. Silence, Scripture, Sabbath, and unhurried
prayer are not luxuries; they are how we remain rooted in God rather than driven by
need.
Finally, trust God enough to stop. Stopping is an act of faith. It declares that God is at work
even when we are not. And yes.. Mai Kan Cheong!
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