By Michael L. Alumbaugh © 2023
“And the LORD said unto him, What [is] that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.” ~ Exodus 4:2
During the past
few years, I've reflected on my life and my work. My focus has become
"What to do with the time God has given me." What have I done with my
gifting(s), my talents? Have I invested them or buried them?
I was loaned a book written by Dan Miller called "No More
Mondays." In it, Miller breaks down what we should look at when
considering how to invest our lives. There are basically three areas; your
gifting(s), your passion(s) and identifying needs. Those elements forced me to
ask the same questions those in the book eventually had to face, namely,
"Am I doing what God has desired for me to do with what He has given
me?"
First, your gifting; what talents and abilities has God blessed you with? Second,
your passion; what really gives you a deep sense of satisfaction, what gets you
going, what makes your day hum? Third, need identification; what needs do you consistently
see that should be satisfied? These three will produce a fourth area; your
"calling." If you incorporate the first two, your gift and passion,
into the need identification process, your calling will soon surface.
Moses ran into the same question. He was found by Pharaohs daughter and named
Moses, then given back to his mother. Then we see him enjoying the good life in
Pharaohs court. But he turns a corner in Exodus 2:11-15. Here we see his
passion and the misuse of his gifting. He sees his "brethren” captive and
ill treated. He takes action by "looking this way and that way"
before he kills an Egyptian bully (Bad idea!). He’d obviously realized he
wasn’t using his talents properly or wouldn't have looked over his
shoulder.
On the second day out, he returns to the scene of the crime (Another Bad idea!),
and witnesses two of his brethren duking it out.” He breaks up the argument and,
instead of praise, gets his ego trounced and finds his dastardly deed has been
discovered. They recognize not only who he is, but his heritage and calling
before he does. One of them rebukes him saying, "Who made thee a prince
and a judge over us? Intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the
Egyptian?" Not only does he have witnesses but now Pharaoh is after him.
(Not good.)
Moses heads for the hills. There, he finds contentment (verse 21). What else
could he want? No one knows what he is, what he’s done, or what he was called
to do. They don't know what he was saved from or save for. He's content with a
wife and family and a flock. But he's out of God's will. That's when God
confronts him. The work he has been doing is a result of sin. But a major
transformation is coming!
At the burning
bush he gives up the ground he is "content" with, removes his sandals
(his walk of life) and worships. Next, God asks him what he has in his hand. Moses
calls it a rod or staff (Exodus 4:2). But it’s a crutch; an excuse to justify
his current status. (Sounds like some of the dead-end jobs I've rested in.)
Being a shepherd was his gifting but he was shepherding the wrong things.
After some resistance, Moses, obeys God, gives up the crutch and throws it
down. God turns it into an asp, or cobra! Then, He tells Moses to pick it up by
the tail (Now who in their right mind would do that?). Here God checks Moses
faith.
Faith demands
obedience. Does he believe God enough to obey Him? His life is in the balance! If
he obeys God, he could lose his life by a venomous bite! If he disobeys God he
could lose his soul! Moses obeys God in a life changing decision! Grabbing the
cobra by the tail, it turns into a rod again, but not the old rod. It’s
transformed into something quite different. Moses never again calls it “a rod”
but always refers to it as the "rod of God." So we see God confirming
to Moses his gifting. But what of his passion?
Remember he "smote" the Egyptian. He wasn't a shepherd then but he'd
identified the need and his passion took action with his only tool available,
his fists. God recognized this and desired a dedication of this passion as well
as his gifting. In 4:6 God commands Moses to place his hand, the murder weapon,
inside his "bosom" or tunic. When he drew it out, it’s
"leprous." Again, testing Moses faith and obedience, God tells him to
repeat the process and in verse 7 his hand is made whole again.
So what's the point for us? Are we "content" to bury our gifting and
passion in the Plains of Midian, such as in a job that doesn't truly satisfy or
fill the longing in our soul? Do we know for certain we are fulfilling our God-given
calling or does it remain unheard of as a result of doing what appears to be
the “next thing”?
What's in your hand? A crutch? Let it go! Exercise your faith by action; obedience.
Commit your gift(s), your passion and your need(s) to God. Those needs will
never truly be satisfied until you do. Let Him place you where you shepherd the
right things and see Him smile at you. You'll break forth in singing and true
worship because your work will be truly honoring Him.
Time’s running out. Are you ready to throw your crutch down and let it become
the "rod of God?
Dig a Little Deeper: Ps 37:4-6; Matt 6:33, 25:14-30:Phil 4:6; 2 Tim 3:16-17
Published in the April 2023 issue of Black River Times
