Don't miss your calling.

                           

                                              Photo courtesy of dylan-nolte..www. unsplash.com


                                                   No one is indispensable!

             Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.                                                        (Exodus 4:25) 


                      Notice the words---A Bloody Husband! Sounds like a good title for a drama or horror movie but these were the words uttered by Zipporah, who was Moses wife. The issue here was accountability and preparation. Moses, earlier in this same chapter had a life changing encounter with God. He had seen miracles and was given a charge to appear before Pharaoh but something happened. In Exodus 4:24, it states that the Lord met him and sought to kill him. Why was this so? 
                        The reason for this was circumcision. The Jewish law commanded every male child to be circumcised after 8 days. This displeased the Lord. It so displeased him that death was imminent unless he made the proper adjustments. Zipporah, upon having a revelation of this, proceeded to circumcised the young child in order to spare her husband's life. Notice at the end of Exodus 4:25, there might have been a note of sarcasm when she did this calling him a bloody husband. Who knows? She could have done it reluctantly but whatever the case, Moses life was spared.

                           A charge to the Husband and wife.

                 It could have been that Zipporah did not agree with circumcision. She might have argued with her husband about the procedure. Another thing to observe is that the Bible does not mention her after that act. Who knows? Perhaps she could have separated from her husband after that act. 
                 Husbands and wives, before being sent out to ministry, there has to be unity and order in the house. Husbands, do not allow the spirit of compromise to be present in your home. It can jeopardize your ministry and might cause you to die before your time. In God's kingdom, no one is indispensable. God was showing us and Moses that when we harden our hearts, he can remove us and raise someone else in our place. 
                    Wives, If your husband has a calling in his life for full time ministry, do not stand in his way. Another thing, when you do stand by his side, do so with a willing heart and not be sarcastic about it. Zipporah had the chance to make an impact for God but, unfortunately, her statement cost her in the long run. The word makes no more mention of her.  
                        So, in reviewing this, Your calling is important but you are not indispensable. Marriage unity is key and serving God with a willing heart are key factors for a successful ministry. Let's learn from these past mistakes and make an impact for God. God bless. 

Old age is not a death sentence

                       
                              Image courtesy of [image creator name] /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

                 " Where there is no vision, the people perish...(Prov 29:18)"

                           Dreams! We, all, have them. Some dream of striking it rich, other dream about marrying that ideal person, but my question to you today is..What is the vision that the Lord has given you? In our last devotional, we saw the importance of knowing the calling that God has for each one of us. In this study, we want to analyze God's vision for you.

                             Moses was one example. He tried to run ahead of God and it cost him 40 years in the desert. When the Lord, finally,  finished his "desert training," he was ready. He was given a message and a charge---To tell Pharaoh to let my people go! His message impacted a nation and got more than a million people out of bondage and torture. All this at 80 years old! (1)

                   Abraham was given a promise. At 75 years old, he was told to get out of his land and family. He left the security and safety of his family to go to a land where the Lord would show him. During that time, if you got away from the security of your family, you were doomed. You could be subject to attacks and even be killed. Family provided security and protection against enemy attacks. 

                 Nevertheless, Abraham obeyed. As a result of his obedience, he would have a son which started the seed known as the Jews. His  obedience created a nation which would have an impact in history. Through that nation, the Messiah was born. We look at the rewards, but Abraham had some obstacles. Patience was key as the promise would not get manifested until he was 100 years old.(2)

                    Face it, when the Lord gives you a vision, there are going to be obstacles. Many would give up before the promise gets manifested. If the Lord has given you a vision, don't give up. Put your hand to the plow and refuse to look back. Who knows? Many reading this may be unemployed and may be thinking job, while the Lord may be thinking business!

                       Maybe the Lord would have you go back to College! I heard the story of a man who passed the state bar and was licensed to practice law at 74 years old. Age is not a death sentence. So what if you are getting old? God is not finished with you yet. Just remember---the best is yet to come. Take for example the man named Job. People love to point out the troubles he went through and yes, he had his plate full of troubles galore. One thing is overlooked in Job's life. He got blessed in the end! Friend, God believes in happy endings.

                          If you read the book of Job, God blessed him more than his beginnings.(3) So what the devil took in the beginning of Job's life was given back to him and more. Losing your house is not a death sentence. Losing your business is not a death sentence. Losing a loved one is not a death sentence. God is a God of new beginnings and if you let him, he can give you a new chapter in your life. Grab a hold of the vision that God has given you and run with it. Who knows what impact it may have in your life and others! God bless. 

Scriptures: (1) Acts 7

                (2) Read Gen chapters 12-21 

                (3) Job 42