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WHAT IS THAT IN THY HAND?
Ref.: Ex.4:1-5 - 1Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” 2Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in thy hand?” “A staff,” he replied. 3The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5“This,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”
Through Moses, God used a simple walking staff cut from the branches of a bush or tree (“rod” – Ex.4:2) as a “tool” or a “blessing” to be used in accomplishing His will (Ex.4:5). Today, we as Christians, have been given “tools” and “blessings” for the exact same purpose – to carry out God’s will. This morning, we will look at seven of these tools or blessings.
1) Gospel
Jesus's mission statement for me is found in Mt.28:19, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
My action plan is found in Mt.28:20, “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you….”
Ref.: Mt.28:20 - Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
In Rom.10:18 and Col.1:6,23 the scripture says that the Gospel was preached to the whole world during the lifetime of the apostle Paul. The question is: Can we today in the 21st Century preach this same Gospel to “every creature”? If not – why not?
Ref.: Rom.10:18 - But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course, they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”
Ref.: Col.1:6, 23 - 6that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.
23if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
2) Our Talents
In the parable of the Talents (Mt.25:14-30), the three servants were entrusted with a different amount of talents. Each servant was to use his full ability to produce more talents (vs. 16-17). The first and second servant reported their accounting with great “joy” to their master (vs. 21, 23) but the third servant who had done nothing for his master waited until last. He had despised the small trust committed to him (vs. 18) and now he begins to make excuses (vs. 24-25). His excuses, however, were in vain because his master had a right to as much faithfulness in this servant with one talent as he did in the one who had five talents.
The point is that God looks for as much faithfulness and fidelity in his children today who have but little talent as He does in those who have much talent! Let us be like Mary (who was sister to Lazarus and Martha – Jn.12:1-3) and be found “doing what we can” (Mk.14:8) in carrying out our Master’s will (Mk. 14:9).
3) Time
Each of us has been allocated 168 hours per week. From the scriptures, we are taught to be careful how we manage or use that time in relationship to our understanding of what our Lord’s will is – using our time wisely for the Lord’s glory and benefit of our brothers and sisters and not our own (Eph.5:9-17).
Ref.: Eph.5:9-17 - 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible-and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” 15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish but understand what the Lord’s will is.
We are to walk in (spiritual) wisdom toward those who are non-believers, making the greatest use of our time influencing them for Christ – not the Devil (Col.4:5). Our actions always speak louder than our words. The lives of Christians are in many cases the only “Bible” that the world reads (2 Cor.3:2-3).
4) Opportunity
St Paul the apostle instructs us, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10). Why should we do good to all men? Because the eternal principle of sowing and reaping applies (Gal. 6:7-8). If we “sow” good things, we shall “reap” good things (Gal. 6:9). We are also instructed to make the “most” of every opportunity (Eph.5:16).
God has given each of us only so much time to do His will. Christ said in John 9:4, “I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day; the night cometh, when no man can work” (cf. Dt.6:5; Eccl.9:10; Jer.48:10).
5) Resources
Our money, possessions, power and fame should all be used for God’s glory and honour because God owns all of them anyway (Jn.3:27; Jam.1:17).
Recall Pilate’s question in Jn.19:10-11 when he said to Jesus, “Don’t you know that I have power to crucify thee, and have the power to release thee?” To which Christ replied, “Thou would have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above.”
Ref.: Jn.3:27 - To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven.
Ref.: Jam.1:17 - Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Ref.: Jn.19:10-11 - 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” 11Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
6) Means or Medium
We are to share the Gospel through any means or medium available to us today. The great apostle Paul was limited in the means or mediums presented to him in by which to preach the simple saving Gospel of Christ, yet he preached the Gospel with more fervency and devotion to Christ than anyone before or since.
He stated to the Corinthian brethren that he came not with a great oratory capability but he came to them with the simple truth that Christ died for them (1 Cor.2:1-5). His sole purpose was to lay a solid foundation of faith, based on the Gospel. so that their faith “should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (vs. 5).
Ref.: 1 Cor.2:1-5 - 1And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.[a] 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
7) Motivation to Act
By and through the love and blessings of God (Rom.4:24; Rom.5:1-15), are we using all of those blessings to give glory and honour to God in the fulfilment of His purpose for the church?
The apostle Paul stated to the Ephesian brethren that it is through the church of our Lord that the Gospel is to be preached to a lost and dying world of people living in sin. We as children of God should thus be motivated to preach and teach that saving Gospel (Rom. 1:16) by whatever means or medium necessary because of what God has done for us through Christ’s sacrifice (Jn.3:16; Rom.5:5-9; 1 Jn. 4:8-11).
Ref.: Rom.4:24 - but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
Ref.: Rom. 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
Ref.: Jn.3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Ref.: Rom.5:5-9 - 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!
Ref.: 1 Jn. 4:8-11 - 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
We have briefly looked at seven “tools” or “blessings” that God has put “into our hand.” These tools or blessings, however, will not be for the glory and benefit of our heavenly Father unless and until we are willing to use them for His glory and honour!
Just like the “rod” in Moses’ hand did not fulfil the purpose of God until Moses used the rod in exactly the way God prescribed, the same holds true for us who are the God's Anointed.
Are we properly using the “tools” and “blessings” of:
1) The Gospel
2) Our Talents
3) Our Time
4) Our Opportunities
5) Our Resources
6) Our Means or Medium
7) Our Motivation to Act
Our heavenly Father is still asking us today as He asked Moses in ages past, “What is that in thy hand?”
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