Daily Devotional Podcasts

52_Concerns don’t excuse disobedience Exodus 3:11-16 But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 And He said, “Assuredly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.” 13 Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” 14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 God furthermore said to Moses, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is the name for all generations to use to call upon Me. 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt. Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’” Exod 4:10-17 Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” 11 But the Lord said to him, “Who has made the human mouth? Or who makes anyone unable to speak or deaf, or able to see or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now then go, and I Myself will be with your mouth, and instruct you in what you are to say.” 13 But he said, “Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will.” 14 Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses, and He said, “Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. 15 So you are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I Myself will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will instruct you in what you are to do.” A newlywed wife, a freshly purchased piece of land, and a new team of oxen—what do they have in common? These were the excuses given by invitees to a royal wedding feast, in the Lord’s parable in Luke 14. Excuses often reveal misplaced priorities, or a reluctance to embrace what truly matters. Exodus 3 depicts another story where excuses took

51_Encounter with God Exodus 3:1-11 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. 7 And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; 8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; 10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. 11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? Moses’ life is a story of unexpected turns and intense personal transformation. It has three distinct phases. For the first forty years, he lived in Egypt as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, trained in Egypt’s wisdom and having ready access to its wealth and power. Despite his privileged position, he retained his personal identity as a Hebrew. At the age of forty, Moses began to visit the oppressed children of Israel. When he saw one of them beaten by an Egyptian overseer, his blood boiled. In his zeal, he killed the Egyptian. The killing was discovered, and he was in danger. Forced to flee from Egypt for his life, Moses spent the next forty years as a shepherd in Midian. This was a season of obscurity and preparation. He was no longer a prince but a humble shepherd, unknown to the rest of the world, alone yet safe. During these apparently useless years, Moses continued to be trained for his calling. God often works in hidden ways, shaping His chosen ones in silence before calling them to the forefront. This period culminated in an encounter with God that revealed his destiny. In the wilderness of Horeb, God’s presence appeared to Moses in

50_Be careful what you choose Exodus 2:11-15 One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. 12 He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?” 14 He answered, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.” 15 When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well. Heb 11:24-27 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. C.T. Studd was one of England's finest cricketers, a man admired for his talent and celebrated for his success. Yet, he gave it all up to become a missionary in Africa. This choice was not impulsive. It was born of the conviction that serving Christ was the only thing of value in this life. His words express his faith: "Only one life, ‘twill soon be past; only what is done for Christ will last." Despite frail health and immense challenges, Studd served the Lord tirelessly until his death. The full impact of his choice will be revealed only in eternity. Our choices define our lives. They reveal our priorities and shape our character. Hebrews 11:24-27 holds up Moses as one who chose to live by faith, casting aside the temptation of fleeting gain. His story compels us to consider the weight and eternal significance of our own choices. Moses was born in a time where he had no official right to live. Pharaoh had decreed death for all Hebrew male infants. Moses’ survival was an act of divine intervention. Rescued from the Nile by Pharaoh’s daughter, Moses grew up in the lap of luxury, a prince of Egypt. He was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a man of influence and power. Yet, Moses faced a defining question: Who was he? Was he the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, with all the privileges, power, and wealth that entailed? Or was he a Hebrew, one of the slave people? Not to remain in Pharaoh’s household would seem not only ungrateful but also irrational, for the Hebrews had no visible hope of freedom or prosperity. But Moses chose to identify as a Hebrew,