YOUTH MOVEMENT
By RACHEL Larson
IF you read Exodus 3 , you will find a very familiar story . In this chapter , Moses is found tending to a herd of sheep out in the wilderness when he suddenly sees a bush that ’ s on fire but is not consumed . So , much like you and I would likely think , he decides to get a closer look . He then finds himself on holy ground .
The rest of the story is a dialogue that makes me chuckle sometimes . I think , “ Who would sit and argue with God like that ?!” But in reality , I do it all the time . Moses gave excuses as to why he shouldn ’ t be the one to go back to Egypt five times … FIVE TIMES ! But how God responds is where I want to focus .
If you had a friend who was allowed to do something amazing , and they told you all the reasons why they shouldn ’ t do it , you ’ d likely try to encourage them . You ’ d remind them of all the times they succeeded at something similar . But you don ’ t see that happen in this dialogue . No one was there to give Moses a pep talk , and God never assured Moses of his strengths . Instead , you see Him repeatedly point the attention back to Who He Himself is and everything He can do .
When we read stories of people doing extraordinary things in the Bible , God never talks about their strengths or weaknesses ; He only talks about Himself .
The truth is , if it were about our strengths , then our weaknesses would disqualify us . It ’ s never been about us . It ’ s all about God ! It ’ s about everything HE can do through you , and nothing else matters .
If we are insecure in our relationship with God or with what He is asking us to do , the solution is not confidence in ourselves . Instead , the solution is to stop being independent of God and to be confident in who He is .
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:9 ( NIV ): “ But he said to me , “ My grace is sufficient for you , for my power is made perfect in weakness .” When He works through our weaknesses , He gets all the glory .
If you ’ re feeling insecure , identify where you ’ ve chosen independence from God and regain your confidence in Him . He told Moses He would be right there with Him . And He will do the same for you ! If He asks you to do something , it ’ s because He will help you see it through . The trick is taking steps of faith when we don ’ t know the outcome or how it will play out . But we can be confident in this – our weaknesses mean nothing to God . Because it ’ s not about us , it ’ s all about Him .
In this time , when we are reflecting on all the things we are thankful for , I ’ m grateful that my weaknesses don ’ t disqualify me . Because it ’ s not about me , it ’ s all about Him . CMA
Merry Christmas from the three of us ! We pray you have lots of special time with your friends and family this December . We are beyond excited for the 15th Anniversary Flame On that ’ s fast approaching . Be sure to check out cmausa . org for information on registering and volunteering . God is going to do amazing things . We can ’ t wait to see YOU there !
23⎪DECEMBER 2022⎪www . cmausa . org