November 7 | By Faith Moses Chose God Over Sin
Hebrews 11:24-25, “24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.”
Many things can be written about the life of Moses- the burning bush encounter with God, the ten plagues God had him bring to Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the receiving of the Ten Commandments, meeting with God face-to-face on Mt. Sinai and leading the Israelites in the desert for 40 years; however, none of those things would have ever happened if he didn’t first make the choice to forsake the pleasures of sin in Egypt for the persecution of being a Jew, one of God’s chosen people.
By faith Moses’ mother defied the edict of Pharaoh to allow her firstborn son to be put to death. Instead she kept Moses hidden until he was three months old and then placed him in a basket to hopefully be found by someone to raise and care for him. God directed the basket to Pharaoh’s daughter and thus, Moses was raised as an Egyptian. However, at forty years old when he saw how the Egyptians treated the Israelites as their slaves, he chose to no longer live as an Egyptian, but rather chose to be mistreated along with his people.
Moses could have looked away from the suffering of his people and kept enjoying his life of sin. Imagine how different it would have been for God’s people if Moses chose sin over God. God’s people would have remained enslaved until the Lord rose up another leader to deliver them. Plus, Moses would have been forgotten in history because he would have been no different than all the other Egyptians around him who lived in perversion, idolatry and violence.
One decision changed the course of Moses’ life and impacted countless generations. Likewise, think about how many people will be impacted by your decision to forsake sin and be Jesus’ disciple.
Consider the destiny God has for you and the people he wants you to influence. If you choose to live in sin you will never see those people’s lives changed and you will be forgotten in history like the wicked in Isaiah 26:14. However, if you choose God over sin your life can literally impact generations to come.
Imagine if you choosing to live for God and rejecting sin resulted in dozens of people getting saved, who in turn lead hundreds of others to Christ and thus, thousands of people serve Jesus 30 years from now- would all that be worth you facing hardships now? Literally, thousands of people’s lives and destinies can be changed just by your life. Make a decision today to have the same faith Moses had and choose God over the fleeting pleasures of sin!
Reflection
What would you rather have- temporary suffering and impact people’s lives for eternity or have the temporary pleasures of sin and suffer for eternity?
Action
- Repent of any sin you may be enjoying at this time. The ole’ timers used to say, “There ain’t no sin worth going to hell over!”
- Live your life 100% sold out for Jesus.
- By faith, choose God over sin and impact people’s lives.
One Year Reading Plan
Ezekiel 16:42-17:24, Hebrews 8:1-13, Psalm 106:13-31, & Proverbs 27:7-9. Click here to read online.