More than Enough

I was reading in Numbers chapter 16 this morning, when I found yet another example of humility demonstrated in Moses' life. There were three men, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, who were rising up against Moses and stirring up trouble among the tribes. They accused Moses and Aaron of exalting themselves above the rest of God's people and deeming themselves more important than anyone else. Here are a few things about Moses' response that I noticed:

1. First he tried to reason with them. (vs. 4-7)

2. Then he tried to remind them that their God-appointed role was enough. "Then Moses said to Korah, 'Hear now, you sons of Levi, is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them; and that He has brought you near, Korah, and all your brothers, sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking for the priesthood also? Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD; but as for Aaron, who is he that you grumble against him?'"

3. When they continued to speak out against Moses, he burned with a holy anger and asked the Lord not to accept their offering. (vs. 15)

4. When the Lord said he was going to destroy all the people of their tribe, Moses fell on his face and asked him to spare the congregation and only punish the men who were sinning against the Lord. (vs. 22)

5. Moses gave the Lord all the glory for the things He had done. (vs. 28-30)

No wonder Hebrews 3:5 says of Moses "Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later;"

Priscilla Shirer says of Moses in her book The Resolution for Women "He was called by heaven- an appointment that ordered his priorities, pursuits, and passions. Not perfectly, but persistently."

Moses was far from perfect. He questioned God's intentions several times along the way. But he also knew that he must pursue the calling that God had placed on his life. He knew that he had a role to accept. A part to play in God's grander scheme of things. So he embraced it. Humbly, faithfully, and wholeheartedly.

That's how I want to view God's calling on my life. Passionately, diligently, and without reserve. So that I too, can be considered faithful. Because my God-given assignment in this life is more than enough.

Esther Study

I've really been enjoying the Beth Moore study "Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman." I need to dig in and get my homework done for this week but before I do, there's a part of last week's study that's been on my mind all week. I wanted to write out some of my thoughts as I try to get a grasp on what Beth was trying to say. Here's the portion of the study I'm talking about.

"Most critical to today's lesson, Esther had also detached from the common man's need. We tend to detach from sights and situations that make us feel badly about ourselves-especially when we feel powerless. If we think we can't do anything about a bad situation, we'd just as soon not have to see it.

Here's the trap, however: If we distance ourselves long enough from real needs, we replace them with those that aren't. Pretense becomes the new real and suddenly a delay in the delivery of our new couch becomes a terrible upset. We are wise to force ourselves to keep differentiating between simple inconveniences and authentic tribulations. The more detached and self-absorbed we become, the more we mistake annoyances for agonies."

This portion of the study has really made me stop and think every time I get upset about something. Whenever I start to feel out of control, I ask myself "What is this about? Is it worth getting all worked up? Is there a greater underlying issue here that I have been ignoring?" Life is full of inconveniences. The trick is not to let them get to you.

A while back I had a talk with a friend of mine about trials and tribulations and what the difference was between the two. Her definitions were very helpful for me. She also included her own definition of tests from the Lord...

Trials are things that come our way that we did NOT cause. God uses trials in our lives to build character.

Tests come from the Lord and are usually for a specific purpose. Such as when you learn something good from a sermon or God's Word and then you are tested on it in your life. Testing is for the purpose of growth and maturity.

Tribulations come from the enemy and they are for...well, it's just what the enemy does! God allows tribulations in our lives for the purpose of building faith and trust in Him.

I'm still trying to wrap my brain around all of this. I don't want to be someone who always "makes a mountain out of a molehill," to use a popular quote.

What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear from you. :)