Topic: Living Life
"The life of this remarkable man, who lived for 120 years, is divided into three periods of forty years…" (All the Messianic Prophecies of the Bible by Herbert Lockyer, p.223)
What are they?
Lockyer continues:
"Forty years training in the arts of Egypt, and learning to be SOMEBODY.
"Forty years training in God's school of the desert, and learning to be NOBODY.
"Forty years as Leader and Law-Giver of Israel, and learning that God is EVERYBODY."
Of course, Herbert Lockyer is talking about the life of Moses and is comparing to the life of Jesus. Remember, in Exodus, after the death of Joseph, Egyptians was under controlled by the new king, who did not know about Joseph and his people of Israel. The Bible doesn't tell how this new Pharaoh got the spotlight. Because he was very strict, Moses' mother hid her boy from the sight of this new king for three months (Exodus 2:2). Unfortunately, she cannot kept hiding her child longer. To save the child, she had to give her boy away into the river. Or else, Egyptian has to kill the child. This also happened when Jesus was born by Mary. As we read in Matthew 2, we see that King Herod tried to find the Child to kill Him by murdering every children who were under two-year of age. Why two and under?
We need to understand that it took for wise men traveled from Egypt to Bethlehem by walking or riding the camel. They had no fancy cars or some kinds of motor transportation, except camels. By the time when these wise men made to Bethlehem, Jesus was little bit older--1 or 2 years. Don't trust the Christmas cards that show the three wise men were at the barn with Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. We even don't know that there were 3 wise men, because the Bible never mentioned this.
Exodus 2:3-4 says, "And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink. And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him." How do you feel if this is your situation? You would be disturbed and interrupted. Because she had no choice to keep her child, she had to let him go; otherwise, Egyptian will find and kill him. It's sad situation, but God has a great plan for him. Verse 5 says, "And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it." Even though she didn't attend to give her son to Pharaoh's daughter, God has a plan for him. Throughout the first forty years of Moses, he was living like Egyptian. He didn't know where he arrived from originally until God revealed to him.
Do you know where you originally from? Of course, we all were from mothers' womb. But Jeremiah 1:4-5 says, "…the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." If you don't know who formed you, I like to invite you to know Person, who formed you. If you don't have your personal relationship with Jesus, I like to encourage you to know Him today. This is not from TD Jake, John Hagee, or any other preacher. Being a Christian doesn't mean that you'd need to be religious. It's about establishing your relationship with Creator.
I don't know what are you going through or what your condition is. But you have purpose to live in this world today. Live your life by witnessing for God to other people around you. Even if you have disability in all your life, God can use you to share His love and message of hope to others. God said in Jeremiah 1:5, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." The Bible is also filled with people who lived with disabilities in both Old and New Testaments. Even if we can't see the result, it doesn't mean that God didn't do good job to heal our sickness. Almost 2000 years ago, God brought His Son, Jesus, to demonstrate His love for us by paying our sins by dying on the Cross. His people didn't pay attention to Him while He was on the earth. But Jesus didn't reject His people. This is how much God loves us. But we have job to do.
Jesus said in John 15:16, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you." We need to bear fruits (literally, it means from our actions). If you bare child of God, you have been calling to be a royal priesthood (I Peter 2:9) or be a witness to your community and other parts of world (Acts 1:8).
Visit MGJC Website at www.mgjcweb.org for more inspirational insight and other Christian resources.
