Thurs.’s Devo - What is in your Hand?

Read: Exodus 4:1-5:21; Matthew 18:1-20; Psalm 22:19-31; Proverbs 5:15-21 God and Moses were having the conversation about returning to Egypt and setting God’s people free. Moses protested that no one would listen to him. God asked the question that is asked all through the Bible. “What is in your hand?” In other words, what have I already given you that you can use? Jesus asked the disciples the same thing when they had no food to feed the multitude. God asks us that question when we are up against problems. We already have what we are going to need or it is ours for the taking; we just have to reach out our faith and take it. Moses had a shepherd’s staff which seemed useless when facing a Pharaoh who despised shepherds and especially Hebrew shepherds. God gave Moses two signs to use: the snake and leprosy. Moses’ next argument was that he was not a good public speaker. So God reluctantly gave him Aaron to speak for him. Moses was to show the Pharaoh all his signs but God would harden his heart. Then he would tell Pharaoh that Israel was God’s first born son so he was to set him free to worship him. Pharaoh would refused and God would kill Pharaoh’s firstborn son. The last event would be the killing of Pharaoh’s first born son. On the way to Egypt, the Lord confronted Moses and was about to kill him until Zipporah stepped in and knew what to do. She took their first born son and circumcised him. She proclaimed that now their marriage was sealed in blood. God spoke to Aaron to go and meet Moses at Sinai. Moses showed him his two signs and together they met with the elders of Israel. The elders believed they were from God and worshipped the Lord for seeing their misery and coming to their defense. Their devotion lasted until they met opposition, then they turned on Aaron and Moses. When Moses and Aaron met with Pharaoh he was not impressed. Moses and Aaron asked to take a three-day journey into the wilderness to meet and worship their Lord. If they didn’t go, the Lord would kill them with a plague or with the sword. Instead of letting them go, Pharaoh ordered more work for them. Now they had to gather their own straw to make bricks and make the same quota per day. The Israelites foremen went to Pharaoh to beg for better treatment but were denied their request. They told Moses and Aaron that this was all their fault. How quickly they changed their worship into a complaint. In Matthew. the disciples asked who was the greatest in the kingdom and Jesus brought them a little child. He said that the one who is humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of God. Those who accept the humble will be accepting him but anyone who harms the humble will be greatly punished. The world tempts us to sin and the one who does the tempting will face hell. He warned them not to look down on any of the children or the humble because their angels are always in the presence of God. It is not God’s will that any of them perish. God gave them a formula to follow if someone sins against you. You are to confront them face to face. If they repent then you have won them back. If they don’t then you are to take two witnesses back with you to confront them again. If that person still refused to listen then you are to take you case to the church. If they won’t listen to the church then you are to treat that person as a pagan. He followed it with whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven and whatever we permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. So, to not confront a person’s sin in the church is to allow it both on earth and in heaven. Also, to agree with two or more believers concerning a thing causes God to move for you because when two or more believers meet, Jesus is with them. Lord, help us to agree about the right thing and oppose what you oppose. May we see what we have in our possession that you want us to use for your kingdom.