Learning from Moses (3)

“He was looking ahead to his reward.” Hebrews 11:26 NIV

(3) You must determine your priorities. “He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.” Much of the world’s wealth during that time was stored in Egypt. So Moses already had what most people spend their lives trying to get: popularity, pleasure, and possessions. Yet God asked him to do something that was more important—and he did it. It was a matter of priorities. Moses could easily have rationalized, “The slave situation is bad, so I’ll stay in the system and work for reform.” Most of us want to be liked, but there’s one big problem with popularity: it never lasts. You can be the big shot on campus for a while, but when you return a few years after graduation, you’ll likely find that nobody thinks you’re special anymore. Then there’s pleasure. Is pleasure wrong? It isn’t wrong unless it’s sinful. Then there are possessions. And there’s nothing wrong with material success. Some of the greatest people in the Bible were extremely wealthy, including Abraham and Solomon. But Jesus said, “Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15 NIV). Ultimately wealth doesn’t bring happiness. Ask the people who have it, “How much money does it take to be happy?” Answer: “Just a little bit more!” Money is to be used—not loved! God wants us to use things and love people. But if we love things, we’ll end up using people. Moses had his priorities right; he devalued material things because there was something more important in his life—namely, God’s will!

Bible in a year: Daniel 3-4 and 2 Peter 3