S21P6 – Portraits of faith: Moses
Heb. 11:24-25
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
Do you find it interesting that this description of Moses’s decision to suffer along with God’s people attributes that choice to his faith? At face value, it might seem more fitting to describe his behavior as humble or righteous as opposed to resulting from faith. We can say that he did the right thing, and that seems to indicate that the driving force behind his decision was his good character. So why is this decision attributed to the faith of Moses? Why would it take faith above all other things to deny yourself the pleasures of this world in exchange for suffering along with the people of God
The Bible is filled with examples of what I call great exchanges. These are the things that we give up now as an exercise in faith that God will reward or honor us later. Moses knew that the sinful pleasures of this world are not only fleeting but also destructive. He also knew that forgoing those pleasures of the flesh and suffering along with God’s people would bring holy pleasure later on. That holy pleasure is knowing that you’ve pleased God and are now welcome to enter his kingdom. That is true pleasure and true reward, and nothing we can count as joy in this world could ever compare to even one moment in God’s presence. But it takes faith to believe in that exchange
When we say “no” to the world and “yes” to God, we are exercising faith. This is not merely a single occurrence at the moment of salvation but a repeated occurrence every time we choose God. Each time we do this we are telling God that we believe in his promises of future reward. This is a faith that we exercise day by day and sometimes even moment by moment. Whether we are in the workplace or at school or sometimes even among the Church, we will have this decision to make. Father, increase our faith so that we will stand firm and believe in your promise of future reward and pleasure, so that we can boldly and confidently say “no” to the pleasures of this world.