“Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart.” - Proverbs 27:11 (NIV).
The life of Moses can fall into three chapters. There is the impulsive lad who strikes down an Egyptian impatient for the liberation of the Israelites ( Exodus 2: 11- 14). The second phase is a leader guiding a restless people through a scorching desert on to the Promised Land. And finally there is the sage handing over the baton to his successor Joshua and giving the Israelites a word of hope. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” - Deuteronomy 31:6).
We might say that the last phase of Moses life reveals a much wiser person. Those who enjoy chewing and sucking on raw sugar cane sticks, know that they taste much sweeter as one gets to the bottom end. Through the years of experiencing the ups and down of life, Moses had become a much wiser person whom everyone waited on his word.
One area where Moses in his journey matured was in handling people. One day his father-in-law Jethro visited him and noticed that Moses had taken on the burden of listening to every case that came up to him. “When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?” (Exodus 18:14).
Jethro then pulled Moses aside and advised him on a very important principle of leadership- delegation. “Listen... select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied” (vv 19-23). Moses not merely listened but soon implemented his father in law’s advice.
Being wise has been defined as “the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment”! For Moses he grew into such a wise and skilled leader through his life experiences. Some were hard lessons forcing him into exile. Others were humbling as when his father-in-law saw his error and coached him into what seemed so obvious. Moses became wiser because he embraced all these life’s lesson.
Experience they say is the best teacher. If you seek to be wise reflect on the lessons God is taking you through. There are not for naught. As harsh or humbling as they may seem, it is God’s way to make you wiser.
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today I pray for wisdom in all my affairs, taking and growing through the lessons of life, so that I am perfected in your service, this I pray in Jesus’s name.
Related upcoming events
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06/05/2024 - 07/05/2024 All day“Do not confirm to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2)
Almost all cultivators are aware that if soils are used perpetually without rains but constantly under work they are deprived of all nutrients. So, though once productive, they lose all power to yield fresh crops as before. But so is our Christian life when we do not regularly feed our spirit life with the Word!
In our leading verse, the Apostle Paul is urging believers to “renew” their minds rather than make them stale, lest they end up losing all power to yield fruit. But how is this done? We renew our minds by constantly reading the Word of God, for there are always insights with God speaking to us afresh. Psalm 119:104-5 says, “I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” The Apostle Peter reminds us, “Like newborn babies hungry for milk, you should want the pure teaching that feeds your spirit. With it you can grow and be saved.” It is a beautiful illustration for any who have seen a hungry baby sucking the teats of a mother.
Renewing our minds is also by reading about the lives of people of faith who have walked before us and their created works. The Christian faith started in the first century after Jesus was crucified and resurrected from the dead. Now over two millenniums it has produced giants of faith who have shared their walk with God through inspired teachings that are a treasure to dig into. By scouring the writings of the great saints before us, listening to their recorded sermons, songs and preaching, which these days can be found on virtual medial channels like Yu tube, reading their biographies, our faith is renewed.
And then we also renew our faith through fellowship. When the Apostle Paul urges us, “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” ( Hebrews 10:25), he is reminding us that our faith cannot grow in isolation. During the Covid pandemic lockdown one bitter issue was denying Believers opportunity to meet fellow followers of Christ to share testimonies showing the work of God in their lives.
So today, if your faith is on a low keel, or you want it to flower, one thing you can’t help doing without is “renewing” your mind. The blessings to unfold are endless.
Prayer for today:Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, what a treasure we have of your rich Word to dig into always; books around us of faith to inspire us; and believers to share our faith- may we make use of these, this I pray in Jesus’ name.
