Hebrews 11:24-25, “24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.”
Many things can be written about the life of Moses- the plagues God had him bring to Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the receiving of the Ten Commandments, meeting with God face-to-face, and leading the Israelites in the desert for 40 years. However, none of these great things could have ever happened if he didn’t first make the choice to forsake the pleasures of sin in Egypt for the persecution of being a Jew, one of God’s chosen people.
By faith Moses’ mother had defied the edict of the Pharaoh to give up her first-born son to be put to death. Instead she kept Moses hidden until he was three months old and then placed him in a basket to hopefully be found by someone to raise and care for him. God directed the basket to Pharaoh’s daughter and thus, Moses was raised as an Egyptian. However, after he saw how the Egyptians treated the Israelites as their slaves he chose to no longer live as an Egyptian but rather chose to be mistreated along with his people.
Moses could have looked away from the pain of his people and kept enjoying his life of sin. Imagine how different it would have been for God’s people if Moses chose sin over God. God’s people would have remained enslaved until the Lord rose up another leader to deliver them. Plus, Moses would have been forgotten in history because he would have been no different than all the other Egyptians around him- who lived in perversion, idolatry, and violence.
One decision changed the course of Moses’ whole life and affected an entire people. Now consider the destiny God has for you and the people he wants you to influence. If you choose to live in sin you will never see those people’s lives changed and you will be forgotten in history, Isaiah 26:14. However, if you choose God over sin your life can literally impact generations to come.
For example, imagine if you choosing to live for God and reject sin results in people getting saved, who lead others to Christ, and so on until Jesus comes back. Literally, thousands of people’s lives and destinies can be changed just by your life! Therefore, make a decision today to have the same faith Moses had and choose God over the fleeting pleasures of sin!
Reflection
What would you rather have… (a) Temporary suffering and impact thousands of people’s lives for Jesus. Or (b) Temporary pleasures of sin and impact no one’s life for eternity.
Action
- Repent of any sin you may be enjoying at this time.
- Live your life 100% sold out for Jesus.
- Like Moses, by faith, choose God over sin; both today and forevermore.
