This post is a part of my series of once weekly devotionals called Faith for Thought. Bookmark the homepage for Faith for Thought here to return to it for the weekly update on Thursday!
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Exodus 14:13-14
13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 13:13-14, NIV
Devotion
Sometimes I feel like a fake, knowing that I don’t come even close to “practicing what I preach.”
As a Christian blogger, I write about how to trust God…but I often have a hard time trusting His promises in my own life.
I urge others to pray more, but I don’t pray as often as I should.
I fear that the things I say and write make it appear that I live a life of certainty and trust in God…when in reality my life is filled with sins of worry, gossip, and doubt.
Sometimes I feel like a hypocritical Christian.
Thankfully, as I read the Bible, I realize that I may be in good company.
When I read many of Moses’ announcements to the Israelites in Egypt (like the one above in Exodus 14), I cannot help but remember how this all started out.
Chapters earlier, in Exodus 2, Moses murdered an Egyptian and had to flee. Later, Moses balked at the idea of leading God’s people, telling God about his fears that the Israelites wouldn’t listen to him (Exodus 4:1) and arguing that he wasn’t a good enough public speaker (Exodus 4:10). Finally, Moses just begged God to send someone else to do this important work he was called to (Exodus 4:13).
But now, here he is in Exodus 14, urging the people to stay strong and trust in God — as if he has been a good example?
Seems a little hypocritical, if you ask me.
And I’m afraid that if people looked at my life and compared it with the things I preach, they might say the same thing too.
But we are all sinners, and thus we all fall short of what we preach. We will never be as “good” as we wish we were; we will never pray as often as we know we should; we will never trust God like we wish we could. That doesn’t make sin okay; it reveals the need for a Savior.
And that doesn’t make it okay to say no to God’s calling, either. Just because we feel like hypocritical Christians because of our sins, that doesn’t give us an excuse to get out of the things God calls us to do, simply because we think we are not “good enough.”
Not to mention: God doesn’t call us to serve Him because of the things we have done or haven’t done. He called Moses to do important work, despite him being a murderer and a reluctant, complaining leader. He calls you too, even in the midst of your sins.
Take Action
Do you feel like a hypocritical Christian? Remember that God calls people to do his work regardless of the sins they have committed, and he doesn’t take your sins as an excuse.
Don’t just memorize the verse: “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:14), but memorize and study the person who said those words. Don’t underestimate what God may be calling you to do simply because of the sins you have committed.
