"Nobody Likes Me..." January 27 Readings: Exodus 6–7, Matthew 17:14–27, Psalm 17:7–15, Proverbs 3:25-26

Today's Readings -  Exodus 6–7, Matthew 17:14–27, Psalm 17:7–15, Proverbs 3:25-26

Devotional 

What we do when things don't work out makes all the difference in the world.

In Exodus 7, Moses demonstrated the secret to significance in the Kingdom of God. He had been sent down to Egypt to confront Pharaoh and demand the release of the Hebrew people. And that is exactly what he did. He marched into Pharaoh's presence and delivered the message of God.

But things did not work out as Moses had expected. Pharaoh did not yield to God's authority and issue an immediate release to the Israelites. No, he was infuriated by Moses' hubris and issued a decree to make the Hebrews work harder than it had been.

Moses was quickly the most hated man in Goshen.

But what he did next made all the difference. He persevered. He continued to obey God even when it was hard. God had called him to free Israel and he would not give up on God's purposes. He was discouraged, frustrated and angry - mostly at God. But he turned to God and received encouragement.

Perseverance is the key to Kingdom success. We seem to believe that the Christian life ought to be easy and simple, that no opposition or difficulty should arise. Nothing could be further from the biblical truth. God's work is always hard. It is always opposed. It is always perilous. But the man or woman of God who wishes to do great things in God's kingdom must continue in spite of the hardships.

Moses went to Pharaoh with this promise from God.

Now you are going to see what I will do to Pharaoh: he will let them go because of My strong hand; he will drive them out of his land because of My strong hand. Exodus 6:1

Today, the work of God goes forward. It is going to be hard and you can count on the opposition of Satan and the sinful world. They will not give up ground easily. But God is still  on the throne and has promised to those endeavoring to obey the great task he has given us, "I will be with you always." The only hope of success in a task as big as ours is that we would persevere through every hardship and struggle until God's displays his power.

Lord, may we persevere through every hardship and trial, as Moses did, until you accomplish your work in us and display your power to us. 

Think and Pray

Do you judge your righteousness by how others treat you or what others think of you?
Consider the truth that fidelity to God often led to anger and rejection from others.