Y’all! I found out during my quiet time with Jesus this morning that I have a brother, or should I say, another brother.
I’ve long said that I am the prodigal son’s sister. Truly, I earned that sisterhood years ago. I made some stupid character and lifestyle choices in my 20s that earned me more than one trip to God’s woodshed. Because of the love, grace, and mercy of Jesus and the forgiveness He offers, my sinful choices have been forgiven, and yours can be too, if you know Jesus. I feel no shame or guilt over those choices because Jesus has taken my messes and made them my message!
This morning I was reading in Exodus 3. This is the chapter where Moses happens upon a burning bush that doesn’t burn. Take a gander at verses 5-14 (NKJV).
5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”
6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father–the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
7 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.
8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.
9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.
10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
13 Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”
14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
Moses, who works for his father-in-law, Jethro, is out wrangling sheep on the backside of the desert. Notice he was not just on the edge of the desert, but he was on the backside of the desert. Lord have mercy, how many times does life seem to kick us to the backside of the desert? Moses was hot, dusty, dodging sheep poop every step, maybe hungry, missing his wife, and just alone with a bunch of smelly sheep. Shew—eeee!!!
May I tell you that the backside of the desert is probably the very place where God will show up in your life and mine? He seems to have a strange affinity for the desert.
Moses happens upon a bush that appears to be burning, but, wait! It is not burning UP. That’s southern for ‘the bush was not disappearing in a heap of ashes’. Suddenly, the bush talks to Moses. Actually, the angel of the Lord was doing the talking from the bus. The Lord proceeds to tell Moses that He (God) has seen the distress and captivity of the Israelites, and it is time to do something about it, and ‘You’re my guy, Moses!’.
This is the point at which I realized that Moses and I are related. Take look at verse 11 again. God is calling Moses to join Him in leading the Israelites out of captivity, and what does Moses say?
“Me? Not me. Although you are G-O-D and have never made a mistake before, there is always a first and this is it. I don’t talk very well. I would not know what to say. I’m not ENOUGH.”
I don’t know about you, friend, but all too often my words, actions, and thoughts are those of ‘NOT ENOUGH’. I lived in Not Enough-land for so much of my life, yet recently I made a conscious decision to leave that place. I am ENOUGH in Jesus. He would not have died for me had I not been enough. His Spirit living within me makes me worthy and valuable and ENOUGH.
Maybe you have never lived in ‘Not Enough-land’, but I bet some of you have, and you are so weary of always feeling like you are not enough. Would you allow me to whisper something into your heart today?
I AM says that YOU are ENOUGH.
You were important ENOUGH for Him to send His only Son to die for your sin.
If you are a Jesus-follower, you are beautiful ENOUGH because you have His Spirit living inside you.
You are MORE. THAN. ENOUGH.
Now, walk that out in faith and when Satan tries to tell you you are NOT ENOUGH, tell Him that Jesus says you are MORE THAN ENOUGH. Tell Him that you are the bride of Christ, a daughter {or son} of the King, a chosen one, a royal priesthood. Tell Satan that you are called, loved, chosen, adopted, and redeemed by the God of Heaven.
Because of Jesus, YOU ARE ENOUGH! If God wants to use you or me or Moses to do something spectacular, then let’s stop this ridiculousness about not being good/smart/thin/talented/rich/popular or whatever kind of ‘enough’ you routinely use to fill in the blank. You are enough!
Friend, do you live in Not Enough-land? I would love to pray for you. Leave me a comment or send me an email to [email protected]. It would be my privilege to pray for you as you learn to walk in your identity in Christ as one who is more than enough.
SDG/FCA!!
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