Exodus 4:1-26; Matthew 18:1-14; Psalms 22:27-31; Proverbs 10:11-12
OT: “But Moses replied to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent — either in the past or recently or since you have been speaking to your servant — because my mouth and my tongue are sluggish.” The Lord said to him, “Who placed a mouth on humans? Who makes a person mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say.” Moses said, “Please, Lord, send someone else.”” (Exodus 4:10-13 CSB)
The word Satan isn’t really the enemy’s name. It is actually a title of sorts. Satan means adversary or someone who withstands. The word devil is similar. It is a title that describes the enemy and means slanderer and false accuser. That is our enemy: he is our adversary and he forcefully opposes the work that the Lord desires to do through us. How does he do it? By falsely accusing us and slandering us – often to our own face. He uses our weaknesses against us and accuses us of being far less than what God needs. When God calls us to something great, the enemy comes to ridicule us and tell us we will fail because of our weaknesses. He moves us to fear and manipulates us into telling God, “I can’t… please use someone else.” Sadly, if we give into the fear, eventually the “I can’t” evolves into “I won’t.” When a frightened child stand at the end of the deep end of the pool and says, “I can’t jump in – I’ll drown.” The loving father swims to the side of the pool and says to his child, “Yes you can… you won’t drown… I’m here and I will catch you.” In a sense, that is what was going on with Moses. Thankfully, though he was struggling to have faith in God and didn’t want to obey, eventually he did. And God the Father caught him in such a glorious way… and instead of failing because of his weaknesses, God was shown strong in his life through his weaknesses.
NT: “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “So who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a small child and had him stand among them. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child — this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one child like this in my name welcomes me. But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away — it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea… See to it that you don’t despise one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of my Father in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save the lost. What do you think? If someone has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go and search for the stray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over that sheep more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish.” (Matthew 18:1-6, 10-14 CSB)
The greatest in the kingdom isn’t the one that comes with all the gifts, talents, abilities, and self-confidence. The greatest in the kingdom is the one who trusts fully in the Father and does whatever the Father asks, because he knows the Father is faithful and will catch him. Never doubt God’s ability to work through someone who is humble and completely submitted to Him. And woe to those who ridicule them and shame them for their unwavering trust in God and convince them to believe what the world and the enemy would say about them instead of what God says about them. The Lord is fiercely protective of those who place their trust in Him. It is His desire that their faith in Him remains so that they can have life, and not be led away into self-confidence or self-doubt. For those in the church – receive those who walk in faith and calling… don’t despise them, discourage them, or turn them away… honor the work of the Lord in them… welcome them, and you welcome the work and presence of the Lord.
Jamie Hicks 