Derek Smith, Lead Pastor LHBC
Exodus 2:1-8
Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother.
There are many significant people who came from humble beginnings. Andrew Carnegie was born in a one-roomed weavers cottage in Dunfermline, Scotland. His family emigrated to America when he was 13 because of their extreme poverty. His first job in Pennsylvania was as a bobbin boy for $1.20 a week. But, he went on to dominate the US steel industry, amassing a personal fortune. By his death, he had given away $4.8 billion. Thomas Edison was actually told by some of his teachers that he was “too stupid to learn anything” and he was fired from his first two jobs for not being productive enough. Yet, he accumulated over 2,300 patents worldwide by the time he stopped inventing, these inventions completely changing the landscape of the modern world. Dwight L. Moody’s father died when he was only 4 years old leaving his mother to raise and support nine children all alone; yet, he went on to become one of the greatest evangelists in history.
Moses also came from humble beginnings. To the Hebrews he was born into a slave family and given away by his parents so he might escape death. To the Egyptians he was the adopted son of Pharaoh who had been abandoned and left for dead by his family. Either way, it was not a glamorous start to say the least. It’s been facetiously said that Moses was a basketcase. But here’s the thing, God had an incredible plan for the life of Moses and he turned a poor beginning into a rich ending. Moses became arguably the greatest leader in Hebrew history apart from Jesus Himself.
Life’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish. May we never forget that God’s in the business of rewriting stories, and all of us are basketcases. Whether you were born into rags or riches, we all need Jesus; the cross takes away our shame and the empty tomb takes away our excuses. Those who are in Christ are new creations in Him, the old is gone and new has come. Moses found out that our beginning is just act 1 of a multiple act story. No matter your beginning, let Jesus have your ending. No matter what is in your past, choose today to follow Jesus and know that the future is in His hands. You may have started out a basketcase, but the Lord can take what’s in the basket and do miraculous things! Just trust and obey Him today.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Father God, You have been with me from the very beginning. All the days of my life have been clearly known by You and You have had a special plan all along. Lord, I want to finish well. I thank you that my past doesn’t define who I am. You define who I am. In Jesus name I pray, amen.
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.