Don’t Disqualify Yourself
God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.” (Exodus 3:15)
In the passage preceding today’s key verse, Moses is standing before a burning bush telling God everything that’s wrong with himself. Think about what God has asked him to do. God is giving him a picture of his destiny. He’s saying, “I’ve raised you up. I’ve prepared and equipped you to be a leader for your people. I’ve heard the affliction of my people. I’ve heard the cry of their taskmasters, and I want you to go down to Pharaoh and tell him to let my people go!”
And you know what Moses did? Moses started making excuses based upon his perceived imperfections. He said, “I’m not this. I’m not that. They won’t believe me. Who shall I say sent me?” One excuse after another. And here’s what God said, I am “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:15). God declared that His name would forever be identified not just with Abraham, the Father of the faith, and not just with Isaac, known for his great sacrifice, but with Jacob, the trickster, the deceiver, the cheater, the one who conned his brother out of his birthright.
Jacob was a legendarily imperfect man. But God settled it once and for all that He’s not just the God of the people who have it all together. He’s the God of the imperfect too. He’s the God of Jacob.
Our God is a God who uses people and chooses people not because they are perfect – none of us are – but in spite of our imperfections. He’s the God of Moses, the stutterer. He’s the God of David, the adulterer. He’s the God of Rahab, the prostitute. He’s the God of Levi, the tax collector. He’s the God of Judas, the betrayer. He’s the God of Peter, the denier. He’s the God of Thomas, the doubter. And He’s the God of Saul, the persecutor.
And it doesn’t really stop there. The fact that Jacob’s name is there implies that you could insert your name in there too. We could all put our names in there. Because even though we aren’t perfect, even though we mess up, and even though we’re sinners, God is still our Father, our Savior, and our Friend. So if He doesn’t disqualify you by your actions, you shouldn’t either.
In the passage preceding today’s key verse, Moses is standing before a burning bush telling God everything that’s wrong with himself. Think about what God has asked him to do. God is giving him a picture of his destiny. He’s saying, “I’ve raised you up. I’ve prepared and equipped you to be a leader for your people. I’ve heard the affliction of my people. I’ve heard the cry of their taskmasters, and I want you to go down to Pharaoh and tell him to let my people go!”
And you know what Moses did? Moses started making excuses based upon his perceived imperfections. He said, “I’m not this. I’m not that. They won’t believe me. Who shall I say sent me?” One excuse after another. And here’s what God said, I am “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:15). God declared that His name would forever be identified not just with Abraham, the Father of the faith, and not just with Isaac, known for his great sacrifice, but with Jacob, the trickster, the deceiver, the cheater, the one who conned his brother out of his birthright.
Jacob was a legendarily imperfect man. But God settled it once and for all that He’s not just the God of the people who have it all together. He’s the God of the imperfect too. He’s the God of Jacob.
Our God is a God who uses people and chooses people not because they are perfect – none of us are – but in spite of our imperfections. He’s the God of Moses, the stutterer. He’s the God of David, the adulterer. He’s the God of Rahab, the prostitute. He’s the God of Levi, the tax collector. He’s the God of Judas, the betrayer. He’s the God of Peter, the denier. He’s the God of Thomas, the doubter. And He’s the God of Saul, the persecutor.
And it doesn’t really stop there. The fact that Jacob’s name is there implies that you could insert your name in there too. We could all put our names in there. Because even though we aren’t perfect, even though we mess up, and even though we’re sinners, God is still our Father, our Savior, and our Friend. So if He doesn’t disqualify you by your actions, you shouldn’t either.
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