{"id":30780,"date":"2023-12-22T04:30:01","date_gmt":"2023-12-22T11:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baonline.cog7engage.net\/?p=30780"},"modified":"2023-12-22T08:21:52","modified_gmt":"2023-12-22T15:21:52","slug":"reaching-our-redemptive-potential-an-important-lesson-from-the-life-of-moses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baonline.cog7engage.net\/reaching-our-redemptive-potential-an-important-lesson-from-the-life-of-moses\/","title":{"rendered":"Reaching Our Redemptive Potential: An important lesson from the life of Moses"},"content":{"rendered":"

I wasn\u2019t prepared for this statement: \u201cMoses was an amazing leader who never reached his redemptive potential.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

I was half asleep, listening to religious TV, when this comment jolted me fully awake. No way, I thought. Put that on some other Bible character, not Moses<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I immediately thought of all the virtues ascribed to Moses<\/a> in Scripture: the man who \u201cknew God face to face\u201d (Exodus 33:11), and \u201cthe meekest man who ever lived\u201d (Numbers 12:3), etc.<\/p>\n

Outside of Scripture, there is broad consensus that, among mere men, Moses<\/a> is the greatest spiritual leader who ever lived!<\/p>\n

So, if he didn\u2019t reach his redemptive potential, can anyone else? And what does that even mean?<\/p>\n

A Wholeness Problem<\/h3>\n

Unfortunately, I heard this at the tail end of a message and the only other comment I heard that could provide context is that Moses had a \u201cwholeness problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

This gave me pause. If \u201cwholeness\u201d speaks to the business of spiritual formation, this may be worth exploring.<\/p>\n

[bctt tweet=”We all have inner and outer selves, public and private personas. \u2013 Whaid Rose” via=”no”]<\/p>\n

We all have inner and outer selves, public and private personas. The goal of Christian discipleship<\/a> is to bring these aspects of our character into harmony, to live and serve from a place of wholeness\u2014mature, complete, and spiritually formed.<\/p>\n

That was the Apostle Paul\u2019s vision for those under his pastoral care\u2014\u201cto present every man complete in Christ\u201d <\/em>(Colossians 1:28).<\/p>\n

We Are God\u2019s Workmanship<\/h3>\n

Furthermore, Paul asserts that \u201cwe are God\u2019s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works\u201d<\/em> (Ephesians 2:10). In Greek, \u201cworkmanship<\/em>\u201d is \u201cpoema,\u201d<\/em> meaning a work of art, a masterpiece.<\/p>\n

But Paul goes on to say, \u201cwhich God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.\u201d In other words, becoming God\u2019s work of art <\/em>has been His vision for us from eternity past. Each new creation in Christ (you and me) has been pre-ordained to become a masterpiece!<\/p>\n

This means every believer has a redemptive potential, which calls to mind a statement by the late Dallas Willard. Regarding God\u2019s saving work in our lives, what does He get out of the deal? Willard\u2019s answer: \u201cThe person we become.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

God wants to put us on display, and His best exhibits are believers who pursue the optimum potential of their new life in Christ.<\/p>\n

This is especially true for leaders\u2014those who model Christian discipleship before others. For, as John Maxwell says, \u201cWe teach what we know, but we reproduce what we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moses\u2019 Identity Crisis<\/h3>\n

This is a good segue back to Moses, from which vantage point the speaker\u2019s comments seem less improbable.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been suggested that being born a Hebrew and raised an Egyptian likely created an identity crisis for the young Moses. The Egyptian oppression of his people produced in him a high sensitivity to injustice, which led to a colossal failure. In a moment of unrestrained anger, he killed an Egyptian and sought to hide the evidence.<\/p>\n

Recalling what happened the next day when Moses\u2019 effort at peacemaking was rejected by two Hebrews, Stephen surmised that Moses had what is called a messianic complex: \u201cMoses thought that his people would realize that God was using him to rescue them\u201d (Acts 7:25, NIV).<\/p>\n

An Honest Look at Moses<\/h3>\n

This isn\u2019t an attempt at psychologically dissecting Moses. Rather, this is an honest look at everything we read about him in Scripture\u2014the good and the bad. The saying that \u201cthe best of men are men at best\u201d is really true, even of the man who knew God face to face.<\/p>\n

This helps us better grasp God\u2019s severe judgment when Moses disobeyed the instruction to speak to the rock. That he would not be allowed to enter the land of promise (Numbers 20:12) does seem harsh.<\/p>\n

However, probing deeper, we ask why did Moses strike the rock? He was angry with the people. \u201cListen, you rebels\u201d he shouted in verse 10! In Moses\u2019 defense, the abuse leveled at him by the Israelites was enough to make any person angry.<\/p>\n

But Moses\u2019 anger reveals a pattern. It made him murder an Egyptian (Exodus 2:1-12), break the stone tablets by throwing them to the ground in reaction to the golden calf the people had made (Exodus 32:19), and now strikes the rock in a fit of anger (Numbers 20:11).<\/p>\n

Leadership Failures Are Often the Result of Slow Leaks<\/h3>\n

There is much here we could parse out, including the important typology Moses violated in striking the rock, and the way God described his offense: \u201cBecause you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them\u201d<\/em> (verse 12).<\/p>\n

But suffice it to say that leadership failures aren\u2019t usually the result of big blow-outs. More often, they\u2019re the result of slow leaks\u2014serious character flaws left unaddressed over a long time.<\/p>\n

[bctt tweet=”In God\u2019s economy of grace, our failures aren\u2019t final. \u2013 Whaid Rose” via=”no”]<\/p>\n

Thankfully, in God\u2019s economy of grace, our failures aren\u2019t final, as is shown by the fact that Moses appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9) and the fact that the saints standing around the throne on the sea of glass in Revelation not only sing the song of the Lamb, but the song of Moses (Revelation 15:3-4).<\/p>\n

What\u2019s at Stake Is the Believer\u2019s Reward<\/h3>\n

We derive from this that, regarding our potential, what is at stake isn\u2019t eternal salvation, but rather, the believer\u2019s reward. This motivates our love and devotion to Jesus, being careful not to do anything that would diminish His glory in our lives.<\/p>\n

For that reason, Paul was ruthless in his self-discipline: \u201cI beat upon my body, bringing it into subjection, lest, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified for the prize\u201d <\/em>(I Corinthians 9:27, paraphrased).<\/p>\n

Seeing it through this lens helped me come to terms with the notion that Moses may have indeed missed the mark of his redemptive potential. It is no small matter that he was denied the very privilege he spent his entire ministry preparing his people for.<\/p>\n

This sobering reality is played out in various scenarios over and over again. The private sins of a leader with an impressive profile are exposed and he fades into the shadows. A talented young Christian lives way below his potential because he doesn\u2019t believe in himself. A dear saint comes to the end of a long journey of faith and speaks only of regrets and disappointments.<\/p>\n

Thanks for Making Me Sit Up and Reflect<\/h3>\n

So, to whomever the speaker is who made the statement that so grabbed my attention, thanks for making me sit up and reflect, not only on Moses\u2019 remarkable yet imperfect journey but on my own flaws and imperfections as well.<\/p>\n

Thanks, too, for the reminder that each of us has a redemptive potential, a God-shaped vision of all that we can become.<\/p>\n

[bctt tweet=”Thanks, too, for the reminder that each of us has a redemptive potential, a God-shaped vision of all that we can become. \u2013 Whaid Rose” via=”no”]<\/p>\n

And thank God for His enabling power in the process, as Paul is careful to underscore in Colossians 1:29 (NIV): \u201cTo this end, I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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