“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter and chose to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the short-lived pleasure of sin. For he considered the reproach because of the Messiah to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, since his attention was on the reward.”
Hebrews 11:24–26
“Whatever patterns we set for [our kids] will likely be used for their kids, and the generation after that.”
—Adam Mitchell, Courageous
I love biographies. They give me insight into what made that person tick. They allow us to see the cause and effect of life’s choices. They also allow us to learn life’s lessons vicariously—seeing the outcome of the choice without personally experiencing the consequences.
Can you imagine how much better life would be if we applied all the life lessons of those before us to our own lives? But so many times we get bogged down by I-can-do-it-myself-itis or I-don’t-need-your-help-osis or I Know What’s Best for My Life! Syndrome.
John Mason writes, “The world makes room for a person of purpose. Their words and actions demonstrate that they know where they are going. . . . In your heart there is a sleeping lion called purpose. Be on a mission. Have a definite sense of direction and purpose for your life. . . . Strong convictions precede great actions.”1
So how do we balance that? How do we have an attitude of learning while having a “definite sense of direction”? There’s no doubt that it’s a delicate balance, but it is possible. It requires the humility to accept advice, the wisdom to make a decision, and the courage to stand by it. Still, it’s an invaluable life skill. And if you can figure it out now, you’ll be way ahead of a lot of adults.
God’s Word is full of great biographies—and a lot of life lessons. These were not all perfect people but people who impacted their world. They made the tough calls. You can spend your life on the wide road or the straight and narrow. There are consequences either way. One couple chose the narrow path, which ultimately led to the salvation of the Israelites.
You can’t talk about Moses without talking about his parents. At a time when being a Hebrew was dangerous—and to be a Hebrew male baby was the death sentence—they rose above pressure and politics. They refused to cave in. Moses’ parents knew God and believed Him for a greater purpose for their son.
Moses’ parents were from the tribe of Levi, an insignificant tribe at the time. They aren’t even named at the beginning of the story, but their legacy lives to this day. Why? Because they had the courage to choose and refuse.
The birth of Moses was a nation-changing, culture-changing birth. Moses’ father’s name, Amram, means “an exalted people.” His mother’s name, Jochebed, means “God is honored.” God’s name was honored, and a nation of slaves was exalted over the mighty nation of Egypt because one couple refused to cave in to the pressures surrounding them. The birth of Moses signaled the end of four hundred years of bondage. God heard and answered. Out of slavery came a great leader. Out of obscurity came a great man.
Moses’ parents lived by faith even in a difficult, if not unbearable, situation. Yet the Bible clearly reminds us that favorable conditions do not add to faith. Murdering babies was the order of the day in Egypt because population growth was a threat to Pharaoh. Years later, King Herod would issue a similar order so that he might rid the country of the supposed Messiah. Dictators often seek to eliminate the innocent.
We still haven’t learned our lesson. Today women are being talked into getting rid of their babies because conditions are not “favorable.” Have we lost the next great leader of this generation because we listened to and followed ungodly advice? Has fear cost us more than we can measure? We will never know.
But Amram and Jochebed sensed that their son was someone special and unique. Instead of following Pharaoh’s orders, Moses’ mother prepared a basket for her son and placed Moses in the river, believing God would protect him. The future deliverer of Israel was found by Pharaoh’s daughter. Jochebed then placed Moses’ sister Miriam on the bank to watch. Certainly a mother wouldn’t have placed her child in a position to watch her younger brother be murdered. No, she believed God would provide for her baby. Miriam was in a position to watch the Lord show up.
Moses’ parents made a choice. They refused to follow the societal norm, and as a result God put a deliverer in the land. They feared God more than Pharaoh, and “they didn’t fear the king’s edict” (Heb. 11:23). Because his parents didn’t fear the king, Moses would one day stand before the king’s successor without fear. Because of her parents’ example, Miriam learned at an early age that God is sovereign over all.
When you have the courage to choose and refuse, you affect everyone around you. Courage is contagious. It is important that parents give you courage and a sense of blessing. But if they don’t, ask for it! I know it can be hard or even seem unnatural when you’re trying to be independent, but ask for their advice before making a decision. Ask for their approval before taking action on your decision. Not only will their experience guide you in the right direction, but you will also help your parents to feel important and needed by their baby who became a young adult overnight. (Trust me. I know.)
Whether you admit it or not, what your parents encourage and support is important. I know you’ve heard Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land.” (It’s no coincidence that Moses himself was the messenger here.) God wasn’t just picking on you; He’s giving you sound advice for life. Second Thessalonians 2:15 tells us to “stand firm and hold to the traditions you were taught.” You weren’t intended to do this on your own.
I understand, too, that not everyone reading this book comes from a perfect family—in fact, I know that none of you do. There is no such thing. However, those of you who have two supportive, godly parents in the home—please—consider yourself blessed. And for those of you who do not, well, you can consider yourself blessed too. Regardless of your home situation, you are under the protective, powerful, prosperous hand of God. Moses had two loving parents, but still found himself floating in a river all alone.
I’m not going to tell you that it’s a wonderful, happy world out there. The devil is “prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour” (1 Pet. 5:8), and you’d better believe that he wants to devour and destroy your generation. Be thankful if you have parents who instill tenacity, offer tough love, and stick to boundaries. They’re strengthening your ability to battle the evil that awaits in this world. Moses’ parents did the same; they modeled a fear of God over the fear of man.
Don’t be afraid to take a stand against the popular. You are accountable for your life and the lives you touch. Live biblically. Are you looking to Scripture for guidance? Don’t let culture suck you down the sewer.
Consider the analogy of the eagle, the chicken, and the ostrich. Eagles teach their eaglets to fly. They disturb them and push them out of the nest. Eagles expect their offspring to soar. Chickens, on the other hand, teach their chicks to eat almost anything. They teach them to scratch, sit, and cackle. They have no skills to defend the henhouse against predators. The ostrich hides his head in the sand and sticks his tail up in the air. Ostrich parents assume nothing and are surprised when something happens. They often let their kids date too early, dress immodestly, hang out with the wrong crowd, or go places unsupervised; and they ultimately refuse to set parameters altogether.
Which type of parent would you want? Which type of bird would you rather be?
I love the storyline in the movie Courageous that follows one of the fathers, Nathan, and his teenage daughter, Jade. Nathan makes clear to her and to a young man who is interested in her that there are rules in his family for dating his daughter. He is a proactive dad. Of course, he embarrasses his daughter in the process, but it’s a small price to pay for her safety. Then when the young man ends up in jail, Nathan takes him under his wing as well. Nathan is an eagle of a father.
A parent once came into our youth minister’s office, concerned his son was watching porn on the Internet. Our youth minister asked the father where the computer was located, and he replied, “In his room.” The youth minister suggested he move the computer out of his son’s room and put it in a room where it was visible, like the living room. The parent responded, “That would be an invasion of his privacy.” He was so concerned with protecting his son’s rights that he was neglecting to protect his son.
Fortunately, we’re all humans; we’re not born with the instincts of an eagle, nor are we stuck with the head-burying techniques of the ostrich. Regardless of our parents or our social status, God has blessed us with the ability to choose who we turn out to be.
Failure to be courageous in our decision-making will result in bondage to the world, the flesh, and the devil. You have to think for yourselves. Don’t hide behind text messages, e-mail, Twitter, or Facebook. Face the confrontation. Refuse the pressure of the world.
If you want to be a Moses, you can’t be acting like a chicken or an ostrich. The eagle knows the way and shows the way. He doesn’t lie around, eating and getting lazy. He pushes beyond the comfort zone. Moses was courageous eagle. I know he ran in fear and ended up in the desert for forty years herding sheep. But in the end Moses was God’s man for the hour (Heb. 11:24–27).
With parents who invested in him and a God who directed him, Moses overcame four issues that paralyze most people: Who am I (Heb. 11:24)? What choices should I make (v. 25)? What really matters (v. 26)? What is my purpose (v. 27)? Following his parents’ example, Moses was willing to make the tough choices. The cynics of the day would have said, “What a waste. He threw away all that education, power, and influence to live in the wilderness.” But God had a higher purpose for his life than being a prince in Egypt.
When I read of the choices Moses made and consider the options he had, I think of the person described in Psalm 1:1–3:
How happy is the man
who does not follow the advice of the wicked
or take the path of sinners
or join a group of mockers!
Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.
He is like a tree planted beside streams of water
that bears its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
As a young man raised in a wealthy family, William Borden made significant choices that cause us to remember him to this day. Every young person at some point has to decide, will I live for myself or for God? There’s only one right answer to that question.
William Borden was faced with a difficult decision after graduating from high school in Chicago in 1904. As heir to the Borden family fortune, he received a trip around the world as a graduation present. During his travels his heart was burdened for the people hurting throughout the world, and he decided to become a missionary. As friends scoffed at this idea, Borden wrote in his Bible: “No reserves.”
Borden headed to Yale University and quickly stood out from the crowd, though not due to his massive wealth. A fellow student noted, “He came to college far ahead, spiritually, of any of us. He had already given his heart in full surrender to Christ and had really done it. We who were his classmates learned to lean on him and find in him a strength that was solid as a rock, just because of this settled purpose and consecration.”2
As a college student Borden started a morning prayer group. He went after the toughest students to win to Christ, ministered to the underprivileged, got involved in social issues, and founded the Yale Hope Mission to rescue drunks off the streets. He eventually ministered to the Muslim Kansu people in China. Borden never hesitated in that calling. Though he was a millionaire, Borden kept his eyes fixed on Christ. His focus freed him to turn down many lucrative job offers after graduation. At this time he wrote two more words in his Bible: “No retreats.”
Next Borden went on to Princeton Seminary and then set sail for China following the completion of his studies. He stopped in Egypt to study Arabic where he contracted spinal meningitis and died within a month at twenty-five years of age. News of Borden’s untimely death quickly spread through the American media. The widow of Hudson Taylor wrote, “Borden not only gave his wealth, but himself, in a way so joyous and natural that it seemed a privilege rather than a sacrifice.”3 Prior to his death, Borden wrote two more words in his Bible: “No regrets.”
No reserves. No retreats. No regrets.
Borden’s story is similar to that of another young man, Moses. Moses walked away from fame, fortune, power, and the pleasures of Egypt (Acts 7:22). A pagan world can never comprehend the person of conviction. It’s beyond their ability to grasp, yet they are the ones wasting their lives on things not eternal.
God has a different definition of success. Moses left the palace and never looked back. He “refused” (Heb. 11:24). To refuse is to reject, deny, or totally disown. Dying to self is the most liberating decision of life. It is the defining moment that defines all other moments.
Some might say, “But Moses never saw the Promised Land. He did all that and didn’t make it.” They would be right . . . and wrong. If Moses had not taken the stand he did, he also would have never been a witness to the power and miraculous intervention of God in his generation.
Negatively, Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He rejected the sure deal. Positively, he chose to suffer affliction with the people of God and embraced the riches of a child of the King of kings. He looked at what Egypt had to offer and what God was calling him to, and he chose God. You could say he rejected the crown to take up his cross and follow daily.
We see this attitude exhibited in the believers in Thessalonica as we read how they “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thess. 1:9). They forsook idols and false gods for the one true God. These new believers were barely fifty miles from Mount Olympus, where it was said the Greek gods resided. Living in the shadow of all the false gods, they saw the one true God. It’s not that their false gods weren’t appealing. But in the one true God, they found the false gods to be empty, meaningless, and lacking power to change their lives.
Think about the significance of Moses’ choosing and refusing. Josephus tells us Moses was in line for the throne of Egypt, but he chose to identify himself with a nation of slaves. Which do you think was the easier road? When we choose the road of least resistance, when we choose to go along with the crowd, we place ourselves on the path of compromise and carnality. We will remain ineffective in addressing and confronting the problems of this world if we continue on the path of compromise. For a Christian with courage, compromise is not an option, no matter what others say.
Not long ago I was in a discussion with a group of Christian leaders about tipping points. There are tipping points in churches, homes, morals, and ethics that act as a point of no return. Once you reach that point, it’s hard to get back to what used to be. Some believe America is on the verge of a tipping point. Some feel the tipping point for our country will come by the year 2020. At that point the decay of morals, values, and the Judeo-Christian ethic, along with the rise of Islam in America, will take us to a point of no turning back.
It has been said that the only reason we are not already at that tipping point is because of the influx of Hispanics into America who are predominantly Catholic. In other words, we are approaching the cliff on the eve of destruction, and no one is applying the brakes and considering the carnage that will come.
Where are the young men and women of courage in our country? When God’s people are silent, there is no one to confront the growing influence of false spirituality. As Adam says in the final Resolution scene in Courageous, “Where are you, men of courage?” If we ever needed the courageous to stand up, it’s now.
We must ask God to empower a generation willing to risk everything for the gospel. In 1546 Anne Askew was imprisoned and tortured in England because of her faith. She was stretched out on a rack, and her joints and bones were pulled out of socket. When she regained consciousness, she shared the love of Christ for two hours to those who were tormenting and torturing her.
The day she was led to her execution, they had to carry her to the stake in a chair because her bones were dislocated and she was unable to walk. At the last minute she was offered a pardon if she would recant. She replied, “I did not come here to deny my Lord and Master.”
As young people, this is no time to hesitate or be timid. We can no longer play it safe and hope that life will always be safe or easy. Hard times may be ahead for us as God’s people and as a nation. We need young men and women who will have the tenacity to stand.
I’m encouraged by the movement I see among young adults. They are giving themselves to Christian works and missions and taking the road less traveled. As the twentieth-century martyr Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.”
My challenge to your generation is simple: don’t buy the lie of the prosperity gospel and Christianity lite. Give yourself to the gospel of Christ who came to seek and save the lost. Find the abundant life in the Lord, not in things. Invest in what matters for eternity.
Be like Moses.
See beyond the moment and make the choices that will impact a generation for Christ. Moses saw things differently. Vance Havner said, “Moses chose the imperishable, saw the invisible, and did the impossible.”4 The result was that God found a man He could trust to stand up to the most powerful dictator of the day and lead His people out of bondage.
Moses learned from his parents, and he learned in the wilderness. It was there that he was learning to lead. Sheep are dumb animals, and Moses was about to be the shepherd of Israel. He needed to learn how to lead those who desperately need a leader. He received tutelage from his father-in-law and learned about the ways of God at the burning bush. God taught him things in the desert he would have never learned in Egypt. God taught Moses the principles of life and leadership in the wilderness of obscurity, lessons he would have never learned in the lap of luxury.
Sometimes God has to slow us down to get our attention. Jim Elliot said, “I think the devil has made it his business to monopolize on three elements: noise, hurry, crowds. . . . Satan is quite aware of the power of silence.”5 When Moses left the wilderness, he was a man on a mission.
Where did the courage come from? He knew it wasn’t him versus Pharaoh; it was the one true God versus all the false gods of Egypt (Num. 33:2–4). Behind Egyptian polytheism stood the forces of Satan himself. There were spiritual principalities and powers behind the earthly powers. God sent Moses to execute judgment against all the false gods of Egypt. The plagues were really confrontations against the ten gods that each plague represented. Those whom God calls will be “more than victorious” (Rom. 8:37).
Moses’ parents had the courage to choose and refuse. They considered the orders of Pharaoh and refused to follow them. They chose, instead, to risk their lives and obey God, refusing to do what every other family was doing. Their decision was a defining moment. As a result of their obedience, Moses himself had the courage to choose and refuse.
How will you be remembered?
Here’s how Moses was remembered. “Moses was 120 years old when he died; his eyes were not weak, and his vitality had not left him. . . . No prophet has arisen again in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. He was unparalleled for all the signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do against the land of Egypt—to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to all his land, and for all the mighty acts of power and terrifying deeds that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel” (Deut. 34:7, 10–12).
When you look at his life on the whole, you see a man who sized up the situation and circumstances of his day and said, “I’m going with God.” Moses didn’t give himself to a cause or to a movement; he gave himself to Jehovah. Martin Luther said there are only two days that matter: this day and that day. If you aren’t living this day for Christ, you won’t be ready to face Him on that day. What you do with God today will determine whether your life’s work is wood, hay, and stubble or gold, silver, and precious stones.
What is God’s will for your life? God has a plan and purpose for you. You are not here by accident (see Ps. 139; Jer. 1:5). If we learn to number our days, we will redeem the time God has given us. It’s never too late to become what God made you to be. The higher you climb, the fewer choices you have. The road narrows the closer you get to the top. Decisions have to be made. As believers, the choices are between good, better, and best.
Phillips Brooks said, “A man who lives right and is right has more power in his silence than another has by his words.”
I challenge you to have the courage to choose and refuse, to live godly lives, be godly examples, and ultimately to turn this nation back to God. I challenge you to be young men and women with whom God can entrust a great opportunity. To do that we must choose and refuse. We must choose the best and reject anything less.
— Think Courageously —