Moses, forgiveness, love

Okay, it is 11:40 pm and I started "writing" a blog in my head as I was about to go to sleep.  I wanted to just turn over and go to sleep, but in case it was the Lord's prompting I decided to get out of bed and be obedient if it was His calling for me to wake up and type this.  There are times in my life I feel like I should do something and I just blow it off and then realize that could've been the Holy Spirit speaking to me...you never know.  

So, I am in a Bible study called BSF (Bible Study Fellowship).  It is amazing!  It is the most in depth Bible study I have ever had and it is truly a Bible study and not a grief share time.  No offense, but I have been to Bible studies where the first hour of the hour and a half lesson is dedicated to people talking about their problems and you never get to study Scripture.  I can meet for coffee or something to talk about problems, but when it is a Bible study, I want to do just that. 

Okay, so this Bible study I am in is a year long study on the life of Moses.  Most people are familiar with his life and how God used him in the Old Testament.  Think for a second of all the ways he was used by God....  He was kept alive by his mother when the Pharaoh made an edict to kill all male boys when they were born, he was adopted by Pharaoh's daughter, he led the Israelites out of Egypt and to the Promised Land, parted the Red Sea, wrote the Ten Commandments, and so much more.  Okay so would you say God's hand was on him?  I sure would...I mean, the angel of the LORD visited him as a burning bush and spoke to him!  I cannot say I have ever experienced anything like that from the Lord.  

So, there is some background on Moses.  I tried to build him up a bit, not like it was hard because he was a great man.  But, do you realize that Moses committed murder?  Read Exodus 2:11-14.  He murdered an Egyptian for beating a Hebrew.  He acted on impulse and did a terrible thing.  The Egyptian was in the wrong, but he did not need to be punished by the death penalty!  I was encouraged this week and I wanted to encourage someone like I was encouraged.  Moses made a mistake.  He acted on impulse and murdered a man.  Who knows what other things he may have done, we don't know much about his life growing up.  I was encouraged by this because Moses made a mistake on impulse but God still used him greatly.  God forgave his sins and didn't hold it against him.  Too often, people hold grudges on us for things we did.  We didn't mean to do them, and if we could we would go back and fix it but we can't go back.  We can't do things over.  Moses probably regretted killing that man, but the damage was done.  An interesting fact I learned in my Bible study was that it is never mentioned again about Moses killing the Egyptian. God was not constantly reminding him of the mistake he made.  God forgave him and not only did he forgive him, but he used him so save so many people.  Scripture tells us that our sins are cast as far as the east is from the west.  Your sins are forgiven.  No matter what they may be.  WHen you come to the Lord and confess what you have done, he forgives you automatically.  We see in the New Testament that when Jesus met someone who was living in sin, for the most part, all he said was go and sin no more.  He didn't badger them and give them a lecture about the wrong things they had done.  He simply said go and sin no more.  I love that!  

If you are bearing the burden of a sin, confess it and ask the Lord to forgive you and help you in overcoming it.  Once you confess it, it is done. You don't need to bear that burden anymore.  Free yourself.  We all make mistakes and we are all in need of forgiveness.  If someone in your life is constantly reminding you of how awful you are, stop listening to them because they are not showing the love of Christ and they are only being part of Satan's plot to destroy you on the inside.  

Jesus says in Matthew 11: 28-30, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Cry out to Jesus.  If you feel like you can't be used for the Kingdom, you are wrong.  God can use you and your testimony about your life to reach the lost.  Don't give up on yourself.  Don't let someone make you feel worthless.  Find your worth in the Lord.  

Okay, 30 minutes later, I am going to bed.  I hope someone can be encouraged by this the way I was.  We can all be used by Christ no matter how bad the sin may be, no matter how worthless we may feel.  Christ loves you and died for you.