Exodus 4:2-3 ... short version of this story is that Moses was giving a lot of excuses why he can't go to Egypt. After naming all his fears, as Joe so insightful put it, God just asked what was in his hand and it was a staff. Then God ask him to throw it on the ground and it became a serpent and it became a staff again.
No ... There's no worship song in this (maybe later when I meditate on this longer). It's just something that it's bugging me and I felt I need to pen it down.
Title: A Fall Back Plan To Failed.
Have you ever wonder what a staff is for the people in the biblical times? For us Chinese that grew up in Asia, we would probably think of it as what the shaolin monks used as a weapon to defeat their enemies.
I would hope to shed some different light for you to ponder. A staff for a shepherd was never viewed as an offensive weapon, it's more for the defensive (Defensive Warfare, it's what I believe every Christians are called to do. It's a lengthy teaching itself which I may share with ya next time. Good for missionaries in 3rd world countries to know). Anyways, back to the matter at heart, The 'Staff' was used to defend the sheep from predators, to lead and to guide, used as a stabilizing tool when climbing and recognition of identity. In a nutshell, a staff is the only security, dependency, stability and identity that a shepherd have.
In order for Moses to overcome his fears and to achieve what God wanted him to do, God had to ask him to 'throw down' his dependency, his only security. So what has it gotta do with the title above? 'Our Fall Back Plan'. I'll get to it soon enough, be patient.
We have to go with nothing so that God can do something. What does that mean? If we want to do God's work, our dependencies and securities has to be solely on God. Let me give you an example ... Say Moses was given 10 million troops armed with guns, tanks, missiles and latest technology, where do you think his trust would be? When we have all angles covered by worldly securities, will there be any angle left for God? Imagine when the Pharaoh said NO! and Moses says 'Ok ... everything is cool! I'll just drop a bomb next to his room just to show him that I can do it. That would teach him to say no to me again.' Or when Moses face the Egyptian army, his trust would have been with the guns, tanks, generals, battleships ... etc. Here's the thing, how many of us at a certain point in our lives have said we wanted to serve God. When our securities and dependencies fails us, what next? That's when the fall back plans comes in. We must have plan A, plan B and plan C. That's how we build our faith.
I remember when I first told my family and friends that I wanted to serve God full-time, my family members very lovingly said to me, son, you gotta have a fall back plan, go get a degree in business first, then go serve God and if that don't work out, at least you have a fall back plan. After 17 years, I'm still hearing the same thing now that I have decided to go back into full-time ministry. Don't get me wrong though, getting a degree is not a wrong thing to do. The few people that I respect very much here in Australia and are doing a lot for His Kingdom are highly educated people, like my uncle David, my cousin Joshua and Joe. And if I'm not mistaken, Pastor Patrick was a Colonel in the army. But it's when our fall back plans, our securities, our dependencies, our stability and identity, are on the things of this world, then where does it leave God. If our 'fall back plan' is on the things of this world, then are we planning to fail in the things of God? I beseech you, know the seriousness of this. Please listen, Don't start something because it's glamorous or can get you attention or fame and fortune. Make sure when you start it you know without a doubt that that's what God wants you to do.
Then that would lead to the next question 'How do I know?' Well, that is a whole different teaching all together. Most basic is that you need to submit to the counsel of Godly men and women, like your pastors, elders, home leaders, visiting ministers and they have to recognize it in you. Who am I in submission to? Well the pastors of my church at this moment which is Pastor David Ong (my uncle) and Pastor Patrick Chong, I do have others overseas like Pastor Koh Chu Soon, Pastor Stephen Tang, Jeff Martin just to name a few. You may not know them and may never hear of them on the radio or tv. But once again, the work of God is not about fame and glamour, it's about the Kingdom.
Think about this friends, if the events at the Red Sea was different, What would have happened? If Moses depended on the power of his army, weapons, generals and his fall back plan A, B and C. And eventually all those things failed him, imagine the amount of casualties along the way. How many casualties are acceptable before we are willing to 'throw down our staff'? Don't forget, it's God's desire that no one should perish. When we can't 'throw down our staff', we cannot achieve His desires and it does not only affect your life, but others too.
Let God be our only source of security, dependency, stability and identity. Then watch Him take us to the next level.
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