Made for More: Part TwoSample

Oftentimes as we expect more in our relationship with God, within our passion, dreams, and pursuits, we expect it all to be immediate. There is no question that when we actively and daily conform our lives to Christ, we will experience more. But if we’re following merely for more, we will not only struggle in submitting ourselves to his ways but ultimately will miss out on Christ’s power, strength, wisdom, and presence within our daily lives. 

So as we seek to live more devoted to Christ, this week we will uncover how we are made for more through characters in the Bible who we will see were made for so much more. 

Moses

In the case of Moses, God made him for MORE TERRITORY (aka, the Promised Land). Scripture says, “Every place where you set your foot will be yours” (Deuteronomy 11:24). But he did not just give him more. To move closer to MORE TERRITORY and the Promised Land, Moses first had to experience MORE of God in other areas of his life.

As you make your way through college and eagerly await all that God has for you beyond graduation, it is easy to assume that all of the Promised Lands on which you have your eyes set will come on demand. But before we are ready to receive more, God first desires to reside more within us. And for Moses, that came at times that seemed inconvenient and unexpected. 

First, Moses had to experience MORE QUIETNESS in HIS JOURNEY. Discovering more of God’s presence came in an unexpected moment of stillness for Moses. While leading the flock of Jethro (Exodus 3:1), God appeared to Moses in the backside of the desert. Within a dry and desolate desert, Moses was taken aback by the powerful, unexpected presence of God. 

For us, these moments of quietness are sometimes unwanted, maybe even unnerving. But it is in the calm that we are stilled enough to acknowledge the presence of God. It is rarely the quiet moments that we seek out, but it is in these moments that we find God. Even through the calm, God is still at work!

God also had MORE of HIS VOICE for Moses. It was at a burning briar, a fiery, glowing, and illuminated bush near Mt. Sinai (Acts 7:30), that God’s voice was revealed to him. While our eyes are frequently fixated on what we think we want, the greatest need we all have is not more land or opportunities, but more of God’s presence. 

Lastly, Moses needed MORE BOLD STEPS of FAITH. This boldness came when Moses had to confront Pharaoh ten times, followed by the ten plagues (Exodus 7-11). Moses was challenged to face Pharaoh several times. And it wasn’t necessarily Moses’s wanting, but God’s leading to require so many challenges. 

When God leads us to an increased territory, the last thing we want is obstacles or confrontations along the way. Yet, often God allows our faith to be tried to ready us for new responsibilities. He is increasing our boldness, confidence, and character to make space for the specific territory which he has in store. 

Moses also had a personal struggle that got in the way of receiving more of God - ANGER. Ultimately, because he failed to obey God at the waters of Meribah, God would not permit Moses to enter the new land (Deuteronomy 32:51-52). Instead, his protege, Joshua, would lead them in. We each have our own struggles and shortcomings that can keep us from receiving the more God has in store for us, and more of God’s spirit at work within us. 

When God is leading us to our personal Promised Land, our obedience is a reflection of our heart. We must seek to listen and carefully follow God’s leading. Even though God is more gracious and merciful than any human could be, we can easily allow our hang-ups and fixations to get in the way of what God has planned for us. 

As God prepared Moses to lead the people of Israel to the Promised Land, he had more in store for Moses than he could have ever dreamed - and likely on a much longer timetable than he ever would have thought. It is a journey many of us face along our way to discovering more of God. 

God has created all of us for MORE TERRITORY. We must first allow God to do the more in us that he desires.