Light Service Sermons for the Month
Maximize Your Life
Make Things Happen
DATE: January 7, 2001
TEXT: Exodus 3:1-11
Mark Twain tells the story of a man who died and met St. Peter at the pearly gates. As he and Peter talked for a while the man said, "I've been interested in military history for many years. Tell me, who was the greatest general of all times?" Peter responded, "Oh, that's a simple question. It's that man right over there." And he pointed at a man standing nearby. The man said, "You must be mistaken, St. Peter. I knew that man on earth and he was just a common laborer." Peter replied, "That's right. But he would have been the greatest general of all time.if he had been a general." How many people, like that potential general, die with their dreams unfulfilled? How many of us wander through life with our potential unrealized? With our hopes and dreams buried in the depths of our hearts? How many of us miss out on significance and joy in life because we simply let life happen to us and never take the time to make things happen? One of the most important insights into maximizing our lives is to reach our potential by making things happen--by using the gifts and talents God has planted into each one of us. Unfortunately, many of us, for a variety of reasons, bury that potential and miss the joy God has for us. Several years ago I learned that trainers use a very simple process to train elephants for the circus. They put a heavy chain around one of the animal's legs and then attach it to a tree. For days the elephant tries to break free, but with no success. And soon it becomes conditioned to believe that it can't move beyond the length of the chain. And that point the chain is attached to a small stake in the ground. With one little tug the elephant could free itself. But because it's been conditioned to believe it cannot be free, every time it feels the tug of the chain on its leg, it stops moving forward. The same can be said of many of us. We've been conditioned to believe that life is not what we make of it. But that life is simply something we have to put up with. We become victims of our circumstances. Our dreams and hopes become tethered to limitations and impossibilities. We come to believe that we have no control over our lives so we wind up simply moving through life, missing out on all God has for us. An interesting thing about that elephant, however. Should a fire break out in the tent, the elephant will forget all previous conditioning and will free itself from the stake. That fire will open up new possibilities. It will break down the limitations and set the elephant free. Today, as we talk about how to make life happen, we're going to look at a story in the Bible about a man who felt tethered and constrained by the circumstances in life, and who, in the process, almost missed out on the exciting adventure God had for him. And as we look at this story we're going to see how God lit a fire under him, setting him free to enjoy significance and joy, and how God can do the same for us. But before we talk about it, let's pray together. PRAYER In our Bible reading for today we have the story of a man who had great potential, but he didn't see it, nor did he feel he could take charge of his life. His name is Moses. Moses was a Hebrew child born in Egypt. At that time, all Hebrew boys, by order of the King of Egypt, were to be executed. But Moses' mother, wanting to spare the life of her son, wrapped him up and sent him down the Nile River. Ironically, the King's daughter happened to see him and adopted him. And to add more to the irony, the King's daughter asked Moses' birth mother to raise him. So Moses lived in two cultures--the birth son of the slave of the nation Israel and the adopted son of the slave-owner nation, Egypt. 40 years later Moses was brought face to face with an invitation that would change his life forever. As he was tending to his sheep he noticed a bush burning up on the mountain. Normally, he wouldn't look twice. It could have been hit by lightening. Not an unnatural occurrence. But what attracted him to this particular bush was that, while it was on fire, it didn't burn. His curiosity got the best of him and he climbed the mountain to check it out. And when he got there, he was in for a surprise. Not only did the bush not burn up, but also it spoke to him. Exodus 3:5-6: "Don't come any closer. Take off your sandals--the ground where you are standing is holy. I am the God who was worshiped by your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Moses was afraid to look at God, and so he hid his face. You can hardly blame him. Then came the invitation. Exodus 3:7--I have seen how my people are suffering as slaves in Egypt and I have heard them beg for my help because of the way they are being mistreated. I feel sorry for them, and I have come down to rescue them from the Egyptians. Exodus 3:9--My people have begged for my help, and I have seen how cruel they Egyptians are to them. Now go to the king. I am sending you to lead my people out of his country." Suddenly, Moses was face to face with his destiny. For 40 years he had wandered aimlessly around the desert chasing sheep. And now God was personally inviting him to make something happen with his life--to step to the plate and be the person God created him to be. And what did Moses do when faced with such a promising and awesome invitation? Like many of us, he felt the tug of the chain on his leg and made all sorts of excuses for why he couldn't accept the offer. The first excuse is one many of us honestly wrestle with in our own lives. Upon hearing the invitation God had for him Moses almost stutters, he's so taken back. He says, Exodus 3:11--Who am I that I.that I...that I.should go to the king and lead your people out of Egypt?" Moses was chained to the stake of self-doubt. He lacked confidence in himself. He couldn't see what God was seeing. He saw himself merely as a sheepherder. He didn't have the gifts and talents for confronting the most powerful king on earth and demanding that he let 6 million slaves go free. God was kidding himself. He had the wrong guy. Some of you have heard me share the story before about a private moment between Charlie Brown and Linus. Charlie was pouring out his feelings of inadequacy and finally summarized it this way. He said, "You see, Linus, it goes all the way back to the beginning. The moment I was born and set foot on the stage of life they took one look at me and said, 'Not right for the part.'" Many of us feel the same way. As we inventory our lives we don't really see anything all that special. For whatever reason we lack any kind of confidence in ourselves, and that lack of confidence keeps us from significant, energized living. Then Moses came up with a second excuse. He said, Exodus 4:1--"Suppose everyone refuses to listen to my message, and no one believes that you really appeared to me?" Not only was Moses chained to a lack of confidence, he was also held back by the fear of failure. Suppose this thing doesn't work, God? What if the Hebrews aren't as excited about this trip to the new land as you are? What if they don't listen to me? Remember, 40 years earlier, Moses had attempted to make things happen when he killed the Egyptian taskmaster. Unfortunately for Moses, it was the wrong way to make things happen. But the failure of that experience still haunted him. Many of us fail to experience our potential in life and make things happen because of the memories of past failures. We don't want to be hurt, embarrassed, and shamed again, so we give up on our dreams and settle for whatever life throws our way. Finally, Moses shares a third reason why he can't accept God's invitation. He says: Exodus 4:10--"I have never been a good speaker. I wasn't one before you spoke to me, and I'm not one now. I am slow at speaking and I can never think of what to say." Now in Moses defense, if he indeed is a bad public speaker, that can be a real liability when confronting the King of Egypt and all of his court. But God was smart enough to see through the smoke. He knew Moses was simply chained to victimitis--the "I can't because of my circumstances" syndrome that justifies inaction by blaming others. We've all said it: I can't because of my past experience.
I can't because I'm not smart enough.
I can't because I'm not talented enough.
I can't because I don't' have enough money.
I can't because I don't have enough time.And the list goes on and on, robbing us of our true potential. When we allow ourselves to be chained to the "I cant's" in life, we miss out on the boy and vitality God has for us. More than that, we rob God of the chance to use us in significant ways. So there stood Moses, face to face with God, telling his creator that he simply couldn't take God up on the offer. He had too many liabilities. And he almost missed out on the most exciting adventure of his life. But he didn't. And that's the good news for today as we seek to make things happen. Something happened that turned the excuses into desire, the "I can't" into "I will," and the fear into confidence. Something happened that unleashed Moses' potential and set him free to live life with significance. And what happened to Moses can happen to us. And what happened to Moses is this--God lit a fire under him. God set him free from the chains that held him back. God unlocked his potential by helping him see how powerful God is. For every excuse Moses offered God had a promise. When Moses said, "Who am I to go to the King?" God replied, "I will be with you." When Moses feared failure God demonstrated his power by transforming Moses' walking stick into a snake, showing Moses conclusively that God will not fail and won't allow Moses to fail either. When Moses said he couldn't speak, God again reminded him, "I will be with you." And he also reminded Moses that he created Moses' mouth. It would work when it needed to. As Moses sat in the presence of this loving, caring, powerful God, excuse after excuse melted away and Moses felt a new fire burning in him--a passion for life that had been missing for 40 years. And empowered with the promise of God's presence, Moses made things happen, and he led his people out of captivity to the Promised Land. He did what he thought he was incapable of doing, because God was his partner, strength, and hope. What keeps you from your potential today? What fears hold you back from using the gifts and talents God has given you? What excuses keep you chained to a life that is less than God dreams for you? 2000 years ago God was so intent on setting you free to live life with joy and energy that he became a human being just like us in the person of Jesus. He experienced all of life from our perspective. He knows first hand the fear of failure, the lack of confidence we often experience, the "I cant's" that hold us back. He understands. But then he went a step further. He gave his life on a cross to free us from all of that stuff. And by rising from the dead he assures us that he can turn the "I cant's" into "I can's," the failure into new beginnings, and the self-doubts into courage. That, in part, is what the Bible means by conversion. To live life from a new perspective--God's perspective, a perspective of forgiveness, fresh starts, empowerment, and significance. Today, if you feel held back by the chains of self-doubt, fear of failure, and victimitis, God has a word of hope for you. He wants you to know today that he created you for something special. He's given you unique gifts and talents to make a difference in this world. And he promises to be with you to help you make things happen. I encourage you to let that promise capture your heart today by welcoming Jesus to come and set you free from all that holds you back that you might make things happen and enjoy maximized living. AMEN
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