“Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’ The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” (Exodus 4:1-2 ESV)
In the 1960’s we lived in a shotgun house, no, not where any weapons would be found other than the word of God, but a house where you could stand in the front doorway and see through a number of rooms, all the way to the back door. Talk about open concept, we were ahead of our time. That’s a positive way of looking at what we are blessed to have, right?
Just to the right of the last big room was a small kitchen, not as big as some of the entry ways or mud rooms in some contemporary homes. But again, from a positive perspective, we were blessed to have a kitchen. Two people could not stand side-by-side in that old kitchen, but we were blessed to have what we had. Another example of taking a positive way at what we are blessed to have. Am I right again?
In that small kitchen was a small white, gas stove. It was small, but useful and we used it too! That small stove served many purposes. Yes, of course Mom cooked on that small stove that had to be smaller than the 29.9-inch stoves people buy today and far smaller than the much wider variety of gas ranges. Yet, aside from cooking that stove was used to heat the house during cold winter months, when either we had no coal for the furnace, or the furnace was not working. I’m not done yet. Without a washer or dryer in the house, that stove served as a place where you could open the oven door, set hand-washed clothing, or our tennis shoes on the back of the door and let them dry before the next day. I was a traffic boy, equipped with a white crossing guard belt and a medal badge. As a traffic boy, we had to go through daily inspections and your belt had to be clean. So, I would scrub mine in the kitchen sink and hang it on a chair placed in front of the open-door stove to dry. Are you rooting for the small stove yet? Well, one more purpose that small stove served. With very little storage space, when the stove was not heating, it became a storage place for pots and pans, and sometimes leftover food that would not fit in the small refrigerator or as we called it, the “icebox.”
The point is that we used what we did have! Moses, in the context of the opening verse kept giving God excuses. God, as you would guess, would override or negate every one of Moses excuses. God wants execution and not excuses. God wants expectations met and not excuses made. Well, God pointed out that Moses had a staff in His hand. In other words, Moses just had to use what he had and use it for God’s chosen purpose to bring about a positive outcome, the release of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage.
Now let’s get to you! You have given your share of excuses, like most other people, even believers. But the message for you is to use what you have been blessed with to achieve God’s purpose that He had chosen for you. Great things and things greatly unimaginable by others can be accomplished if we as believers is use what we do have. So do just that my friend! Use the days that you do have for His purpose. Use the gift that you do have for His purpose! Use the little that you do have for God’s purpose, realizing that it is still true: God can take small means and bring about great results.
You are getting ready to start your Wednesday, but first stop where you are and thank God for what you do have. Recognize your blessings. And then proceed and use what you do have all throughout the day. Stop complaining about what you don’t have and use what you do have! Use your testimony that attest to the power of God being manifested in your life! Use your mouth to give God the praise He deserve! That will help you recognize your blessings! Use your new creature attributes! Be the salt of the earth with the “salt” that you do have! Be the light of the world with the “sunbeams” you do have. Use your willingness to love one another! Do all that and see God work through you! Do it and you will see proof that using what you do have with God’s help will bring about signs that the Lord is with you! Hallelujah! Have a great day my friend! Be blessed!
“You shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs [the miracles which prove I sent you].” (Exodus 4:17 The Amplified Bible)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King