April 29, 2025 • 25 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Creative Connection with Ed Young. We're glad
you've joined us today to hear ED connect faith to
everyday life. Before we get to today's message, we want
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message with Pastor Ed Young.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
The Bible is a standard for what we should land
on and what we should leap over. This sounds a
little bit unique, But when you really consider it, it's not.
Most of us don't jump right, most of us don't
skip enough. Most of us don't hop through life. This
(01:30):
book the Bible teaches us, in no uncertain terms, how
to land on the significant and skip over the superfluous.
Isn't it true that a lot of us spend too
much time stuck in the secondary of life and we
miss the primary.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
If we go through.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Life, if we follow what God wants for our lives,
and God wants the best for our lives, we will
have the discernment and the opportunity to skip.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Over the superfluous, land on.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
The significant, and the significant will always lead to the magnificent.
Because the Bible says, our priorities basically are God's principles,
and we should commit it's your choice in mind to
carry these things out.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
So God's principles.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Are my priorities, whether I like them or not, and
by commitment I carry them out. When God says no
in your life and mind, he says no for your protection.
When God says yes, he says it.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
For our perfection. We have to know the no's and
know the yeses.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Well, there's a guy in the Bible named Moses, and
many times we think about Moses, we think, well, I mean.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Come on, ed, seriously, how can I relate to this guy?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Movies were made about him, people name their kids after Moses.
He's in the Hall of Faith. He was one of
the great men of God to ever live, and all
that is true. Yet the Bible tells us that Moses
struggled with some of the issues that we all deal with,
and today I want to kind of get into some
(03:18):
of those issues. Because he had a tough time skipping,
He had a tough time popping and a tough time jumping.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Someone was able.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
To get up in his grill and tell Moses, Hey, Moses,
here's what God has in store for you. And if
you wake up and smell the coffee, if you begin
to allow the Bible to be your standard, you can
land on the most important stuff, the primary, and skip
over the secondary. But Moses, this guy said, you're stuck
(03:53):
in the secondary.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Israel, God's chosen people.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
The Jews had been freed up from Egyptian slavery. They've
been enslaved for four hundred long years. Moses led them
through the Red Sea. God parted it and they were
on their way, the Bible says, to the Promised Land.
What's so funny about this trip is it would take,
(04:20):
you know, a couple of guys backpacking maybe two days
to walk from the Red Sea to where Moses was camped.
But it took the Israelites two months. And you would
think that the people would be so excited. You would
think they would go, Wow, this is the greatest thing ever.
We're freed up from slavery. But people get negative. Have
(04:44):
you ever noticed that if you get people together anywhere anytime,
we have a tendency to go a little bit.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Rogue, to complain to wine and.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
God's people, the children of Israel, it was like it
was like taking your kids, mom and dad on a
road trip.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Here you had.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Six hundred thousand men, probably about two million people total,
and God's people. After God had miraculously parted the Red Sea.
What did they say, I'm thirsty, there's yellows use of
the drink, and they complained to Moses. Moses told God
about it, and God said, Moses, see that two by
four you have throw it in the water, the brackish water.
(05:30):
And like that, the brackish water turned sweet and all
of the people were watered well.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Then a little while.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Later, I'm hungry, Moses, I'm hungry. The God rained down
the Hebrew happy meal from heaven, manna and more manna
and more manna and more mana, and it.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Was like, I mean, look at these miracles. Then again, Moses,
I'm thirsty. The happy meals made me thirsty.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
And Moses struck a rock with the rod of God
and then water started flowing there. So you would think
these people, you think, like, come on, guys, this is
a joke. God's taking care of you. He's guiding you
in a supernatural way. And you're hating on Moses. You
want to kill Moses. You want to slam Moses, you
(06:21):
want to jam Moses. And I'll bet you at this
point Moses was probably going I'm tired of the drama
and the trauma.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Moses, though, made a mistake, and I'm kind of reading
in a little bit to scripture. But as I look
at this, Moses made a serious error because if you
read about it, Moses's wife Zephora was not with him,
nor were moses kids. He had sent him to pee Paul.
That's Jethrow in Midian, and I think Moses made a
(06:53):
serious mistake. And this mistake that guys make a lot,
Husbands make a lot, fathers make a lot.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
Well, I've got to do my.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Work and there's no way, you know, with with the
wife and the kids. And you know, it's kind of
more important than than that situation. I truly believe that
being a husband and a father is more challenging than
leading the nation of Israel.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
I really believe it.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
So so so that's what has been in play. So
the children of Israel have experienced all these miracles. Now
the Amalekites attack, and and and the Israelites just opened
up a can on them. What's what's so ironic and
what's so intriguing about the Amalekites?
Speaker 3 (07:34):
And and please stay with me.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Moses got got on this mountain, and when his hands
were lifted, the Israelites were winning in the battle. His
hands got tired, and his boys, Aaron and her puts
some rocks under his elbows to keep his hand lifted,
to assist him. That's that's a that's a that's a
(07:58):
cool thing because maybe just maybe you're a parent and
you feel like, wow, I'm just worn out, I'm tired
the pace this NASCAR. Pace of life is wearing me out.
Keep your hands lifted, concentrate on your walk with God.
That's the most important thing. And we're going to talk
about this. The Bible says it. God says it. We're
(08:19):
designed to walk with God. We're designed to follow him.
We're designed to have him first and to put the
most offensive energy in our lives toward our relationship with Him.
And when we do that, man, great things will happen.
We'll have discernment and wisdom and perspective. When we don't
while we're going to get stuck in the superfluous.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
So after this victory, after the Israelites.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Had kicked the you know what out of the Amalakites,
everything was kind of going great. And this is something
that you'll see in your life. Usually after the major
events after the victory is when the enemy attacks the most.
As I think about the baptism of Jesus. After the
baptism of Jesus, he was driven out and was tempted.
(09:08):
So be careful, be watchful when great things happen, because
the enemy so often wants to strike during that time.
So let's take our bibles. In turn of the Book
of Exodus, Exodus chapter eighteen, and I'm got to read
some of verses eight through twenty. The first thing we
(09:29):
should do, and let me talk to the families for
a second. Let me let me talk to the fathers
for a second. The husband's the single parents.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
The first thing we.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Should do is we should disciple our family first. That's
the first thing we should do. And Moses was missing it.
He was Ziphora. The kids were with people Jethrow, and
so after everything had broken out, Jethro came to visit Moses.
(10:00):
If Borah was there, the grandkids were there, and we
see Jethrow and the whole family being reunited together in
the desert at the base of Mount Sina.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
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(10:35):
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Now let's get back to today's message.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
So, when Moses saw Jethrow, they had this great conversation.
He told Jethrow the good, the bad, the ugly. He
also told Jethrow the great things that God had done.
And Jethrow, because he was a priest o Midian, was
not a follower of the Lord. As you read this,
and you can see the tenor and the tone of
this conversation, Jethrow became a follower of the Lord because
(11:30):
he basically said verse eleven, Now I know mo that
the Lord is greater than all the other gods. And
if you look in verses in verses eight, nine, and ten,
you'll see the word saved. You'll see the word rescue
several times. The Bible is a book of the rescue.
(11:50):
It's a book of the rescue when when someone becomes
a Christian. When I became a Christian, I was rescued.
The children of Israel word rescued from slavery. If you're
a believe either, you have a rescue story. Just like
the children of Israel were rescued from Egyptian slavery. We've
been rescued by God's grace out of slavery of sin,
(12:11):
and we should tell people about that. And when when
we tell people about that, I believe amazing things will happen.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
You know, when you pray.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
And something that I do when I when I pray
regularly is I will say, God, you know what, I'm
going to meet people today and they have something to
say to me, they have something that I need.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
Help me to receive that. But also, God, I have.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Things that other people need it in my life. And
I don't know who I'm going to run into today,
but give me the wisdom to do that. And when
you do that, you'll hear rescue stories. You will be
a part of the rescue, and you'll be able to
share your rescue story.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
But first you've got to do.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
What You've got a disciple, your family, and and and
jethrow ol Peet Paul shows up, and and and and
Moses father in law, was was gonna really give him
some great words of advice. So Moses' father in law
had Moses' best interest in mind.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
He wanted what was.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Best for Zipporah, his daughter. He wanted what's best for
the grandkids. And so often people with fresh eyes can
give us a fresh perspective. Notice suit in verse twelve,
Jethrow celebrated God along with Moses and Aaron and the
(13:27):
great things that God had done and was doing. That's
why it's important, is I say all the time around
here to have your daily devotions with God. Also to
make sure that you lean in and you get in
the habit of coming to church regularly. Think about this
(13:48):
corporate worship. Now, Jethrow, moses father in law, and reverse
twelve brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
He didn't give it. He didn't give it. No, no, he
brought it.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
And that's why when we talk about financial generosity, we
talk about we bring the tithe or word tithe is
ten percent. I don't give my tithe because first of all,
it's not mine to give, and secondly, it's a tithe
to God that I bring that God has gotten to me.
(14:20):
So God has gotten it to me, and now he
wants to get.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
It through me as I bring it.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
So we have this whole concept of bringing it right here.
So those are some things that we're seeing already in Moses' life.
We're seeing the family come together, We're seeing je throw
began to speak into his life.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Well, how did this happen? Jethrow God Moses the talk.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
If you want to speak into someone's life, if you
want to give someone advice, you have to get them.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
To tell you when and how and what they shoul
you speak about.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
You've got to understand the information. You got to get
the four to one to one from them. You have
to get them talking, because if you don't know the context,
and if you don't have the right information, you're not gonna.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Know what to share.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
So Jethrow. The next day he gets up. Moses gets up,
and Moses sits.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
He puts his.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Big rear in a chair, and squillions of people were
lined up because Moses said in the Book of Exodus,
chapter eighteen, I've got to hear all the disputes, all
of the grumblings and wantings from all of the people. Now,
now Moses had dealt with a lot of drama. He'd
taken this road trip from from the Red Sea all
(15:45):
the way into the desert. They had complained, they'd grumbled,
they'd whine, they wanted to kill him, and now he's
just a victim of the tyranny of the urgent. I
want to do, Moses said, well, the people want me
to do, let me stop.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
That is a leadership fail.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
A leader does not do what the people or the
family wants.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
No, no, no.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
A leader takes people where they need to go, not
where they want to go. Because your family, for example,
doesn't always know where they need to go. And if
you decided to run your family by what your family
wanted to do, the most immature would outvote you and
(16:38):
every meal would be a happy meal at McDonald's.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
Does that make sense?
Speaker 2 (16:43):
So you have to lead people not where they want
to go, but where they need to go. That's what
Moses was doing right here. And that's what we have
to do, even in our family, gentlemen, even in our family.
I'm talking to a single parent, even in our family, mom,
even at the company, even at the hospital, even on
(17:05):
the team. Because because we get all that confused, we think, okay,
I'll just do what people want me to do. Well,
that's what totally messed Mo up and he lost his momentum.
That's why Roe said, Yo, we're gonna We're gonna straighten
you out. So so so Roe asked Moses two questions.
(17:25):
He got him talking, and I like what he didn't
say Verse fourteen. He said, what is this you're doing
for the people? And why do you alone sit this
judge trying to handle all of these situations. Now you
know he was biting his tongue because what I would
have said, Moses, have you lost your mind? You are
(17:50):
gonna fry. You cannot do this. It's ridiculous what that
would have been totally wrong. I'm sure Roe was thinking that,
but he he didn't say that. He said, Moses, what
are you doing? Why are you doing it? And Moses
began to give him his reason and rationale, and basically
he says, well, I like all the personal pronouns. He's
(18:12):
like the Prince of personal pronouns Verses fifteen and sixteen,
because when people come to me see God's will.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
And I just died between the bodies and informed them
of God's degrees instruction. I've got to do it. I'm
the only one to do it. If you want it
done right, you've got to do it. Yet he was,
and Roe told him this, Moses, you're burning yourself out.
You're burning your family out and burning the people out
who were standing.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
Around waiting in line.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Again, fresh eyes, who do you listen to when it
comes to advice? Basically, I can interview your four friends,
and I can tell what kind of person you are
by your four best friends. You're the sum total. I'm
the sum total of my four best friends. Moses has
some great friends. He had Roe, Aaron, he had her,
(19:02):
he had Joshua. You could throw in Caleb, maybe some others,
but about let's just talk about those first four. These
are some great people. And Moses was smart enough. And
I pray that you're smart enough to listen to advice.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
What did Row do?
Speaker 2 (19:16):
Ro said, hey, Mo, you got to get some organization.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
Brother, you have.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
Got to get organized.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
So Roe said to.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Mo, hey, Yo, you got to get organized. Or you
could say, Rose said to Mo, hey, bro, get organized.
Moses father in law replied, after Moses gave him the
context for advice, and this works in business, ladies, This
works in business, guys. This works on the Little League team.
(19:48):
And this works in the church because it's Bible. Okay,
it works everywhere, works in marriage, works in parenting, it works.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
It works. His father in law were fraude. All right,
what you're doing not good.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
You and these people who come to you will only
wear yourselves out. This is the urgent versus the important.
Most of us live by the urgent as opposed to
the important.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
The important is what we do. It's the important.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
Stuff we do first, because if you live by the
tyranny of the urgent, you'll be stuck for a long
long time and the superfluous and miss the significant.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
He says, the.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
Work is too heavy for you. You can't handle it alone.
Listen to me now, and I'll give you some advice.
May God be with you. And here's the order, and
he basically says, Moses, only do what only you can do.
Say that with me, Only do what only you can do.
What are your priorities they're mentioned in scripture, the principles
(20:45):
of God or your priorities. We've got to be committed
to them. And here's here's three of them that we're
going to find out. And there are three in Moses'
life and there's three in your life and there's three
in my life.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
Number one.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Number one, concentrate on your walk with God. What did
Roa stay to Mo? He said, simply, you got to
be God's representative. Moses, I'm God's representative, your God's representative.
I represent I can as a believe, and I should
(21:19):
represent Jesus. So your God's representative where you go to school,
Your God's representative at work, your God's representative at home.
Your God's representative to your brother and says sir, I'm
God's representative, your God's representative.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
That's a priority. Number two. Another one.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
Communicate the word of God. Communicate the word of God.
Roset Mo, Okay, you to be God's representative. Only do
what only you can do.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
Do the big stuff.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Delegate the rest of these people who are just standing around. Communicate, communicate,
communicate the word of God. God's ways are higher than
our ways. God's ways are better then our way. So
I'm communicating God's word as I live my life.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
So are you. The third thing? I'm to demonstrate the
ways of God. I'm to live it out.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Information without application is an abomination. You know, it's great
to learn the Bible it's great to know theology.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
We have to know it. So that's one of the
reasons that I did this series. Another one was it's
just speaking.
Speaker 2 (22:27):
To my life about some of these about some of
these issues. Well, Moses got his game and order, and
I've got to ask you something. I'm to talk to
the families. Would you say your family is an order?
You have a little baby, that little baby is screaming
for order. Literally put the baby down, not when the
(22:48):
baby's ready, but when you're ready.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
Order. I mean the.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
Moment the doctor slaps them on the butt, start training them.
How about your toddlers, how about those in junior high
or in high school.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
Being a parent is giving.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
Away, it's delegating more and more responsibility. As I've said before,
even in marriage, there's delegation, equal inform, unique in function.
Are you delegating in that manner? Are you leading? Are
you communicating? Are you representing? Are you demonstrating in this endeavor?
(23:29):
Because I'm telling you that the family is where it's at.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
Just the thought and.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
The great thing about it is Moses listened.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
He took advice.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
And I want to leave you with two scriptures and
just to just make these your own Proverbs twelve fifteen.
The way of fools seems right to them, But the
wise listen to advice. You hear with your ears, you
listen with your brain Proverbs nineteen twenty. Listen to advice
and accept discipline, and at the end you'll be counted
(24:00):
among the wise. Who are you listening to? Listen to
men and women of God. Listen to people like that,
Listen to people with skins on the wall, Listen to
people who've lived the life.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Thanks for joining us today on the Creative Connection with
Ed Young. We hope you've been encouraged as Ed's shown
you how you can connect your faith to everyday life.
We'd love to help you even more in your spiritual
journey by sending you at Lisa Jung's book A Path
through Pain. This resource will help you see God's presence,
(24:34):
love and care in the middle of your suffering, and
it's our thanks for your gift to help connect faith
to everyday life for more people around the world. Just
head over to Eddyong dot com slash give to request
your copy. Again, that's Edyong dot com slash Gift. Thank
you for your support. We'll see you next time. On
(24:54):
the Creative Connection
Welcome to the Creative Connection with Ed Young. We're glad
you've joined us today to hear ED connect faith to
everyday life. Before we get to today's message, we want
to invite you to head online and sign up for
Ed's daily email devotionals covering relevant topics like forgiveness, anxiety,
and purposeful living. These life giving emails will provide you
(00:22):
with a spark of encouragement write in your inbox every
single day. Each one contains a piece of scripture as
well as encouragement from Ed to help you think about
and apply biblical truths to your life. There's also a
guided prayer at the end of each email. Just visit
edyong dot com slash emails to sign up now, and
(00:42):
while you're there, you can also browse previous devotionals as
well as watch and listen to messages from Ed. So
sign up to start receiving your daily devotionals today. The
website again is edyong dot com slash Devotionals. Book forward
to connecting with you there. Now, let's get into today's
message with Pastor Ed Young.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
The Bible is a standard for what we should land
on and what we should leap over. This sounds a
little bit unique, But when you really consider it, it's not.
Most of us don't jump right, most of us don't
skip enough. Most of us don't hop through life. This
(01:30):
book the Bible teaches us, in no uncertain terms, how
to land on the significant and skip over the superfluous.
Isn't it true that a lot of us spend too
much time stuck in the secondary of life and we
miss the primary.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
If we go through.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Life, if we follow what God wants for our lives,
and God wants the best for our lives, we will
have the discernment and the opportunity to skip.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Over the superfluous, land on.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
The significant, and the significant will always lead to the magnificent.
Because the Bible says, our priorities basically are God's principles,
and we should commit it's your choice in mind to
carry these things out.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
So God's principles.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Are my priorities, whether I like them or not, and
by commitment I carry them out. When God says no
in your life and mind, he says no for your protection.
When God says yes, he says it.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
For our perfection. We have to know the no's and
know the yeses.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Well, there's a guy in the Bible named Moses, and
many times we think about Moses, we think, well, I mean.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Come on, ed, seriously, how can I relate to this guy?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Movies were made about him, people name their kids after Moses.
He's in the Hall of Faith. He was one of
the great men of God to ever live, and all
that is true. Yet the Bible tells us that Moses
struggled with some of the issues that we all deal with,
and today I want to kind of get into some
(03:18):
of those issues. Because he had a tough time skipping,
He had a tough time popping and a tough time jumping.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Someone was able.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
To get up in his grill and tell Moses, Hey, Moses,
here's what God has in store for you. And if
you wake up and smell the coffee, if you begin
to allow the Bible to be your standard, you can
land on the most important stuff, the primary, and skip
over the secondary. But Moses, this guy said, you're stuck
(03:53):
in the secondary.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Israel, God's chosen people.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
The Jews had been freed up from Egyptian slavery. They've
been enslaved for four hundred long years. Moses led them
through the Red Sea. God parted it and they were
on their way, the Bible says, to the Promised Land.
What's so funny about this trip is it would take,
(04:20):
you know, a couple of guys backpacking maybe two days
to walk from the Red Sea to where Moses was camped.
But it took the Israelites two months. And you would
think that the people would be so excited. You would
think they would go, Wow, this is the greatest thing ever.
We're freed up from slavery. But people get negative. Have
(04:44):
you ever noticed that if you get people together anywhere anytime,
we have a tendency to go a little bit.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Rogue, to complain to wine and.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
God's people, the children of Israel, it was like it
was like taking your kids, mom and dad on a
road trip.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Here you had.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Six hundred thousand men, probably about two million people total,
and God's people. After God had miraculously parted the Red Sea.
What did they say, I'm thirsty, there's yellows use of
the drink, and they complained to Moses. Moses told God
about it, and God said, Moses, see that two by
four you have throw it in the water, the brackish water.
(05:30):
And like that, the brackish water turned sweet and all
of the people were watered well.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Then a little while.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Later, I'm hungry, Moses, I'm hungry. The God rained down
the Hebrew happy meal from heaven, manna and more manna
and more manna and more mana, and it.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Was like, I mean, look at these miracles. Then again, Moses,
I'm thirsty. The happy meals made me thirsty.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
And Moses struck a rock with the rod of God
and then water started flowing there. So you would think
these people, you think, like, come on, guys, this is
a joke. God's taking care of you. He's guiding you
in a supernatural way. And you're hating on Moses. You
want to kill Moses. You want to slam Moses, you
(06:21):
want to jam Moses. And I'll bet you at this
point Moses was probably going I'm tired of the drama
and the trauma.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Moses, though, made a mistake, and I'm kind of reading
in a little bit to scripture. But as I look
at this, Moses made a serious error because if you
read about it, Moses's wife Zephora was not with him,
nor were moses kids. He had sent him to pee Paul.
That's Jethrow in Midian, and I think Moses made a
(06:53):
serious mistake. And this mistake that guys make a lot,
Husbands make a lot, fathers make a lot.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
Well, I've got to do my.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Work and there's no way, you know, with with the
wife and the kids. And you know, it's kind of
more important than than that situation. I truly believe that
being a husband and a father is more challenging than
leading the nation of Israel.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
I really believe it.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
So so so that's what has been in play. So
the children of Israel have experienced all these miracles. Now
the Amalekites attack, and and and the Israelites just opened
up a can on them. What's what's so ironic and
what's so intriguing about the Amalekites?
Speaker 3 (07:34):
And and please stay with me.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Moses got got on this mountain, and when his hands
were lifted, the Israelites were winning in the battle. His
hands got tired, and his boys, Aaron and her puts
some rocks under his elbows to keep his hand lifted,
to assist him. That's that's a that's a that's a
(07:58):
cool thing because maybe just maybe you're a parent and
you feel like, wow, I'm just worn out, I'm tired
the pace this NASCAR. Pace of life is wearing me out.
Keep your hands lifted, concentrate on your walk with God.
That's the most important thing. And we're going to talk
about this. The Bible says it. God says it. We're
(08:19):
designed to walk with God. We're designed to follow him.
We're designed to have him first and to put the
most offensive energy in our lives toward our relationship with Him.
And when we do that, man, great things will happen.
We'll have discernment and wisdom and perspective. When we don't
while we're going to get stuck in the superfluous.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
So after this victory, after the Israelites.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Had kicked the you know what out of the Amalakites,
everything was kind of going great. And this is something
that you'll see in your life. Usually after the major
events after the victory is when the enemy attacks the most.
As I think about the baptism of Jesus. After the
baptism of Jesus, he was driven out and was tempted.
(09:08):
So be careful, be watchful when great things happen, because
the enemy so often wants to strike during that time.
So let's take our bibles. In turn of the Book
of Exodus, Exodus chapter eighteen, and I'm got to read
some of verses eight through twenty. The first thing we
(09:29):
should do, and let me talk to the families for
a second. Let me let me talk to the fathers
for a second. The husband's the single parents.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
The first thing we.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Should do is we should disciple our family first. That's
the first thing we should do. And Moses was missing it.
He was Ziphora. The kids were with people Jethrow, and
so after everything had broken out, Jethro came to visit Moses.
(10:00):
If Borah was there, the grandkids were there, and we
see Jethrow and the whole family being reunited together in
the desert at the base of Mount Sina.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
You're listening to the creative connection with Ed Young. Stay
with us to hear more encouragement from n before we
get back to today's message. Most of us spend our
lives avoiding pain at every turn, so when we inevitably
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(10:35):
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(10:55):
request your copy. Again, that's Edyong dot com slash gar is.
Now let's get back to today's message.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
So, when Moses saw Jethrow, they had this great conversation.
He told Jethrow the good, the bad, the ugly. He
also told Jethrow the great things that God had done.
And Jethrow, because he was a priest o Midian, was
not a follower of the Lord. As you read this,
and you can see the tenor and the tone of
this conversation, Jethrow became a follower of the Lord because
(11:30):
he basically said verse eleven, Now I know mo that
the Lord is greater than all the other gods. And
if you look in verses in verses eight, nine, and ten,
you'll see the word saved. You'll see the word rescue
several times. The Bible is a book of the rescue.
(11:50):
It's a book of the rescue when when someone becomes
a Christian. When I became a Christian, I was rescued.
The children of Israel word rescued from slavery. If you're
a believe either, you have a rescue story. Just like
the children of Israel were rescued from Egyptian slavery. We've
been rescued by God's grace out of slavery of sin,
(12:11):
and we should tell people about that. And when when
we tell people about that, I believe amazing things will happen.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
You know, when you pray.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
And something that I do when I when I pray
regularly is I will say, God, you know what, I'm
going to meet people today and they have something to
say to me, they have something that I need.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
Help me to receive that. But also, God, I have.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Things that other people need it in my life. And
I don't know who I'm going to run into today,
but give me the wisdom to do that. And when
you do that, you'll hear rescue stories. You will be
a part of the rescue, and you'll be able to
share your rescue story.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
But first you've got to do.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
What You've got a disciple, your family, and and and
jethrow ol Peet Paul shows up, and and and and
Moses father in law, was was gonna really give him
some great words of advice. So Moses' father in law
had Moses' best interest in mind.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
He wanted what was.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Best for Zipporah, his daughter. He wanted what's best for
the grandkids. And so often people with fresh eyes can
give us a fresh perspective. Notice suit in verse twelve,
Jethrow celebrated God along with Moses and Aaron and the
(13:27):
great things that God had done and was doing. That's
why it's important, is I say all the time around
here to have your daily devotions with God. Also to
make sure that you lean in and you get in
the habit of coming to church regularly. Think about this
(13:48):
corporate worship. Now, Jethrow, moses father in law, and reverse
twelve brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
He didn't give it. He didn't give it. No, no, he
brought it.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
And that's why when we talk about financial generosity, we
talk about we bring the tithe or word tithe is
ten percent. I don't give my tithe because first of all,
it's not mine to give, and secondly, it's a tithe
to God that I bring that God has gotten to me.
(14:20):
So God has gotten it to me, and now he
wants to get.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
It through me as I bring it.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
So we have this whole concept of bringing it right here.
So those are some things that we're seeing already in Moses' life.
We're seeing the family come together, We're seeing je throw
began to speak into his life.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Well, how did this happen? Jethrow God Moses the talk.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
If you want to speak into someone's life, if you
want to give someone advice, you have to get them.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
To tell you when and how and what they shoul
you speak about.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
You've got to understand the information. You got to get
the four to one to one from them. You have
to get them talking, because if you don't know the context,
and if you don't have the right information, you're not gonna.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Know what to share.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
So Jethrow. The next day he gets up. Moses gets up,
and Moses sits.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
He puts his.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Big rear in a chair, and squillions of people were
lined up because Moses said in the Book of Exodus,
chapter eighteen, I've got to hear all the disputes, all
of the grumblings and wantings from all of the people. Now,
now Moses had dealt with a lot of drama. He'd
taken this road trip from from the Red Sea all
(15:45):
the way into the desert. They had complained, they'd grumbled,
they'd whine, they wanted to kill him, and now he's
just a victim of the tyranny of the urgent. I
want to do, Moses said, well, the people want me
to do, let me stop.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
That is a leadership fail.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
A leader does not do what the people or the
family wants.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
No, no, no.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
A leader takes people where they need to go, not
where they want to go. Because your family, for example,
doesn't always know where they need to go. And if
you decided to run your family by what your family
wanted to do, the most immature would outvote you and
(16:38):
every meal would be a happy meal at McDonald's.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
Does that make sense?
Speaker 2 (16:43):
So you have to lead people not where they want
to go, but where they need to go. That's what
Moses was doing right here. And that's what we have
to do, even in our family, gentlemen, even in our family.
I'm talking to a single parent, even in our family, mom,
even at the company, even at the hospital, even on
(17:05):
the team. Because because we get all that confused, we think, okay,
I'll just do what people want me to do. Well,
that's what totally messed Mo up and he lost his momentum.
That's why Roe said, Yo, we're gonna We're gonna straighten
you out. So so so Roe asked Moses two questions.
(17:25):
He got him talking, and I like what he didn't
say Verse fourteen. He said, what is this you're doing
for the people? And why do you alone sit this
judge trying to handle all of these situations. Now you
know he was biting his tongue because what I would
have said, Moses, have you lost your mind? You are
(17:50):
gonna fry. You cannot do this. It's ridiculous what that
would have been totally wrong. I'm sure Roe was thinking that,
but he he didn't say that. He said, Moses, what
are you doing? Why are you doing it? And Moses
began to give him his reason and rationale, and basically
he says, well, I like all the personal pronouns. He's
(18:12):
like the Prince of personal pronouns Verses fifteen and sixteen,
because when people come to me see God's will.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
And I just died between the bodies and informed them
of God's degrees instruction. I've got to do it. I'm
the only one to do it. If you want it
done right, you've got to do it. Yet he was,
and Roe told him this, Moses, you're burning yourself out.
You're burning your family out and burning the people out
who were standing.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
Around waiting in line.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Again, fresh eyes, who do you listen to when it
comes to advice? Basically, I can interview your four friends,
and I can tell what kind of person you are
by your four best friends. You're the sum total. I'm
the sum total of my four best friends. Moses has
some great friends. He had Roe, Aaron, he had her,
(19:02):
he had Joshua. You could throw in Caleb, maybe some others,
but about let's just talk about those first four. These
are some great people. And Moses was smart enough. And
I pray that you're smart enough to listen to advice.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
What did Row do?
Speaker 2 (19:16):
Ro said, hey, Mo, you got to get some organization.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
Brother, you have.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
Got to get organized.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
So Roe said to.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Mo, hey, Yo, you got to get organized. Or you
could say, Rose said to Mo, hey, bro, get organized.
Moses father in law replied, after Moses gave him the
context for advice, and this works in business, ladies, This
works in business, guys. This works on the Little League team.
(19:48):
And this works in the church because it's Bible. Okay,
it works everywhere, works in marriage, works in parenting, it works.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
It works. His father in law were fraude. All right,
what you're doing not good.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
You and these people who come to you will only
wear yourselves out. This is the urgent versus the important.
Most of us live by the urgent as opposed to
the important.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
The important is what we do. It's the important.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
Stuff we do first, because if you live by the
tyranny of the urgent, you'll be stuck for a long
long time and the superfluous and miss the significant.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
He says, the.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
Work is too heavy for you. You can't handle it alone.
Listen to me now, and I'll give you some advice.
May God be with you. And here's the order, and
he basically says, Moses, only do what only you can do.
Say that with me, Only do what only you can do.
What are your priorities they're mentioned in scripture, the principles
(20:45):
of God or your priorities. We've got to be committed
to them. And here's here's three of them that we're
going to find out. And there are three in Moses'
life and there's three in your life and there's three
in my life.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
Number one.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Number one, concentrate on your walk with God. What did
Roa stay to Mo? He said, simply, you got to
be God's representative. Moses, I'm God's representative, your God's representative.
I represent I can as a believe, and I should
(21:19):
represent Jesus. So your God's representative where you go to school,
Your God's representative at work, your God's representative at home.
Your God's representative to your brother and says sir, I'm
God's representative, your God's representative.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
That's a priority. Number two. Another one.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
Communicate the word of God. Communicate the word of God.
Roset Mo, Okay, you to be God's representative. Only do
what only you can do.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
Do the big stuff.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Delegate the rest of these people who are just standing around. Communicate, communicate,
communicate the word of God. God's ways are higher than
our ways. God's ways are better then our way. So
I'm communicating God's word as I live my life.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
So are you. The third thing? I'm to demonstrate the
ways of God. I'm to live it out.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Information without application is an abomination. You know, it's great
to learn the Bible it's great to know theology.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
We have to know it. So that's one of the
reasons that I did this series. Another one was it's
just speaking.
Speaker 2 (22:27):
To my life about some of these about some of
these issues. Well, Moses got his game and order, and
I've got to ask you something. I'm to talk to
the families. Would you say your family is an order?
You have a little baby, that little baby is screaming
for order. Literally put the baby down, not when the
(22:48):
baby's ready, but when you're ready.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
Order. I mean the.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
Moment the doctor slaps them on the butt, start training them.
How about your toddlers, how about those in junior high
or in high school.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
Being a parent is giving.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
Away, it's delegating more and more responsibility. As I've said before,
even in marriage, there's delegation, equal inform, unique in function.
Are you delegating in that manner? Are you leading? Are
you communicating? Are you representing? Are you demonstrating in this endeavor?
(23:29):
Because I'm telling you that the family is where it's at.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
Just the thought and.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
The great thing about it is Moses listened.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
He took advice.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
And I want to leave you with two scriptures and
just to just make these your own Proverbs twelve fifteen.
The way of fools seems right to them, But the
wise listen to advice. You hear with your ears, you
listen with your brain Proverbs nineteen twenty. Listen to advice
and accept discipline, and at the end you'll be counted
(24:00):
among the wise. Who are you listening to? Listen to
men and women of God. Listen to people like that,
Listen to people with skins on the wall, Listen to
people who've lived the life.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Thanks for joining us today on the Creative Connection with
Ed Young. We hope you've been encouraged as Ed's shown
you how you can connect your faith to everyday life.
We'd love to help you even more in your spiritual
journey by sending you at Lisa Jung's book A Path
through Pain. This resource will help you see God's presence,
(24:34):
love and care in the middle of your suffering, and
it's our thanks for your gift to help connect faith
to everyday life for more people around the world. Just
head over to Eddyong dot com slash give to request
your copy. Again, that's Edyong dot com slash Gift. Thank
you for your support. We'll see you next time. On
(24:54):
the Creative Connection
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