Moses - All In!

For Tuesday, November 11, 2025:

Hebrews 11:26 NLT: “Moses thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward.”

Moses had been adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter and was in line to inherit the wealth of Egypt. But after some investigation and using common sense, he knew he wasn’t an Egyptian. He looked more like those who were servants to the Egyptians. He was Hebrew through and through! Now, he could have kept quiet and continued to enjoy the privileges of Egyptian royalty. But he did not! When Moses saw Egyptians unfairly beating a Hebrew, Moses rose to the man’s defense. They fought, the Egyptian was killed, and Moses knew it was time to get out of town!

At that time, Moses had not met the God of his people. Yet he chose to support this unseen God. Having been raised up in the Royal Palace, Moses didn’t have a religious upbringing. That all changed when God spoke to Moses from a burning bush that did not consume itself.

God said to tell Pharaoh, “Let my people go!”

Moses replied, “You’ve got the wrong guy!”

God didn’t change his mind, “Take your brother Aaron with you. He’s better at speaking.”

God didn’t back down, and Moses found himself standing before Pharaoh. “Let my people go!” Despite Pharaoh’s persistent reluctance to let the Hebrews leave, 10 plagues later, they were crossing the Red Sea, on their way to the promised land.

Moses was “all in” for the Hebrew God. He did not renege on the faith question, even when others around him were faltering. It was God who spoke to Moses from the burning bush. He was therefore 100% convinced, and nothing could change his mind. He was “all in!”

Are you “all in” for God? Could anything change your mind? I sure hope not!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Face of God!

For Saturday, March 1, 2025:

Exodus 33:3 NLT: The Lord said to Moses: “Go up to this land that flows with milk and honey. But I will not travel among you, for you are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I did, I would surely destroy you along the way.”

God forgave the Israelites for the golden calf incident, but he did not forget. In his mind, he has put these people in the “stubborn and rebellious” category. Their decision to follow the Lord doesn’t seem to be a “forever decision.” Their minds could change as the wind blows! Nonetheless, God will honor his half of the agreement. God’s word can always be trusted.

As they traveled, Moses would set up the Tent of Meeting some distance from the main encampment. There God would meet with Moses and his helper Joshua. At that time, the people would pray in front of their own tents.

Now Moses was a human, just like all of us. He had seen a burning bush, fire on the mountain and a pillar of cloud leading their journey, but he had never actually seen the Lord. Curiosity gets the best of him, so he asks, “Show me your glorious presence.”

God offers Moses a solution. “Look, stand near me on this rock. As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen.”

Christians still battle this dilemma as we evangelize, asking newcomers to believe in a God they can’t see. Oh, there’s plenty of evidence of intelligent design. Consider the vast universe, our four seasons growing crops to feed us, and the complexity of the human body, to name a few things. Like Moses, we’ll never see God’s face, but it’s easy to know he exists.

We are saved by grace through faith. Grace is the goodness of our merciful God. Faith is belief and trusting in a God that we can not see. He’s there for each of us!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Omnipotence

November 2, 2020 Monday Message 

Exodus 3:11-12a NLT: “Moses protested to God, ‘Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?’ God answered, ‘I will be with you.’”

God is Almighty and all-powerful. Moses feels he isn’t up to the task of approaching Pharaoh and leading the Hebrews out of Egypt. But God IS! God-in-the-burning-bush doesn’t try to convince Moses of what Moses can do; but He’s very detailed in explaining to Moses what GOD can do! 

Can we just accept the fact that Moses is inadequate? That in 1,000 years he could never defeat Pharaoh on his own? The capability of Moses was never the issue in this scenario. It’s about Moses learning and accepting the extreme capabilities of the Creator.

God sometimes assigns us challenges in this life that seem unachievable, and we need to remember that we aren’t alone. God walks alongside us. OUR strength is not the issue; but the omnipotence of GOD IS! Make sure you’re walking together! He’s a great ministry partner! 

Blessings to all as we begin this week!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406