Are You Qualified?
Do you realize what should be seen in you as you face life today? According to scripture, it is to be no less than all that is true of God—Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness ...’” So, how’s that going for you? Are you frustratingly wearing yourself out, only to be left with the feeling that you’re not qualified to live according to this standard? If your answer is “yes,” then good, because God never intended nor designed you to achieve this by your “best effort” for Him. As Paul put it in Romans 7:18, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.” In other words, you in and of yourself are not qualified.
So how did God expect His image to become a reality in us? Simply by His activity—Genesis 2:7, “Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” As Major Ian Thomas once said, “It takes God in the man for man to be the man that God meant him to be.” Do you see that man without God simply isn’t man but only an empty shell? An empty shell, but with the capacity for the very life of God—not for us to use, but for us to know, as we, by faith, yield every situation in life to His ability and sufficiency.
Moses had to learn this truth. We know from scripture that he was a man who was raised as a member of one of the richest and most powerful families in the world (Exodus 2:10), was well-educated (Acts 7:22), and, according to historical records, was a successful general in battle. The world would say that Moses was qualified to be the deliverer of the Hebrew people, but he soon found out that to be far from true. As he approached the problem of his brethren’s slavery, Exodus 2:12 reads, “... he looked this way and that, and when he saw there was no one around, he struck down the Egyptian...” He saw Egypt as being the problem that needed to be dealt with, but soon found out that the obstacle that needed to be overcome was indeed himself! As a friend used to tell me, “We always think our problem is our problem, but that’s not our problem. We are our problem, and that’s a problem!”
As a result of depending on his fleshly position and accomplishments, he found himself both running for his life and hiding for 40 years. Finally, in this place of failure, Moses came to realize in the presence of God at the burning bush his true problem and God’s provision.
He recognizes his problem in Exodus 3:11 when he asks God, “Who am I?” The man who once thought himself to be qualified for the task ahead has come to realize that when faced with the same issue, there was nothing in him that met the need. But he didn’t stay there in self-pity; he went on to ask God the next question in verse 13, “Who are You?” It’s great and necessary for us to see that there is nothing good in our flesh, but in seeing this, do we at the same time recognize that our one hope is found with the Lord?
God answers this question with the reply, “My name is, ‘I Am.’” What an incredibly deep and rich reply in such a short phrase. Basically, what God was saying is, “Name your hurt and ‘I Am’ your healing. Name your confusion and ‘I Am’ your clarity. Name your disappointment and ‘I Am’ your encouragement.” This is what qualifies Moses to deal with the problem before him: GOD LIVED THE VERY DEMAND!
Jesus reveals the same truth to the believer today. In John 6:35, Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life," John 8:12, "I am the light of the world," John 10:9, "I am the door," John 10:11, "I am the good shepherd," John 11:25, "I am the resurrection and the life," John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life," and in John 15:1, "I am the true vine."
JUST AS GOD’S ENABLING AND FAITHFULNESS WERE MOSES’ QUALIFICATION FOR THE PROBLEM LAID BEFORE HIM, SO IS CHRIST’S ENABLING AND FAITHFULNESS IN YOU YOUR QUALIFICATION FOR DEALING WITH THE PROBLEM LAID BEFORE YOU. HE LIVES THE VERY DEMAND!
Therefore, be encouraged, because in Christ, you are qualified by faith to face today. So face it!
