Order Of Service

Exodus 4:2-4

(2) And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. (3) And He said, Cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. (4) And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand.

Introduction

One day while Moses was tending sheep in a desolate part of the country, God spoke to him from a burning bush. God told Moses he had a great task for him. In fact, he was to lead his people out of Egypt and out of slavery. When Moses gave excuses, thinking he was not skilled enough, God asked him what was in his hand. Moses replied, “A rod.” God asked him to throw the rod on the ground. The rod became a snake. When Moses seized the snake by the tail, it became a rod again. God then performed other miracles to convince Moses He would be with him.

We, at times, feel unsure about our abilities. We need to remember that God has equipped us with things in our possession to help us. We should develop them and use them to the glory of God. There are many useful things we all have. Let’s look at three of them.

Exposition

1. Time.

(It Is The Stuff Life Is Made Of.)

(Time Is A Fleeting Asset.)

(Carpe Diem.)

(Recognize That Life Runs In Stages.)

(Recognize That Time Also Runs In Cycles.)

(“Please, Do What You Are Supposed To Do When You Are Supposed To Do It. That Makes Life A Lot Easier.” A Quote From My Father, William Bradford Ward, Sr.)

2. Gifts And Talents.

(They Must Be Discovered, Developed And Deployed.)

(There Are Different Measures Of The Same Gift.)

3. Your Uniqueness.

(You Are One Of A Kind.)

(Be Yourself - Just Be Your Best Self.)

(Peter And Paul Were Totally Different - Both Served God.)

Closing Thoughts

God takes insignificant things and works His will. He took a nondescript bush, and ignited it and turned it into a miracle. Likewise, Moses used the rod to open the red sea. Later he used it to extract water from a rock. Often, we undervalue what we have. When God is in control, the ordinary becomes extraordinary, and the natural becomes supernatural. Do you really know what’s in your hand? Are you using what God has put in your hand?

End Notes

1. It is interesting to note that in the twentieth verse of this same chapter Moses sets out for Egypt, and it is recorded that he took with him, not his rod, but the “rod of God.” It was now an instrument yielded to God for His service.

2. A word of caution: be patient and wait for your season. After forty years of tending sheep, it was now the season for Moses to return to Egypt and liberate his people.

Related Scriptures

Exodus 4:20

Exodus 14:16

Exodus 17:5-6