"Christians should work harder under the grace of God and do their part. Be sure to know this principle: What God does, man cannot do; what man should do, God doesn’t do."
On WeChat "Morning Prayer", Zhang Zhongqiu preached the sixth lecture about Moses in a series on "Victory in the Workplace". Moses was a very outstanding leader among the people of Israel and was very successful in the workplace.
Moses' life could be divided into three 40 year periods. In the first 40 years, Moses studies and learned all he could in Egypt; in the middle 40 years, he did not speak or do anything; in the next 40 years, with God’s power he spoke and did great things for God. This time the pastor talked about the first 40 years of Moses. This was a miraculous preparation for Moses, a time filled with the richness of God. With a sermon entitled, "Study hard in the workplace, just as Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians", the pastor shared the following thoughts on Moses.
1. Work hard in grace.
“In a desert land, he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye.” (Deut 32:10)
When Moses was born in Egypt, the Pharaoh of Egypt ordered that all Hebrew boys should be killed. God guarded Moses through his mother who with confidence hid him for 3 months; and in this dangerous situation, he was saved by the princess of Egypt. Moses experienced the grace and the salvation of God first and then he was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.
Today, brothers and sisters might admire Moses’ family background. In fact, Moses was not a proud person, but studied harder and learned all that he could while in Egypt.
"If God gives you a chance, and you work hard, God will be kind to you. Without complaining, all we have to do is to do our part, study, and equip ourselves," Pastor Zhang exhorted.
It is God’s grace that we can be a child of God. When we work hard the leaders in our workplace cannot stop God from rewarding us; if God wants to use you, he will provide opportunities for you to work and prepare for future positions.
2. Think hard after learning.
A person who studies hard then needs to know how to use what they learned. Moses learned all that he could while in Egypt, and then he also constantly reflected and thought to integrate and digest the knowledge, so he acquired the ability and power to speak and act.
The way of education of the Jewish people is very different from ours. The Israelis are very clever and have the most Nobel Prize winners. A Jewish rabbi said:” A good question will have a good answer. A good question leads to a search.” Studying hard is the most basic foundation and gives one basic skills, when you reflect on this foundation of learning, then you can grow and mature.
“After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.” (Luke 2:46) When Jesus went to Jerusalem at the age of 12 for the Feast of the Passover, he sat among those teachers with knowledge, asking questions and listening. This was a very good way to learn. Although the Lord Jesus didn’t study in a seminary nor was he taught by the scribes, he was knowledgeable. When we are studying, we can also ask questions like Jesus.
3. Be pious in faith.
“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.” (Hebrews 11:24-26)
Moses received a very good social and cultural education from his adoptive mother, the Egyptian princess, and a good education in the faith he had inherited from his own mother. Today Christians also need both types of education when they teach children.
Moses’ biological mother taught him that although he was the adopted son of the Egyptian princess, he should not forget that he was an Israeli and elect of God, and he must not forget his compatriots and his own God. At the same time, she cultivated his patriotic feelings and the love of God. Moses' mother wasn’t selfish, wanting him to simply live a good life in the palace, but she was willing to have him leave and endure hardship so he could truly believe in God and be used by Him. But others might have the opposite education. You might enjoy life temporarily, but if you don’t have the blessing of faith, after all, it would be empty.
Preacher Zhang shared an example of an outstanding person named Ling Wangjie, who was the vice president of Tang Chongrong International Missionary Group, a music professional and conductor. He prayed every time before conducting: "No matter how I conduct, I trust God and ask him to help me". In the end, he also prayed and gave all the glory to God. This happened every time that he conducted music. Should we imitate him in our workplace? At the same time, like Moses, we must not only learn as much as possible but also be serious in our faith. These two should go hand in hand, honoring God and bringing benefits to people.
-Translated by Abigail Wu
