The Sunday Mail
The gift of life is by the grace of God.
Sometimes as young people we tend to forget this. Life’s responsibilities might not have caught up with you yet and you have all the energy in the world. Everything seems to be happening all by itself. Take time to thank God and to reflect on His goodness so far. Particularly now that we have gone through a quarter of the year and will be commemorating the independence of our beloved nation soon.
I encourage you to trust in God.
Today’s root word is “believe”.
Hebrews 11 v 6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
So much can be said about this verse but l will only focus on the statement that we have to “believe that he is”. The word believe can be defined as to accept as true or to have a firm conviction as to the goodness of something.
Believability is that quality that causes something to be credible or trustworthy. Naturally as Christians, we should believe in God and believe in His word. However, the lifestyles of many youths leave so much to be desired.
For instance, there is a common craze of small houses and Ben 10s. People doing this will argue that they need to survive, wear nice clothes and have the latest gadgets. They are choosing to trust in man and betray their better judgement.
The young men who give themselves to older women for sexual pleasure and monetary benefits are betraying their own convictions and choosing to trust in man.
Sometimes, people do this out of loneliness when they want to feel accepted. ln some cases, people get involved in unscrupulous dealings just to get by.
Get me right, I know that life can get tough. However, this is what the apostle Paul says about putting your faith in the arm of the flesh in Galatians 6 v 8, “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
There is a man in scripture whose life exemplifies this Galatians 6 v 8. This man is Moses. He is born in a very difficult time. ln fact, he should have been killed at birth, his parents trusted God and put him in a basket and let him float in the River Nile.
By believing in God, his parents saved his life and Moses landed up in the house of Pharaoh where he received the best education in the land and lived the best life any young boy could dream of. Had his parents believed in their own strength, they would have gotten Moses killed or he would have lived a very mediocre life.
Faith put Moses in a position to be a potential heir to Pharaoh’s throne. Moses was a very powerful man when he came of age, he was a top brass military general and a very astute academic. He had the best life possible at that time and he began to believe in his own ability.
However, this led to his downfall as he killed an Egyptian in his quest to deliver Israel by his own strength. Ashamed Moses ran away into the desert with absolutely nothing to his name. Had he trusted God, the story would have been different.
It took Moses forty years to get rid of the pride and get to a place where he could trust in God. In Exodus chapter 3, Moses has an encounter with God and as he is about to go to deliver the children of Israel, God speaks to him.
Exodus 3 v 14 says, “And God said unto Moses, I am that l am. Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent me unto you.”
God was saying that I am whatever you need me to be for you. I can be your friend, your father, your provider, your healer, your place of rest and comfort.
I can get you that job or contract, I can answer your prayer no matter how complex or difficult it might seem. God was saying tell my people to believe in me because I am credible, I am trustworthy, I am true to my word.
God has never let anyone down. He is not going to start with you. God used Moses to set over three million people free through many amazing miracles.
God did not just come through for Moses alone but for Joshua, Caleb, Gideon, Deborah, Samuel, David, Ruth, Esther, Peter and Paul. He will do the same for you today.
Do not trust in your own strength or the strength of an uncle or aunt or a man, woman or friend. Believe in God. He is dependable, your future is secure in Him.
God bless you.
Tinashe Zinyemba is a pastor with New Life Covenant Church. Email feedback to [email protected]
