God will choose us

God will choose us one day. Last week, we were talking about Exodus Chapter 2. It talks about different kinds of people: what kind of person you are, then what kind of fate you will have. Moses is a special person, but anyone who turns to God has to be a special person, and you and I have to know that. We may accept Christ, we all are very special, and somehow God will choose us one day.

In Exodus Chapter 3, the story of Moses started like this. Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law. That was his life: tending the flock every day. Can you imagine what kind of life it is? And he had been doing this for 40 years.

Can you imagine what kind of changes happened to the mind of Moses? Moses grew up in the palace of the Egyptian king. The King of Egypt took him very seriously and gabe Moses the best education of that time. Moses was quite a clever person, and he learnt things very fast. As a grown-up and full of confidence, he thought he could do many things. He did one thing: he killed an Egyptian. Then the king of Egypt wanted to kill him. That's why Moses ran away. Moses running away is kind of shock to his mind: he used to be leading a good life, but now he was in running.

Life in comfort

I don't know what you would feel if you used to live in the palace, but suddenly, the king started to chase you and wanted to kill you. Put yourself in his shoes. That sort of feeling that is quite horrible. Can you imagine that kind of feeling?

At the age of 40, Moses was full of confidence. He wanted to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt. But God did not use him at all. In the end, the story became a bad situation year after year. He ran in the wilderness, and then he married into the family of Jethro, the priest in Midian. Moses married Jethro's daughter. That kind of marital status in the family was horrible and was considered relatively low for Moses. Then he started to tend the flock of his father-in-law.

Get rid of your self confidence

One year later, he thought God would call him, but that never happened. Yet another year passed by, and he thought that God was going to call him, that God was going to use him. But that also never happened. Ten years passed by, and he became to.have little confidence that God would call him anymore. He probably thought: “I'm nobody, I'm nobody at all.” Before he was 40 years old, he was full of confidence. But after years and yeara of tending the flocks of his father-in-law, he had no more confidence. Another ten years passed; he probably lost all the hope after so many years of waiting.

I don't know that kind of feeling in Moses. He was supposed to be born into this world to be somebody. But in the end, he became a nobody.

God can use you only when you become nobody

God will use you only when you feel you are a nobody. You probably think you're nobody, but God might call you one day. Prepare yourself. You probably do not know how to prepare yourself, but God will prepare you. You will go through the journey. You will go through the journey like Moses and be psychologically defeated and start to think that you are nobody. That is God preparing you. God was preparing Moses to be used, and God can only use a person who feels like nobody. That has happened to many people.

Now, if you feel and think: "God, when are you going to call me?" And at this time, God is going to call you. God is preparing you to deliver His people out of Egypt. If you and I still think we are somebody, it is probably difficult for God to use us. Sometimes, we might even be used by the devil. Moses had been tending the flocks of his father-in-law for 40 years. 40 years is not short at all. When Moses was 40, he was a very energetic person. He was very strong, with a lot of muscle; he had a lot of knowledge and he could talk very well. After another 40 years, he could not talk anymore. Sometimes, he opened his mouth but couldn't even utter a single word. He had lost all the confidence

True confidence in the Lord

Let me share with you something about confidence. Confidence is not useful, if you're confident about yourself. But if you lost your self-confidence, you should build up your confidence in God. You should build up your faith in God.

God was preparing Moses. After 40 years, something beyond his imagination happened. Moses saw something burning, a burning fire within the bush. Moses saw that although the fire was burning, the bush was not burned up, and he wanted to go over and see. This is very interesting. He thought he had lost all his confidence. He had lost all hope. He would probably not be interested in anything. He might even want to stop doing this dirty job of tending the flocks every day.

Can you imagine how horrible life is? Your whole body and your clothes were getting all the stains, and all the smell of the animals. Do you know the smell of animals? Animals go anywhere to discharge. If you don't even bother the animal, they don't have the habit of going to the toilet. But how come Moses still had this kind of interest in looking at the fire and the burning bush?

Build your character; it determines your fate

Let me tell you: When God wants to call you, when God is preparing a kind of person, no matter how horrible life can be, God will still call a person with character. No matter how smelly he is, God will call the person who has the character. Your character will determine your fate. Your character plays a significant role: it determines whether God will call you or not.

Can you imagine Moses tending the flock every day, sometimes happy, sometimes depressed? Sometimes I get this unhappy feeling. What kind of animal are you? Every day he sees the flocks moving here and there, looking for a good patch of land. Moses might talk to his flock: “Do you want to eat? Who wants to eat? I also want to eat now." If he was carelessly tending the flock, do you think God would have chosen him? No. But know this: you must build up your character no matter who you are. I'm very sure: When Moses tended the flock, he was very serious about this job.

God chooses people with positive attitude

Back in the old days, I started studying the Bible and read the stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jacob was also tending the flock for his father-in-law for 20 years. The flock of sheep were under the care of Jacob and the flock was fortunate to have this kind of shepherd. God is looking for a good shepherd. I believe Moses knew the story of Jacob.

Moses also tended the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law. Although the flock did not belong to Moses, Moses was doing his due diligence. No matter what kind of job position you are holding, no matter what kind of status you are in your family or company, do you have this kind of attitude? God chooses people who have a good attitude. Even today, if you study the human resource management, the book tells us: employ a good attitude. Your caliber is just one thing, if you don’t have a good attitude, your caliber doesn’t even count.

Know how to live and enjoy life

I was thinking about this: all these people know how to enjoy life. God did not call Moses for so many years. Moses was in the palace for 40 years, then tending the flock for 40 years. Moses was hoping God would call him one day, but the chance was getting slimmer and slimmer. “Never mind,” probably Moses said to himself: “I am getting older and older, year after year, getting to the age of 80, I don't know when God will call me, but at least I have a good attitude towards life and work.” Let me tell you, people like Joseph, Jacob and Moses all knew how to live.

Some people would say: “How to live? That is very easy: three meals a day, sleep on time and work on time. I am not enthusiastic because I am not that kind of person, I just don’t enjoy it.” I was wondering: "Do you really know how to live your life?" These people do not know how to live their life. But Moses, Jacob and Joseph know how to live their life. Whenever these people started doing something, they wanted to do a good job and achieve good working results.

God is looking for a good shepherd

If a sheep was taken away by a wolf or a lion, what would you do in that situation? Would you chase after the wolf or lion and take back the sheep? Do you want to risk of your life? Tending a flock will draw attention from the wild animals, like wolves and lions. A variety of wild animals would chase after you; they are all looking for a chance to get the prey. I believe Moses is a kind of person who has very good working attitude, otherwise God will not call him. Moses was tending the flock and he was looking for a patch of land to be food for his flock of sheep. All flocks and herds were under his care. God is looking for a good shepherd.

There is another person called David, a typical example in the Bible. King David lived a few hundred years after Moses. When David was still a young boy, he was also tending the flock for his father. David was merely 16 or 17 years old. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, David went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. He even killed both lion and bear by hand. How amazing is that? God always chooses this kind of people. If you want to be called by God, to be chosen by God, and to be used by God, you need to work with God and prepare yourself for God.

God is preparing us like Moses

Moses had been preparing himself for so many years, until one day, he felt that he was not fit for the job at all. But eventually, God called Moses to lead Israelites out of Egypt. You will see, in the next chapter, Moses refused to take up the job. Moses was not confident enough, and somehow God pushed him and forced him to do the job. This is an interesting story. Moses probably wrote this for the Israelites when they came out from Egypt and was wondering in the desert: “Oh, actually I don’t want to do this job. It was God who forced me to take up this job. I don’t want to be the leader of three million Israelites; I was forced to do so.” Moses probably had this kind of thinking, but **the key is God will choose you when you are feeling like you are nobody. If you feel like you are someone, then you are not going to be chosen by God. God will only call you and choose you when you feel like nobody**. I learned a lesson and keep telling myself every day: *“You are nobody at all.”* Even today, the more people I have served, the more I feel like I am nobody. I will pay my due diligence to be the good shepherd and I will try to do a good job.

I am nobody, because everything is given by God and everything is the grace of God. Serving, ministering, praying for people and setting people free are all by the grace of God. It is my job, which I am supposed to do. If I don't do it, what am I going to do? One cup of coffee in the morning and another cup of coffee in the afternoon? I don't want to live that kind of life. How boring can that be? I would rather become smelly and mingle around with a flock of sheep. At least I have a purpose to live.

I know how to enjoy working, and how to enjoy being a pastor. I also enjoy deliverance and doing my due diligence. I study the word of God and distribute the spiritual food. God is looking for a good shepherd. If you can't even do your worldly job well and tend the flock on the earth, how can you handle the sheep of Almighty God?

God will call people who have character

Build up your character, know how to enjoy working and tend the flock. Moses saw the strange sight and tried to get closer, to see why the bush does not burn up. God said to Moses:

“Do not come any closer and take off your scandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. I am God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” (Exodus 3:5-6 NIV)

Do you know what that means? Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, all of them are very good shepherds. Especially Jacob: Jacob was tending the flock for his father-in-law and he was doing his due diligence for his job. His father-in-law was getting rich because Jacob was doing a good job. If you can't do a good job, the name of God will never be associated with your name.

So, you better know when you are tending the flock, you are tending the flock for Almighty God.

God wants to share His Glory with us

The Lord said: “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt, and I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So, I have come down to rescue them from the hand of Egyptians and bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey – the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:7-10 NIV)

Many people have misunderstood God, and could not grasp God’s intention of using his chosen people to do his job, to fulfill his plans. Our God is an Almighty God, he could easily create a strong wind and blow all the Israelites into the promised land. God did not want to do it. We need to figure out how God works. God works through people. God wants to share his glory with his chosen people and the people he called to serve Him. God Himself is glorious, and wants to display his glory.

Quite a while ago, I was taking a flight to another city, I was sitting next to a pastor who I had known for many years. We had not met for a long time. He told me that he had changed his occupation to  be a businessman. He was expressing his dissatisfaction as a pastor and said that it was a dirty and tough job. I told God that I do not want to become like this pastor. Serving God is a tough job? No. When I serve God, I am sharing our Almighty God’s glory. When I serve God, I am part of God’s glory. It is an honor to serve our great God.

We are nobody without God’s grace

Do you know what Moses said to God in Verse 11: “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” Moses knew he was nobody. God is looking for people like Moses who know they are nobody. God favors those who understand that everything they are given is by grace, not an entitlement. When we are taken advantage of by people, we know we are nobody, we are worthless.

We must change our perspective from the worldly perspective to God’s perspective. If God has given us the duty to tender the flocks or building a church, it is a grace from our Almighty God. When we are serving, ministering to people, and washing their feet, we know it is God’s grace. This is my job and was given by God. Look at Moses, he knew he was nobody and he did not grumble. Anytime we face tough situations, we start to murmur and complain. Enjoy your life. If you are nobody, you won’t be picky. If someone mistreats you, it will be alright, because you will think: “I am not worthy to be treated well”.

Do you understand my logic? A lot of people talk back to me and throw their emotions onto me. That is alright, I am nobody. A lot of people say to me: “Are you sure you are nobody?” But deep in my heart I know that is the truth. Sometimes I speak harshly, but I want to build them up and edify them. In fact, I know that I am nobody, I am not emotionally affected. When things get worse, whether money, food, it is alright.

Serving God is my destiny

I am not worthy to be alive, my life was given by God. God keeps me alive to fulfill his purpose. Serving Him is my destiny. That’s how I call it. He is my life. When I was born, God’s protection was upon me, and my breath was given by Him. Without God’s grace, I know I am not worthy to live for myself. “Who am I?” That is why if you tend the flock for your father-in-law, you wouldn’t complain. Moses was not a person who keeps on complaining. If someone doesn’t complain, it is because their foundation is “Who am I?” If you have the habit of complaining and murmuring, when someone asks you to tend their flock you will be very unhappy. If you have to do a dirty job, you will feel: “How come I have to do this dirty job?” If you know you are nobody, you will live a good and happy life. God will call you one day and choose you to serve him. If you think you are nobody, you won’t complain no matter what you do. Everything is a grace, given by God.

Which kingdom do you choose?

Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “ I AM WHO I AM . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘ I AM has sent me to you.’ ” God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD , the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation. (Exodus 3:13-15 NIV)

Today, how many people look like Abraham? How many people look like Isaac? How many people look like Jacob? How many people look like Moses? How many people have the character of Moses? There are two kingdoms. Which kingdom do you choose, a kingdom to build your wealth, your empire, and a name for yourself, or a kingdom to build God’s name, God’s glory, and be used by God? If you choose a kingdom to accumulate your wealth, your name, God will also choose you, but only for destruction. If you are nobody at all, you will be used by the Almighty God. His power will fill you, and you will serve Him through His power.

Let us learn from Moses, who stood in front of the King of Egypt, telling him what to do! That was extremely powerful. Moses was a nobody, but he had the opportunity to meet the King of Egypt, all because he was used by the Almighty God. Moses confronted the king of Egypt, and was able to tell the king what to do. In the end, even the king bowed down before him. Moses became somebody, but in his heart, he knew he was nobody and God used him to bring the Israelites out of Egypt with all the treasures of the land.

And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so, you will plunder the Egyptians.” (Exodus 3:21-22 NIV)

God chose Moses to be used by Him and made him powerful. If you choose to be nobody, God will choose you to fulfill your destiny. You will fulfill God’s plan. If you look at the worldly people, they always think they are somebody. But when we choose to be nobody, God will choose us. God will call us to deliver the people out of Egypt. That's what I have today to share with you.

Thank you all for bearing with me for so long. God bless you. Thank you very much.