Choosing Christ Above All Else

Study of the Life of Moses

09/02/20 – 09/09/20

By Michael Youssef, Ph D.  09/03/20

Read Hebrews 11:24-27.

The author of the book of Hebrews tells us that Moses chose to give up life as a prince of Egypt “for the sake of Christ” (11:26). Many people read that and wonder how Moses knew about Christ since he lived fifteen hundred years before Jesus. I’ll tell you how: Moses knew by faith. He trusted God. As the Passover lambs were being slaughtered, it was a foreshadowing of the death of Christ. And Moses had faith that if God could save His people from the tenth plague by the blood of livestock, He could also save them from their sins.

Faith not only saved Moses, it helped him to choose obedience. You see, when we give up the pleasures of this world in order to follow Christ, the road is never easy. Moses discovered this to be true in the wilderness as he led the stubborn, complaining Israelites for forty years. Faith is what sustained him. Faith is the key.

If you study the gospels, you’ll notice that Jesus never praised His disciples for their power, their wisdom, or their passion. But at times, He did praise them for their faith. Faith as small as a mustard seed can move a mountain and hurl it into the middle of the sea. Faith casts out demons. Faith makes God’s power manifest in the darkest of circumstances. Moses had this sort of faith, and by it, he could trust God to fulfill His promises, even those that were a long way off.

Prayer: Father, I want to develop deep faith in You. Help me to reflect on Your goodness and faithfulness. May I remember Your sure promises to strengthen my faith and choose to obey You even when the task is hard. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“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 11:26).