Wandering Crusader #262 Do Not Pass Go

Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. Exodus 3:10

Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s house but chose to leave its luxury in favor of his Jewish heritage. Seeing a Jewish slave being beaten by an Egyptian, he intervened and killed the overseer. The deed became known, and Pharaoh pronounced a death sentence upon Moses.

Moses ran for his life. Years later, in the course of his shepherd duties, he happened upon a bush burning in the desert. The strange thing was that the bush was not consumed by the flames. Naturally, he turned aside for a closer look. In doing so, he stumbled upon God. In the course of their conversation, God told Moses about His plans for him. “I’m sending you to Pharaoh.”

Think about what going back to Pharaoh means for Moses. The command for his death is still in force. God is telling Moses He wants him to walk right into the jaws of death. Now, God may not ask that of you and me. However, there is a principle of God at work in His words. When you go wrong, when you fail or sin, the way to redemption is to return to the point where you went wrong. Do not pass go and do not collect $200.

Unlike students in today’s education system, God does not give you a pass because you participated, you tried your best, or you were afraid. It may not happen immediately, but rest assured, you will take every test God has appointed for you again and again until you pass it.

Nevertheless, Christianity is not reformation. It is not about conforming our behavior to a set of rules. Christianity is a journey of transformation, of becoming a new person from the inside out. It is quite literally being born again. God sees this transformation as accomplished and as taking place. He sees what He has made you and how to get you there. Perhaps the greatest impediment to new life is old fears.

The scriptures affirm that God has not given us the spirit of fear. The fear to speak up, the fear to stand out, the fear to be different, and a hundred other fears all spring from our fear about what transformation will cost us. I’m not talking about the loss of money, friends, or family. More than anything else, I’m talking about our fear of losing our autonomy and who we are as an individual. The world imagines Christians as automatons marching in mindless lockstep.

The new person God is making us is as unique as our fingerprints or the DNA we possess. God calls for every Christian to produce spiritual fruit. In his writing to the Galatians, Paul lists nine fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. All Christians are called to grow these traits to holy perfection. However, there is not a single path to growth. Every person’s path is unique; the lesson plan is tailored just for them. The end result is a perfect Joe and a perfect Mary. Each person in Christ modelling His perfection..

So, where do we begin? At the point where we went wrong, of course. In a manner of speaking, we are being sent to Pharaoh. We will find him in the palace of our desires, where we first rejected Christ and demanded His crucifixion so we could live our life as we wished.

Maranatha