Choosing Values :

Day 1 :

Theme: Are you like Moses? Do you experience emptiness, living life without a purpose or a vision, and without any significance.

Who is Moses?

* He has Hebrew parents. He is a miracle baby. He is supposed to bekilled, yet he lived. (refer to the study on lesson #1 last week).
* He is adopted by the wealthiest family. He is the grandson of the King, Pharaoh himself. He has the financial security, richness and the prestige of a Prince. After all, Moses is the PRINCE of Egypt. (Justas the new Disney movie is called.)
* He is educated in the best and the most powerful Egyptian education system, since he is in the King's family. He is educated with the egyptian wisdom and egyptian religion.
* He is in military leadership, this means that he has great physical attributes, he has the military intellectual, he has control, power andauthority. He could be in line for the next King/Pharaoh.
* He is at the very top of the pyramid. He had it all.

Moses, at the age of 40, has it all, whether it is power, control,authority, wealth, health, or prestige. Moses also has the love of hisfamily from both the blood family and the adopted family. Moses haseverything that any person can ever dream of. Yet, he is still looking for something more. What he has is not enough. His life is stillempty, still without a purpose or a vision, still without any significance.

Most people will come to this point, where Moses is. They have accomplish something in their life. They have reach some of their goals. They have a family, raising some children and are on the right track. But what does that mean? Is our life full? Do we still experience some emptiness? Do we know a purpose or a vision in life?What do we want to achieve with our life? Do we live with significance? Moses understands the power of choices. From choices comes decision.Decisions shows character.

Choices
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Decisions
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Character

Day 2:

Theme: Understanding what God can offer to you. Moses face an agonizing decision. Moses understands that this decisionis a LIFE TRANSFORMING decision. All of the things that he has and hehas accumulated (his wealth, his power, his pleasure and treausre) is atstake, depending on his decision.

What is Moses choices?

What is Moses choice going to be? Do you face the same challenge?What will be your choice?

Day 3 :

Theme: Can I have both the world and what God can offer?

Can Moses not make a decision? Can he have both what the world can offer and what God can offer? Does the decision has to be an "either or decision" or can it be a "somewhat compromised decision"?

There is many psychology theory nowadays on "compartmentalize" life.What it is a life that is put into different compartments. Therefore, there is compartment of following God, then there is another compartment of following the "world". This theory suggests that there is a way to create a compartment of a self seeking life, and there is an independent compartment of a self giving life. A compartment of following God's holy life and a compartment of following the world's sinful nature.

For forty years, Moses has tried to live both lives. He has Hebrew parents and he is Hebrew by blood, and he knows the Hebrew God. He is a Hebrew in his heart, and he trusts the Hebrew God in his heart. Yet he is dressed like the Egyptians, he talks the way the Egyptian talks, he practices the Egyptian's cultures/customs, he is one of the Egyptian and he even worships the Egyptian gods. Yes, Moses has tried of live both lives, but what is the result? He failed! The life that he wants is not satisfying enough. It still does not fulfill his emptiness and purpose/vision of life. Furthermore, he still can not find his significance.

You can't have the "world" on one hand and "God" on the other hand.Eventually the two lives will COLLIDE. Those two lives have different goal in life. One is self seeking and self pleasing, while the other is God seeking and God pleasing.

Moses had to choose between: "Life for Egypt" or "Life for the Kingdom of God". What will your choice be? Let us take the time to think on what do we want to achieve in the next ten years. So many times we onlythink about temporary things: today, and the next day. Life just simply "Goes on" and sure enough everything is just like "As the world turns". What do we want to achieve in the next 10 years, 20 years, 30years? What kind of significance are we going to have?

Day 4:

Theme: What do I have to give up to follow Jesus?

The key to victory is to have values. Values are driven by a vision. Moses found that there is a better life, a better reward than being the Prince of Egypt. He would rather be the Prince of God, then the Princeof Eqypt.

Hebrew 11:24-27

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son ofPharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people ofGod rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. Heregarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasure of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.

What does Moses have to give up? He has to give up:

* His prestige, title and authority: He refused to be known as the sonof Pharaoh's daughter.
* His security and pleasant life: He chose to be mistreated along withthe people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.*
His wealth: He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasure of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward (in heaven, in eternity).Yes, it is about the money. It is about the prestige. It is about the power. It is about the pleasures. Yes, it is about leaving all of them behind.

The joy of knowing Jesus, the fullness that it brings, is the secret oflife. This joy surpasses everything including what the world can offer,whether it be power, wealth, or its pleasures. Moses is able to go beyond the simple temporal pleasures, and to look beyond this life through the heaven's eyes and in eternity.

Do not misunderstand this message as Christians can not be wealthy. There are many examples in the Bible of very very rich people. To name a few: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, David, Solomon. Thedifference is, their focus in life is not those wealth anymore. Ifthose wealth is gone the next day, it is OK with them, because they puttheir hope, joy and peace in the love of God. Their wealth do notcontrol them, but they control their wealth. Some Christians are calledto be in high position and high wealth. Others are not. Moses isactually called to leave all that he have and have practically no wealth on earth, but thousands of reward in heaven.

What is our answer? Are we ready to follow Christ at any cost? Are we willing to submit our will to His will? Do we want to go beyond this temporal pleasures and look for eternity?

Note: By the way, for those that have the cassette or CD of the Princeof Eqypt, this movie captures Moses's decision very well through one of its songs (the title is something like "through heaven's eyes").

Day 5 :

Theme: People Need the Lord.

What did Moses see that makes him to decide to follow God instead of what the "world" can offer?

Moses sees the wounded people. He sees the Hebrews that were made slaves, and live in bondage. He sees people that are hurt, afraid, andlost. He sees people that need the Lord. Moses decided that he is no tgoing to be self seeking anymore. He decided that he is not going tostay back or to stay behind. He decided that He is going to make a difference.

What are we going to do with our lives? Do we still want to use all ofour times to serve our self seeking nature? Or do we want to use it to make a difference for the Kingdom of God? Yes, we do see people that are hurt, afraid, and lost all the time. People that go through life with many questions, confusions and seeking answers. We see people that are slaves of the "world" and live in bondage. On the other hand, we have the answers to their questions. We have the good news that can heal their hurt, and we have the good news that promises eternity. Whatare going to do? Are we going to stay back and stay behind, or do we want to make a difference.

Borden of the university of Yale, a missionary that died due to the illness in the mission camp, wrote in his diary, "no retreat, no reserveand no regret". Yes, there is no regret

Let the following hymn, that most of us has familiar with, be the final summary of this week's lesson.

I'd Rather Have Jesus :

I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I'd rather be His than have riches untold;
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands.
I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand

CHORUS:
Than to be the king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin's dread sway.
I'd rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.
I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause;
I'd rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I'd rather have Jesus than worldwide fame.
I'd rather be true to His holy name.
He's fairer than lilies of rarest bloom;
He's sweeter than honey from out the comb;
He's all that my hungering spirit needs.I'd rather have Jesus and let Him lead.

-end-

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Disclaimer
This material is a summary of the message that was preached by Pastor
Jack Graham at Prestonwood Baptist Church. The writer of this EBS
(Electronic Bible Study) made some changes and added some personal notes
that is necessary to customize this material into an electronic media, a
daily reading material and to better fit the audience.
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