The treasures of Egypt did not hold him back, nor the pleasures of sin. Moses set his course. He refused to be called a prince of Egypt. Instead he chose affliction with the people of God.
If ever there was a case of laying aside a wealth of distractions, it was Moses.
Moses chose God’s vision. Why was he able to make the right choice?
You need to be able to answer this question. When you can answer it, then you’ll know how to:
- Filter out your own distractions.
- Draw near to Christ.
- Lay aside the sin which so easily entangles.
So, why did Moses choose God’s vision? What was his motivation?
Our first clue is in Hebrews 11:24. It says Moses acted “by faith.” Moses believed something about God, and this drove him to God’s vision. What was it that Moses believed? Whatever it was, he esteemed it “greater riches than the treasures of Egypt” (v. 26).
As we look at the passage, we see a surprise. What was this greater riches? It was the reproach of Christ. Moses actually sought to put himself in the way of hardship. He chose to “suffer affliction with the people of God.”
And here we come to the key to understanding Moses’ vision. Scripture doesn’t leave us wondering why Moses would esteem the reproach of Christ. It tells us plainly:
“For he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.”
Moses had set his vision on the promised blessing of God.
He was able to follow that vision because he understood its value to his own life. When you struggle to lay aside distractions, remember what distractions are. They are false promises of blessing. It will not do merely to remove such false promises; replace them in your heart with true promises!
7 promises to help you lay aside your distractions and keep the vision of Christ:
- He that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting (Galatians 6:8).
- Know that whatever good thing any man does, the same shall he receive of the Lord (Ephesians 6:8).
- Don’t harden your heart, but rather, hold the beginning of your confidence steadfast to the end, for if you do, you are made a partaker of Christ (Hebrews 3:14).
- Endure temptation and receive the blessing of God’s promised crown of life (James 1:12).
- Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time (1 Peter 5:6).
- Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward (2 John 1:8).
- Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city (Revelation 22:14).
Christian, what is the key to your motivation? Let it be that of Moses and the other writers of Scripture. Set your vision on the “recompense of the reward.”