“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.” Hebrews 11:23
We talk a lot about the dreadful condition and the desperate need of our nation, but few actually do anything about it. Why? We Christians also talk a great deal about winning the lost before it is too late, but very few make any effort to do so. Why? I believe the answer is the same in both cases. Perhaps this illustration from Paul Chappell will help.
Russia was a controversial place during the early 1900s. Led by a dictator named Stalin, the country built up forces just in time for World War 2, a war that saw them betrayed by their “ally” Hitler, and eventually led to their switch to the Allied side of the war. One of Stalin’s leaders in his regime was Nikita Khrushchev. Khrushchev served many different roles including soldier, military leader, ruler of Ukraine, and party official. Khrushchev had a hand in a lot that went on during Stalin’s rule. After the death of Stalin, a long battle for the control of Russia took place, eventually leading to Khrushchev’s rise to power.
While in office, Khrushchev sought to de-Stalinize the nation and move them toward a more liberal form of government. He publicly denounced Stalin’s policies and ideas and spoke of his own ideas for moving Russia forward into a time of prosperity and growth. At one such meeting, he spent an unusual amount of time degrading Stalin. After his speech, during the comment period, someone in the crowd yelled out, “You worked with Stalin. Why didn’t you stop him?” A hush came over the room, and Khrushchev angrily boomed, “Who said that?” No one replied. “Now you know why I did nothing” he explained.
Khrushchev’s fear of Stalin kept him from speaking out against the atrocities Stalin committed. He allowed his fear to cause him to follow along in practices he knew were wrong, but no matter how much he detested Stalin, or how loudly he renounced his ideas, Khrushchev was always tied to the acts of the previous administration.
Even so, fear often causes us to neglect doing what we know we should do. Doing what is right often involves risk and/or sacrifice. We know what we should do, but we are frozen by fear. Fortunately, for Israel, the parents of Moses fought through their fears and did what was right. What about you?
If the need is truly as great as we say it is, should we not be making our very best effort to meet it? Don’t allow fear to rule your life and ruin your usefulness. You don’t have the right to be that selfish! Obey God regardless of how you feel and trust Him to supply your needs and bless your efforts.
