GOD WORKS THROUGH PEOPLE
Don’t Judge the Chapter When God Is Still Writing the Story
One of the greatest revelations we can understand about the Kingdom of God is this:
God works through people.
God is sovereign, but throughout Scripture, we repeatedly see Him accomplishing His purposes through human relationships, environments, experiences, connections, and even seasons that do not initially look spiritual.
Sometimes we are looking for God in the spectacular while God is working through something that looks completely natural.
MOSES WAS BEING PREPARED BEFORE HE UNDERSTOOD HIS PURPOSE
Look at Moses.
Moses was born a Hebrew, but he was raised inside the Egyptian system.
Pharaoh’s daughter took him in, and Moses grew up in Pharaoh’s household.
Acts 7:22 says:
“And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.”
Think about that.
Before Moses ever stood before Pharaoh and said, “Let My people go,” he had already been exposed to Egypt.
He understood its culture.
He understood its systems.
He understood its leadership structure.
He received an Egyptian education.
He had been around influence, government, power, and administration.
What looked like a secular environment was still part of God’s preparation.
Moses didn’t know the entire picture yet, but God did.
Sometimes God will allow you to learn in an environment that doesn’t look anything like your final assignment.
Don’t confuse your training ground with your destination.
GOD CAN USE SECULAR ENVIRONMENTS FOR KINGDOM PURPOSES
We sometimes make the mistake of thinking that everything God uses must have a religious label attached to it.
But God can teach you leadership in corporate America.
He can teach you compassion in a hospital.
He can teach you discipline through athletics.
He can teach you administration through government.
He can teach you communication through business.
He can give you relationships and connections in places you never expected.
The environment may be secular, but the wisdom you gain can still be used for Kingdom purposes.
God knows how to take education, experience, relationships, mistakes, victories, failures, and connections and weave them together for His purpose.
Romans 8:28 reminds us:
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
It doesn’t say everything that happens is good.
It says God knows how to make all things work together for good.
LOOK AT WHO JESUS CHOSE
When Jesus began building His team, notice who He selected.
He didn’t primarily build His group of twelve from the religious establishment.
He called fishermen.
He called a tax collector.
He called ordinary working people from everyday society.
Why?
Because the Kingdom was never designed to exist only inside religious institutions.
Jesus was preparing people who would eventually carry the Gospel across cultures, communities, and nations.
There is something powerful about people who can communicate with people outside the walls of religion.
It takes a Kingdom mindset not merely a religious mindset to reach diverse people.
Religion can teach us how to operate inside the building.
Kingdom teaches us how to represent Christ everywhere we go.
DON’T WRITE PEOPLE OFF TOO EARLY
Now go back to Moses.
Moses eventually killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew.
Exodus 2:12 says:
“So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.”
Imagine if social media had existed.
Imagine the headlines.
Imagine the conversations.
Imagine what people would have called Moses.
Murderer.
Failure.
Disqualified.
Hypocrite.
Many people would have written Moses off completely.
But God saw something they couldn’t see.
God saw the full picture.
This doesn’t mean God approved of Moses killing the Egyptian. Wrong is still wrong, and actions have consequences.
But Moses’ worst chapter did not cancel God’s ability to redeem his story.
That’s important.
Because sometimes we see someone going in the wrong direction and immediately decide who they are going to become.
But I’ve learned to be careful about putting a period where God may have only placed a comma.
Instead of immediately writing somebody off, sometimes we need to say:
“They’re still working on their testimony.”
Because you don’t know what God is developing.
You don’t know what God is correcting.
You don’t know what God is teaching them.
You don’t know what wilderness experience is coming.
You don’t know what burning bush is ahead.
MOSES STILL NEEDED THE WILDERNESS
Egypt gave Moses education, but the wilderness gave him transformation.
Egypt taught him how powerful people operated.
The wilderness taught him how to depend on God.
Egypt exposed him to Pharaoh.
The wilderness introduced him to the burning bush.
Egypt developed certain skills.
The wilderness developed his character.
God used both environments.
That’s why we shouldn’t despise different seasons of our lives.
One season may develop your ability.
Another season may develop your humility.
Another may develop your patience.
Another may introduce you to relationships that become important years later.
You may not understand why you’re there while you’re there.
But God sees the full picture.
SEE PEOPLE THROUGH THE EYES OF FAITH
This is where faith changes how we treat people.
We don’t excuse destructive behavior.
We don’t call wrong right.
We don’t ignore accountability.
But neither do we assume someone’s present condition is their final destination.
Hebrews 11:1 says:
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Faith teaches us to see beyond what is visible right now.
When others saw an impulsive Moses, God saw a deliverer.
When others saw fishermen, Jesus saw apostles.
When others saw a tax collector, Jesus saw Matthew.
When others saw Saul persecuting Christians, God saw Paul carrying the Gospel to nations.
People see moments. God sees destinies.
GOD WORKS THROUGH PEOPLE
Never underestimate the people God places around you.
Your next connection may carry wisdom you need.
Your next conversation may open a door.
Your next collaboration may solve a problem.
Someone completely different from you may possess a piece of knowledge necessary for your assignment.
That’s why Kingdom people must learn how to build relationships across generations, cultures, professions, communities, and backgrounds.
We cannot reach a diverse world while being afraid of people who are different from us.
God works through people.
God works through relationships.
God works through education.
God works through experience.
God works through collaboration.
God even knows how to redeem our mistakes.
And sometimes the person everybody has written off is simply somewhere between Egypt and the burning bush.
So don’t judge the entire story by one chapter.
Don’t judge someone’s destiny by their present struggle.
Don’t judge your own future by a season you don’t understand.
God sees what we cannot see.
We may not have the full picture.
But we can see through the eyes of faith.
And when we cannot trace God’s hand, we can still trust His ability to take the pieces of a life and bring them together for His purpose.
**God works through people and God is always looking at the full picture.**I especially like “sometimes the person everybody has written off is simply somewhere between Egypt and the burning bush.”