The Great People of God And Their Defects

The Great People of God And Their Defects                                      Kelly Durant

Exodus 4:10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

2. In life there exists no perfection! Our tendency as fallen creatures is to want to trick ourselves into thinking we can look perfect and make our world perfect, but that is just pride. A good illustration of someone who thought they were perfect is in one of the books of C.S. Lewis (I recommend you read his books). He was an atheist but he converted to Christianity and he became an impressive writer, and he mentions a certain wealthy lady in one of his books who thought she was all that.

This woman was of class and wealth and her clothes were always expensive and perfect, her hair as well, and she even had a poodle that was groomed to appear as perfect as her that followed her around. She was known in the high social circles as she would always bring along her little poodle with its nose in the air with her. She always thought she was better than everyone because she was a high faulting lady and more distinguished than the subjects around her.

But there was a serious defect! Not noticed by her was the fact that few people wanted to be near her because her poodle would fart often. So the people, not knowing it was the poodle would have an unpleasant experience while talking to her in her company. She was use to it and never even noticed! This situation proves the point that nothing is ever as perfect as we think. Something defective or unpleasant exists in everyone! The proud self-righteous perfect people carry around their own stench! Today we must ask ourselves, do I have something unpleasant about myself?

3. Why do I bring this up? Because all of us, being creatures with pride, want to believe we are better than others around us. Some want to think God favors them more and tend to brag. You can be a holy and pure Christian but if spiritual pride exists, then you are not as righteous as you think! Self-righteous hypocrites offend God and others by their lack of love and compassion. 

And when it comes to pride, God has his ways of bringing people down to size. For example, Paul, who was a man who was in the two most important circles in his day with the cream of the crop. He was a Roman, and this gave him power as the police have today, and he was a Jew, which gave him spiritual authority over those in the land of Israel at that time as well. These were coveted positions!

Not only did Paul have power, he prided in the fact that he was perfect in all regards concerning following the law. He spoke Greek, apart from Hebrew and Aramaic, and he probably was well built and strong, and he had privilege…so much more than the commoners. He was so perfect he decided that he needed to rid the empire of imperfection, so he targeted the Christians! Why them? Because they neither worshipped as a Roman or a Jew god, but rather they worshipped a simple crucified carpenter that they claimed was the Son of God because He had resurrected unto glory.

4. So how did his plans go? Always remember, there are your plans, and then there are God’s plans! He was blinded on his way to Damascus to persecute the Christians and later we discover that ever since he had that experience he had a defect in his body.  He then asked God to heal him three times but He did not get healed, so he just had to live with it. Many theologians suspect it was poor eyesight, as after all, scales did fall off his eyes after seeing the brightness of Jesus. Something became a thorn in his flesh and so he lived with this defect until he went to be with Jesus.

So after Paul saw Jesus, after he had his ‘Road-to-Damascus experience’ and took a radical change of heart towards God and his people, notice how he got healed after being blind from that light for 3 days. Acts 9:18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. He could see again, but possibly his sight was not as perfect as before.

2 Cor. 12:8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

5. Here is the situation, any of us are often tempted to think that the people of the world live more prosperous, happier, and live with fewer defects or problems than what one does. So why be a Christian then if our defects will not always disappear? God has the answers and we don’t always get to know them immediately. In the neighborhoods of big cities, the perception of a person may be that everyone around them are poor, even those going to church.  But then you see the bad guy who sells drugs, or pimps girls always having big money and lives the life, so many are tempted to think, why be good if I’ll never get rich and have the good life? Here is a Psalm to answer that.

Psalm 37 Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb.3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land,  and feed on His faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.

We must recall that prosperity for those who practice evil is short lived and soon they end up shamed, in jail, diseased, or dead! And then they pay in hell if there was no repentance! We can be tempted to think we are defective because we have less than others, but just like with Paul, sometimes God knocks us off our high horses.

6. One more thing about the rich and famous, in our era of information we are all aware of all of what evil goes on inside the homes of these despotic partiers. When I was young the Kennedys were idolized as the perfect ones, but look at their scandalous fruits 50 years later, many of them died young, living as drugs addicts and consumed by their lavish extravagant lifestyle.  Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So you may conclude, I get it now, certain evils and punishments befall certain families due to their own sins; they are reaping what they have sewn. So some flaws in our lives are from bad choices. And consider, as in the case of Paul, God intervened and slowed him down in order to use him for His purposes because he was on the road to do evil and murder. So God intervenes in some cases to correct us, but what about the case of people who are born with problems?

What about people that have defects that God seemed to have allowed even though they are chosen by Him for a mission? Does this seem unfair? Our verse of today, Ex 4:10, exposes that Moses was slow of speech, and some interpretations imply he stuttered, and could not speak well. There are several lessons here.

7. For one, God allows many things in our lives because it causes us to depend on Him. In the case of Moses, he had been a spoiled prince, and he had anger issues, so if he had been perfect, he probably would not have sought for God’s guidance near as much. He argued with God about it and let’s read on for the answer.   

Ex. 4:11 So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.” 13 But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.”14 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do.

So despite his impediment, God made a way for him to continue his mission! I have known many people who when they have some problem they just give up. But giving up with God is not an option! I have known people in wheelchairs that have passed out gospel tracts on busy sidewalks. My oldest son was born deaf yet he communicates the gospel of Jesus to others on the internet with sign language on videos. No matter our circumstances, God wants us to be useful!

8. So when you are God’s child, you will in life have problems or defects of some kind, maybe problems in the family, (Moses escaped Egypt but not his physical impediment), and currently you may be in a situation that seems quite unfair.  So what does having flaws and problems mean when you want to do God’s good work? It means that you just have to exercise your faith and trust God!  In the end God knows what He is doing in your life and even if you don’t, you and I must work around it and keep on going for Him!

Here is the challenge, you and I must spend time on our knees to get over our own inferiority, excuses, and defects! Sometimes we can obsess about our own selves, over our own selfish needs and we forget the bigger picture of what God’s work is and what He is doing. We must remember that apart from the challenges God allows in our lives, Satan as well will always be behind us, harassing us, trying to get us to fail and give up and curse God over our problems. But Satan flees when he sees the weakest saint on his knees!

So remember this example of Paul in the Bible, who after 3 prayers did not get healing, did not quit nor even think of giving up in His service for God! And listen to all of this that he suffered later; 2 Cor. 11: 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

9. So how is it going to be with you? Are you still going to lament any situation you may be going though? Forget having the idea of trying to have a perfect life and world, that will only happen in heaven! God’s word makes it clear there are no excuses for not remaining faithful to Him and serving Him, no excuses at all! No excuses over problems, no excuses because you were high class and got humbled, (as Paul and Moses were), and no excuses even if you have a physical impendent. God wants to use the weak to confound the strong!

I know many people who have even questioned the lives of me and my wife. How is it you are serving God and God allowed you to have a deaf son? But God showed me and my wife in prayer that we had the capacity to learn his language so we could teach Him so that he could lead other deaf people to Jesus. Paul has done that many times over!

And I lost count how many times people shared this verse with me, John 9:3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I got chosen by God maybe because God knew my wife and I were strong enough to manage it. Most families with kids with some big problem get divorced but then the child suffers greatly! That kind of suffering provoked on an innocent one is a heavy sin, and man provoked not approved by God, and I always am bothered by irresponsible, unloving, and worthless parents.

10. In conclusion, the people of God have always had to endure big problems! But notice that the people of the world suffer worse without any consolation from God or Christian friends! Some people take drugs or live lavishly or dangerously in order to cope with their fear over a loss of acceptance, fortune, or fame. I would rather suffer having God close, than to keep God at a distance as these sad people do. They think that if they let God alone that He will leave them alone in peace to live and abuse others as they please! It does not work like that! There is no peace or rest for the wicked! But Jesus said that He leaves us peace! I have experienced this Holy Spirit peace and it is real!

Our calling is to endure trials, and be glorious even within the broken circumstances that God allows in our lives! And when it comes to problems regarding Satan’s persecutions, you and I just put on the armor of God and fight back, knowing that he is a loser and destroyer! We may get shaken, but we come out victorious against him! John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

You and I often do not chose the problems that come our way, nor do we chose our parents, our race, or our body type, which usually has some defective problem (doesn’t everyone’s?), but you and I can choose whether we will allow God to help us to overcome these trials and weaknesses and become victorious or not. Jesus lives in heaven where there is perfection, holiness, and pure love, and He has promised us a home there too for our faithfulness. So in the meantime keep on enduring in the fight against all of these physical and spiritual battles. Earth is a temporary school and it is not our home. The Kingdom of God will be our eternal home, thank God and Jesus for that! Let’s pray