What is in your hand?

Moses answered, ‘What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say,“The Lord did not appear to you”?'  Then the Lord said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’  

Exodus 4:1-2

When Moses was called by God to free His people from slavery in Egypt, his first thought was, that he was not up to the task.  The first words out of his mouth after hearing God's rescue plan are "What if..?"  Well we all know that is not the right way to respond to the King of the universe when he asks us to do something.  Even so... we can relate with Moses right?  

Jesus says "Go into ALL the world and make disciples of ALL nations!"  In other words, "Share the gospel, every one of you!" Like Moses our natural and first response is often to say "What if..?"

What if people don't believe me?
What if I don't know what to say?
What if look stupid?
What if... (fill in your own here)?

Well God's reply to Moses is "What is in your hand?"  In other words, "Don't worry about what you haven't got, be ready with what you have!"  As the story of God's rescue of the Israelites progresses, God does some pretty impressive stuff by using the staff that was in Moses hand.  Not because the staff or the one holding it is impressive but because the God behind them is impressive!

Jesus has called ALL of us to share our faith.  So lets not worry about what we can't do (we don't all have to be professional evangelist), but we can be ready with something in our hands!  

When I was first saved and felt the weight of Jesus command be serious about evangelism, I was worried I would mess it all up.  So I asked my Dad for advice.  He told me to always carry a Gospel tract in my pocket or bag.  Then I would always be ready to read it with or give it to someone, when they asked about my faith.  

So I did it.  I picked a tract, I went for "Two ways to live".  Sure enough one day the opportunity came up and I shared the Gospel for the first time with a young guy, simply by reading him that tract.  When the opportunity came I was ready with a something 'in my hand!'  Today I still try to carry at least one tract with me, everywhere I go.

"Let each one of us, if we have done nothing for Christ, begin to do something now. The distribution of tracts is the first thing!" 

C H Spurgeon

So let me ask you a question.  What is in your hand?  Are you ready to share your faith with the next person who asks?  Why not pick up a tract this Sunday at CEC from the welcome desk, put it in your bag, wallet or whatever.  So that next time God asks you to share your faith and you are tempted to think "What if..?" instead you are ready with something in your hand.