By Faith: The Faith of Moses

Faith is more than something we believe—it is something we live. Hebrews 11 reminds us of ordinary people who did extraordinary things because they trusted God, believed His promises, and considered seeking Him worth the effort. Throughout this series, we have been reminded that faith gives us confidence in what we cannot see and changes the way we live in what we can see.

This week, we look at Moses, whose story is different from many of the other heroes of faith. Abraham, Noah, David, and Joseph moved from ordinary circumstances into places of influence. Moses, however, began with access to royalty, wealth, education, and position—and chose to walk away from it all. Hebrews 11:24–27 tells us that by faith, Moses refused to be identified with Pharaoh's household, chose to suffer with God's people rather than enjoy temporary pleasures, and persevered because he saw the One who is invisible.

By Faith, Moses Refused

Moses had everything the world could have offered him: access, influence, resources, education, and potentially even the throne of Egypt. Yet he refused to let Pharaoh's house define who he was. He understood that his identity came from God.

We face the same choice today. Our careers, successes, failures, possessions, popularity, and positions can all try to tell us who we are. But as followers of Jesus, we already have an identity—we belong to Christ. We can have influence without allowing influence to possess us. We can have success without making success our identity.

Sometimes following God isn't about what He will give us. Sometimes it's about what we're willing to give up because we have found something greater.

By Faith, Moses Chose

Moses didn't simply walk away from something; he chose something greater. He chose God's people over Pharaoh's people, reproach over riches, and ultimately Christ over Egypt. Egypt offered comfort, but God offered a calling—and that calling would lead Moses to help bring God's people from slavery into freedom.

Living by faith means making that same choice every day. We have to ask ourselves: If someone watched my choices, would they conclude that Jesus is actually my greatest treasure?

We don't become different simply by trying harder to be different. We become different when Jesus becomes more valuable than everything competing for our hearts.

By Faith, Moses Saw

Moses was able to leave what was visible because he was focused on what others could not see. Hebrews 11:27 says he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible.

That is the heart of faith: believing what we cannot see enough to change how we live in what we can see.

When obedience is costly, when prayers seem unanswered, when relationships don't seem to change, when we're waiting for a prodigal to come home, or when the miracle we hoped for doesn't happen, we keep going by fixing our eyes on Jesus. We remember what God's Word tells us about who He is, what He has done, His faithfulness throughout history, His love for us, and the promise that He is coming again.

We are called to be different—not simply so the world will recognize us as Christians, but so that our lives make people want what we have found in Jesus. When we have seen Jesus, we forgive differently. We treat people differently. We approach money, success, suffering, relationships, and everyday choices differently. We live differently because our eyes are fixed on Him.

Hebrews 12:2 reminds us to run our race with perseverance, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”

Different isn't a destination. Different is the evidence that we are living by faith.

When our eyes are fixed on Jesus, our lives will naturally begin to look different. Our attitudes, speech, priorities, patience, forgiveness, courage, and choices begin to change. We don't want to simply watch the “P90X video” of faith and expect transformation—we want to actually live it out.

Keeping our eyes fixed on Christ can be difficult. The distractions of this world can slowly pull our attention away through one small choice after another. But God is faithful, and He is a God of second, third, fourth, and fifth chances. When we recognize that our eyes have wandered, we can turn our focus back to Him.

So the question for each of us is simple: Is Jesus truly my greatest treasure?

May we be people who, like Moses, refuse what pulls us away from God, choose what is greater, and see what others cannot see. May we fix our eyes on Jesus, live by faith, and become the extraordinary people God has created us to be.