Self-Perception

Acts 7:22 Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.

We all know people who seem to be oblivious to their own lives. They say and do two or more different things without ever realizing the conflict. Their inner and outer world are from two different planets. And they act as though they were living a consistent life.

You know the type. They fly around the world in their private jets and then speak about the dangers of CO2 emissions. They dance at a party during a health scare and then tell everyone else to avoid crowds. They talk about the need to loose weight while scarfing down a fully loaded baked potato and a 12oz steak.

But sometimes the difference between reality and the self-perception is more subtle. A millionaire who complains about the price of anything while ignoring the real plight of millions around the world who have nothing! They give the 1/10th of 1 percent to some charity, dressed up in a big format check, and act as if they have done their bit to help.

Or maybe it is the spouse who speaks unkindly to their mate, not realizing that they get angry about exactly the same thing themselves at work. Or the person who complains about the lack of a generous spirit in the server and fails to tip appropriately at the restaurant. Or the person who sees someone else hurting and fails to recognize their own hurt.

Moses was such a person. In the famous conversation prior to the Ten Plagues of Egypt tour, Moses claims he can’t do what the LORD wants him to do because he can’t speak well! And yet everything the text tells us is that Moses spoke very well, very confidently, very proficiently. Moses’ belief about himself was wrong.

Moses had to believe in himself before he could pursue what the LORD had called him to do. Not that he relied on his own strength to accomplish the task, but that the LORD wouldn’t call him to do something without also providing the resources to do it. With the call comes the ability.

The writer of our text summarized the reality of Moses’ work. He was a pillar in the faith of millions. He stood as a model of godly behavior. Not perfect, but someone to emulated in faith.

But Moses would never have believed this about himself. He thought he was weak and indecisive, unable to be the LORD’s spokesman. And apart from the LORD’s presence, that is exactly what he was, an empty vessel.

But empty vessels are needed. I think we have enough vessels that are filled with themselves! We need accurate assessments of ourselves and our abilities and inabilities. We need to take time to make that assessment. We need to listen to others who we trust. We can even learn things about ourselves from those who attack us.