The American Idol phenomenon has taken the world by storm. Many countries around the globe have their own version of it. Here in Canada, Canadian Idol consistently performs well in the television ratings sweeps. Some “idols” have launched incredibly successful careers.
I caught an interview with one of the show’s more successful winners. Her music is heard on top 10 radio and her videos play frequently on MTV. She’s releasing CDs, touring the world, and living the life of fame and fortune. Reflecting on her elevation from obscurity to super-stardom she commented on her recent home purchases, travel, fame, fine clothes, and pop icon status, concluding with this seemingly innocent statement: “I wouldn’t trade this for anything!”
A Good Trade?
How about you? Made any good trades lately? Sometimes I’m amazed when I think about what Moses gave up in order to hear and obey God’s call. We all want to trade up, don’t we? That’s the whole point of trading. Sports teams try to trade a player of lesser skill for a player of greater skill. When we buy or sell stocks and mutual funds we hope we are trading our cash for a security that will increase in value. We never trade down on purpose, only up.
So there’s Moses, a Hebrew by birth, suddenly enjoying the fame and acclaim that come with being the son of Pharoah’s daughter. His anger rises within him as he observes the condition of his enslaved countrymen in Egypt. Moses kills an Egyptian official who is brutalizing a Hebrew slave and is forced to flee Egypt for the land of Midian. Year’s later, Moses’ settled and peaceful life is interrupted again as God calls to him from within the burning bush. God calls Moses to trade his life of comfort for a life of risk and danger. Moses makes the right trade. He trusts God and obeys.
An Eternal Reward
Hebrews 11 says Moses “chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward” (Hebrews 11:25, 26).
When God calls with an assignment, it takes courage to make what appears to be a bad trade. Trust and obedience lead to an eternal reward. |L
Claudia Tune lives with her husband Jim in Mississauga, Ontario. Claudia is the Business Manager for Impact Canada, a church planting organization that starts new churches across Canada.
