Are you more faithful to God than Moses was?

"And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant, for a testimony of those which would be spoken afterward" - Hebrews 3:5.

Think about it: a wealthy man has a son and a servant, from which of them do you think he would expect and demand more faithfulness and commitment from? I reckon the son. The man would expect and demand more faithfulness and commitment to him from his own son than from a servant.

Why, you ask? Well, the reasons are not far fetched...

First, the servant, unlike the son, does not have a legitimate part in the man's possessions - no matter how well he serves. If he does get a part in the man's possessions, it would be out of the man's sheer generosity, not as his right!
But the son does. The son has a part in the man's possessions, not because he did anything, but simply because he is a son!

Also, as a servant, he does not enjoy the privileges of the son, like intimate fellowship through quality time together with the man. He is only a servant after all. Parents don't usually hang out with their servants, do they? They usually do so with their sons and daughters.

That is not to say the man (or parents generally) is wicked or anything of the sort, it's just that he is only a servant.
And like Jesus said in John 15:15 "a servant does not know what his master is doing". The son, on the other hand, gets to spend time with the man - his father, and they share their hearts with one another. Thus, they develop a close relationship.


Image source: joe

Indeed, a son enjoys a lot of perks! The privileges of being a son are plentiful! Even a parent who does not have much would go out of his/her way to provide for, not a servant, but a son (and daughter).

As it should be, one who enjoy certain rights and privileges should also know that he has certain obligations. You don't enjoy rights and privileges and not keep your end of the deal - your obligations.

And for the son who enjoys these privileges and much more (which the servant does not), the father expects and demands more loyalty, commitment, obedience and faithfulness from him. It's his obligation!

The father expects the son to be devoted to him and to give his very best for his (the father's) business...

I reckon this also applies with God...

We follow in the footsteps of Jesus and call the God of heaven "Father" (Matthew 6:9, John 5:17), and rightly so for He indeed is. He is our dear heavenly Father.
He has adopted us as His dear children (Romans 8:15, John 1:12), and given us UNPRECEDENTED access to many rights and privileges, such as:
- His Spirit to indwell and lead us (1 Corinthians 6:19, Romans 8:14)
- His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21)
- Power over all works of darkness (Mark 16:17-18)
- Confidence to approach His throne and obtain help in times of need (Hebrews 4:16)
- Revelational knowledge of His word (2 Corinthians 3:18)
- His mercy (1 Peter 2:10)
- His grace and much more....

God expects and demands more - more loyalty, more commitment, more obedience, more faithfulness, more holiness, more uprightness - from us, than from the likes of Moses, Job, Noah, Elijah. Why? We are sons and daughters, they were all just servants.

God has not lowered the standards of what He expects and demands of His own. Actually, the bar was raised (Matthew 5:20, read on to the end). Yes, grace raised the standards!

God's standard is PERFECT HOLINESS (Isaiah 6:3, Matthew 5:48, Hebrews 12:14); and He expects and demands even more of this from us than He got from any of His servants! God, our Father as we so openly profess, expects more from us His sons and daughters - just as any father would expect from the son.

- Moses, A SERVANT, "was faithful in all his house" (Hebrews 3:5);
- Of Job, ANOTHER SERVANT, God said, "My servant Job... a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shunned evil." (Job 1:8);
- Noah, ANOTHER SERVANT, was called "a just man, perfect in all his generations... [he] walked with God." (Genesis 6:9). Also, "according to all that God commanded him, so he (Noah) did". (Genesis 6:22).

Yet, to none of them was it said that they would be "partakers of His holiness" (Hebrews 12:10), nor that they were "children of God...heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:16, 17), neither were they called "the temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 6:19)...
At best, they were servants, or children of Israel, not children (son or daughter) of God.

No responsible father would lower the bar/standard for his children!
No serious father trains the servant harder than he trains the son!
God will not accept less from us than He demanded of say the Israelites! His standard of holiness, separation and devotion remains; it stands sure!

What does God expect and demand of us His children?
1. "You shall love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, with ALL your soul and with ALL your mind." - Matthew 22:37.

2. "Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Almighty." - 2 Corinthians 6:17-18.

3. "Fear God and keep His commandments" - Ecclesiastes 12:13.

4. "that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." - Romans 12:1-2.

5. "whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things." - Philippians 4:8.

God help us as He always done. May His grace continue to enable us to grow into His true children who He, our Father, would be proud of and well pleased in. In Jesus' name. Amen.