Courage Begins at 80 – Part 1

 Confronting Pharaoh took a great deal of courage, especially for a man who had demonstrated little courage for the first 80 years of his life.

 A Hebrew who was adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter, Moses led a privileged life until he was 40 years old, when in a fit of rage he killed an Egyptian for beating a Hebrew. Moses fled to Midian, where he became a shepherd, married, and raised a family.

 After 40 quiet years, God spoke to Moses from a burning bush and told him that he was to lead the Hebrews from slavery to freedom. Moses objected, so God replied that he would be with Moses every step of the way and that Moses would succeed.

 But Moses needed more convincing. He asked for God’s name, in case people asked him. God gave it to him and told Moses exactly how to respond to convince people that God had called him. Moses insisted that people would not believe him, so God gave him three signs to use to convince others—and to convince Moses—that Moses was chosen by God.

 Next, Moses objected that he was “not eloquent” but “slow of speech and of tongue” (4:10). When God said that He would give Moses the right words to say, Moses said, “Send someone else” (v. 13). God, getting a little frustrated at this point, agreed to have Aaron accompany his brother Moses as God’s spokesman.

 Out of objections, Moses agreed to do what God asked. And the result, as they say, is history.

 At the end of his life, when he was 120 years old, Moses looked back on 40 years of leading the people of Israel. He had seen God at work every step of the way, and he instructed his people to “be strong and courageous” and trust in God.

 Just as he had started to do—reluctantly—when he was 80.

Chris Bolinger. After 27 years in tech, mostly as a product manager, Chris started Revitalize Ministries to help small-church leaders. He also served as an executive producer of the film “The Song.”

 So, he decided to write a Daily Strength for Men Book which has sold over 200,000 copies. The book is the foundation of CLC’s Getting Real program, and a Spanish translation is now available. Chris’s latest devotional, 52 Weeks of Strength for Men, became available in April 2022.

 A native of Akron, Ohio, Chris splits his time between northeast Ohio and southwest Florida. He became a grandfather in 2019. Find out more about Chris and his books at mensdevotionals.com..