The Older Version versus the Younger Version

¹ So the Lord said to Moses: “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. ² You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land. ³ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. ⁴ But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. ⁵ And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.” ⁶ Then Moses and Aaron did so; just as the Lord commanded them, so they did. ⁷ And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.
(Exodus 7:1-7)

The molding of Moses was a process, and a process takes time. At age forty, Moses was strong, educated, and skilled. He had political clout, military knowledge, physical gifting, and deep sympathy for his people. Surely, he was ready to lead. But it all fell apart. The people rejected him. Pharaoh wanted to kill him. He’s left with no other option but to flee to the wilderness, marry a priest’s daughter, have some kids, and shepherd flocks for his father-in-law. In a single attempt to take matters into his own hands, the dreams of a forty-year-old Moses came crashing down.

But forty years later, God meets Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3). He’s been an ordinary shepherd in a forgotten “wasteland.” Surely, any dreams of being used by God have faded into disappointment. Nonetheless, God wanted to use “this” Moses, but not the “earlier” version of Moses. So now, Moses spoke with a stutter, walked (limped) with a staff, overthrew the world’s mightiest nation, and delivered his people. The Lord chose the 80-year-old version of Moses and not the 40-year-old version (See Acts 7:23-30). D. L. Moody sagaciously said, “Moses spent forty years in Pharaoh’s court thinking he was somebody; forty years in the desert learning he was nobody; and forty years showing what God can do with somebody who found out he was nobody.” God was shaping the older version of Moses.

So, how do I develop my older self? In closing, notice seven ways you can keep developing your older self:

1. Always remember that the moment you stop learning, you stop growing.
2. Motivation will get you started. Good habits keep you going.
3. You don’t go into an opportunity. You grow into an opportunity. Focus on growing.
4. Surround yourself with good people. Stay away from dropouts, cop-outs, strike-outs, or burn-outs.
5. The situation you live in does not have to live in you. You will NEVER serve God if you’re waiting for your life to be perfect. Serve now.  
6. Choose potential. Invest in people with potential. Yes, I need to grow, and I need to get better. But I need to make the people around me better.  
7. Be an encourager. Someone asked Ronald Reagan, “How do we know if people need encouragement?” He replied, “If they’re breathing.”

Do you feel like you’re too old to serve God? We need to remember the last forty years of Moses’ life were the most fruitful years. The older version of Moses was much better than the younger version of Moses. Are you too old to serve God? Nah! Moses’ ministry was just getting started at the age of 80.