Before they cross the Jordan to the Promised Land, Moses recaps to the new generation of Israelites their people’s history...just in case they might forget who was the LORD their God. It was their God who blessed their forefathers with His covenant and formed them as a chosen people. It was their God who freed them from Egypt while they were oppressed there and provided for their needs during their exodus. It was their God who dwelled amongst them in the wilderness and blessed them with His presence. It was their God who taught them how to be holy and gave them His ten commandments and His decrees… I hope we all take time as well to ponder on the journey God has taken us so far through our daily Bible reading. Remember God's awesome Creation and His close communion with Adam and Eve, then Adam and Eve’s original sin, then their separation from God, then mankind's pride and transgressions that spread on Earth, then God's righteous wrath through the flood and His renewed covenant for humanity through Noah. And then the unfolding of God's plan to set apart a nation for Himself through the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob… What has God taught you of who He is and of His character? What were your personal takeaways?
After reminding them of their history, Moses prepares Israel for their future. He is clear to them that their wellbeing would depend on whether the obey God's laws or not. He warns them that if they turn away from God's way, and turn instead towards idolatry, they will provoke God’s anger and will fall as a people. But if they follow God's will, they indeed will find Him:
But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deut 4:29)
Then Moses answers an important question: why has God set the Israelites apart from other people as His? So that they will know that LORD is God:
Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created man on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of? Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived? 34 Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by miraculous signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other. (Deut 4:32-35)
Today, God is involved in our personal lives just as much. We all have a history and a future. What is your personal history with God? It is encouraging to know that God was there for us both in our struggles and our joys, whether we had recognized Him in them or not. Since God has been faithful to us before, He will be faithful again. If we've been far from Him before, He offers us a hope for the future again, a future with Him.
Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time. (Deut 4:39-40)
Monday, February 15, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
February 14: Numbers 27:15-23; 32:1-35:8
Today's passages provide more background to the upcoming movement of the Israelites into the Promised Land. Despite their 40 years of wanderings and the passing of the generation who rebelled against the Lord's direction, we should not surprised to see the Israelites' further rebellion against the Lord's instructions.
1. Passing the baton to Joshua. In the first part of today's reading, we see the passing of the leadership baton to Joshua. Please recall that, along with Caleb, Joshua was the sole envoy of the 12 from the 12 tribes to highlight the goodness of the Promised Land and to believe God that He could give the land to the Israelites, despite the presence and might of the other peoples. His courage would provide an important ballast for the fledgling nation.
Still, we can see in both Moses's prayer and God's response that leadership is ultimately about whom God chooses, not in what appears great in the world's eyes. God chose Joshua for the presence of His Spirit; Joshua had willingly invited God's presence into his life and stood for what the Lord desired. In addition, Joshua would not act singlehandedly in leading the Israelites. Instead, Joshua would include Eleazar the chief priest in seeking the Lord's guidance on matters of judgment.
It may be a helpful exercise to consider what you find worthy of respect in others. What does that say about your priorities?
2. Preparations for conquest and settlement. From an earthly perspective, the total destruction that the Lord orders appears challenging. Why would a loving God direct the Israelites to totally destroy the residents of the Promised Land? Doesn't God seem vindictive?
We must view these directions as a reflection of God's holiness and desire to protect His people from the intrusion of idolatry and distraction. We read in Numbers 33: "When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places. Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess.... But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them."
The Lord desired the Israelites to set themselves apart for His work and kingdom. By allowing the neighboring peoples to have influence over the worship and attitudes of the people, the Israelites would fall into syncretism (a blending of different belief systems) and ultimately walk away from and dishonor their true King. The conquest of the land brings forth a question that will reverberate through the Scriptures: Who is ultimately the true King? Who is the Lord? Whose standards are true and trustworthy? As we may see from the two Greatest Commandments (Matthew 22:37-40) or the first Commandment (Exodus 20), God's greatest concern lies in the quality and focus of our love for Him. He is righteously jealous for our affections. Choosing other gods or earthly stuff is tantamount to saying, "God, You're not worth it. These other things are better."
QUESTIONS
1. How can you become more of the man or woman that God would use?
2. Has God revealed any areas of your life that should come further under His Lordship?
1. Passing the baton to Joshua. In the first part of today's reading, we see the passing of the leadership baton to Joshua. Please recall that, along with Caleb, Joshua was the sole envoy of the 12 from the 12 tribes to highlight the goodness of the Promised Land and to believe God that He could give the land to the Israelites, despite the presence and might of the other peoples. His courage would provide an important ballast for the fledgling nation.
Still, we can see in both Moses's prayer and God's response that leadership is ultimately about whom God chooses, not in what appears great in the world's eyes. God chose Joshua for the presence of His Spirit; Joshua had willingly invited God's presence into his life and stood for what the Lord desired. In addition, Joshua would not act singlehandedly in leading the Israelites. Instead, Joshua would include Eleazar the chief priest in seeking the Lord's guidance on matters of judgment.
It may be a helpful exercise to consider what you find worthy of respect in others. What does that say about your priorities?
2. Preparations for conquest and settlement. From an earthly perspective, the total destruction that the Lord orders appears challenging. Why would a loving God direct the Israelites to totally destroy the residents of the Promised Land? Doesn't God seem vindictive?
We must view these directions as a reflection of God's holiness and desire to protect His people from the intrusion of idolatry and distraction. We read in Numbers 33: "When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places. Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess.... But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them."
The Lord desired the Israelites to set themselves apart for His work and kingdom. By allowing the neighboring peoples to have influence over the worship and attitudes of the people, the Israelites would fall into syncretism (a blending of different belief systems) and ultimately walk away from and dishonor their true King. The conquest of the land brings forth a question that will reverberate through the Scriptures: Who is ultimately the true King? Who is the Lord? Whose standards are true and trustworthy? As we may see from the two Greatest Commandments (Matthew 22:37-40) or the first Commandment (Exodus 20), God's greatest concern lies in the quality and focus of our love for Him. He is righteously jealous for our affections. Choosing other gods or earthly stuff is tantamount to saying, "God, You're not worth it. These other things are better."
QUESTIONS
1. How can you become more of the man or woman that God would use?
2. Has God revealed any areas of your life that should come further under His Lordship?
Friday, February 12, 2010
February 12
Friday is Accountability Day send me an email. If you have fallen behind, just pick up with today’s reading and catch up this summer.
Don’t Let Your Hormones Guide Your Life. Numbers 25
The Midianites realized they could not physically destroy the Israelites, so they planned on luring them into bed. Guys have a tendency to be directed by their hormones more than their brains. Sorry guys, but this is absolutely true. So, these guys jumped into bed with these women and a plague wipes out 24,000 of them. AIDS has wiped out a lot more than that. Right now in NYC, one in four people have herpes. In today’s politically correct culture, this passage makes no sense. If Phinehas were on Jerry Springer, he would have been booed off stage. The Israelites were just expressing themselves. Who are you Phinehas to say what is right and wrong sexually? Young people just do these things; the best we can do is to buy condoms for them. This is part of the new morality in our culture. Sin of any kind is always grievous, but sin that destroys the family evokes the highest of response from a holy God. God is for the family and marriage. He wants couples to commit to “The Notebook” type of love. There is a huge difference between lust and love. His design is for men and women to make a lifetime commitment to each other and from the security of that love to build into the lives of the next generation. Fragmented families destroy the next generation. The Midianites knew this, why don’t we get it? When we see the lives of Eliot Spitzer, Tiger Woods, Mark Sanford, John Edwards we all know in our hearts that something has gone wrong in these guys. When the families are destroyed, it is only a matter of time before the whole society will crumble. That is why God wants it to be one man, one woman for a lifetime of Valentines Day love and intimacy.
Here is a written thought I keep close to me during times of temptation:
If I go further down this road, I will probably grieve the One who redeemed me. I will probably drag His sacred name into the mud, which I know leads to unbelievers laughing at Christianity. One day I will have to look Jesus, the righteous Savior, in the face and give an account of my actions. If I go farther, I will probably inflict untold hurt on my wife Kathie, who is my best friend and who has been faithful to me. I will lose my wife's respect and trust: I will hurt my beloved sons and daughter. I will destroy my example and credibility with my children. I might lose my wife and my children forever. I would cause incredible shame and reproach to fall upon my family. I would lose self-respect. I could create a form of guilt awfully hard to shake. Even though God would forgive me, would I ever be able to forgive myself? I could form memories
and flashbacks that could plague future intimacy with my spouse. I could heap judgment and endless difficulty on the person with whom I committed adultery. I could possibly reap the consequences of disease like gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes or AIDS. Maybe I could cause a pregnancy, and that would be a lifelong reminder of my sin.
As a man of God, I am not a victim of my hormones nor a slave to the seductions of the world. Through Christ, I can control every thought that passes through my mind. Real men of God allow God's power to keep them from such senseless sin.
Thought for today: What method do you think Satan is using today to destroy our young men and women? Is there any possibility that he is seducing them into sexual promiscuity for the purpose of destroying their lives and future happiness?
Not much has changed in 3000 years.
Don’t Let Your Hormones Guide Your Life. Numbers 25
The Midianites realized they could not physically destroy the Israelites, so they planned on luring them into bed. Guys have a tendency to be directed by their hormones more than their brains. Sorry guys, but this is absolutely true. So, these guys jumped into bed with these women and a plague wipes out 24,000 of them. AIDS has wiped out a lot more than that. Right now in NYC, one in four people have herpes. In today’s politically correct culture, this passage makes no sense. If Phinehas were on Jerry Springer, he would have been booed off stage. The Israelites were just expressing themselves. Who are you Phinehas to say what is right and wrong sexually? Young people just do these things; the best we can do is to buy condoms for them. This is part of the new morality in our culture. Sin of any kind is always grievous, but sin that destroys the family evokes the highest of response from a holy God. God is for the family and marriage. He wants couples to commit to “The Notebook” type of love. There is a huge difference between lust and love. His design is for men and women to make a lifetime commitment to each other and from the security of that love to build into the lives of the next generation. Fragmented families destroy the next generation. The Midianites knew this, why don’t we get it? When we see the lives of Eliot Spitzer, Tiger Woods, Mark Sanford, John Edwards we all know in our hearts that something has gone wrong in these guys. When the families are destroyed, it is only a matter of time before the whole society will crumble. That is why God wants it to be one man, one woman for a lifetime of Valentines Day love and intimacy.
Here is a written thought I keep close to me during times of temptation:
If I go further down this road, I will probably grieve the One who redeemed me. I will probably drag His sacred name into the mud, which I know leads to unbelievers laughing at Christianity. One day I will have to look Jesus, the righteous Savior, in the face and give an account of my actions. If I go farther, I will probably inflict untold hurt on my wife Kathie, who is my best friend and who has been faithful to me. I will lose my wife's respect and trust: I will hurt my beloved sons and daughter. I will destroy my example and credibility with my children. I might lose my wife and my children forever. I would cause incredible shame and reproach to fall upon my family. I would lose self-respect. I could create a form of guilt awfully hard to shake. Even though God would forgive me, would I ever be able to forgive myself? I could form memories
and flashbacks that could plague future intimacy with my spouse. I could heap judgment and endless difficulty on the person with whom I committed adultery. I could possibly reap the consequences of disease like gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes or AIDS. Maybe I could cause a pregnancy, and that would be a lifelong reminder of my sin.
As a man of God, I am not a victim of my hormones nor a slave to the seductions of the world. Through Christ, I can control every thought that passes through my mind. Real men of God allow God's power to keep them from such senseless sin.
Thought for today: What method do you think Satan is using today to destroy our young men and women? Is there any possibility that he is seducing them into sexual promiscuity for the purpose of destroying their lives and future happiness?
Not much has changed in 3000 years.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
February 11
Read Today: Numbers 22-24
When I read today’s passage I am reminded that there is hope for all of us. If God can speak through Balaam’s ass he can certainly speak through me. What is going through Balaam’s mind in this story? There couldn’t be a whole lot of smarts in his old, thick, dense mind.
He is clear at the first offer from Balak .... God doesn’t want him to go and yet when Balak sends the official White House cabinet members, with a Swiss bank account number, then Balaam thinks to himself... maybe God has had a change of heart. One can’t too quickly say no to offers like this, you know they only come but once in a lifetime. Testing God’s word is not a smart thing to do; in fact it can lead to an early retirement from the prophet business.
So what are our take aways from this situation?
1. When God clearly reveals his will to us we shouldn’t doubt it?
Did God really say we shouldn’t date unbelievers?
Did God really mean we should be completely honest?
Did God really intend for us to say no to every temptation?
Did God really command us to give a tithe of our income?
Did God really order us to forgive all our enemies?
2. There is always hope when God is involved.
Even when we mess up God is not limited.
If God can speak through a donkey he can certainly speak through me.
It isn’t the giftedness of the speaker; it is the power of God.
3. We find the gospel even in failure.
There is a prediction Jesus in this passage. Balaam the fool speaks of a star
that will come out of Jacob, a scepter will rise out of Israel.
This is a prophecy of the star of Jesus that will announce his birth a
millennium later.
Here is a thought for the day: If I am looking for some loophole in the Bible to give me an excuse for sinning, I am an accident waiting to happen.
When I read today’s passage I am reminded that there is hope for all of us. If God can speak through Balaam’s ass he can certainly speak through me. What is going through Balaam’s mind in this story? There couldn’t be a whole lot of smarts in his old, thick, dense mind.
He is clear at the first offer from Balak .... God doesn’t want him to go and yet when Balak sends the official White House cabinet members, with a Swiss bank account number, then Balaam thinks to himself... maybe God has had a change of heart. One can’t too quickly say no to offers like this, you know they only come but once in a lifetime. Testing God’s word is not a smart thing to do; in fact it can lead to an early retirement from the prophet business.
So what are our take aways from this situation?
1. When God clearly reveals his will to us we shouldn’t doubt it?
Did God really say we shouldn’t date unbelievers?
Did God really mean we should be completely honest?
Did God really intend for us to say no to every temptation?
Did God really command us to give a tithe of our income?
Did God really order us to forgive all our enemies?
2. There is always hope when God is involved.
Even when we mess up God is not limited.
If God can speak through a donkey he can certainly speak through me.
It isn’t the giftedness of the speaker; it is the power of God.
3. We find the gospel even in failure.
There is a prediction Jesus in this passage. Balaam the fool speaks of a star
that will come out of Jacob, a scepter will rise out of Israel.
This is a prophecy of the star of Jesus that will announce his birth a
millennium later.
Here is a thought for the day: If I am looking for some loophole in the Bible to give me an excuse for sinning, I am an accident waiting to happen.
February 10
Watch out for the Small Stuff
So many times we think that the big sins are the ones that are going impact our lives. And there are plenty of times when that is true, but for every big sin failure there are 100 small sin failures that shipwreck our lives. Today we read of one of the saddest days in the life of Moses. He was appointed by God to rescue the nation of Israel. He went through a 40 year training period. He endured repeated crises of mammoth proportions. He is portrayed as faultless in his guidance of an army of 3-5 million whiners and in the end he blows it by mixing up his pronouns and letting his anger get the best of him. If there was ever a WOW moment in the Bible, here it is.
The incident begins most innocently enough with the standard whining and complaining of the nation. I don’t know the longest you have gone without water but the lack of water can certainly put an edge on your life. Yet even after witnessing at least 20 undeniable God sightings the people have not learned to trust God and they default back to whining.
God gives some pretty clear instructions on how “HE” is going to solve the problem.
Numbers 20:7-8 The Lord said to Moses, "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink."
Let’s go over the instructions again .... Step one is “take” the staff. Step two is “speak” to the rock.
Something happened on the way to the rock that day. The previous verses talk about the community quarreling with Moses. It takes two to quarrel so Moses must have been fighting back and his resources must have been empty. When he addresses the crowd, that fateful day, he calls them “rebels.”
Now Moses starts running on his default mode, which is anger. Remember the Egyptian that Moses rubbed out in a quarrel a few decades before and the throwing of the 10 commandments? Ever get to that Popeye moment when you say, “I can’t stands no more!!!” Well Moses put up with this mind numbing complaining long enough and today he is going to let them have it.
So in a moment of rage, you can see his neck thickening, his voice being raised, his eyes bulging. Moses mixes up a pronoun. Instead of saying “HE” referring to God, he says “WE” referring to God and himself. And then he strikes the rock twice. And in that moment the dream is lost and the “what have I done” regrets start to be repeated. God spoke just a few words that day but those words must have hurt him deeply. "You will not bring this community into the land I give them." Wow! After all he did, God would take away his leadership before the work was finished. He did all the work to bring them here and now another would bring them into the Promised Land. It did not seem fair. He would not see or taste the fruits of his labors.
Listen; there is a huge lesson here. Sin is not something to be taken lightly. What seems minor and unimportant was, in reality, cosmic treason to God. Remember he makes the rules in the game. So the warning to us is clear. Watch out for the small stuff and keep your spiritual resources high. Anger, misspoken words, loudly spoken words, harsh words are not tools God wants us to use in our problem solving. Do you have a problem with anger? Don’t allow this small area of your life to steal the greater blessing of God. Learn a lesson from Moses.
So many times we think that the big sins are the ones that are going impact our lives. And there are plenty of times when that is true, but for every big sin failure there are 100 small sin failures that shipwreck our lives. Today we read of one of the saddest days in the life of Moses. He was appointed by God to rescue the nation of Israel. He went through a 40 year training period. He endured repeated crises of mammoth proportions. He is portrayed as faultless in his guidance of an army of 3-5 million whiners and in the end he blows it by mixing up his pronouns and letting his anger get the best of him. If there was ever a WOW moment in the Bible, here it is.
The incident begins most innocently enough with the standard whining and complaining of the nation. I don’t know the longest you have gone without water but the lack of water can certainly put an edge on your life. Yet even after witnessing at least 20 undeniable God sightings the people have not learned to trust God and they default back to whining.
God gives some pretty clear instructions on how “HE” is going to solve the problem.
Numbers 20:7-8 The Lord said to Moses, "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink."
Let’s go over the instructions again .... Step one is “take” the staff. Step two is “speak” to the rock.
Something happened on the way to the rock that day. The previous verses talk about the community quarreling with Moses. It takes two to quarrel so Moses must have been fighting back and his resources must have been empty. When he addresses the crowd, that fateful day, he calls them “rebels.”
Now Moses starts running on his default mode, which is anger. Remember the Egyptian that Moses rubbed out in a quarrel a few decades before and the throwing of the 10 commandments? Ever get to that Popeye moment when you say, “I can’t stands no more!!!” Well Moses put up with this mind numbing complaining long enough and today he is going to let them have it.
So in a moment of rage, you can see his neck thickening, his voice being raised, his eyes bulging. Moses mixes up a pronoun. Instead of saying “HE” referring to God, he says “WE” referring to God and himself. And then he strikes the rock twice. And in that moment the dream is lost and the “what have I done” regrets start to be repeated. God spoke just a few words that day but those words must have hurt him deeply. "You will not bring this community into the land I give them." Wow! After all he did, God would take away his leadership before the work was finished. He did all the work to bring them here and now another would bring them into the Promised Land. It did not seem fair. He would not see or taste the fruits of his labors.
Listen; there is a huge lesson here. Sin is not something to be taken lightly. What seems minor and unimportant was, in reality, cosmic treason to God. Remember he makes the rules in the game. So the warning to us is clear. Watch out for the small stuff and keep your spiritual resources high. Anger, misspoken words, loudly spoken words, harsh words are not tools God wants us to use in our problem solving. Do you have a problem with anger? Don’t allow this small area of your life to steal the greater blessing of God. Learn a lesson from Moses.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
February 9
Numbers 16-18
Challenge to Leadership
In yesterday's reading, the Israelites were not permitted to enter the promised land because of their lack of faith in God. God promised to be with them, but they did not believe that He would help them enter Canaan safely. Because of their grumbling and complaining, they were forced to wonder in the desert for 40 years.
A Levite named Korah (along with 250 others) decided not being allowed to enter the promised land was Moses's fault. Numbers 16:13-14 says, "Isn't it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert? And now you also want to lord it over us? Moreover, you haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards." They blamed Moses for something that he did not do. It was the people's lack of faith that caused the loss of the promised land, not (supposed) poor leadership on Moses's part. God had given them a valuable prize, and they let it slip through their fingers. Naturally the people would be disappointed, but God made it very clear why they could not enter Canaan. They should have used this opportunity to learn from their mistakes, not to blame an innocent person. By the end of today's passage, all those who opposed Moses had been put to death, and God made it clear that Moses and Aaron were the chosen leaders of the Israelites.
It's important for us today to learn from the mistakes of Korah and his followers. It's so easy to blame someone else when something goes wrong. But that's clearly not what God wants us to do. God is a gracious God who will gladly and freely forgive anyone who repents of their sins. However, God will not forgive our sins if we instead try to pass the blame.
Challenge to Leadership
In yesterday's reading, the Israelites were not permitted to enter the promised land because of their lack of faith in God. God promised to be with them, but they did not believe that He would help them enter Canaan safely. Because of their grumbling and complaining, they were forced to wonder in the desert for 40 years.
A Levite named Korah (along with 250 others) decided not being allowed to enter the promised land was Moses's fault. Numbers 16:13-14 says, "Isn't it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert? And now you also want to lord it over us? Moreover, you haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards." They blamed Moses for something that he did not do. It was the people's lack of faith that caused the loss of the promised land, not (supposed) poor leadership on Moses's part. God had given them a valuable prize, and they let it slip through their fingers. Naturally the people would be disappointed, but God made it very clear why they could not enter Canaan. They should have used this opportunity to learn from their mistakes, not to blame an innocent person. By the end of today's passage, all those who opposed Moses had been put to death, and God made it clear that Moses and Aaron were the chosen leaders of the Israelites.
It's important for us today to learn from the mistakes of Korah and his followers. It's so easy to blame someone else when something goes wrong. But that's clearly not what God wants us to do. God is a gracious God who will gladly and freely forgive anyone who repents of their sins. However, God will not forgive our sins if we instead try to pass the blame.
Monday, February 8, 2010
February 8: Numbers 12-14
The People Lack Courage.
In one scene of the 1994 movie adaptation of the book 'Little Women' Marmee nurtures her eldest daughter Meg by saying that she cherishes her humor, her kindness and her moral courage. When I first saw this scene few years back, I remember thinking: 'Moral courage!! What is it? It sounds so outdated. We don't talk about this quality of character in my days!' The only times the word 'courage' would come to my mind was when I would think of soldiers, explorers, alpinists... (or sport victors like the New Orleans’ Saints who even though weren’t the favorite, won the Super Bowl last night! :) But today I'm reminded each of us needs to have courage daily.
Merriam-Webster’s definition of courage:
Cour•age: mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. Courage: implies firmness of mind and will in the face of danger or extreme difficulty.
God wants us to have courage daily. We need strength every day to walk in faith, even when we don't understand our circumstances or foresee their outcome. We need courage every day to do what’s right, fight injustice, fight temptation, and persevere in hardships; while always trusting that God is with us on our side. The larger Israelite community was supposed to go forth in the land of Canaan, but they lost faith and were afraid when they saw the powerful people who lived there. They forgot that 1. God promised them on oath that he will give them this land and 2. that God had rescued them and provided for them again and again through His miracles. They ducked for lack of faith and courage and did not follow God to the Promised Land. So they lived with the consequences of their own choice for 40 years. On the other hand, we also see the blessing of Caleb and Joshua who were faithful and courageous to follow God: "But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. (Num 14:24)”
Two other notes: 1) the courage God wants us to have comes from the knowledge that He loves us and that He is faithful to His promises to us; this courage results in actions in accord with God's words. Both Caleb and Joshua knew that God was with His people. 2) Headstrong rebellion against God is not 'courageous.' Those who rebelled against The LORD were defeated by their enemies. Moses said: "Why are you disobeying the LORD's command? This will not succeed! Do not go up, because the LORD is not with you. (Num 14:41- 42) I
In the New Testament we read how Apostle Paul encouraged the church in Corinth: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14)
In the past month, in what area of your life did you need to trust God and act courageously?
Have a great week!
In one scene of the 1994 movie adaptation of the book 'Little Women' Marmee nurtures her eldest daughter Meg by saying that she cherishes her humor, her kindness and her moral courage. When I first saw this scene few years back, I remember thinking: 'Moral courage!! What is it? It sounds so outdated. We don't talk about this quality of character in my days!' The only times the word 'courage' would come to my mind was when I would think of soldiers, explorers, alpinists... (or sport victors like the New Orleans’ Saints who even though weren’t the favorite, won the Super Bowl last night! :) But today I'm reminded each of us needs to have courage daily.
Merriam-Webster’s definition of courage:
Cour•age: mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. Courage: implies firmness of mind and will in the face of danger or extreme difficulty.
God wants us to have courage daily. We need strength every day to walk in faith, even when we don't understand our circumstances or foresee their outcome. We need courage every day to do what’s right, fight injustice, fight temptation, and persevere in hardships; while always trusting that God is with us on our side. The larger Israelite community was supposed to go forth in the land of Canaan, but they lost faith and were afraid when they saw the powerful people who lived there. They forgot that 1. God promised them on oath that he will give them this land and 2. that God had rescued them and provided for them again and again through His miracles. They ducked for lack of faith and courage and did not follow God to the Promised Land. So they lived with the consequences of their own choice for 40 years. On the other hand, we also see the blessing of Caleb and Joshua who were faithful and courageous to follow God: "But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. (Num 14:24)”
Two other notes: 1) the courage God wants us to have comes from the knowledge that He loves us and that He is faithful to His promises to us; this courage results in actions in accord with God's words. Both Caleb and Joshua knew that God was with His people. 2) Headstrong rebellion against God is not 'courageous.' Those who rebelled against The LORD were defeated by their enemies. Moses said: "Why are you disobeying the LORD's command? This will not succeed! Do not go up, because the LORD is not with you. (Num 14:41- 42) I
In the New Testament we read how Apostle Paul encouraged the church in Corinth: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14)
In the past month, in what area of your life did you need to trust God and act courageously?
Have a great week!
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