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Don’t Go There

Posted in Daily Devotions: Chapter by Chapter by

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Today’s Devotion: Numbers 14

Have you ever been in a conversation, when all of a sudden the topic at hand takes a turn and the person stops you and says, “Don’t go there!” These are words that say, “Stop, you have crossed a boundary and this is not something that needs to be brought up.” I thought of this phrase as I read Numbers chapter 14. When Moses and Aaron warned the Israelites to stop going to the land of Canaan because God wasn’t with them – but they didn’t listen. Look at verse 41-42a, “But 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. You will be defeated by your enemies.”

If these words have a tone to them, I hear them pleading. Not just asking, not just saying – pleading. At this point they had turned from the land (future), but as they face the wilderness (present), they are actually more afraid of the wilderness (past) than they had been afraid of entering the land. In other words, they fear their past more than they fear the future so they proceed to pursue the future, but forgot one important component…. God!

The message that I take away is that we shouldn’t be so discontent in our present that we press on to change ourselves, our future and our circumstances without God. God needs to be our leader and our guide. He can work in our current circumstances and He can take us where we want to go, but His timing is everything. If we go alone and He is not with us, our plans will not succeed.

Please pray with me.

Father God. There is a big gap between where we are and where we want to be. The past and present is certain to us – it is our reality, while our future is unknown. You ask us to walk  by faith and not by sight, which propels us to leap to the future and trust that you will deliver us from our current circumstances and have a brighter future, but what if you’re not there? What if we act in accordance to our will and not your will, in faith, that you will make all things work for the good? Let us not be ignorant, as the Israelities acted in Numbers chapter 14. We don’t want to be ungrateful, disobedient servants. We have hearts to honor and obey you, but we also know that you desire good for us. Please give us the discernment to hear your call, patience to wait on your timing, and courage to proceed according to your will. Father, please be the lamp unto our feet and the light unto our paths. ~Amen!”

God Said It – Good Enough

Posted in Daily Devotions: Chapter by Chapter by

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Today’s Devotion: Leviticus 19

We are in that section of Leviticus where the Ten Commandments are explained in terms of the social life of the nation. This chapter is very practical because God’s Law is to tell us this one thing: “… ‘Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.” (Lev. 19:2). This was fundamental and basic to all facets of the life of Israel. It explained everything which God commanded or demanded. It entered into and addressed every aspect of their daily routine. Holiness in daily life, with all of its relationships, was paramount in the everyday living of God’s people. It sure doesn’t hurt to read it and have it be reemphasized today. This is not just theory – God intended it to be brought right into our lives.

The Law can not produce the holiness which it demands. It demanded, but it did not and can not supply. It reveals the righteousness of the Law, but it simply cannot be attained by human effort. “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.” (Rom. 3:19–20).

How wonderful it is that God has given us His Holy Spirit to indwell us. This is the dynamic that is needed for Christian living. The reason given in this chapter, “I am the Lord your God” or “I am the Lord” occurs sixteen times in this chapter. God draws the line between right and wrong. He alone makes the sharp distinction between the holy and unholy. No other reason needs to be given.

I remember a little saying that we were taught when I was growing up, it goes like this. “If God said it, I believe it and that’s good enough for me.” As I read these laws today, I am reminded that laws can’t get us into heaven, but God did say it, I do believe it will help me live a better life and that truly IS good enough for me.