LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, September 10, 2026

I’m about to state the obvious. It is extremely hard to overcome selfishness. It is difficult to put others ahead of me. It is nearly impossible not to consider every choice and decision in life within the context of personal benefit.

Such is the condition of our sin nature. The first sin ever committed by Satan in the presence of God was to put his own desires ahead of God. It’s called pride, and God hates it. We are all guilty of it. We are all driven by it. We spend our lifetime trying to conquer it. We expend a lot of energy trying to avoid the consequences of it.

Such is the condition of the people of Israel as we come to the next usage of the phrase “on that day.” It’s found in the book of numbers chapter thirty two. “And the Lord’s anger was kindled on that day…”

Here’s why God was so angry that day. For the second time the people of Israel have come to the Jordan river with an opportunity to go into God’s promised land and conquer it for their eternal possession. But two of the tribes, Reuben and Gad, came to Moses and said the land on this side of the river is adequate for our livestock. Please don’t take us across the river with you. We will stay here and just enjoy the benefits of this land. They saw the immediate benefits of peace, freedom from having to fight the wars, and prosperity, and it caused them to deny the eternal reward that was promised if they would follow God’s plan.

Moses tells them that they are selfish. They are acting just like their forefathers when they came to the Jordan river the first time. They put their personal safety ahead of God’s purpose and voted not to go into the promised land. God’s anger was kindled on that day and he declared that none of them that were of legal age of 20 or more to make that decision would be permitted to ever enter the promised land. And Moses says to them that if you choose not to go with us you will bring the same condemnation on yourselves and you will bring destruction upon all the rest of the people.

God requires unity to his purpose in his people today. God’s anger is kindled against his people today who cause division in his church by distraction from or disillusionment about what God’s purpose is. In Christ Jesus we have one purpose. To conquer lives for Jesus Christ. That requires spiritual warfare. Unfortunately many of us want only spiritual privacy. We want personal contentment. We want to use the world for our gain instead of bringing gain to the world by introducing people to Jesus Christ. We want the church to accommodate our preferences for music, preaching style, political positions, and theological compromise. We have become a very selfish people who live only for the immediate gratification of what we can find in the world.

My friends the Lord’s anger is being kindled on this day because we have not joined his son Jesus Christ in the mission that he gave us to go into all the world and make disciples, to teach them all the ways of God, and to trust that God is with us no matter how hard the battle gets. We have decided that personal happiness in this life is more important than the joy that should be set before us for what is to come when we’re in the presence of Jesus.

Please consider carefully the truth that has been taught today in your own life and let the Holy Spirit change your thinking and your activity.

Pastor John