GIVE THANKS

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LifeLink Devotional for Thursday, November 28, 2024

Happy Thanksgiving. It seems appropriate that we take some time over the next few days to focus on being thankful in all circumstances.

It is possible that you misread that last statement. It does not say to be thankful for all circumstances but be thankful in them. It is a clarification that is necessary for proper application.

I am not thankful for the consequences of evil in this world. However, I can be thankful during those times of suffering because my attitude is based on the goodness and steadfast love of the Lord. In 1 Chronicles 16:34 we read, “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” God never changes, so my attitude can always be thankful.

Yet we quickly turn to complaining when circumstances affect us negatively. The heart drifts toward complaint as if by gravitational pull. Complaint seems a reasonable response to a sequence of disappointing events. Generally, we don’t have to extend an invitation for complaint to show up. It arrives as an uninvited guest. Before we know it, complaint feels right because it is familiar.

Author Jeff Manion, in his book “The Land Between” says that we must “evict the spirit of complaint.”  Here’s how he describes it:

“We can discourage complaint’s residency in our lives by inviting another guest to move in with us. That new guest is trust. When we choose to trust in the face of deep disappointment, complaint has less space to maneuver. While attempting to unpack for an extended stay, it discovers that trust has taken all the drawers in the guest room and already occupies the empty seat at the table. Trust evicts complaint. Trust and complaint are incompatible roommates. One inevitably pushes the other one out.”

Trust. Trust in the nature and character of God. Trust is the basis for thanksgiving.

Here’s a definition of trust using the word as an acrostic. It has become the basis for my understanding of the connection between trust and thanksgiving.

TRUST – Totally Relying Upon Sovereign Timing

Trust requires reliance upon God’s absolute control over all things, and that all things are working towards a His glorious conclusion that will result in good for us. When we have that level of trust, then we can also live through any hardship with an attitude of thanks.

Here’s another acrostic that reveals the connection between trust and thanks:

THANKS – Trusting His Attributes Not Knowing Specifics

I believe we have two problems that keep us from being thankful. We don’t trust anyone’s control except our own, and we don’t relax until we know all the details of the outcome. If we choose not to trust the Sovereign timing of God, then we obviously won’t be thankful unless we are in control and know the details of every circumstance. What a tragic and depressing way to live.

Here’s a simple story that helps me to understand that I can trust God with the outcome even when current circumstances seem counter-productive.

A ship was wrecked, and the only survivor washed up on a small uninhabited island. He was exhausted. He cried out to God to save him. Every day he scanned the horizon, searching for help. Finally, he managed to build a rough hut and put his few articles in that hut.

One day, coming home from hunting for food, he was stung with grief to see his little hut in flames and a cloud of smoke. The worst had happened. But later that day, a ship came in and rescued him.

He asked the crew, “How did you know I was here?” They replied, “We saw your smoke signal.”

Maybe the difficulty you have now is a smoke signal that will lead to great blessing. “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”

Pastor John

LISTEN THEN DO

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LifeLink Devotions for Wednesday, November 27, 2024

The time has come for the Israelites to enter the Promised Land, and that means it is time for Moses to say goodbye. His farewell address to the nation is recorded for us in the book of Deuteronomy. It is a personal challenge to obedience and faithfulness.

In the first 3 chapters of Deuteronomy, Moses gives the people a historical review of their journey from Egypt. When we get to chapter 4, Moses is ready to start giving the people their instructions for successful and victorious living in their new land. His first statement is most significant – “Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.”

“Follow them!” Simple words yet so deep in significance. The Hebrew word used here means “to do.” Moses is telling the people that if they want to live they need to do what God says. Then he defines for them what real living is –

1.      To be wise and understanding

2.      To be in intimate relationship with God so He hears our prayers and answers them

3.      To model righteousness

Take a moment and reflect on those three things in your own life and see if you are really living. Are you considered wise and understanding by the people with whom you relate every day? Do they sense an extraordinary ability in you to understand the situations of life and discern the will of God in them? Do people around you come to you when they are in difficult situations because they know you have a direct connection with God in prayer and can touch and understand His heart? Do they see in you a consistency that reflects the holy integrity of God’s law?

All these questions can and should be able to be answered in the affirmative if we are following the laws of God. Unfortunately, many of us are only good listeners, but not good laborers. We hear what God says, but we fail to do it. James, the half-brother of Jesus Christ, in his New Testament book, wrote this, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” If we are to be people of great faith who really know how to live, then we must be doers of the Word of God. Faith is of no value without the actions that prove it. Moses knew this was the key for the Israelites to truly possess life in the new land.

When we claim to have eternal life, but the life we are living so resembles the life of a spiritually dead person, there is something drastically wrong. Moses uses the term “the Lord Your God” over 300 times in his farewell address. He knew that to live victoriously we must get up close and personal with God. We must be intimately in love with God, and true love is defined by obedience. Every aspect of our lives is to be governed and guided by God. God is calling us to a deeper and more meaningful life, and that life begins with obedience to His Word. Won’t you begin that life today?

Pastor John

STICK TO YOUR COMMITMENTS

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LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Yesterday we were motivated to take steps of faith by the story of several tribes being awarded comfortable land yet joining the other tribes is helping them conquer their land. There is another lesson for us to learn from this story about sin and its consequences. The two-and-a-half tribes had made a commitment years before that they would be united with all the other tribes in entering the Promised Land. Moses reminded them of that commitment and warned them that if they reneged on it they would be sinning, and they would not get away with it.  Moses says these often quoted words, “You may be sure that your sin will find you out.” All sin has consequences, and all sin must be answered for, whether in this life or when we stand before God in person.

We have all done things that we hope will never be exposed. We have lied and lusted, cheated and coveted, hurt and hated. We have committed spiritual adultery by worshipping the gods of money, friendships, social status and power.  If others only knew what we have really done they would be shocked, and the fortified city of our self-righteous life would be destroyed, and we would be left with nothing.

I call on the church of Jesus Christ to become people of integrity, living holy lives honoring to God, knowing that every sin will be exposed before His holy throne. Yes, the consequence of death for sin has been removed for those who are saved, but the consequence of shame has not been removed. The Apostle John says, “And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.” (1 John 2:28) When He returns, our lives will be reviewed in their entirety since the time of our salvation, and we will suffer loss for those things that did not honor God. All decisions and actions coming from self-serving motives will be exposed and burned, and all rewards we had hoped for in those times will be lost. Read carefully these words from the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth:

“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.”

Take to heart the warning of Moses, and the next time you are tempted back away from your commitment to Christ and choose to sin, remember – you won’t get away with it because God’s love won’t permit you to live beneath your privilege.

Pastor John

GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

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LifeLink Devotions for Monday, November 25, 2024

As Moses addresses the nation of Israel prior to his death, he instructs all the tribes to be united in their possession of the Promised Land. But two tribes resist going in and want to have land provided for them on the east side of the Jordan River.  Moses agrees but challenges them to join in helping the other tribes conquer their land. Here’s how Moses explains it in Numbers 32:20-24.

Then Moses said to them, “If you will do this – if you will arm yourselves before the LORD for battle, and if all of you will go armed over the Jordan before the LORD until he has driven his enemies out before him – then when the land is subdued before the LORD, you may return and be free from your obligation to the LORD and to Israel. And this land will be your possession before the LORD. But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. Build cities for your women and children, and pens for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”

There are two primary lessons I want to share today and tomorrow from this story.   

First, as the Israelites drew closer to the place and time of their entrance into the Promised Land, several of the tribes decided together that they liked the land of the Midianites that they had just conquered. Based on the size of the flocks and herds that they captured in the conquest, this was obviously a productive land for raising sheep and cattle. These two-and-a-half tribes looked at their present situation and decided that what they had right now was the best they could ever hope for, and asked for permission to make this territory their land.

When they were confronted with the possibility that fear had overtaken them and that they were about to refuse God’s promise as their fathers had 40 years earlier, they proved their commitment to the nation and to God by volunteering to send their fighting men with the rest of the nation’s army to go and conquer Canaan. Not only that, they volunteered to be the front lines of the army in all of the conquest. Even though they were choosing to come back and live in the present reality no matter what the new land showed them, they wholeheartedly committed themselves to accomplishing God’s purpose for the sake of the whole nation.

That is the challenge for all of us in our church ministry.  Maybe you have trouble seeing the benefit to moving ahead by faith with a new ministry or a new building. You would prefer to stay right where you are until we have more sure evidence of God’s provision and plan. Maybe God is using you to help the rest of the people reevaluate their direction and decisions. But maybe you need a greater measure of faith to step out of your comfort zones and expand the spiritual sphere of influence of your church. Are you holding back others from conquering territory in your church, or are you joining them to expand the Kingdom of God. Are you prepared to come to the front of the line in support of where God may be taking you.

These are critical times for the church, and Jesus Christ our King does not call us to strengthen our comfort zones but rather to expand our influence. Are you holding back your church from new ministry because of your lack of faith in God’s promises, or are you volunteering to be on the front line of conquering new territory for the King?

Pastor John

PURITY

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LifeLink Devotions for Friday, November 22, 2024

Moses had one more thing to do before he died and turned over the leadership of Israel to Joshua. In direct obedience to the command of God in Numbers chapter thirty-one, Moses was to send an army to destroy the Midianite people who had attempted to subvert the nation through sexual immorality and idol worship. Under the guidance of Balaam, the Midianites sent their women to seduce the men of Israel and lead them to their places of worship of Baal. God punished the men of Israel, some 24,000 of them, with death, and the nation was purified. But God’s judgment of sin was not done.

Moses chose an army of twelve thousand men, one thousand from each tribe, and under God’s authority they wiped out the Midianite army. When the war was over, they had destroyed every Midianite male and every female old enough to engage in sexual activity. Only the young girls were saved and made slaves of the Israelites. The plunder they took amounted to 675,000 sheep, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys, and 32,000 female slaves. These figures give an indication of the size of the Midianite nation, and yet 12,000 Israelite soldiers defeated them easily without losing one soldier’s life. Not one! God was their Commander-in-Chief and their Protector.

There is an eternal principle of God’s justice that is learned from this story. We saw the disciplinary hand of God’s justice against His children for their sin. 24,000 men of Israel died. God’s justice begins in the lives of the people who have been called to be holy and have been given an inheritance with the saints in glory. You and I have experienced the discipline of God for sins we have committed. Hebrews 12:5-7 reminds us that a loving Father will always correct His children – “And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?”

But God’s justice will also punish the source of the sin and destroy it. His justice against sin will be complete and it will be utterly destroyed. Just as He destroyed the Midianites for being the source of seduction into sin for the Israelites, so He will also one day destroy the source of seduction into sin for all of us who are now His chosen people, which is the world. Even thought for now it appears that evil is flourishing, there is a day coming when the price for sin will be paid to a holy God, and that price is death.  

Yet in Jesus Christ we are delivered from the power of that seduction today. We do not have to wait until the Day of Judgment to be free from the seduction of sin. The indwelling Presence of Jesus Christ in our lives has already accomplished that victory for us. The influence of the world is still powerful, but “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) “We have been set free from the power of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2) Through the love of Jesus Christ we have “been made more than conquerors.” (Romans 8:37)

In preparation for their entrance into the Promised Land, the Israelites were told to destroy all sin and sinful people so that the land of promise would be a holy place to dwell. You and I are living today in the Promised Land of God’s presence through Jesus Christ, and all the power of sin has been destroyed by His death on the cross. Let’s live in that victory every moment of every day.

Pastor John

HUMBLE LEADERSHIP

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LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, November 21, 2024

I was taught a lesson in humility by my dad when I was 15 years old. By humility I am referring specifically to the kind of humility it takes to turn over the responsibility for an important task to someone less experienced. I was 15 years old, and we were on our way to Colorado for a family vacation in conjunction with a national church conference. We were going to be camping, so there was a big travel trailer hooked up behind the car. We had made good progress from St. Paul into Nebraska when dad looked in the rear view mirror and said, “John, do you want to drive?” 

I only had my learner’s permit at the time, but I was ready, except for that big camper behind us. I had driven the car plenty of times, but now there was an added difficulty with which I had no experience. But dad stopped the car, got out, and gave me the keys. WOW! He trusted me with the car and the camper and the lives of the family. He knew that the only way to become qualified for a task was to be allowed to do the task and gain experience. He was still a qualified driver. He was not unable to perform the task of driving, yet he humbly surrendered his rights for the sake of training the next generation of drivers knowing that they would need those skills when they were out on their own in the future. Thanks, Dad!

Moses has reached a point in his life where his leadership is coming to an end. God has sent him up to the top of a mountain to get a view of the Promised Land, a land that he would never be allowed to enter because of his sin. But before he goes, Moses asks God to reveal to him who the next leader of the Israelites would be. I think if I were in that situation, the first thought I my mind would have been to ask God to forgive me and remove the consequence of my sin so that I could go into the land. Maybe I would make excuses for why the sin wasn’t really all that bad and the consequence was unfair. It would certainly be a priority to try to maintain some control and to “stay in the driver’s seat.”

But not Moses. He was a humble man. His immediate attitude was one of humble submission to the plan of God and of concern for the ongoing leadership of the people. That speaks volumes about the attitude of his heart, but then God takes it one step further. We read in Numbers  chapter twenty-seven verse twenty that God tells Moses, “Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him.”  It’s one thing to be willing to step aside for someone else, but it is something much more humbling to be asked to take part in the training of that new person and turn over some or all of your authority.

Think of the applications of this lesson to our lives today. If you are a parent this defines your role in raising your children. We watch as they drop dishes on the floor trying to carry them; leave the blankets crooked on a bed they were trying to make; leave tools laying around the garage after using them; miss whole sections of lawn as they use the mower for the first time; and on and on goes the list. We seem to be able to humbly accept our responsibility to develop leaders in our families, so what has happened in our jobs and in our churches? Why do we have so many people greedily hanging on to positions of leadership when there is a whole generation of new leaders just waiting to use their skills and dreams to take us to new places of promise?

In your job, or in your church, are you a humble and willing participant in developing the next wave of leaders, even if that means not accomplishing a personal goal? Is our purpose self-fulfilling or Kingdom fulfilling? Let’s be the facilitators of growth by letting someone else drive for a while.

Pastor John

W.W.J.D.

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LifeLink Devotions for Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Not many people wear the W.W.J.D. bracelets any more. This bracelet was designed to be worn as a reminder to ask the question “What would Jesus do?” when we were faced with a decision or confronted with a problem. I hope we have not let the fading of a fad change the foundation of our faith. God still requires us to take action that models His attributes in every aspect of our lives.

On their way to the Promised land the Israelites are being seduced by the Moabites in an attempt by Balaam to become wealthy and powerful. It was Balaam who devised the plan to overthrow the Israelites by turning them away from the Lord rather than by military force. The Moabites were very afraid of the power of God’s people that had been displayed in previous battles against the Canaanites. They knew they did not have the military strength to defeat them, so they weakened them by immorality and idolatry, taking away their source of strength from the Lord.

The seduction of the people was so blinding that one man named Zimri actually brought a Midianite woman back to his family to share right in front of Moses and the Elders who were weeping over the sin of the people at the Tent of Meeting. The punishment for their sins was already underway. The tribal leaders had already begun the killing of all the men who had been seduced into worshiping false gods. Yet this man was so intent on getting what he could for immediate pleasure that he ignored the consequences of his choices. What severe blindness comes over us when we choose to please self rather than God. What brazen disregard for the holiness of God.

Phinehas, the son of the high priest, took action. He went into the tent where the man and the woman were involved in fornication, and he killed them both with one thrust of the spear. In Numbers 25 God commends him for his action, stating clearly that Phinehas acted exactly as God would have acted. Can there be any greater commendation on a life than that? Is that not to be our ongoing response to sin around us today?

Now be careful, I am not advocating killing sinners, unless we are willing to start with self. What I am suggesting is that we take a stand against sin when God clearly does. Multiple denominations in our country are being split over the issue of gay rights in the church. They are debating what the Bible really says about homosexuality. The spiritual blindness caused by the desire for personal pleasure is justified with the term “unity.” What is there to debate about sin? God is holyand he rejects all that is not. We must be bold and courageous to stand against all such attempts to seduce the people of the world into the worship of false gods that satisfy personal passions. 

My friends, take to heart the commendation of Phinehas by God when He says, “I am making my covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites.”  Make it your personal goal to do what God would do. Choose wisely, because one choice to please self could blind you for life.

Pastor John

LOOK TO JESUS

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LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, November 19, 2024

The news is rarely encouraging. We let politics, inflation, gas prices, and injustice bum us out. It can ruin our day.  

Then suddenly, like a light bulb going on in our head, we realize how quickly the things of the world can captivate our thinking and turn our eyes from their intended focus on the wonderful hope we have in Jesus Christ for eternal life. We make plans for personal provisions and security, when Jesus has already provided for all that and more. We have far too many momentary lapses into looking at the world instead of looking above for the Lord.

In Numbers chapter twenty-one the Israelites continue their seemingly endless pattern of complaining, consequences, and correction. They need another trust lesson from the Father. This time God uses poisonous snakes as the teaching tool. To rescue them from this infestation, God had Moses make a bronze snake and place it on a pole, so that anyone who looked at it would live. Notice that God’s solution was not to take away the snakes or to stop the venom from being imbedded in the flesh of the people, but rather it was to stop the effects of the venom in their lives by looking to Him. 

What an incredible picture of our lives today in Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself uses this story to depict His own crucifixion in John 3:14-15. He said’ “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” Jesus tells us that if we look to Him as the people looked to the snake on the pole, we too will live, even though the Serpent still attacks and attempts to sink His fangs into our lives, poisoning us with the venom of the world. Satan has not been removed from the world, but the sting of his venom – death – has been removed.

We are tempted to look around us at all of the serpents that are coiled to strike us with their poison. They have disguised themselves to appear beneficial to us, yet their venom is deadly. However, when we are looking at our Savior Jesus, their venom is powerless. The snake of inflation cannot interrupt the flow of God’s provision. The snake of dependence upon oil cannot overpower our dependence upon the anointing oil of the Holy Spirit. The snake of war and injustice cannot take away our peace and justification in Christ. The snake of broken relationships cannot destroy the permanence of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Take your eyes off of whatever snake is coiled to strike you right now, and look at Jesus. “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5) He is our Hope and our Salvation. In Him we have life, and it is eternal and abundant. The snakes cannot invalidate your inheritance, so don’t let them infect your inclinations. Instead, “Incline your heart unto the Lord” (Joshua 24:23). He is faithful and will not fail.

Pastor John

THE SCENIC ROUTE

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LifeLink Devotions for Monday, November 18, 2024

When I travel I enjoy taking the scenic route. If I’m going someplace I’ve been before I will usually take the direct route, but if it’s a new destination I often take the scenic route, which may not be the fastest route. In fact, when the kids were younger and we went on a family trip or vacation, they used to harass me about going on another one of dad’s “adventures.” We did wind up in some pretty remote places sometimes – just ask them about the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. 

As the final leg of the 40-year journey to the Promised Land begins, the Israelites are faced with a trip-planning decision: do we take the freeway or the scenic route. The freeway led them through the territory of the Edomites, the descendants of Esau. The scenic route led them a long way around to the east of Edom and Moab. Moses thought it would be nice to go the direct route and save time, but God wanted them to take the scenic route for safety. You can read about it in Numbers chapter twenty.

Moses sent out a message to the Edomites and asked permission to go through their land on the king’s highway, and made certain guarantees about the trip. He promised that the people would not use any of the rest areas, and would not stop at any of the McDonald’s for food, and would not stop at any of the convenience stores for water. Most of all, the people would not stop at any of the scenic overlooks or take time to visit any of the points of interest along the way, thus avoiding all contact with the people of the land.

Why would Moses make such promises? If you read the instructions of the Lord given to Moses in Deuteronomy 2:4-6 you will find the answer.

Then the LORD said to me, “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north. Give the people these orders: ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful. Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own. You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’”

God told Moses to avoid the people that were contradictory to God’s purpose. God knew that any point of contact would give the enemy a foothold from which to thwart God’s divine plan. There is a deep spiritual lesson in this for us today. God has called us in our salvation to come out and be separate from all that is evil in the eyes of the Lord (see 2 Cor. 6:17). We have been commanded to be pure, even as He is pure because of the higher hope of heaven that we have ( see 1 John 3:2-3). We are urged to not even let our emotions, like anger, give Satan a foothold in our lives (see Eph. 4:27). There is a consistent theme in Scripture that the people of God are not to turn to the right or the left in their temporary journey through this evil land on their way to the permanent residence of God’s presence.

We must take the time to evaluate our life’s trip planning. Are we taking the scenic route, turning off the main road at any location that looks appealing to our flesh so we can indulge our appetites? Or are we staying on the Interstate taking the most direct route to God’s presence? I am not talking about avoiding all contact with unsaved people along the way. That would be disobedience to God’s purpose for us until we reach glory. I am referring to the sinful attractions of the world’s activities that distract and sometimes disqualify us from accomplishing God’s purpose. We must not take these side roads. We must not turn to the left or to the right. We must stay on the King’s highway and keep our eyes fixed on the Promised Land of God’s Presence. Be strong and be pure, for the Lord your God is with you.

Pastor John

SHOW GRACE

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LifeLink Devotions for Friday, November 15, 2024

As we mentioned yesterday, the Israelites are near the end of their 40 years of wandering the desert. Most of those responsible for the choice to not enter the Promised Land when God directed them the first time have now died. The next generation of people is ready to begin their advance towards God’s promise. But for the first time recorded this new generation also complains about things not going their way. 

When Moses and Aaron approach God with the complaints of the people there is something different about His response from previous instances of grumbling. God gives Moses a solution to the problem without any consequences to the people. That’s God’s grace in action.

Numbers 20:6-8 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. 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.” 

God graciously provided for the people. Moses did not. Moses allowed the hurts of the past to be resurrected and his pride to become the motivator of his actions. Look at what Moses did:

1.      He directly disobeyed God by speaking to the people and not to the rock. He had been given no permission or authority to use this opportunity as a time to correct the people. He was simply told to speak to the rock and let them observe the power of God. How many times do we overstep our boundaries with people by attempting to correct them from the outside rather than letting the Holy Spirit correct them from the inside. They need to see God’s grace in us.

2.      He also directly disobeyed God by striking the rock rather than speaking to it. Moses seemed to think the people needed to see the justice of God rather than the grace of God, and that is not what God wanted them to see at this time. There is a place for that, as the last generation had experienced, but not with this new group of people. God knew that they needed to see His mercy and grace, not judgment. In his arrogance, Moses thought he knew better than God. He reacted emotionally rather than with sensitivity to the people and to God’s plan. I know that we do the same in our relationships with people. We judge and condemn quickly, when God would have us show the world His grace and love.

3.      His pride was the cause of his choices. God tells Moses what he did wrong:

a.      Your faith in Me is still too small in that you did not trust My way as being the best way to bring these people along in their faith.

b.      You did not honor Me in the sight of the people by claiming power for yourself that is rightfully Mine. It was God who would bring the water out of the rock, not Moses.

c.      You did not give the people a proper perspective of My holiness because you skipped the grace and mercy and went right to the judgment.

As a result of this, after over 40 years of faithful leadership of the people, Moses was told that he and his brother Aaron would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land. Moses was judged by God by the same standard he had used to judge the people. God had not called the people “rebels”, Moses had, when in fact Moses was the rebel. Those guilty of rebellion were not allowed to experience the Promised Land. Let’s be careful that before we look at the speck in someone else’s eye we make sure we don’t have a log in our own. Let’s be people of obedience, honoring the holiness of God before people, and understand that it is grace and love that win the hearts of man.

Pastor John