Are You Making Progress?

Numbers 33:1-2 - Here are the stages in the journey of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt by divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.  At the Lord’s command Moses recorded the stages in their journey. This is their journey by stages:

God told Moses that it was important for him to write down a complete list of everywhere they journeyed on the way to the Promised Land. And so Moses began with the exodus from Egypt and recorded everywhere they had stopped to camp. I counted 38 camps in the 40 years they wandered.  They moved constantly…but made no real progress toward the land God had promised them…because of their stubborn spirits.

As I read the long list of cities…wildernesses and mountains…I couldn’t help but wonder how long my own list would be. If I started with my salvation at fourteen…the list of places God has led me to and through is just as long. I realized just how much I resemble the stubborn selfish spirits of these people…and had to ask myself if I am making any progress in my relationship with God.

The older I get…and the further away from some of the harder things God has held my hand through…the more I realize the training some of the stops in my own journey has provided for today. My teenage years taught me how to love the Lord with all my heart.  My young adult years gave me an education that would grow over the years into a gift of writing and teaching. And now as I grow older God is teaching me to love unconditionally and depend on only him.

It helps me to lift up praises and thanks for every stop along the way.  It reminds me that even though some of my stops were not pleasant times in my life…they taught me important things about God that I could not have learned any other way. It makes me all the more thankful for this season of life that I am in now…enjoying reconnecting with family…using my retirement to help out with many ministries in my new church. Perhaps I am finally making a bit of progress in my relationship with God. 

Father…thank you for the training each piece of my life journey has given me.  Forgive me for the time that I complained…or doubted that where I was could be turned into something good and used for your glory.  Help me to utilize each moment of each stage of my training to help you further the kingdom of God. Help me to remember to stop and thank you for each experience in my life…good or seemingly bad. Amen.

Complacency...A Dangerous Weapon Of Satan

Numbers 32: 2-5 -  So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the community, and said, “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh,Sebam, Nebo and Beon—  the land the Lord subdued before the people of Israel—are suitable for livestock, and your servants have livestock.  If we have found favor in your eyes,” they said, “let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.”

Posed to go over the Jordan River and receive the promise they had been wandering for 40 years… 2 of the tribes approach Moses and Eleazar to ask for the land east of the Jordan.  It looked perfect for the livestock they raised…and they saw potential in repairing the cities they had just conquered and destroyed. They saw their promised land ...and wanted to stop here.

Moses was angry at first…seeing the same scene play out as before... when God got so angry at them for being scared to go to war….he let them wander for 40 years while all the unbelievers died out. Even if this land felt like their perfect place…it was not fair that the others would still endure many wars to completely take over the Promised Land on the other side of the Jordan. They ended up compromising….Moses agreed to give them the land they wanted…on the condition that the army of these two tribes would go with them to fight…and not return until the Promised Land was completely subdued.

Was their choice selfish…perhaps. Did they settle for less than what God had to offer them…absolutely. Did God bless them anyway…yes. Does it send my heart and mind into a reflective state of what great blessings I might have missed because I settled so many times…..big time. Here’s the biggest question…how much of God do I not know…because I stopped searching for him when things were good? Have I become to content with what I know of God to stop diving deeper into his word or learning to seek him in prayer on deeper and deeper levels? Have I become complacent with where I am with God?

Guilty as usual. God never wastes my time with him. This morning I am hit smack in the face with how much like these 2 tribes I am. To be completely honest…I have sat down over the last two days…no thoughts as to what to write….content to leave the computer and say…I will write tomorrow. I blamed it on writers block….but now I see it as complacency. Thanks and praise to God for allowing me to see how wrong I was….before I felt I could go without blogging for any number of days. This is my lifeline…my super up close meditation time over God’s word. Shame on me for ever thinking that is was okay to skip it for any reason.

We can become complacent in many areas of our Christian growth…not just in study of his word and prayer. Is your worship of God too routine… are you going to church services just out of habit…or are you actively seeking God’s presence while you are there. How about your service areas…have you done the same old jobs for God for years…or is God leading you to stretch your abilities into new ways to share his love. The more content you become with who you are to God now…the weaker your faith will become in the long run. It is another way to be lukewarm… and the dangers of that are written in Revelation 3:15-17… “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.”

Father…thank you for the reminder that complacency is a dangerous weapon of satan.  Forgive me for the many times I have been lukewarm….content with the relationship I have with you. Push me Lord to become warmer…even hot…so that I can see the next level of your love and learn to spread it to others.  Amen.

A Promise Is Binding...Forever

Numbers 30:1-2 - Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: “This is what the Lord commands: When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.

Moses called the leaders of the tribes together to let them know God’s feelings on a woman making a vow to him. They were binding for life…with few exceptions. Making a vow to God was serious business. Only a father or a husband could nullify a vow a woman made to God.

Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 expands this thought to everyone.  It says… “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.  It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. And let’s push this thought one more time and say that any promise you make to anyone should be kept.

I have to admit quickly that I have broken many promises…to God … my family…and others God has let me cross paths with.  The list of people I have promised something…then decided later it was better to do something else is long.  I needed the reminder that breaking my word also breaks the trust others have in me. Oh how thankful I am that in God’s great mercy he has forgiven me of all these costly mistakes and is rebuilding the trust he needs me to have to work more effectively for him. It has taken some time….but He is even using some of my mistakes to his good.

Father…thank you for the reminder that my word should be a true measure of who I am…and making a vow to you ...or anyone else is serious business. Forgive me of all the times I have backed out of a promise. Help my yes to be yes…and my no to be no.  Keep revealing the many times that I have broken promises so I can make amends when it is called for. Show me how to use the mistakes I made to glorify you and help others to know you better.  Amen.

Stop And Thank God...Daily...Weekly...Monthly

Numbers 29:1-2 -   “On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets.”

Moses concluded God’s specific directions for each festival and celebration with the requirements for the 7^th month.  Our September…was a month full of sacred assemblies and sacrifices…continuing into the 8^th day of the month. Trumpets were sounded….this time in celebration of God’s great strength and mercy on these stubborn people.

This celebration stopped work…and began an additional series of offerings that rivaled no other time of the year. By the time the celebration was over the number of lambs and rams was double the number offered at the Passover and feast of Pentecost, the number of oxen was fivefold; for, instead of fourteen… there were seventy offered during the week.

As I read…and think on what must have been a wonderful time of fellowship and rest…I have nothing to compare it to in present day.  Perhaps Easter…or Christmas…or even Thanksgiving might give it a run for its money…but even those holidays don’t cause us to stop work…and spend the next 8 days celebrating what God has done to deliver us.

Perhaps …because the need to sacrifice animals was done away with when Jesus gave his life as the last blood sacrifice ever needed… we don’t need these specific routines that offer up atonement and celebrate God’s care in our life. But I don’t believe for a moment that I do not need to stop on a regular basis and thank God for all that he has provided for me throughout my life as much as I can. We save for a yearly vacation to rest and get away from our busy lives…but when was the last time we saved to spend a few days in retreat just with God?

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to stop and thank you for the many blessings and mercies you have shown to me throughout my life. Forgive me for the times that I have taken your care and love for granted. Help me to stop…really stop… daily…weekly…monthly…and occasionally go away to spend a few days in a row just with you.  Amen.

Seek God EVERY Morning And Evening

Numbers 28:1-4 -  The Lord said to Moses,  “Give this command to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Make sure that you present to me at the appointed time my food offerings, as an aroma pleasing to me.’  Say to them: ‘This is the food offering you are to present to the Lord: two lambs a year old without defect, as a regular burnt offering each day.  Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight…

One of Moses last tasks as the leader of God’s people…was to remind them of the many times they needed to honor God with offerings and sacrifices.  The very first one a reminder that a daily offering…one in the morning…and one in the evening. Many others were also on the list…the Sabbath…a monthly offering…the yearly Passover celebration….and the several feasts throughout the year.

Jesus may have changed the requirements for these sacrifices…but he did not change the importance of spending time with God on a regular basis.  He still wants us to wake each morning with words of praise and thankfulness.  He still wants us to share our day with him as we lay down to rest. He wants us to visit and worship with him once every week…even if we don’t call that day a Sabbath anymore.  He still wants us to celebrate the harvest…and the spring renewals of our earth…and occasionally remember the things he brought us through to share his love every day. 

I needed the reminder not to let my time with God every evening and morning become routine…or begin to make excuses…put off couple of nights… sleep in and not have time to meditate and digest what I read. Since god also gave me the task of writing my thoughts each morning in the blog…I also run the risk of doing it for the wrong reasons…or letting my time with him become more about the writing than the listening.

The psalmist said it best in several verses.  First in Psalms 5:3 he said… “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. Then in Psalms 63:6 he said… “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.” And in in Psalms 143:8 … “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Or perhaps Lamentations 3:22-23 says it best… “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Father…thank you for your unfailing love every morning…and your comfort and peace each evening. Forgive me for the times that I have taken your presence in my life for granted….failing to seek you EVERY morning and evening.  Help me to renew a passion within my heart to seek you more and more each day…to thank you…to praise you…to seek your will…and to petition you for the needs of others. Amen.

Put Others First

Numbers 27:12-14 - Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go up this mountain in the Abarim Range and see the land I have given the Israelites. After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaronwas, for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of Zin, both of you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy before their eyes.” (These were the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.)

It was the end of everything for Moses. He had made that one mistake that kept him from moving with the people he had led for 40 years into the Promised Land. God said it was time…he could go up to the mountain and view the land he had brought them too…but then he would be gathered to his people that had already gone to be with the Lord.

I love Moses attitude here…he doesn’t beg or whine or say give me more time.  He says appoint a new leader to take over my job. He wasn’t worried about his own life...but the lives of the rising generation that was moving into God’s promised land.  His last request was all about providing for the people that had become his life’s passion.

I needed the reminder that it’s all about others…not myself. I fail God daily with my selfishness…thinking most of the time about what I need and not what God could provide for others through my resources and service. I need to be more like Moses…and put others first.

Father…thank you for the reminder to be driven by Jesus passion to help others.  Forgive me for the times that I let my selfish needs drive my decisions throughout the day. Help me to draw so close to you that your passion to love and help others overrides any selfish desires I have.  Amen.

Family Is Important...AND...Time Is Not Guaranteed

Numbers 26:1-2 -  After the plague the Lord said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, “Take a census of the whole Israelite community by families—all those twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army of Israel.” 

I am reading in Numbers still…a little behind on the blog because I have been visiting my son and his new family in California for the last 2 weeks. I had underlined the word family immediately as I read it…so conscious of the importance of that word in my heart.

I have been blessed with more than one family.  I have my biological family….my Christian family….2 very close church families…a wonderful group family called Celebrate Recovery…and since the birth of my second grandson…a sweet family in California.

As I was pulling up Numbers 26 to pick my verses for the blog today…this verse popped up as the verse of the day… Psalm 90:2…. “A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.” Oh how my heart felt the meaning of that like never before. My 2 weeks in California to celebrate my grandson’s 1^st Birthday mirrored its importance. My time with that sweet family in California limited to one visit a year….flew by…seeming like a day or two as I said goodbye to fly home yesterday.

What a great reminder of the sober fact that time is fleeting….a mere way to measure earthly minutes on the land God asks us to serve others to spread the gospel of his saving grace. I can’t recall all the moments of my 34 years of teaching….the year I have spent in retirement seems like a moment….the 6 years I have spent without my sweet husband who died too soon seems like yesterday. But on the other hand…the one day I have spent away from my son …my grandson…and his sweet family seems like forever ago.

Family…plus the limited time God grants us …equals one huge urgency in my soul to make sure I use as much time as I can to let others around me know how very empowering his love is when you accept him as your savior. I would be a basket case…every moment …. if God did not control my time…and how it is used each day.

Father…thank you for the reminders that time is not guaranteed…and family is important. Forgive me for the many mistakes I have made using my time…and the many times I have failed my family with my selfish choices.  Help me to allow you to control my time management…so that I can be the most useful servant for your kingdom.  Amen.