Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 25 June 2008

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 25 June 2008

What is your journey: The complaining and whining spirit Numbers 14:27 How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. When I think about the complaining and whining spirit, it reminds me of what Moses had to go through when God freed His people from bondage by the Egyptians. Today’s word of encouragement is Enter YOUR promise land. God’s people were in the desert for 40 years, many did not make it to the promise land except for Caleb and Joshua. The one thing that I realized from reading the Word of God is that, many may call themselves God’s chosen but only a few will actually enter the promise land. By title it is easy to call ourselves “God’s chosen people” See I’m a Christian I go to church every Sunday, I don’t steal, I am faithful to my wife, blah blah blah. All God’s chosen people were freed from slavery and bondage in Egypt but what did they do? They spent their entire lives complain, grumbling, and disobey God. Imagine many said from their own mouths that they rather be a salve in Egypt than walk into the promise land. Only a few actually walk in the will of God. In my opinion it absolutely means nothing to God if we carry the title of being called “God’s chosen people”. What matters is what we do about our lives for God’s kingdom. The promise land awaits EVERYONE. Right now in our journey in life, are we just complaining, grumbling, and whining all the time to God about our hardships? There is a promise land for all of us, but not many will enter it. Today, are we ready to journey to the promise land God has given to us? (Deut 1:27-45) 27 You grumbled in your tents and said, "The LORD hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. 28 Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart. They say, 'The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.' " 29 Then I said to you, "Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. 30 The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, 31 and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place." 32 In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God, 33 who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go. 34 When the LORD heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore: 35 "NOT A MAN OF THIS EVIL GENERATION SHALL SEE THE GOOD LAND I SWORE TO GIVE YOUR FOREFATHERS, 36 except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly." 37 Because of you the LORD became angry with me also and said, "You shall not enter it, either. 38 But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it. 42 But the LORD said to me, "Tell them, 'Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.' " 43 So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the LORD's command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country. 44 The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah. 45 You came back and wept before the LORD, but he paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you. © June 2008 Shaun Lee. www.everynation.org.sg archive: www.shauntzen.blogspot.com