Loved ones and letting go

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The LORD is good,
a stronghold in the day of trouble;
he knows those who take refuge in him. - Nahum 1:7 ESV

Sometimes in our lives we have to let go of people that are precious to us and give them to God. Maybe it is a child going off to school or a loved one going into the service.

Nahum has a promise for us to cling to. When your loved one knows the Lord, we can be sure that the Lord will take care of them. Their life may not look like what we expect, but we are assured that God knows them and will work all things in their life for good. (Romans 8:28)

He knows you too, child of God. Take your refuge in our Lord.

What we can learn from 10 spies that didn't believe God

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Remember the story of the 12 spies Moses sent out? Most of us know the story, even Wikipedia (below). We usually focus our attention on the two men that DID have faith, but there is also something to learn from the 10 spies that didn't show faith.

God had promised Abraham that there would be a Promised Land for the nations to come out of his son, Isaac. The land of Canaan which the spies were to explore was the same Promised Land. When ten of the twelve spies showed little faith in the doom and gloom report they gave about the land, they were slandering what they believed God had promised them. They did not believe that God could help them, and the people as a whole were persuaded that it was not possible to take the land. As a result, the entire nation was made to wander in the desert for 40 years, until almost the entire generation of men had died. Joshua and Caleb were the two spies who brought back a good report and believed that God would help them succeed. They were the only men from their generation permitted to go into the Promised Land after the time of wandering.

These then were their names:

1. from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur;
2. from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; 
3. from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh;
4. from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph;
5. from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun; 
6. from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; 
7. from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; 
8. from the tribe of Joseph, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi; 
9. from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; 
10. from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael; 
11. from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi; 
12. from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.

 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land; but Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua. (Numbers 13:6-16 NASB)


Except for Joshua and Caleb, we don't hear these names again. They are not familiar names to us. Why? Because they did not have faith.

Let's look at what happened:

1. The LORD told them that He was giving them the land. (Numbers 13:2)
2. The LORD commanded them not to fear or be dismayed. (Deuteronomy 1:21)
3. Ten of the spies saw the land and the giants and became dismayed and feared. After seeing with their physical eyes, they did not believe God and said, "We are not able!" (Numbers 13:31)

What did 10 of the spies lose?

• These 10 men could have possibly been included later in the canon of Scripture for their great faith. They lost that potential witness to their generation and others. The names of these men are virtually unknown to us.

• They did not get to partake of God's promise because of their lack of faith

• Their rebellion (Deuteronomy 1:26) affected others. None of the adults in that generation got to partake of God's promise because the testimony of the 10 influenced the Israelites to lose faith.

We too have much to lose when we don't have faith to believe what God has told us in His written word. We too, like Joshua and Caleb, have much to gain when we do believe God and exercise faith. When we do that, we believe God not only because of what He said, but because of who he is. (Isaiah 43:10)

Jesus, increase our faith. May we believe your word and live it. Amen.

Personal Morning Devotions: The SOAP method

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One great way of having a personalized morning devotional without a devotional book or email is the S.O.A.P. method. SOAP stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer.

You may choose a verse or two as God leads or systematically work through a chapter or book of the Bible.

Below is an example:

Scripture:
We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. - Romans 6:4-5 ESV

Observation:
If we are truly saved (united with Christ by baptism unto death), our salvation is certain.

Application:
I can rest in the promise of God knowing His word is sure. Faithful is He who calls me who will also do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

Prayer:
Lord God, thank you that you have accomplished my salvation on the cross. Thank you for your forgiveness and your faithfulness. Help me rest in your promise, growing in you each day that I may increasingly walk in the newness of life. May my life show others your transforming power to your glory and praise. In Jesus name, Amen.

Baby Dedications

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It is such a wonderful moment when we see parents dedicating their newborn baby to the Lord isn't it? We have examples in Scripture of this. The most common one is probably when Hannah dedicated Samuel. She said,  "So I have also dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD." 1 Samuel 1:28a NASB

But there is another example in the New Testament that we often overlook. That example is in Mary. Think about this:

• God gives her His own son that her body nurtures during the 9 months of pregnancy
• The bodily life of Jesus grows within her
• Mary gives birth to that physical life
• Mary dedicates that life back to God at the presentation:

Luke writes: And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “EVERY firstborn MALE THAT OPENS THE WOMB SHALL BE CALLED HOLY TO THELORD”), and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS.” - Luke 2:22-24 NASB

One cross reference is in Exodus: You shall devote to the LORD the first offspring of every womb - Exodus 13:12a NASB

We are following a very biblical pattern when we pray over our children and dedicate them to God. It is God that gifted our lives with them and it is to God we give all praise. Amen

What happens when we don't let go?

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For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1 ESV)

We are familiar with seasons in our lives. There is a season when we are single. Maybe there is a season we are married. There is a season we are young, there is a season we are old. 

We have seasons spiritually as well. Whether or not you have "an official ministry", God has appointed work for you to right now in this season. He has blessings for you right now in this season too.  After some time, God may change our "job assignment" and we must be faithful to that calling. Easier said then done sometimes isn't it? Our fingers have a natural tendency to have a tight grip on the blessings we are currently enjoying.

There are a few problems when we do that. One is this:
If we do not let go of the season we are in when the time comes, we will not be free to grasp what God has for us in the next season.

Lord Jesus, may we always follow you, no matter the cost. Thank you for our blessings past and thank you for our blessings future. Amen.