Good Morning “Owners of Your Own Faith.” Today we are in Numbers 32.
This is a perplexing chapter. We are a goal setting, prize earning society at our core. Typically we compete to win, work to get paid etc etc. Imagine living, working, suffering your whole life to receive that which was promised and then, literally a river crossing away, deciding… no, I’m good. I’m just gonna hang out here. Such was the case for the clans of Rueben and Gad.
400 years of slavery and 40 years of wandering in the desert has brought the nation of Israel to the banks of the Jordan. Across the other side is Canaan, the “Promised Land”. The land flowing with milk and honey. The land God promised Abraham, and Jacob. Why in the world would Rueben and Gad be content to settle on the Eastern side? I believe this is another case of them seeing only with their eyes and not with faith - faith in Gods promise. I believe there are a couple applications here for us.
- Perhaps their faithless fathers who died in the desert were not very passionate about their relationship with God. Why would the next generation want what we put so little value on? “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6) This passage works both ways. Demonstrate lack of faith to them, they’ll grow up with a lack of faith. Demonstrate a “do it all on your own power” attitude and that’s what they’ll adopt.
- We must purpose to make our faith our own. Our parents faith is not automatically our faith.
- Moses checks them up… hang on a minute boys… we NEED you! We need fighting men from ALL of the clans to take the land as God instructed! You leave us short handed and we’re going to be crippled. That was NEVER Gods intent. What a picture of the Body, The Church. Every follower of Jesus given a Spiritual gift / gifts at the time of Salvation, for the purpose of functioning within The Body. (1 Corinthians 12). We all have a function. We need everyone, otherwise we’re operating crippled. It was never Gods intent.
It’s essential each of us makes our faith our own. Why do you believe what you believe? Tell me about your relationship with Jesus. “We’ve always gone to church”, or “I don’t know, I just grew up going to church” - isn’t a sufficient answer. Our faith must be our own. Our faith grows as we spend time with Jesus: praying and reading, studying, applying His Word - and sharing Its Truths with others.
Love you all! Dig in! It’s essential!
This is a perplexing chapter. We are a goal setting, prize earning society at our core. Typically we compete to win, work to get paid etc etc. Imagine living, working, suffering your whole life to receive that which was promised and then, literally a river crossing away, deciding… no, I’m good. I’m just gonna hang out here. Such was the case for the clans of Rueben and Gad.
400 years of slavery and 40 years of wandering in the desert has brought the nation of Israel to the banks of the Jordan. Across the other side is Canaan, the “Promised Land”. The land flowing with milk and honey. The land God promised Abraham, and Jacob. Why in the world would Rueben and Gad be content to settle on the Eastern side? I believe this is another case of them seeing only with their eyes and not with faith - faith in Gods promise. I believe there are a couple applications here for us.
- Perhaps their faithless fathers who died in the desert were not very passionate about their relationship with God. Why would the next generation want what we put so little value on? “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6) This passage works both ways. Demonstrate lack of faith to them, they’ll grow up with a lack of faith. Demonstrate a “do it all on your own power” attitude and that’s what they’ll adopt.
- We must purpose to make our faith our own. Our parents faith is not automatically our faith.
- Moses checks them up… hang on a minute boys… we NEED you! We need fighting men from ALL of the clans to take the land as God instructed! You leave us short handed and we’re going to be crippled. That was NEVER Gods intent. What a picture of the Body, The Church. Every follower of Jesus given a Spiritual gift / gifts at the time of Salvation, for the purpose of functioning within The Body. (1 Corinthians 12). We all have a function. We need everyone, otherwise we’re operating crippled. It was never Gods intent.
It’s essential each of us makes our faith our own. Why do you believe what you believe? Tell me about your relationship with Jesus. “We’ve always gone to church”, or “I don’t know, I just grew up going to church” - isn’t a sufficient answer. Our faith must be our own. Our faith grows as we spend time with Jesus: praying and reading, studying, applying His Word - and sharing Its Truths with others.
Love you all! Dig in! It’s essential!
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