Month: March 2023

Sustainable Faith

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

We hear a lot about sustainability these days. We’re told we need to green up our environment. We need to drive electric cars. We need to remove gas stoves from our homes. We must quit eating meat and start eating crickets. We must drive shorter distances. We must lower the number of cows on this earth, because of their gas emissions. We are now being told that we can be replaced with artificial intelligence. It makes a person wonder if humanity is sustainable on an earth that was created by God, but is being overrun by those pretending to be God.

Oh. It’s not the first time people of this earth have been hoodwinked into doing something that sounds good at face value. But then once the changes are being made, we realize that it wasn’t such a good idea, after all. The plan isn’t really sustainable. Someone was playing mind games with us and we got tricked into a false ideology. I’m sure all of us have fallen prey to some type of conspiracy theory at one time in our lives.

But we don’t have to be suckers when it comes to what’s going on around us. We need to keep our eyes open, our ears alert and our hearts guarded. We can fall prey to temptations and ideas that sound good, but are downright deceitful. How often do we make decisions or act under the pressure of soundless ideologies? Ideologies that haven’t been vetted. They’ve just been thrown at us, and we’re expected to bow to them without asking any questions. Shame on us if we don’t dig in and investigate the idea and the instigator of the idea.

Is your faith strong enough to sustain any threat or temptation? Do your actions defile your relationship with God?

When we take a new job, we’re saying that we’ll show up and do our best every day to get the work done. But this week, my coworker didn’t live up to his end of the bargain. He was a no call, no show for several days. He’s now unemployed.

When we call ourselves followers of Christ, we say that we’re following his commands. How can we follow his commands if we don’t know them? If we don’t read and study the Bible, how will we learn to live biblically? Are we committed to our relationship with God or not?

How do we sustain our faith if we’ve never built a solid foundation? How do we build a solid foundation? I’ll say this until I’m blue in the face. If we’re not reading the Word of God daily, we are not building a solid foundation. We can read books about the Bible. We can read devotional books. We can listen to sermons and podcasts. We can attend a Bible study. But we need to read the Bible for ourselves. We need to dig deep and learn God’s Word. That is how we build a sustainable faith. One that can stand against any hard knocks this life throws at us. If we don’t know God’s Word, we are settling for less than the best for ourselves.

Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written on it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. Joshua 1:8

Before Moses died, he appointed Joshua to replace him as the leader of the nation of Israel. And God confirmed that Joshua would be successful as the leader if he obeyed God’s instructions. One of the instructions that God gave Joshua was to study the Book of Instruction that he had given to Moses. He told Joshua to study it continually and meditate on it day and night. Joshua did just that, and he was successful in leading the nation of Israel to victory in taking the land of Canaan, as God promised to them.

There was another man in the Bible. His name was Balaam, and he was a wicked Midianite prophet. Israel was conquering nations on their way to Canaan, which caused fear among the surrounding countries. Balak, the Moabite king who feared Israel, trusted Balaam and asked him to curse the Israelites. Through a series of events that included a talking donkey, God instructed Balaam to say only the words that God gave him to say. And so, Balaam proclaimed blessings on Israel and curses on Moab, angering Balak.

Unfortunately, that isn’t the end of the story.

Later, Balaam went back to Balak and told him how to launch a counterattack on the nation of Israel in a more subtle, inoffensive way. He counseled Balak to send Moabite women into Israel’s camp to seduce the men and introduce them to Baal worship. They began to eat meat offered to idols. This was far worse than any curses Balaam spoke against Balak. He showed Balak how to trip up God’s chosen people. And some of the men of Israel went along with it. What man doesn’t like a pretty girl who pays attention to them and offers them free food? How can that be wrong?

God’s people today get tripped up by false teachers and seemingly innocent ideas that look far more appealing than sacrifice and obedience to God looks. Sin will be presented to us as something pretty, convenient and comfortable. It won’t be a physical, knock down drag out fight. It could be an activity or event that makes you feel accepted by your peers and friends. It could be a new acquaintance who puts you on the edge of uncomfortable, but you let them influence you, anyway. After all. Who wants to appear to be a goody two shoes? Beware of who influences your thoughts, desires and actions. Are those you trust the most in life influencing you in a godly way? Or are they influencing you to move farther from your life as a follower of Christ? Oh. It may be subtle at first. Until one day, you wake up and notice your life is unrecognizable. You no longer desire the things of God. Are you living for the One True God or a false god? Can you tell the difference between godly advice and ungodly influence? Beware. Lest you fall for something that causes you to fall into sin.

You can find the story of Balaam and Balak in Numbers 22:1-25:15, Joshua 13:22 and Revelation 2:14.

But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. Revelation 2:14

Giants in the Land

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

The Israelites were moving closer and closer to the land of Canaan. There must have been loads of excitement in the air. They were almost home. They could feel a sense of relief and accomplishment. God had provided for them, but they had complained. Soon they wouldn’t have much to complain about. They would root out the people who were living there, according to God’s command. He had told them to clean house and move in. So Moses sent out a reconnaisance team to scout the land. They wanted to know what the area looked like and get a feel for their new homeland.

Imagine being the twelve who were chosen to scout the land. Imagine walking the roads and byways. Watching the people. Were there many or few? Were they large or small? Were they well-fed or hungry? What was the lay of the land? This was going to be home, and the energy among the scouts must have been electric.

The scouts reported that the country was very bountiful. Lots of food was available. They even carried back a sampling from a massive grapevine. There was plenty of land for everyone to settle into. But the people who lived there. It was hard not to notice them. They seemed to be giants. And ten of the scouts were deathly afraid of them.

They said they saw giants. And they were afraid. They were afraid the people who were bigger than them were bigger than the God who had rescued them from the Egyptians. Didn’t they realize these giants were much smaller than the God who had parted the sea so they could walk right through it. Didn’t they realize these giants were much less powerful than the God who provided for all of their needs. Didn’t they realize that these giants would be handed over to them by God? They forgot all that God had done for them. They forgot all that God had promised them. So frozen in a moment of fear, they lied.

These ten men who were afraid of the giants were part of a group of twelve who had been sent out to spy on the neighboring country. God’s plan was that they would eventually conquer the land and take it back as their very own. You see. The land of Canaan was the birthplace of their ancestors who had moved to Egypt due to a famine over four hundred years earlier. And now that they had been freed from slavery in Egypt, God was giving their homeland back to them. It was a time for celebration and victory. But their fear and lack of faith turned one of the best times of their life into forty years of the worst. It was a forty year sentence for them. And for most, it was a death sentence.

After exploring the land for forty days, the men returned to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran. They reported to the whole community what they had seen and showed them the fruit they had taken from the land. This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak!” Numbers 13:25-28

So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. Deuteronomy 31:6

It should have been a rather uneventful journey. The twelve spies set out on a short trip to check out the land the Lord had given to them. Oh. They weren’t sure what they would find, but they were pleasantly surprised. The reconnaisance mission was deemed a success by all twelve until ten of the men spoke their fear and doubt out loud. Those doubtful words caused the people of Israel to go mad. How dare Moses lead them out of Egypt where all their needs, except for freedom, were fulfilled. How dare Moses lead them to a land, although flowing with milk and honey, that housed giants. How dare Moses expect them to move into the land to conquer it and remove the giants. How dare he. But really. What they were saying was….how dare God. How dare God expect them to fight to take back the land that was rightfully theirs. How dare God expect anything of them when he had promised to always be with them. When he had handpicked them out of all the people on the earth to be his chosen people. How dare he.

These twelve men weren’t the runts of the litter. They weren’t the weaklings. They were leaders in each of their tribes. They weren’t nobodies. They were respected men. And their faith fell weak when they ran into people bigger than themselves. Oh. When we run into problems that are bigger than us, we can’t just get scared and run the other way. That’s the moment we step into our faith and live it out loud. We don’t let fear hold us back from obeying God. We walk by faith.

We weren’t meant to slay giants on our own. God will handle the giants in our lives. Our job is to trust and obey him. For there’s no other way to live in Christ except in full surrender. Even when we’re faced with giants. Many times the only thing we see standing before us is the giant. We don’t see all the blessings and abundance that surrounds us. We see the one thing that could cause problems, and we focus only on it. We obsess and grumble. We moan and groan, because we have no idea how we’re going to overcome this one thing. And all around us lies the answer. God has already given us the land. We have to trust him to make the way of provision. In his timing and in his own way, God is faithful to provide the victory for us. But we must step out in faith. God will work through us.

But the fear and doubt put the joy and happiness of nation of Israel on a back burner. Because of their disobedience, God punished them by making them live forty years across the river from their promised homeland. Forty years. And everyone aged twenty and above would not be allowed to enter that new land. They would die before the nation moved forward. So for forty years, they saw every one of the adults live and die in their temporary homes. The promised freedom was just within reach. The fulfillment of God’s promise was just within sight. But because of their lack of trust and respect for God’s command, they paid a huge price.

Let’s not make that same mistake with our lives. Oh. The price for us may not be forty years of living in the wilderness. It may not be forty years of eating manna. We don’t know what we miss out on when we defy God. We just know that when we’re not living in submission to Him, we’re not living in God’s abundance. And abundance doesn’t necessarily mean health and wealth. It’s peace of mind. Joy and contentment. Fulfillment in the will of God. Let’s live abundantly in God’s grace and not our own fear and cowardice. Let’s take the land God has given us.

And those giants. They may not take the fight lying down. But with God on our side, nothing is impossible. Those giants will be cast aside with our hand in God’s. The fight may get dirty, but God will be the victor. Let’s never forget that. He will not fail us or abandon us. God never loses the battles he fights.

Waste of Time

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

God had just delivered his people, the Israelites, from the hands of the Egyptians. The Israelites had been living in Egypt for over four hundred years, and God had promised that he would lead them out. But the waiting had been long and hard. Over time, the Israelites became slaves of Egypt. They worked hard, but the work was for the benefit of Egypt. Not for the Israelites. Oh sure. During the long period of years they were in Egypt, they prospered. They grew from seventy people to a nation of millions. There was an abundance of food to go around, so their tables were always full. But the work was backbreaking. Their job was to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses, the supply centers for Pharaoh. And they weren’t free people. They couldn’t just walk away.

Then there’s Moses. He had a checkered past with Israel and Egypt. He was born to an Israelite couple, but he was raised in Pharaoh’s palace. By Pharaoh’s daughter, none the less. Because before Moses was born, Pharoah became very concerned when he realized the Israelites outnumbered the Egyptians. He was afraid that if war broke out, the Israelites might side with his enemies and fight against him. That’s when he made them his slaves. Then he ordered the midwives to kill all the Hebrew baby boys upon their birth. The midwives rebelled and said no. So the Israelite camp continued to grow. It was during that time when Moses was born. When he was a very young infant, his mother put him in a basket and set it adrift in the Nile River. Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby boy in the basket and raised him as her own.

Now, here we are. Moses is eighty years old and has returned from Midian to free the Israelites from Egypt. And through a series of plagues and broken promises by Pharaoh, the Israelites are once again a free nation. They are homeward bound. It’s Canaan or bust.

Oh. I’m sure the Israelites were excited about the prospect of leaving their prison land behind. After all, their ancestors arrived in Egypt as free people. But little did they know that throughout the years, they would become forced labor for the Pharoah’s pet projects. And now God was redeeming them from slavery and moving them back home to Canaan. How exciting for them to know that they would be returning to the place of their ancestors. There must have been some fear of the unknown, though. After all. None of these people had lived anywhere except for Egypt. They had no idea what to expect on their journey or in their new homeland. They just knew they were following Moses as he received direction from God.

The distance from Egypt to Canaan was roughly a week’s journey. On foot. Some of their forefathers had made the trip more than once and survived without mishap. But this group was much larger and more demanding. It would be the trip of a lifetime. To put it mildly.

Early on, the Israelites began to complain when they heard the foreigners traveling with them do the same. It didn’t take long for them to miss the good food Egypt had to offer. Now they were eating manna three times a day. Manna was a miracle food that God provided for them every morning, but they soon tired of it. They missed the variety of foods that were readily available in Egypt. Didn’t they realize the trip from Egypt to Canaan wasn’t really that long? They wouldn’t be eating manna forever. They weren’t trusting God. They were thinking only of themselves. They had lost sight of the promise God had given to liberate them from their Egyptian slave drivers and give them a new home. They forgot the price they might have to pay in order to arrive in Canaan. Freedom isn’t always free.

Complaining never pays.

With your unfailing love you lead the people you have redeemed. In your might, you guide them to your sacred home. Exodus 15:13

Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt. And the people of Israel also began to complain. “Oh, for some meat!” they exclaimed. “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!” Numbers 11:4-6

The Israelites took their eye off the prize. A bit of suffering, sacrifice, and perseverance to get to the goal is worth it in the end. They forgot that. Oh. They had heard the stories of their ancestors making the trip from Canaan to Egypt. They heard all the details. The packing. The walking. The herds of livestock. And they heard how they finally arrived in Egypt and settled in. But that was then. It’s one thing to hear the heroic stories of your ancestors. And it’s a completely different story to actually live it yourself.

So. Why were they so disgruntled? Why did this one week journey turn into a 40-year trip? It was so unnecessary. Or. Was it? Sometimes, we only learn the lesson of dependence on God through the long obedience. Our stubborn hearts and insistence on doing things our own way spells trouble. But we’re too selfish to see it. And God took them through a longer route, because he knew they had wayward hearts. He knew that if he took them through enemy territory that they would become distracted and want to return to Egypt. He knew they might become weak from fear when facing their enemies. He couldn’t have that. He needed their entire attention and devotion pointing straight toward him. Oh. It was a long lesson for his people to learn. But he led them through the wilderness in spite of their complaints and idol worship. He never reneged on the covenant he had made with his chosen people.

Did these people, the chosen nation of God, waste forty years of their lives? It was a death sentence for those aged twenty and above. They would never see the promised land. And those under twenty and born later must wait to receive the promise. For forty years, they ate manna every day while the abundance and variety of fresh food was just across the river. All because of disobedience to God. Their fathers and uncles and brothers didn’t trust God to take care of them, when he had promised that he would. They didn’t trust that he was giving them the land of promise. He said he would deliver the land to them, but they would have to clear it of their enemies. The land was plentiful and spacious. But lack of faith cost a generation the fulfillment of God’s promise.

So many times when we’re in the middle of a wilderness journey, we want to take the shortcut to peace and prosperity. Or whatever it is we’re hoping for. But the long road of obedience is where the pruning and the shaping and the growing occurs. We’re a stubborn people set upon our own ways. In order for God to bend our wills to his, he allows the long path of life to lead us to him. If we’re bendable. If we’re willing to learn from hard lessons that life isn’t fair or easy. Life isn’t quick and perfect. Faith and perseverance grow as we journey through life. It’s a sanctifying process each day we walk the journey. But the eternal end is worthwhile if we stay the path that leads to the Promised Land.

We don’t have to eat manna for forty years. We can believe God’s promises are true and will be fulfilled in his time. We know God is faithful. Our job is to hold the enemy at bay and fight for our God. Full surrender to God’s will and guidance will lead us to the land of plenty. We must remain faithful.

Tornado Warning

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning earlier this week. It was late afternoon, and the tornado sirens were ringing in the neighborhood. These sirens are always tested at noon every Wednesday. This wasn’t noon at Wednesday. It was Monday. This was a warning. Not a test. The weathermen on every channel were alerting everyone to shelter in place. Go to the basement and get away from windows. Protect yourself from flying debris. Multiple counties were included in the warning. Oh. A tornado watch had been issued earlier in the day, but this was the first alert of a warning. The warning let us know that a funnel had been sighted in some unknown location. Perhaps multiple locations. This was real.

We were told by the weatherman that the storm had a history of minor rotation in the tv station’s viewing area. The wind was picking up to high speeds. Hail was beginning to form in some areas. And of all things. It was rush hour. Many people were leaving work and heading to the freeways to make their way home.

Emergency alerts were being sounded at multiple office buildings. Employers were rushing to put their emergency plans in place. They wanted to let their employees know that this was an actual warning. This was not a test and all emergency plans must be implemented. Immediately and without question. Now is not the time for businesses to figure out how to handle an emergency situation. Emergency plans should already be in place and rehearsed. It’s not the time to fly by the seat of your pants. Lives could be at stake.

According to the weatherman, the biggest thing to watch for is the thunder. Wait thirty minutes from the last clap of thunder, and then it’s safe to come out from under cover. Until the threat has finished and moved to the east of your area, you must remain in your safe space. Sirens are reactivated every few minutes to let the community know that the threat is still viable.

No doubt. Not everyone who heard the warning heeded it. There were plenty who went about their day without skipping a beat. They were too busy to take cover. They had to get on the road to pick up their little ones before the daycare closed. They had to stop for a few groceries for dinner. Or maybe they didn’t understand what the sounding of the siren meant. And they didn’t bother to find out. They didn’t know or care that a life threatening weather pattern could be coming their way. After all. They had heard the sirens plenty of times in the past. And they never saw a tornado or lived through the devastating aftermath. They assumed that life would go on as usual, same as any other day. And fortunately. It did.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

A similar scenario happens every day of the week. Oh. It’s unrelated to the weather. It’s related to the end of times. This earth as we know it is headed to a day of reckoning. Every life living on this earth will be called on to stand in judgment. Jesus will be coming back for all Christians. Those who have repented and confessed their sins will be removed from this earth in an instant. The rapture will remove believers who have breathed their last up from their graves. Then those who are alive will rise up to meet the Lord in the air. After that, Christians will never be separated from the Lord again. Their life on this earth as we know it today is over. Praise his name.

However. Those left on the earth are the ones who made the choice not to be a Christian. They didn’t repent of their sins and ask for forgiveness by God Almighty. They chose to follow their way instead of God’s way. And they are headed for trouble now that all the believers have left the earth. Oh. They don’t know what they’re in for.

But. Between now and that day, the siren is roaring on this earth. The sound is deafening to those who have been awakened to the need for salvation. Because they know what the risk of living for themselves versus living for God. But those who are ignoring this upcoming event or are ignorant of its coming are tuned out. They are unprepared for this final moment of life as we know it on this earth. Either they don’t care or they don’t know that this event is a separation of God’s children and Satan’s children.

Oh. There are plenty of warnings. There are wars and rumors of wars. For the past few years, it seems the world is in a state of constant chaos. We hear confusing messages of where hope and peace can be found. Morals and ethics continue to plummet at an all-time high speed. A one-world government commonly known as globalism is already being planned. Self care is promoted, but does it lead to eternal life? That’s the question we must ask ourselves. Are we caring for ourselves enough that we have given our lives to God and have submitted our will to him? If not, all our so-called self care is in vain.

You should know this that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! 2 Timothy 3:1-5

Those who don’t hear the sounding of the last days are the ones who are most at risk. They will face an eternity in hell if they don’t repent of their sins and turn to God. But those who have heard the call and responded still must stay on the path. Because the path is wide, but the gate is narrow. All of us are on the path to eternity, but we’ll only enter heaven’s gates if we remain faithful in following God.

You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. Matthew 7:13-14