Don't Be Left Out

"Because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice,  they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it.  But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it."

--Numbers 14:22-24  (NKJV)

From the daily Bible reading on March 14, 2013 of Psalm 52; Acts 18:18-19:22; Numbers 14:13-15:21.

God, in His word, provides us with a cautionary tale here.  The children of Israel were camped just outside the promised land.  God told them to scout out the land in preparation for entering and taking it.  The scouts brought back exaggerated reports of a huge, well-defended people that they could never defeat, even though God said they would because He would be with them.  They spread these falsehoods and fear throughout the camp.  Except for Caleb and Joshua.  They alone believed the Lord and were sure they could defeat any enemy that came before them.  God wanted to kill all the people right then and there, but Moses convinced Him that would make Him look bad, even weak, before all the other nations.  So instead, He decreed that everyone over the age of twenty years would perish in the wilderness and not enter the land promised to their fathers.  Only Caleb and Joshua would be allowed to enter of their generation, and their descendants would inherit that beautiful land, because they alone followed God fully, trusted in Him, and were faithful.

By this God tells us that, like Caleb and Joshua, we must follow God, trust in Him fully, if we are to enter into the land promised us: heaven.  To follow God, we need simply to believe in Jesus as His risen Son (Jesus did all the dirty work for us), love God our Father above any other, and love each other as we love ourselves.  If we do this, then like Caleb and Joshua, we will be blessed and allowed to enter the land Jesus Christ promised us and live with Him forever.  Amen.

Dearest Lord, thank You for not only preparing a beautiful and wondrous land for us, but also for showing us how we may possess that land.  Thank You for this warning example of why we must trust in You fully, and keep Your Holy Spirit within us.  May we never disappoint You and be left to wander in the wilderness until we perish there.  In the blessed name of Jesus we pray.   Amen.