March 10

Good morning, Wonderful Family! As I read today's daily Scriptures, I marvelled at God's goodness despite man's wickedness. God, being gracious and loving and providing a rich new home land for His people, led the children of Israel to the promised land. However, their hearts were hard and fearful and rebellious, and they refused to enter in and take what God was giving them. After Moses intercedes for them & God declares that only the children and grandchildren would enter in as a result of their rebellion, the people suddenly have a change of mind. Something that caught my attention in this reading was that in the opening verse 14 of Numbers 14, the congregation lifted up their voices and cried and wept ALL night. They must have been pretty distraught. And why? Because they didn't want to go in and take the land God promised them. They were afraid and didn't yet know and trust God to deliver. Hmmm. Then after God declares that only their children and grandchildren will enter in, they have a sudden change of mind (not heart just mind). They "mourn greatly" and express their sorrow, but the Word doesn't even say they mourn all night like they had over their selfish ambitions and stubborn rebelliousness. It seems to me like the mourning was superficial and merely a result of losing out on the promised land and not because they had grieved the heart of God by refusing His treasure for them. How often have we shed these types of tears ourselves? The children of Israel played a dangerous game that day with God and lost. How often do we play those games? How often do we struggle to obey and even then try to put stipulations on our obedience because really we don't want to do what He's requested of us? God, if you do this, then I will do this. Even Moses aroused God's anger against himself a time or two as he argued w/God refusing just to obey and trust Him. There was a boy in highschool that went to school w/my older brother. He was angry and one day decided to get his parent's attention by acting as if he was going to hang himself. He made the nuse in his closet and climbed up on a chair and put his head in it. Only the chair fell out from under him and he was not able to free himself from the nuse and died before his parents found him. It's a scary place to be in when we harden our heart to God and pursue our own selfish ambitions instead of going His way. If only we truly knew the goodness of God and character of God. If only we believe and trust God. Even towards the hard-hearted Israelites, God was gracious and generous to the people by sparing a remnant of their little sons and daughters and their sons and daughters to inherit the promised land. Why would He do that? Because God is LOVE. God is MERCY. It's not what He does. It's not what He gives. It's WHO He is! He loves us even when we are unlovable. I think more than anything else this year I am on a journey (and taking our children with me) to truly know and love God more than anything else. To be all about Him and not the things I want to do "for" Him. That's a HUGE switch for me. And if our children can learn now that being a Christian means knowing andloving the Lord instead of just following a bunch of rules and regulations or doing a bunch of good works in our own flesh, they will have a huge impact for generations to come on this dark world that desperately needs our Savior! I want to love God more. I want to know Him better. I want to spend a lifetime experiencing the joy of His presence. Will you join me on this journey today? Blessings, Rolanda Green