I never meant to be a mother. I mean, I guess I did; not right now, though. Not before I was married. Not when I was nineteen. Not to so, so many little people. Thankfully, God's plans do not seem to be affected much by my own.
I never meant to live in Uganda, a dot on the map in East Africa, on the opposite side of the planet from my family and all that is comfortable and familiar. Thankfully, God's plans also happen to be much better than my own.
You see, Jesus wrecked my life. For as long as I could remember, I had everything this world says is important. In high school, I was class president, homecoming queen, top of my class. I dated cute boys and wore cute shoes and drove a cute sports car. I had wonderful, supportive parents who so desired my success that they would have paid for me to go to college anywhere my heart desired. But I loved Jesus.
And the fact that I loved Jesus was beginning to interfere with the plans I once had for my life and certainly with the plans others had for me. My heart had been apprehended by a great love, a love that compelled me to live differently. I had grown up in a Christian home, gone to church, and learned about Jesus all my life. Around the age of twelve or thirteen, I began to delve into the truths of Scripture. As I read and learned more and more of what Jesus said, I liked the life-style I saw around me less and less. I began to realize that God wanted more from me, and I wanted more of Him. He began to grow in me a desire to live intentionally, and different from anyone I had ever known.
Slowly but surely I began to realize the truth: I had loved and admired and worshiped Jesus without doing what He said. This recognition didn't happen overnight: in fact I believe it was happening in my heart long before I even knew it. It was happening as I explored the possibility of overseas volunteer work, it was happening as I took my first three-week trip to Uganda, it was happening as I fell in love with a beautiful country full of gracious, joyful people and immense poverty and squalor that begged me to do more. It was happening in so many ways, and I couldn't deny it. I wanted to actually do what Jesus said to do.
So I quit my life.
Originally, my quitting was to be temporary, lasting just one year before I went to college and returned to normal, American teenager life. But after that year, which I spent in Uganda, returning to "normal" wasn't possible. I had seen what life was about and I could not pretend I didn't know. So I quit my life again, and for good this time, I quite college; I quit cute designer clothes and little yellow convertible; I quit my boyfriend. I no longer have all the things the world says are important. I do not have a retirement fund; I do not even have electricity some days. But I have everything I know is important. I have a joy and a peace that are unimaginable and can come only from a place better than this earth, I cannot fathom being happier. Jesus wrecked my life, shattered it to pieces, and put it back together more beautifully.
During the first few months I lived in Uganda, in fall of 2007, I wrote, "Sometimes working in a Third World country makes me feel like I am emptying the ocean with an eyedropper." Today, it often still feel s that way. I have learned to be okay with the feeling because I have learned that I will not change the world. Jesus will do that. I can, however, change the world for one person. I can change the world for fourteen little girls and for four hundred schoolchildren and for a sick and dying grandmother and for a malnourished, neglected, abused five-year-old. And if one person sees the love of Christ in me, it is worth every minute. In fact, it is worth spending my life for.
Many days, I am still overwhelmed by the magnitude of the need and the incredible number of people who need help. Many days I see the destitute, disease-ridden children lining the streets in the communities I serve and I want to scoop up every single one of them, take them home with me, and feed and clothe and love them. And I look at the life of my Savior, who stopped for one.
So I keep stopping and loving one person at a time. Because this is my call as a Christian. I can do only what one woman can do, but I will do what I can do. Daily, the Jesus who wrecked my life enables me to do so much more than I ever thought possible. People often ask if I think my life is dangerous, if I am afraid. I am much more afraid of remaining comfortable. Matthew 10:28 tells us not to fear things that can destroy the body but things that can destroy the soul. I am surrounded by things that can destroy the body. I interact almost daily with people who have deadly diseases, and many times I am the only person who can help them. I live in a country with one of the world's longest-running wars taking place just a few hours away. Uncertainty is everywhere. But I am living in the midst of the uncertainty and risk, amid things that can and do bring physical destruction, because I am running from things that can destroy my soul: complacency, comfort, and ignorance. I am much more terrified of living a comfortable life in a self-serving society and failing to follow Jesus than I am of any illness or tragedy.
Jesus called His followers to be a lot of things, but I have yet to find where He warned us to be safe. We are not called to be safe, we are simply promised that when we are in danger, God is right there with us. And there is no better place to be than in His hands.
For as long as I can remember, one of my favorite Bible verses has been Psalm 37:4: "Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart." I used to believe it meant that if I did what the Lord asked of me, followed His commandments, and was a "good girl," He would grant all my desires and make my dreams come true. Today, this is still one of my favorite passages of Scripture, but I have learned to interpret it in a totally different way. It is not about God making my dreams come true but about God changing my dreams into His dreams for my life.
Today I am living the desires of my heart and I cannot imagine living any other life than the one that unfolds before me day by day. But believe me, I am by no means living my plan. I thought that I wanted to go to college with my high school boyfriend, get married, have a successful career and children, settle into a nice house down the road from my parents, and live happily ever after. Today I am a single woman raising a houseful of girls and trying to teach others the love of Jesus in a land that is a far cry from my hometown and my culture. This is not a life that I dreamed up on my own or even knew I had desired. I am watching God work, and as I "delight myself in the Lord" by doing what He asks of me and by saying yes to the needs He places in front of me, He is changing the desires of my heart and aligning them with the desires of His. As I go with Him to the hard places, He changes them into the most joyful places I could imagine.
It sounds beautiful, adventurous, even romantic in ways, right? It is beautiful. And the crazy thing is, it is so simple. Don't misunderstand; it is not easy. But it is simple in that each and every one of us was ultimately created to do the same thing. It will not look the same. It may take place in a foreign land or it may take place in your backyard, but I believe that we were each created to change the world for someone. To serve someone. To love someone the way Christ first loved us, to spread His light. This is the dream, and it is possible. Some days it is excruciatingly difficult, but the blessings far outweigh the hardships.
I have absolutely no desire to write a book about myself. this is a book about Christ. This is a book about a Christ who is alive today and not only knows but cares about every hair on my head. Yours too. I cannot really even pretend to fathom that, but I know it is true. I know this is true because I have seen it so profoundly in the very short amount of life that I have lived. I have seen it in extraordinary miracles and in moments so mundane that they are easily overlooked. And that is why I am writing this book. I am writing on the chance that a glimpse into the life of my family and me, full of my stupidity and God's grace, will remind you of this living, loving Christ, and what it means to serve Him. I am writing with the hope that as you cry and laugh with my family you will be encouraged that God still uses flawed human beings to change the world. And if He can use me, He can use you.
(This is an amazing video, you should definitely take the time to watch it. You won't regret it! I absolutely LOVE what she says at 2:30! SO amazing, and true!)
So, pretty much when I read that introduction of the book, I was like wow! I already love this book. And as I've been reading it each night (I'm now on chapter 6), I can see that what she said in the introduction was true. It's not a book about her. It's a book about Christ. I loved the part about Psalm 37:4. If you remembered my story about Mexico, that was a huge verse for me around that time, and I just love what she said about it, cause that's what I had to learn about it, too!
I can so totally see myself being Katie Davis someday in the future... Doing something like she's doing. I sometimes wish I could hop on a plane right now, and go to wherever God lead me to go, and just serve... Be His hands and feet to the hurting and broken people in this world. And although, I may do that someday, right now I feel called to serve the people that surround me each and everyday, each and every week. I feel like I need to be faithful in the small things right now that God has given me to do. If I'm not faithful in those things (things like getting to bed on time, getting up at a reasonable hour, so as to have time to spend time with Jesus), then what makes me think God is going to give me a bigger task in the future? If I'm not even willing to be where He wants me to be, and do what He wants me to be now, how can I expect Him to send me somewhere different in the future? Luke 19:17 says, "And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities." That's what I need to focus on right now, so that I will be prepared for whatever God calls me to do in the future! (:
Showing posts with label Faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Faith. Show all posts
Friday, September 21, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Missions Trip To Mexico!
This is the questionnaire that I turned in for the trip to Mexico in April with my youth group! :)
What does it mean to be a Christian?
You believe in your heart that Jesus is God’s Son, and that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins, so that you could live with Him in heaven someday, and rose again the third day. You are also a new creature when you become a Christian, old things are passed away, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). You are crucified with Christ, it is not you who now lives, but Christ living in you; the life you now live in the flesh, you live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved you, and gave Himself for you (Galatians 2:20).
Explain why you would like to go to Mexico and work with orphans?
Last year in 2010, I felt like God was telling me that what I was to do in my life had something to do with sharing the Gospel. I heard message after message about how we were to share our faith, and my “verse of the year” was Mark 16:15, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” God was stirring something in my heart. A while later, I watched a video on YouTube called “Depraved Indifference” by Eric Ludy about orphans, and it broke my heart for them, and made me cry. Since then, my love for them has grown, and still is, and in the past couple months I’ve been thinking, that maybe is something God wants me to do-work with orphans. When I saw the MVBC youth group was going on a Missions trip to Mexico, to work with orphans nonetheless, I started to get really excited, and had a desire to go. But then I thought I shouldn’t get my hopes up, because with my family situation, and the money-it might not work out. But, I have been thinking, if God wants me to go, He will provide a way and the money, and so I must trust Him. One night a couple weeks ago, I was crying, and talking to God, saying “God, I don’t know how I would do it, but I know I can trust You. Is this something You want me to do?” I looked over just then, and saw a plaque that was my sister’s that said, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” (~Psalm 37:4) I knew that was His answer to my question. This is a desire of my heart, and I know in order for Him to grant me my desire, I must delight myself in Himself, and trust Him with all me heart. =)
What area in your walk with Christ would you like to grow more in?
Prayer! (1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” Colossians 4:2, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.”) This is something I really struggle with, and I know I need to pray more (and more often). I pray that God would teach me to pray, and help me to take time out of my day to spend time with Him in prayer. I also want to grow more in Bible Study-digging deeper into God’ Word, and discovering new truths, etc., and being more bold about sharing my faith with other people/passing out tracks. =)
Do you have consistent personal time with God?
Yes.
How many days a week?
7
Explain what you are doing in your devotions and what is the most recent thing God has taught you?
I read a chapter of Proverbs each day, read the “Daily Bread,” and I have been working on reading through the Bible this past year. The past couple months though, I feel like I’ve gotten into the habit of just reading my Bible because I “have to” cause if I didn’t, I would feel bad, and feel like I was a bad person or something. In 2012 I am going to read through the Bible again, and try to change that. I don’t want reading my Bible to be a “habit,” or something I “have to do”. I want it to be something I can’t live without-my daily times with my Jesus,-and something where I draw my strength from-something I couldn’t get through my day without doing. God has been teaching me that I need to always have a good attitude and be joyful no matter what I am going through or struggling with at the time. Just because I’m going through a trial right now, doesn’t justify my bad attitude or give me the right to not be joyful. God says: “Rejoice evermore.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16) “But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.” (Psalm 35:9) “The joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10c) [I also included these couple verses James 1:27, James 2:1-9, Exodus 22:22-24, Proverbs 14:31, Psalm 41:1]
Now my sister and I are going to Mexico in April!! We will be going down to Monterrey, MX April 21st-27th (yup, that's over Susanna's birthday =)), and we will be partnering with back2back (our youth Pastor's brother works with that ministry), and will be ministering in different orphanages, working with orphans, helping with any projects that they may need done, being with the children, sharing God's love, etc. We are so excited and can't wait! We sent out a bunch of letters trying to raise prayer as well as financial support, and we are trusting that God will provide, and work out all the details. Right now, Landon (our youth pastor) is trying to find tickets, at a good price, and he's having a hard time finding them... it's getting harder each day. I would appreciate any prayers for us as we participate in this amazing opportunity that the Lord has given us, and we pray that we will learn and grow through this what God would have us to! :) We are reading as a group a book called "not a fan." and it's been really good so far. We get together every two weeks (Monday night), and discuss the book, pray, read the Bible, etc. We have had two meetings so far, and they have been really good, and very encouraging to me!! Well, that's about it for now, and I will keep you updated as we go along!! :)
Have a great weekend! <333
Sister In Christ,
Karissa││Romans 12
Friday, January 13, 2012
Something I read for school today....
When most Europeans in 1492 looked at the Atlantic Ocean, they saw a barrier. When Christopher Columbus looked at the Atlantic, he saw an oppurtunity. Columbus knew that sailing across it would be a challenge, but he envisioned sailing west as the answer that many Europeans were looking for to the problem of how to get to Asia more easily. Everybody saw the same ocean, but the difference was in how they saw it. Columbus' vision opened a new world for the Europeans and for world history. Although it was not what anyone in Europe expected (including Columbus), great blessings came from the world that was discovered.
When God was preparing to lead the Israelites into the land He had promised to give them, He had the people send twelve spies into Canaan to find out all they could about the land. Ten of the spies thought it was an insurmountable problem, while two believer that they could conquer the land with God's help. All of the spies saw the same land, but the difference was in how they saw it. The ten looked at Canaan through eyes of fear and doubt, while the two saw with eyes of faith. How these ancient explorers saw the land before them affected the history of their people from that time forward.
Let's take a look at this story in the Bible. :)
~Numbers 13-14
Chapter 13
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them. And Moses by the commandment of the Lord sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel. And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur. Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori. Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun. Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi. Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi. Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli. Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael. Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi. Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua. And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain: And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds; And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.
So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath. And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs. The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence. And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.
And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
Chapter 14
The People Rebel against the LORD
And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.
Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.
And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they. And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;) And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou Lord art among this people, that thou Lord art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night. Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness. And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
God's Punishment on Israel
And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word: But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea. And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise. I the Lord have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.
The Death of the Ten Evil Spies
And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land, Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the Lord. But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still.
The Defeat of Israel at Hormah
And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly. And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the Lord hath promised: for we have sinned. And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the Lord? but it shall not prosper. Go not up, for the Lord is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies. For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the Lord, therefore the Lord will not be with you. But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and Moses, departed not out of the camp. Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.
Lessons from the story of the spies:
The majority is not always right. Five-sixths of the spies and almost all of the Israelites were convinced that they could not conquer the Promised Land, but they were wrong. What is favored by the majority and what appears to be popular is no basis for living and making decisions. People (including you and I) can be easily influenced by an idea that appears to offer short-term reward or by a persuasive speaker who has a hidden agenda. We have to live by what is right in God's eyes, regardless of how popular that is, at any given moment.
We become what we fear. The Israelites were afraid that they could not conquer Canaan and would die in the wilderness. Because of their faithlessness, that is exactly what happened to them. They did not conquer Canaan and they dies in the wilderness. If we fear failure, we are more likely to fail by simply trying to avoid failure. If we fear what people think, we will become captive to the opinions of others. If we fear God, on the other hand, we will treat Him with respect and will become more like Him. Fear (except for the fear of God) is no motive to live by.
Look at your world through the eyes of faith. Anyone can make excuses and can see roadblocks and reasons why something cannot happen. The person who trusts God sees what is possible and looks beyond the problems to the solution. The eyes of doubt and fear focus on what is seen, which often includes difficulties. The eyes that see as God wants us to see focus on the unseen: the unseen and powerful God and the goal that God can help us accomplish.
The explorers of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries caught a vision for what was possible, despite the risks, and changed the world. Joshua and Caleb caught the vision of what God promised, despite the difficulties, and entered into the Promised Land. As you explore the life that God gives you, look beyond the difficulties and potential roadblocks and see what God can accomplish through you.
P.S. We finally got some snow the other night! In the end of October when we had that big snowstorm and lost our power for 4 days, I thought it was going to be a long winter. The past couple weeks, I had begun to think and wonder if Winter would ever come. It finally did! :) Have a great night, and a wonderful weekend! :)
In Him, Karissa││Romans 12
When God was preparing to lead the Israelites into the land He had promised to give them, He had the people send twelve spies into Canaan to find out all they could about the land. Ten of the spies thought it was an insurmountable problem, while two believer that they could conquer the land with God's help. All of the spies saw the same land, but the difference was in how they saw it. The ten looked at Canaan through eyes of fear and doubt, while the two saw with eyes of faith. How these ancient explorers saw the land before them affected the history of their people from that time forward.
Let's take a look at this story in the Bible. :)
~Numbers 13-14
Chapter 13
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them. And Moses by the commandment of the Lord sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel. And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur. Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori. Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun. Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi. Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi. Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli. Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael. Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi. Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua. And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain: And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds; And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.
So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath. And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs. The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence. And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.
And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
Chapter 14
The People Rebel against the LORD
And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.
Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.
And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they. And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;) And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou Lord art among this people, that thou Lord art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night. Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness. And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
God's Punishment on Israel
And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word: But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea. And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise. I the Lord have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.
The Death of the Ten Evil Spies
And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land, Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the Lord. But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still.
The Defeat of Israel at Hormah
And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly. And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the Lord hath promised: for we have sinned. And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the Lord? but it shall not prosper. Go not up, for the Lord is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies. For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the Lord, therefore the Lord will not be with you. But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and Moses, departed not out of the camp. Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.
Lessons from the story of the spies:
The majority is not always right. Five-sixths of the spies and almost all of the Israelites were convinced that they could not conquer the Promised Land, but they were wrong. What is favored by the majority and what appears to be popular is no basis for living and making decisions. People (including you and I) can be easily influenced by an idea that appears to offer short-term reward or by a persuasive speaker who has a hidden agenda. We have to live by what is right in God's eyes, regardless of how popular that is, at any given moment.
We become what we fear. The Israelites were afraid that they could not conquer Canaan and would die in the wilderness. Because of their faithlessness, that is exactly what happened to them. They did not conquer Canaan and they dies in the wilderness. If we fear failure, we are more likely to fail by simply trying to avoid failure. If we fear what people think, we will become captive to the opinions of others. If we fear God, on the other hand, we will treat Him with respect and will become more like Him. Fear (except for the fear of God) is no motive to live by.
Look at your world through the eyes of faith. Anyone can make excuses and can see roadblocks and reasons why something cannot happen. The person who trusts God sees what is possible and looks beyond the problems to the solution. The eyes of doubt and fear focus on what is seen, which often includes difficulties. The eyes that see as God wants us to see focus on the unseen: the unseen and powerful God and the goal that God can help us accomplish.
The explorers of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries caught a vision for what was possible, despite the risks, and changed the world. Joshua and Caleb caught the vision of what God promised, despite the difficulties, and entered into the Promised Land. As you explore the life that God gives you, look beyond the difficulties and potential roadblocks and see what God can accomplish through you.
P.S. We finally got some snow the other night! In the end of October when we had that big snowstorm and lost our power for 4 days, I thought it was going to be a long winter. The past couple weeks, I had begun to think and wonder if Winter would ever come. It finally did! :) Have a great night, and a wonderful weekend! :)
In Him, Karissa││Romans 12
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