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November 12 Thus they told him, and said, “We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and more over, we saw the descendants of Anak there.” Numbers 13:27,28. The spies that were sent into the land of Canaan bring their report. Unlike Joshua and Caleb, who reported that they should go into the land under the Lord’s will, these unfaithful spies see only gloom and doom. Yes, there are giants in the land, but all things are possible with the Lord. Their vision cannot accept that fact, and they think they must rely only on their limited, fleshly instincts. They are people of the ‘nevertheless’. I am afraid this outlook dominates many who call themselves Christian. I must admit that I have found myself there all too often. We fancy ourselves as having the intellect, the experience, and the power to judge the motives and desires of the Lord—and find those motives unreasonable or inadequate for the situation. But when we rely upon ourselves we are seeing the situation incorrectly. The Lord always knows best, and He will supply all the resources to accomplish His will. We are not to think of ourselves as being wiser than He. Far from it, we are to be subject to His will without question. When we are faced with a request from God, and we apply our limited reasoning ability to it—when we say ‘nevertheless’, we falling into the pattern of discussing God’s will rather than obeying it. How often I have seen this in church committee meetings. It is far easier to find reasons not to obey than to just go ahead and do what the Lord requests! How much more productive we would be if we would stop analyzing everything. Dear Father, we ask that we would become vessels that just obey You. Life would then be so much more productive and in line with Your will. Mold us and shape us into persons that are eager to trust and obey. We thankYou that this very day we shall see You at work within us. Amen. |
