Daily Soundbites
God tells Moses to send out 12 men to scout the land He had promised them. After exploring Canaan, these men come back with their report.
Thursday, 31 December 2009 02:00 | and posted in Exploring Canaan
They spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size... We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” Numbers 13:32-33
Imagine the souvenir t-shirt: My spies went to the Promised Land and all they brought back was grapes and this lousy t-shirt.
Isn’t it amazing how we can spin opportunities into disappointments? When leaders (like in today’s verses) stop depending upon God and share their lack of faith it can cause a lot of damage.
Let us be leaders who wear God’s t-shirt: God’s promises never fail.
Wednesday, 30 December 2009 02:00 | and posted in Exploring Canaan
They gave Moses this account: “[The land] does flow with milk and honey! ... But the people who live there are powerful...” Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” Numbers 13:27-28 & 30
It can be difficult to describe a trip when you get home. You want people to understand something of what you saw and felt, but time is often limited and the photo album’s at home!
Our human tendency is to focus on the negative: the food was great but the beds were awful; the views were fantastic but the people weren’t very friendly…
For Caleb there were no buts when it came to God’s promises.
Tuesday, 29 December 2009 02:00 | and posted in Exploring Canaan
So they went up and explored the land... They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where... the descendants of Anak, lived. When they reached the Valley of Eshkol, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes... Numbers 13:21-23
I'm sure these twelve men explored in a mix of excitement and fear: excitement at the fruitfulness of the land God was promising and fear because of the danger the powerful native people (Anak's descendents) represented.
Our excitement over God’s promises can easily get dulled or disappear altogether when we focus upon the obstacles we have to overcome to see these promises become reality. Choose to focus on the grapes not on Anak’s descendents!
Monday, 28 December 2009 02:00 | and posted in Exploring Canaan
When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, “... Is [the land] good or bad? ... Are [the towns] unwalled or fortified? ... Is [the soil] fertile or poor? Are there trees...? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit...” Numbers 13:17-20
Have you ever anticipated a great event so much that you feel like you’re going to burst with the excitement of it all?
Moses is longing to see the land God has promised and out comes this torrent of questions – he wants to know everything! He also wants to taste some of the land’s fruit too if that’s not too much to ask for…
Are you excited by what God has ahead of you?