Sunday, October 4, 1998 This Week's Lesson:
In this week's lesson, which came from Numbers 13:30, 14:6-9, 14:24, and Joshua 14:7-14, we learned about the importance of making a difference in our world by staying focused on God's promises. As adults, most of us have learned to not take the promises of others too seriously. All of us have probably felt betrayed by someone who failed to keep his or her word to us. In marriage, for example, when one or both spouses have not kept their marriage vows, the result is usually that they hurt each other very deeply. In the workplace, when someone is eager to get ahead and has made promises to their associates that he or she never intends to keep, people are again hurt. These kinds of broken promises, unfortunately, cause hurt for us and also for others, plus they can affect our individual relationships with the Lord. Our having been hurt by broken promises can cause us to not take seriously God's promises, and that, of course, can rob us of some important spiritual blessings. Conversely, by us not keeping our promises to others, we can let ourselves be a spiritual stumbling block to others and prevent them from fully enjoying His blessings. It is when we stay focused on God's promises and continue to trust in them that we let ourselves make a real difference in the world.
Most people are looking for a breath of fresh air in a world where there seems to be very little, if any, fresh air. To the wary, hungry soul, the Christian who hangs onto and trusts every word from God can encourage others to have confidence in a God that cannot be seen or heard. In the reference passages from Numbers and Joshua, the story tells about two men, one named Caleb and the other named Joshua. When Moses sent twelve spies to search out the Promised Land, these two men were the only ones who came back with an encouraging report. The other ten said that the land looked great but that the enemy was much too powerful to be overtaken. Caleb and Joshua were putting their trust in the Lord's original promises, and they tried to convince the crowd to move forward and claim those promises as well. The people, however, refused to listen, and the result was that they wandered in the wilderness for the next forty years until the Lord was ready to bless them again. By that time, though, Joshua and Caleb were the only adults who had survived that earlier period, so they were the only ones of the original bunch who entered the land.
Caleb could testify that he had followed the Lord wholeheartedly. He had trusted God to keep the personal promise that he would enter the Promised Land, and the Lord kept His promise. Trusting Him and acting on His promises bring us the benefits and blessings of those fulfilled promises. At the same time, when we follow the Lord wholeheartedly, we can hold on while He brings His promises to pass. Trusting God helps us, but it also lets us have a positive effect on those around us. We can point others to Christ, and we can let ourselves be trusted friends. But to do these things, we must follow, we must believe, and we must trust even when times are difficult. As you go through the coming week, try to wait patiently upon the Lord and let Him have His way in your life. Then, try to be a comfort to someone near you who may be struggling with their own trials.
Tom of Spotswood"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)
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