“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children” – Deuteronomy 4:9

Our memories can be SO short. We usually have so many things blasting at us NOW that we quickly and easily forget THEN. In the midst of the crises and difficulties of the present, we too often forget the goodness and faithfulness of God throughout all the years leading up to the present. When we do, we begin to doubt. We begin to wonder. We begin to fear.

But most followers of Jesus already know the answer to all that doubt, wondering, and fear! We have lived the faithfulness of God! We just need to do as Moses commands here. Be diligent about reminding yourself of how God has acted throughout your life. When has God answered big, desperate prayers you prayed? When has He sustained you when you were long past your breaking point? When has God proven Himself faithful, kind, merciful, and gracious toward you? Tell yourself those stories once more, right now. Remember what your eyes have seen. Never let these things depart from your heart.

Then tell these stories to those in the generations following you. Whether family members, friends, or neighbors, share your stories of God’s goodness, faithfulness, mercy, presence, and power. Share the Scriptures you’ve personally seen come alive in your life story. People desperately need to hear these truths! Many in the rising generations struggle to wonder whether religion is relevant to their lives and struggles. You KNOW the answer. Share your stories, so you can remember and so that others will too! #FollowJesus

“See, the Lord your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not fear or be dismayed.’” – Deuteronomy 1:21

Oh, but they did. They feared. They became completely dismayed. And it cost them terribly. What Moses said was 100% true – the Promised Land was waiting for them. God desired them to go and take possession. He was ready to make it happen. But they refused to go. The people looked at the land through human eyes rather than trusting God’s word. They assessed the difficulty of the task based on their human strength rather than trusting in God’s power. So, they refused to receive the blessing God had prepared for them.

Rather than simply move forward in faith, the people sent scouts. The scouts returned, describing the goodness of the land God was sending them into. But…. They’d seen fortified cities. They’d seen giants. They’d seen powerful armies they couldn’t possibly defeat. They saw what their fearful, inexperienced human eyes could see. An impossible task. An insurmountable enemy. A future of suffering and death. And they were dismayed.

They refused to trust God’s promises. His power, which they’d personally seen in Egypt, couldn’t possibly be enough in their minds. They assessed themselves too weak for the work, so they refused to move forward. They disobeyed God. Fear was strong than faith and entire generation missed out on blessing because of it. Their dismay and disobedience forced that entire generation of adults to live and die in the desert rather than move into God’s promise and blessing. God’s will was ultimately accomplished and God’s people were blessed, but it was the next generation. They entered without fear and dismay, trusting in God’s word and power.

Have you ever encountered something similar? Have you ever missed out on God’s blessing because you were too afraid to do what He called you to do? Have you evaluated situations based only on your abilities and resources, rejecting God’s invitation to something greater? Have you let fear get the better of your faith? If you have, remember that there is grace to forgive anything when you repent and ask God for it. Whether you have, or haven’t, resolve to never let it happen in the future. Live boldly in faith, even if you’re naturally timid. Trust in God completely, even if you doubt yourself terribly. If God is calling you to something, please don’t let fear stop you from enjoying the blessings of obedience. He will never leave you or forsake you. Trust and obey God, even when you’re afraid. #FollowJesus

“Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death. And you shall accept no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the high priest.” – Numbers 35:31-32

Justice is extremely important to God. God is perfectly just and condemns injustice. These verses are but one of many throughout the Bible addressing matters of justice, both criminal and social. God is perfectly just and the cross of Christ is the ultimate proof of His concern for justice. Jesus, the eternal Son of God, suffered and died to pay the just penalty for our sins.

One aspect of justice that is often emphasized in Scripture is the one addressed in these verses. Rules and laws should always apply equally to those who are wealthy and those who are poor. There can be no option to buy one’s way out of justice. There must not be a different system of rules, practically speaking, for those with money and those without.

And yet, it’s historically been very easy for nations to wind up in that place. It certainly seems that those with money and access to better legal representation can often defer, delay, divert, distract, and obstruct justice indefinitely. This is NOT pleasing to God! The good news, as the Bible also makes clear, is that God’s justice will be done. On everyone. His justice will be perfect, final, and delivered at the due time, even if the world’s system is a mockery of justice. #FollowJesus

“On their gods also the Lord executed judgments.” – Numbers 33:4b

This is often an under-appreciated piece of the Exodus story. Many are familiar with the ten devastating plagues God sent upon Egypt to force them to release the people of Israel from slavery. However, it’s easy to miss how the individual plagues addressed parts of life in Egypt that were supposedly under the authority of some particular Egyptian “god”. The ten plagues weren’t just dramatic displays of God’s power. There were displays of God’s superiority over the various gods of the Egyptian pantheon. The gods that both the people of Egypt AND the people of Israel had been told about for centuries.

The plagues weren’t just the means by which Israel gained freedom. They were how the God of Israel, YHWH, the Living God of the Universe demonstrated His superiority over all supposed rival gods. Each represented a defeat for an Egyptian god. The plagues announced God’s transcendent reality and presence to the people of Egypt (some of whom decided to leave with the Israelites) and began to teach Israel about their God. That He is ever-present. That He is all-powerful. That He has authority over every element, creature, and aspect of life. That He is worthy to be trusted, followed, worshipped, and obeyed.

This is why God was most glorified by Pharaoh’s heart being hardened to continue down the destructive path that wicked king most desired. Through those many plagues, God denounced and demonstrated that the idolatrous worship of many gods was futile and false. He made clear that there is only one King of Kings and Lord of Lords: YHWH, God Most High. This is true yesterday, today, and forever. The Great “I AM” Who sent His Son to lead us out of slavery to sin and death through His own death and resurrection. #FollowJesus

“The Lord said to Moses, “Go up into this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel. When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was.” – Numbers 27:12-13

What a bittersweet moment for Moses! After decades of service, leading the people of Israel out of Egypt and through the desert, he would finally get to see the Promised Land. But only from afar. He would catch a glimpse of God’s faithfulness, then pass away. This was because of a moment of pride, anger, and frustration the led him to disobey God’s instructions. A moment in which anger boiled over and rather than quietly speaking and giving all glory to God, he acted dramatically, struck the rock to bring forth water, and let the credit and glory go to himself.

To us, this may seem like a very small thing over which to lose entry into the promised land. However, pride, insecurity, frustration, anger, and the need to look “large and in charge” can easily put us in very bad situations. Attitudinally. Spiritually. Practically. For followers of Jesus, the good news is that our inheritance is secured. Not by our efforts and outcomes but by the person and work of Jesus Christ. That said, our attitude and how we handle frustrations, irritations, fear, and insecurity still matters.

For many Christians, those moments still bring out the worst in them. Challenges reveal that the “old man”, their nature from before they met Jesus, still has a great deal of influence over their mind and heart. That isn’t how it should be. Followers of Jesus are new creations called to crucify the flesh and walk in the Spirit instead. The evidence that is happening is that the character of Christ comes out under stress: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. AKA the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Does it for you?

This fruit isn’t manufactured by hard work and self-discipline. It’s produced by the Holy Spirit as we walk closely with Jesus, transformed by the Spirit through the Word (read and meditating), prayer, worship, fellowship with believers, service, and sharing the Gospel. So, what comes out of you in stressful moments? Is it the Spirit or is your same old nature? If the latter, let that be a wake up call to evaluate the health of your spiritual life. Then #FollowJesus