February 24, 2012 (Numbers 14-16; Mark 3)
From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:
Scripture: “When you see the tassels, you will remember and obey all the commands of the Lord instead of following your own desires and defiling yourselves, as you are prone to do.” Numbers 15:39 NLT
Observation: The children of Israel had a hard time remembering that God was suppose to be first. They often got of course and defiled themselves by their self-centered will that led to self-centered actions. So the Lord gave them the instruction to sew tassels onto the hem of their clothing with a blue cord. When they see the tassels it will remind them to put God first. The Lord had a list of commands the Israelites were to keep and constantly complaining was not one of them. Yet this seems to be what they were best at.
Application: So many times we get off track by doing our own thing and forget that God’s will is most important. Just like the Israelites, we often defile ourselves by following our own desires and then end up complaining about the situations we get ourselves into. God gave the children of Israel a list of commands to obey in order to keep them and to please Him; we fool ourselves if we think we have no commands to obey. The grace of God through His Son Jesus has often been misused to justify our disobedience, but in the end God will hold us accountable just as He did the Israelites.
Prayer: Dear Father, thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me daily! You are the awesome God of the universe and greater than You is no other. Help me remember Your commands and place the desire within me to keep them. Forgive me for complaining so much in the past and help me trust and obey more in the future, in Jesus name, Amen!