February 26, 2014 (Numbers 19-20; Psalms 28; Mark 5)
From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:
Scripture: “But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!” Numbers 20:12 NLT
Observation: The Lord had told Moses to speak to the rock; however, Moses struck it, not once, but twice. God did the miracle; yet Moses was taking credit for it when he said, “Must we bring you water from this rock?” For this he, and Aaron, was forbidden to enter the Promise Land. Moses knew how detailed God is; after all it was Moses that had recorded all the procedures and rituals that had to be followed just as he was instructed. Yet here he let his frustration with the people cost him. The people had complained to the point that Moses was sick of them, yet he should have kept his eyes focused on God and His will. When God asked us to do something, or say something, He expects us to do it just like He said.
Application: Oh how many times I’ve missed God’s best for me because I didn’t trust Him enough to wait on Him. Oh how much pain and grief I’ve had to endure because I chose to get ahead of God and work in my own strength. How many times I’ve missed out on the promises of God because of my doubt and unbelief. Let us learn a valuable lesson from Moses and never forget that there are serious consequences for disobeying God’s commands. Let us also learn a lesson from Aaron. The choice of Moses to work in his own way not only affected his life, but also Aaron’s. Neither Moses, nor Aaron would enter the Promised Land because of the actions of disobedience. As leaders we must be careful of the choices we make because we may just negatively impact the life of someone very close to us.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for today. I praise You for who You are and all You are! Help me clearly hear You when You speak. Teach me to slow down and listen closely. Keep me from pride and arrogance. For I am only a vessel that You work through. If anything good comes from me, You did it. Work through my life like only You can, in Jesus name, Amen!