Dear friends,
When you do something well, are you tempted to admire what you’ve accomplished and look back? Sometimes runners have turned to see where their competitors were and then lost their race. One such story was reported online at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3037395/College-long-distance-runner-SLOWED-celebrate-victory-loses-second-place-runner-pips-post.html. In the spiritual realm, I believe that God’s Word assures believers that when we place our faith in Christ, we will not lose our salvation, but we can lose the joy that accompanies living wholeheartedly for the Lord.
One of my favourite Bible characters is Caleb, who demonstrated faith in the Lord in the face of difficult circumstances. His story is found in three chapters of the Bible: Numbers 13 & 14 and Joshua 14. After being selected by Moses, along with Joshua and ten other men, to spy out the land of Canaan, Caleb declared that the people should definitely enter the Promised Land. He believed the Lord’s promise to provide His people with a land flowing with milk and honey.
It is understandable that ten of the twelve men sent by Moses were afraid of the giants that they found there. People are afraid of many things, including the unknown. The fear of death tops the list of fears for many. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews wrote that Jesus died on the cross so that“through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives” . (Hebrews 2:14-15).
Moses is known as the one who delivered the people of Israel from the tyranny of the Egyptian Pharaoh, but the Lord Jesus is a mightier Deliverer, having conquered death and liberating His followers from bondage to sin. Caleb is a great example of a man who lived by faith, looking forward to what God would accomplish in and through his life. Let’s follow his example and trust God to lead us to great spiritual victories, instead of “taking it easy.”
Scripture for the weekend: “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:56-57 (NASB)
Thought for the weekend: “The heart of every problem is a problem in the heart. The people of Israel (except Moses, Joshua, and Caleb) erred in their hearts (Hebrews 3:10), which means that their hearts wandered from God and His Word.” – Warren W. Wiersbe (from his book “Be Confident”)
By His grace,
Steve