07 April 2020

We Must Believe To Enter Into God’s Rest















What a joy we have when we read about the great deeds of our God. The Almighty God is our Father, and we are rich, because all things belong to us through our Lord Jesus Christ!

In all times there were men of faith who trusted their God no matter what the situation was. But also there were men who trusted in their feelings, in their five senses; they were carnal men who forgot their mighty God.

Two of these great men of faith were Caleb and Joshua. You can read their account in Numbers chapter 13 and 14.

After all the miracles God did for the children of Israel in Egypt, at the red sea and in the desert, they finally arrived at the door of the Promised Land. Moses asked one of each tribes, twelve men, to explore the land and see how it was, and how fortified were the cities. 

After 40 days they returned and gave a report before the whole assembly: "We arrived to the land that flows with milk and honey. Nevertheless, the people are strong, the cities are walled and very great, and we saw GIANTS in the land." AND Caleb said: "Let us GO and possess it for we are well able to possess it!" But the men said: "NO, we are not able, they are stronger than us! We saw GIANTS, and we were in our sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight!"

Sad to say, all the congregation started to murmur against Moses and Aaron and said: "If we only had died in the land of Egypt or in this wilderness! Why has the Lord God brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?"

After all the great signs and wonders God did for them, all this time they were still faithless, they didn't know their God. But Joshua and Caleb had faith: "And they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord God delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ Only do not rebel against the Lord God, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord God is with us. Do NOT fear them.”" (Numbers 14:7-9)

The whole congregation was ready to stone them, but the glory of the Lord God appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation and said: "How long will this people provoke me? How long they will not believe me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?" (Numbers 14:11)

So God punished them, and all this generation did not enter in the Promised Land; but their children did enter, as well as Joshua and Caleb, because they believed. 

This is a heavy lesson for us all! Let us examine ourselves if we are in the faith. As the apostle Paul exhorted us: 
"Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called 'Today,' lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter in His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief." (Hebrews 3:12-19)

"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that  is in the world through lust." (2Peter 1:2-4)

(Prayer:) 'Lord God, remove from us all fears and spirit of unbelief. Give us the faith and courage of Joshua and Caleb. These men entered into your rest, the Promised Land. Thank you, Father God, that we have your Word and your promises to lean on. Your Word is the only truth. We don't want to believe the words of men but only your Word. Thank you, Lord God, for helping us to enter into your rest. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.'

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