Month: December 2013

Numbers 26:54
“To many thou shalt give the more inheritance, and to few thou shalt give the less inheritance: to every one shall his inheritance be given according to those that were numbered of him.”

Children often say, “That’s not fair.” Parents hear that statement often when their children feel that they did not get what they deserved or wanted. One of the hardest things a parent will have to teach their children is that life is not fair.

When God told Moses to divide the inheritance among the children of Israel, one could have easily thought that God was not being fair. It says in the verse above, “To many thou shalt give the more inheritance, and to few thou shalt give the less inheritance…” That seems to be very unfair to those tribes that were not as big. You would think that God would give equally to all, but that is not what God did. Though the dividing of the inheritance was seemingly unfair, it was truly just. Those that were not as big did not need more, but God gave them what was sufficient for them. Because God gave them what was sufficient, it became very fair how He divided the inheritance.

Fairness is a selfish estimation. What one may think is fair will seem unfair for another. It all depends on how one looks at it. Children think their parents are not being fair because they are looking at it from a selfish viewpoint. Why is it unfair just because you think it’s unfair? Fairness is not determined by our viewpoint. Just because we think we should get something does not mean life is unfair when we don’t get what we want. Those who cry that life is unfair are literally living a selfish life.

What everyone must understand is that life is unfair. As I write this devotional, a preacher friend is lying in a coma on a hospital bed. That seems to be unfair. I think of a another preacher friend who carries cancer in his body and is in extreme pain on a daily basis. The doctors have told this preacher that he will have to live with this for many years to come, and he is relatively a young man. That seems to be unfair. There are people you know who seem to be salt of the earth people who are suffering, and that seems to be unfair. Life is not fair and you must accept it.

Life is not fair because we can’t see the whole picture. You can’t see what God is doing through someone’s life, and that is why you may think that life is not fair. If you could see the whole picture, you would see that God is being fair. Because you can’t see life through God’s eyes, you must trust that God is being fair and just in all that He does and allows.

Instead of being concerned with life being fair, the best thing you can do is follow God’s example by wanting only what is sufficient. 1 Timothy 6:8 says, “And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.” Friend, as long as God gives us what is sufficient for our needs, then we should be content. When you look at your life, you will see that you have never gone a day without food or clothing; therefore, God has supplied your needs and has been very fair to you.

Stop looking at what you don’t have and look at what you do have. When you look at what you do have, you will see that God has given you what is sufficient for you. When you need more, God will give it, but until then be content with what God has given you.

Numbers 13:32
“And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.”

Your estimation of something is certainly determined by your perspective. For instance, the size of a diesel truck looks big when you are standing right next to it, but if you were to look at the same diesel truck from the air when flying in an airplane, that diesel truck would seem quite small. Your estimation of the size of that truck is all determined by your perspective.

The obstacles you face in life are often determined by your perspective. The children of Israel missed going into the Promised Land the first time because they looked at the land from the wrong perspective. Moses sent twelve men to spy out the land. When the spies came back, ten men gave their perspective of the land. They said, “The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.” All these men saw was the stature of man. Yet, Caleb’s perspective of the land was quite different when he said, “And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.”

It is interesting that one group of men saw the inhabitants as “men of a great stature” while two men saw the inhabitants as ready for the taking. The difference between those conclusions was their perspective. One group of men were looking at the size of the men and the walls, while the other two men were looking at the God Who commanded them to go forward. Yes, there were “men of a great stature,” but they served a God Who was able to overcome the size of these men.

Let me ask you, how do you see the obstacles you face in your life? Do you see them as “men of a great stature” or are you looking at your obstacles through the eyes of God. You can look at your obstacles as if you were standing by that diesel truck and see how big they are, or you can look through the eyes of God as if you were looking at the same obstacle from an airplane and truly see how small your obstacle is in light of the big God you serve. You can let the “men of a great stature” keep you from doing what God commands you to do, or you can trust the perspective of God and realize He is very capable to overcome the “men of a great stature.”

When you let the “men of a great stature” determine your direction of faith, then you will always go back to the wilderness of life and never see what God originally intended for you to see. Yes, the children of Israel continued to see miracles in the wilderness, but they never saw the complete power of God at work by taking down the great walls and the “men of a great stature.”

When I went into full-time evangelism, I could have looked at my “men of a great stature” and not gone, but I believed God was greater than the obstacles that would keep me from succeeding in evangelism. I’m so thankful that I looked at my obstacles through God’s perspective because for over two decades I’ve watched God conquer many obstacles in my Promised Land.

Friend, stop looking at your obstacles through your eyes. Let your faith look at your obstacles through God’s perspective. This is the only way you will act by faith. Living the life of faith will only be accomplished if you look at every obstacle you face through God’s perspective. Your obstacle may be big if you look at it through your own eyes, but when you look at it through God’s eyes you will see your obstacle is truly not that big. Trust God’s perspective of your obstacle, for His perspective is the true perspective.

Numbers 6:23-24
“Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:”

One of the greatest desires I have in my life is to have the LORD’s blessings upon me. This is what I live for, and this is one of the reasons I try to do right. I would imagine that this is also the desire of most Christians. If I were to ask you if you would like the LORD’s blessings upon your life, I would imagine you would respond affirmatively.

In Numbers 6:23-27, God tells us what happens when a person has His blessings upon them. God told Moses to bless them, and then He describes the blessing of the LORD. When you have the LORD’s blessing upon your life, you will find these traits will be very evident in your life.

First, the blessing of the LORD will protect or guard you. Notice it says, “The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:” When you read about those whom the LORD’s blessing was upon, you will see how He often protected them from those who wanted to destroy them. If you have the LORD’s blessing upon your life, you won’t have to fight to defend yourself for the LORD will be the One Who protects you from the enemy’s attack.

Second, the blessing of the LORD will cause you to constantly be in His presence. Verse 25 says, “The LORD make his face shine upon thee,…” This reminds me of Moses after coming down from Mount Sinai when the LORD’s face shone upon him. When the LORD’s blessing is upon your life, others will see it, for His presence will be a reflection upon your face. You will find that those who have the LORD’s blessing upon their life will have a happy countenance. They won’t have a grumpy disposition. No, the LORD’s countenance will affect their countenance.

Third, the blessing of the LORD will cause you to be favored by God. It says in verse 25, “…and be gracious unto thee:” In other words, having the blessing of the LORD will cause others to think the LORD favors you; and He will! If there is any reason to try and obtain the blessing of the LORD, it is so that you will live in His favor.

Fourth, the blessing of the LORD will cause you to have a life of peace. Verse 26 says, “The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.” This does not mean that you won’t have battles, but it means that you will be at peace with yourself and the LORD in the battles. When the LORD’s blessings are upon you, you will know you are doing the right thing.

Finally, the blessing of the LORD will cause people to know you belong to God. Verse 27 says, “And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel;…” The “they” in this verse is talking about the other nations. When the LORD’s blessings are upon your life, you will be known as the LORD’s. If there is any reason you should desire the LORD’s blessings, it should be so that the world will see Christ in you.

The only way you are going to get the LORD’s blessing on your life is to live right and walk with Him. Throughout the Scriptures, the LORD promises His blessings on those who obey Him. Furthermore, you will find that those who walked closely with God on a daily basis found the LORD’s blessings on their life. You will never see the LORD’s blessing on your life until you do right and you walk with Him daily in the Scriptures and prayer. I encourage you to set time aside to walk with God so that you may know what it is like to have His blessings upon you.

Numbers 1:18
“And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls.”

I have a preacher friend who has bred Rottweilers for several years. If you were to go to his website, you would see a list of the dogs he breeds and their pedigrees. The purpose of that pedigree is to show a future dog owner the history of that dog, because the history of that dog shows what type of dog you are going to get. If there is a weakness in their pedigree, then most likely that weakness will come out in the puppy one would get. The pedigree shows the strengths of the dog and most likely what they will look like. If you were going to purchase a full-breed animal, then it would be important to know their pedigree.

It is interesting that when the children of Israel were assembled together, God wanted them to declare their pedigrees. Each tribe of Israel was to show from whence they came. That pedigree declared to those alive who they were and what was expected of them.

Every Christian should understand the importance of their pedigree. You should know what Christians before you believed. You should know what those before you suffered in order to give you what you have. You should know from where it all started. Knowing the pedigree of a Christian will help you to keep doing what is right. Let me explain.

First, you should know that a Christian represents Christ. If we are not careful, we can easily make Christianity about a personality, and it should only be about Christ. The name “Christian” literally means, “like Christ.” You should regularly declare your pedigree as a representative of Jesus Christ. If we make Christianity about a man, then we will find many will become disillusioned because man will let you down. Keep your focus on the origination of Christianity, and that is Jesus Christ, for their is no weakness in Christ.

Second, your pedigree as a Christian is filled with Christians who sacrificed everything to give you what you have. When you study the history of Christianity, you will find many were martyred so that you can have the truth. Some were boiled in oil, crucified upside down, flayed alive, burnt at the stake and shot by firing squads because they would not change the truth. Your pedigree shows that many paid a dear price for the truth.

Third, the Christian’s pedigree shows how you should live. The Scriptures are filled with instructions to show the Christian how to live. You should not think that you can live in any manner you choose, but you should only live the way God commands you to live.

Let me ask you, are you living up to your pedigree? Have you kept Christ as the focal point of your life? Do you stand strong on truth without any compromise? Do you live a separated life to show that you represent Christ? These three things are paramount in the Christian life. As you go throughout your day, always keep in mind that you represent Christ everywhere you go. Don’t be the one who puts a blemish on the pedigree of the Christian. Live your daily life so that the world can look at the Christian pedigree and see that the Christian life is the best life.

Leviticus 18:24
“Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:”

When I travel, one of the things I do when I’m sitting in the airplane is to give the person next to me a tract and talk to them about the LORD. I understand that the LORD put them next to me for a purpose, so I don’t want to waste God’s purpose in my life.

I was flying back home from a meeting, and the LORD allowed me to sit next to a lady who was a public school teacher. As is my custom, I handed her a tract and told her there was a message on the back that could tell her how to go to Heaven. I then asked her if she knew she was going to Heaven, which she replied affirmatively that she knew.

After asking her the all-important question about her salvation, I told her that if she ever had any Scriptural questions she would like answered that she could email me. Immediately she told me she had one. She asked me if homosexuality was a sin, to which I replied that it was. She then asked me about people who were born with an extra gene that made them that way. I responded to her that God only made male and female, and nothing else. She then asked me about people who tended to lean that way. I finally responded to her that I was against sodomy just like I’m against adultery and fornication. I told her that intimacy outside the boundaries of marriage in any fashion is sin.

That is exactly what God says in the verse above. He warns Israel not to defile themselves with the things that the nations who inhabited the lands before them did. When you look at the previous verses, you see that God shows what defiled these nations and caused Him to destroy them. There is the sin of adultery, to which God goes into detail of different manners in which a person may commit it. The sin of sodomy and being intimate with a family member is included in this list, as well as hiring someone to have intimacy. All of these sins are the sins that defile a nation.

Friend, I point this out because as a Christian you should make sure that you don’t contribute to what defiles your nation. Just because a person is saved does not mean they won’t commit these sins. Being saved is not a license to commit these sins. God does not give His grace so you can commit these sins. God says that He will destroy a nation who allows these sins.

Let me ask you, are you contributing to your nations demise by committing any of these sins? No one may know about it but you and the other person, but God knows and understands your actions are contributing to your nations demise. Yes, God will judge you personally for this sin, but if you commit these sins you are adding to the case for God to destroy your nation.

Let me take this one step further and ask you if you are contributing to these sins by watching them on television? Just because you are not personally committing the sin does not give you a right to watch it on television or the internet. It is as wrong to watch it as it is to commit it.

My challenge to you is to be sure your life is clean from these sins. Don’t allow such sins to be watched on the television, and keep yourself from committing them. Always remember that by staying away from such sins you will help preserve your nation from being judged by God.

Leviticus 10:16
“And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it was burnt: and he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron which were left alive, saying,”

When it comes to leadership skills, few in the Scriptures could top Moses. The verse above is another lesson from Moses on leadership. It says, “Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin offering.” Aaron was supposed to eat the flesh of the burnt offering, but because of his sons being killed, he neglected to do his part. As a good leader always does, Moses didn’t just give a task and not follow up to see if it was done. He inspected to see if it was, and he found out that Aaron had neglected his duty. When Moses saw the duty was neglected, instead of immediately rebuking Aaron, he asked him why he had not done his duty thus giving him a chance to explain his actions. This is great leadership skills in action.

Throughout the years of my ministry, one of the weak leadership practices I have seen is for leaders to be absent from their duties. What I mean by this statement is that a leader will tell their followers what to do, but they never follow up to be sure that it was done. Then I have watched some leaders quickly make judgments about situations without giving someone a chance to tell their side of the story. Absentee leadership skills will hurt people, which results in the hinderance of an organization. Let me show you some principles Moses teaches us on leadership.

First, leadership should give clear responsibilities. Before the verse above, Moses clearly gave Aaron his responsibilities as a high priest. Moses didn’t assume Aaron knew, but he made sure he explained what he was to do. One of the greatest causes of disharmony between a leader and follower is that the leader didn’t clarify the responsibilities to the follower. The leader assumes the follower should know, but that is poor leadership. Every follower should have their responsibilities clearly defined by the leader so they will know what is expected of them.

Second, leadership should inspect to be sure that the follower is doing what they are supposed to do. Just because you explained someone’s duties does not mean that the follower will do it. It is your job as a leader to be sure that the follower is doing what they are supposed to do. Absentee leadership will not know what the followers are doing. If you’re a leader, you are supposed to know what the follower is doing by following up to be sure they are fulfilling their responsibilities.

Third, leadership should give their followers a chance to explain their actions when they are found to be negligent. Don’t be quick to rebuke a follower just because they didn’t do something. Before you ask them, you should give them a chance to explain why they didn’t do what you feel they should have done. It could be that they didn’t clearly understand their duties, or they could have a legitimate reason why they didn’t do it. You will never know unless you ask.

Finally, leadership must correct problems when they are faced with them. Moses was not afraid to correct Aaron. This is the unpleasant side of leadership, but it must be done. You must not be of the mindset that it will work itself out. This will only cause matters to get worse. When you see something is not being done right, then you must quickly correct the problem, or you will have bigger problems to handle later.

If you’re a leader, let Moses who was one of the greatest leaders in history teach you how to lead. These principles we learn from this story will help every leader to keep their organization running smoothly.

Exodus 35:21
“And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD’S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.”

An amazing transformation happened in the hearts of the children of Israel when they got right with God. Just a few chapters before the verse above, you will find the children of Israel complaining that they had no food, wanting to go back to Egypt, and dancing around a golden calf. Yet, when they got right with God, you find a change of heart happened and they were a different people.

Anytime someone gets right with God, you will always find a change of heart. The freedom that comes from getting right with God is amazing. To have the burden of sin removed will in itself cause the Christian to have a better spirit. There are four obvious changes of heart that the children of Israel had when they got right, and those changes will also happen in you or anyone else who gets right with God.

First, they had a willing heart. Before the children of Israel got right with God, they did not have a willing heart. They had an obstinate heart that caused them to want to do their own thing. When they got right, you see them willing to serve the LORD.

When a person gets right with God, it’s amazing how they become willing to do anything for God. I’m always amazed how a person who gets right wants to serve God. They make themselves available and willing to the pastor of their church to serve anywhere there is a need. If you’re not willing to do anything for God, then you need to check and see if you’re right with Him, for those who are right with Him are willing to serve Him. They won’t have excuses; they are willing.

Second, they had a giving heart. The children of Israel wanted to give to the building of the tabernacle. This was a result of a heart that was right with God. When a person gets right with God, they are willing to give their money and time to serve the LORD. They don’t gripe about having to give; they are willing to give. If they don’t have money to give, they feel bad because their heart wants to give.

Third, they had a humble heart. The difference between the children of Israel in the verse above and before they got right is night and day. Before, their heart was filled with themselves and pride. Now, they were humble and willing to follow. A person who gets right with God will not be filled with themselves. They will have a humble heart that is willing to listen and obey whatever the LORD tells them to do.

Fourth, they had a heart that was willing to work. When the children of Israel got right with God, they were not looking to Moses to do all the work. They jumped in and helped with the work. When a person gets right with God, they will want to be a part of the work of the LORD. They won’t want to be on the sidelines watching everyone else. They won’t sit in the back and avoid working. No, they will have a heart that wants to serve the LORD.

Christian, getting right with God literally gives you a change of heart. It gives the joy and freedom you desire in your service to God. If you find yourself not wanting to do these four things, then I would challenge you to look at your life and find what is hindering you. These four things will be in the heart of any individual who is right with God.