Endurance & Encouragement
Jesus knows we will face challenges each day as we journey through this life on our way to heaven. He wants to help you learn to have His mind and hear His voice as you live to glorify God by trusting Him in your trials.
“All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. ‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished...because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it."
Numbers 14:1-4, 6-11, 18-20, 24, 41-42, 44-45
There should be a level of empathy, not judgment, for the Israelites when you consider the hardships that the Israelites endured and the uncertainty of what was ahead of them. How would you respond to the journey they had experienced going from slaves, to nomads, then to people facing an overpowering obstacle in the very promised place they want to go. When we read the bible quickly, it is easy to miss the humanity and pressures that the people must have been feeling. The same enemy of our lives was doing his best to cause fear, anxiety, and worry in their lives. Do we not experience the same emotions and have the tendency to fall into the same traps?
What was the source of their rebellion? What caused them to lose faith in the Heavenly Father who had carried them out of slavery? Fear. Are there any fears impacting your heart today? Caleb faced the same fears as the other people, but found a way to stay faithful. What was his secret? If you look at Caleb's words, you can see his heart. God recognizes this when He says Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly. Caleb chose faith over fear. He chose to take a step in the midst of doubt believing that God would make a way. Faith does not ignore the reality of the circumstances you are in, rather it chooses to live in the truth that God is greater. God is greater than whatever we might face and will make good on His promises. Where do you need to declare God is greater?
“My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty...I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.”
Psalms 131:1-3
David gives us a window into how he finds peace and holds onto hope. David faced attacks from others constantly and fear was always knocking on his door. What helped David? He says he held on to a humble heart and learned to quiet himself. What an interesting insight. If you think about it, what does fear want to do to you? Fear wants to raise the volume, get you to act rashly, avoid talking to the Lord, and disrupt your trust in God. Faith says slow down, calm your heart, quiet the noise, and hear the gentle whisper of the God who never fails, nor forsakes you.
Have you built in any quiet time today? What would happen if you chose to make prayer, quiet time, and seeking God your default decision when you faced difficulty? Would you not find the same peace and hope that David did?
“Evildoers are snared by their own sin, but the righteous shout for joy and are glad. Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end. Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction. An angry person stirs up conflict, and a hot-tempered person commits many sins. Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.”
Proverbs 29:1, 6, 11, 17-18, 22, 25
Solomon lays out the destinations that we will arrive at depending on the decisions we make. He says if you choose to do evil, let rage and anger dominate your decision making, forego listening to God, and if you act rashly then you will step into the trap set before you. The enemy of your life wants nothing more than to get you on tilt so that not only are you upset but you forfeit the opportunities to help other people. You can't bring the love of Christ when you are blowing other people up because of your anger. The imagery of a trap that Solomon uses is like a painful, brutal trap that would be used to catch a wild animal. Is that what you want? Do you want to end up in the trap of offense, bitterness, and hurt?
Wisdom says there is a better way to think and the attitude that will help you thrive is one led by the Spirit. The Spirit led life chooses to be calm when the of life are raging. The Spirit led life chooses to listen to God's voice and hear revelation. The Spirit led life chooses to trust the Lord with the outcomes. Which path are you on today? Where is your attitude and where are your actions leading you?
“And there before me was the glory of the God of Israel...Then he said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north.” So I looked, and in the entrance north of the gate of the altar I saw this idol of jealousy. And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing—the utterly detestable things the Israelites are doing...They say, ‘The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land."
Ezekiel 8:4-6, 12-13
Do you believe that God is always with you and sees everything? If we truly believe this, why would we sin so frequently? The truth is that we can be a lot like the people of Israel. What were they doing? They allowed other things to matter to them more than God. They acted as though God was not present and could not see what they were doing. Don't we do the same thing? Do we act as though God can hear every word and see all we do? How would our words, actions, and attitudes change if Jesus was with us every moment of the day?
“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ...May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Romans 15:5-6, 13, 17-18
There is a simplicity to how Jesus lived. Was He worried about what He had, what He would eat, where He was going, and how to deal with other people? No. He was not. What was the mindset He chose? He lived to glorify God and do His will. Life is complicated, but faith does not have to be. Choose to trust God, believe He is a truth teller and promise keeper, and live as though He is with us always.
Why does Paul share these words? It is because he knows that the people he is talking to are going to face hard times and have real fears. You do not need endurance when things are easy. You do not need encouragement when you are full of joy. Paul is speaking to a felt need. He speaks the truth that God knows you need help enduring each day and encouragement to believe the best is yet to come. God is a God who sees you, made and knows everything about you, and loves you perfectly.
Paul says may the God whose very nature it is to give hope; give you hope. He says may he fill you with joy and peace as your trust, not if you trust. There are going to be steps of faith that demonstrate your trust in the trials. It is in these moments that grace will release exactly what you need, when you need it. We want it all before hand, but that would neither glorify God nor draw us closer to Him. Paul says you are not in this alone. The Holy Spirit will do the heavy lifting. The best thing you can do is listen to what David said and slow down. Calm the fires of your fears with the living water of faith in Christ. Then choose to stand on the everlasting truths that God is with you, God is for you, and God will deliver you on the road to and when you arrive in the promised land.