Tag: Faithful

Wilderness Wanderings – Part 1

Featured ~ Sowmya Gali

Numbers 14: 22 – 24

“Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it. But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it.”

Israelites were eye witnesses to God’s awesome power while in Egypt, during the exodus from Egypt and while on their journey towards the Promised Land. They have seen how God destroyed the Egyptians, and their gods. They were eyewitnesses to the pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They witnessed how the Lord of Hosts parted the Red Sea for them to cross. They feasted on Heavenly Manna, quail and water from the rock while in the desert. Despite witnessing and experiencing God’s protection, and provision, they still did not believe in God fully.

When Moses sent the twelve spies to scout the land they were going to possess, ten of the spies came back with a negative report. For forty days, they surveyed the land and all they could see was how miniscule they were like grasshoppers (Numbers 13: 33) before the people of Canaan. On the contrary, Caleb and Joshua, who were fully aware of God’s awesome power, believed that a God who could annihilate a massive Egyptian army is well able to dispossess these Canaanites from the land. Caleb and Joshua were certain in the power of the Almighty God. After their return, their positive report based on what they believed couldn’t prevail upon the negative report of the other ten spies who were afraid of what they saw.  

Because of their lack of faith in the Almighty God, the Israelites were doomed to wander in the desert for the next forty years, a year for each day they spent scouting the Promised Land. Until every single one of them died in the wilderness, God did not allow them to enter the Promised Land. Only Caleb, Joshua, and the younger generation, were able to enter the land, dispossess the Canaanites and claim the inheritance.

We have seen God’s awesome power, His protection, and His provision numerous times in our lives. Yet, we have not fully obeyed the Lord like Caleb and Joshua. We still doubt and shirk away from His promises. We are comfortable living in the past with our old self. No wonder we are unable to see the goodness of God in our lives. Our own unbelief is stopping us to witness the power of God in our lives. We have no right to say that God is far away or that God doesn’t listen to our pleas, when we have to introspect where we are lacking in our own faithfulness and obedience towards God.

2 Corinthians 5: 7

For we walk by faith and not by sight.

Precious Saint of God, instead of blaming God for all the evil or wrong that is happening to us, let us look within our own hearts and see where we have been disobedient to God’s commands. God has already blessed us. A Promised Land awaits us. All we need are eyes of faith and an obedient heart to enter the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey, where our hungry souls will be satisfied. Let us strive to walk by faith in an Almighty God and in obedience to Him, who is well able to preserve us and lead us to the Promised Land. Let us not walk by sight in unbelief and disobedience, thereby, miss out on the blessings that are in store for us. May our good and faithful Lord preserve us as we walk in total belief in Him.

PERIPATETIC

Featured ~ Sowmya Gali ~ 1 Comment

James 1: 22-25

22. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24. And, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does.

My son and I were researching on Ptolemy, the ancient Egyptian astronomer, mathematician and philosopher. History records his unique behavior as being peripatetic. It means a person who talks when he walks. Ptolemy was known for being peripatetic. Apart from being an intellectual, he might have been very hyper active. His contributions to science have been an authority for centuries.

The passage above reminds us of our spiritual walk. The Word of God is like a mirror, which shows us as we are with all the beautiful aspects as well as blemishes. If we don’t pause and reflect on our image that is tarnished and considering in whose image we are created, it is difficult for us to be the people of God out there in the world. Just reading the Word is not enough, but obeying and practicing is very vital. Before we go pointing other’s mistakes, it is imperative that we assess ourselves against Christ’s scale, practicing living accordingly, and changing our attitudes. Only then we are worthy to be called the children of God.

We, who are good at preaching, talking but not practicing living out our faith on a day – to – day basis, we should start living out our faith. Being kind and merciful, loving, attentive, non-judgmental, long-suffering, standing firm on the side of truth of God during persecutions, and just imitating Christ in all ways, are some of the ways we can get started on living for Christ intentionally. By doing so, we are not only living out our faith but we are allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us.

Beloved, let us not just talk the talk but let us also walk the walk. That way, our lives reflect the love of Christ to the confused world around us. In the dark days that we are living in, people are walking dazed and confused as they are bombarded with numerous lies. Not many are aware of the absolute truth of God and the devil, on the other hand, is pushing people into a perpetual state of confusion. Even if truth is staring in their face, people are unable to believe it. That’s how severely this pandemic of confusion has infiltrated the minds of people, especially our youth. Truth has become relative when it should be absolute. Therefore, as believers, when we are out in the world, our lives if they reflect the love of Christ, the pandemic of confusion can be eradicated. People’s blindfolds will fall to the ground and they will embrace God’s absolute truth. Beloved, may our good Lord grant us His favor in order for us to be peripatetic.

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