Navigating Life's Journey with Obedience and Gratitude
Num 21:4b ...and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
I wonder how different this verse would have read, had Israel completely obeyed the Lord and maintained an attitude of gratitude up to this point. People talk about how hard it is to be a Christian, yet they never know what it is to obtain favor from the Lord for making good, godly decisions on a consistent basis! Let’s just face it; much of the blame for the weariness of the way rests upon our own shoulders for being hard-headed and disobedient to the Lord. We bring much sorrow upon ourselves!
That’s not to say that even those who honor God with their lives never have trouble, but my point here is this: We can avoid a lot of heartache by simply responding to the Word of God properly! This will not remove all trouble, but it will eliminate self-inflicted trouble, and overcome the rest! Did not our Lord say that His yoke is easy, and His burden light? Why then do we make it so hard? It’s easy to be discouraged when you must reap the full consequences of your own disobedience.
“Oh, it’s just so hard to live for God now-a-days!”...it sure is, but only when we do not take His yoke upon us, and learn of Him! Israel should have DONE been in their promised land, but it was their own doubt that brought the burden upon them of wandering around in the wilderness for forty years! Child of God, do not take upon yourself unnecessary burdens! Forgive me, but God never intended for Israel to walk around in circles for forty years, and neither did He intend for the New Testament church to walk around in discouragement, depression and defeat all the time! Let’s snap out of it, put the blame where it belongs, repent, and start enjoying the Christian journey the way God intended for us to!
A verse to consider: Pro 13:15 Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard.
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
I wonder how different this verse would have read, had Israel completely obeyed the Lord and maintained an attitude of gratitude up to this point. People talk about how hard it is to be a Christian, yet they never know what it is to obtain favor from the Lord for making good, godly decisions on a consistent basis! Let’s just face it; much of the blame for the weariness of the way rests upon our own shoulders for being hard-headed and disobedient to the Lord. We bring much sorrow upon ourselves!
That’s not to say that even those who honor God with their lives never have trouble, but my point here is this: We can avoid a lot of heartache by simply responding to the Word of God properly! This will not remove all trouble, but it will eliminate self-inflicted trouble, and overcome the rest! Did not our Lord say that His yoke is easy, and His burden light? Why then do we make it so hard? It’s easy to be discouraged when you must reap the full consequences of your own disobedience.
“Oh, it’s just so hard to live for God now-a-days!”...it sure is, but only when we do not take His yoke upon us, and learn of Him! Israel should have DONE been in their promised land, but it was their own doubt that brought the burden upon them of wandering around in the wilderness for forty years! Child of God, do not take upon yourself unnecessary burdens! Forgive me, but God never intended for Israel to walk around in circles for forty years, and neither did He intend for the New Testament church to walk around in discouragement, depression and defeat all the time! Let’s snap out of it, put the blame where it belongs, repent, and start enjoying the Christian journey the way God intended for us to!
A verse to consider: Pro 13:15 Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard.
~ Pastor Gary Caudill