Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Complain, Repent, Healed

Numbers 21

With all the complaining that the Israelites did, it makes me wonder how God could have chosen them.  They complain against Moses and God.  God sends a plague.  The Israelites repent.  God continues to bless them.  He blesses them, in this case, with some major military successes.  They conquer the people who would come against them. 

There are so many days when I hear the complaints of the people against God.  I hear how much we don't have, yet want in this world.  I hear complaints that reveal a lack of faith in God and I wonder how long it will be before God brings His hand down against us or maybe He has already and we just have so little faith that we can't even see it?  Have we been struck with poisonous venom and not even know it?  Could we be so slow of heart and mind?  Slowly dieing and yet refusing to repent of our lack of faith in God and refusing to turn to the one who was lifted up on a cross so that we might be healed. (see Isaiah 53:5 and John 3:14 - read the whole chapters - it all pertains)

We are not so unlike those Israelites, with our constant whining.  Yet, we are unlike them in that we are so hard-hearted that we refuse to turn (repent) and give thanks and honor and glory to the one who was lifted up on the cross for us, by whose stripes we are healed.

May the Lord remove our hearts of stones and give to us new hearts; hearts filled with the desire to love and serve God and all His children.  May the Spirit of God touch us with His healing love.

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