Explore the land that we must go to
Numbers 13:1~16 The Lord said to Moses, “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.” (1~2)
Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #542 ‘Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus (#340 in previous version)
We hope to choose faith in the face of problems, but there are times when we choose unbelief instead. When we choose faith, things look bleak and overwhelming, but with unbelief, things appear rational and fitting to all circumstances that we do not make correct decisions and are deceived instead. Of the 12 spies who explored the land of Canaan, everyone except Caleb and Joshua lost heart with unbelief as they saw their circumstances and conditions. Then what must we grab hold of as we move forward with world evangelization?
1. Believers who are deceived when they go out into their field
The Israelites chose unbelief while living in Egypt and the wilderness and spying out the land of Canaan. Most believers, too, forget about God who has led them until now and are so deceived by the problems at hand that they cannot connect the spiritual blessings with their field. The saved have no need to worship idols or believe in superstitions, and whenever they pray, the Holy Spirit is at work and God sends the angels of the Lord and opens the door of answers. All God’s children need to do is to recognize these blessings and works in their field.
2. What we must discover before heading out into the world
God sent Christ to this earth to save us and make possible for us the enjoyment of the blessings that He had promised. We must enjoy the blessing of salvation through the three feasts and gain new strength through the blessing of worship so that we do not grow tired on the path through the wilderness. The conquest of Canaan is a battle that has already been won, so we only need to have faith in this and wait. We must not be fooled by the words of people or theories that lead us to destruction and confuse us but think that the problems in the past are the stepping stones of blessings and that conflicts and difficulties are God’s plan coming into fulfillment.
3. Discover uniqueness everyday
We must discover uniqueness within our surroundings, circumstances, studies and work. Joseph’s life in slavery and imprisonment in Egypt were the unique way for him to become the second-in-command of Egypt and explain the Lord to the whole world. Moses, Joshua, Caleb, and Paul, too, discovered uniqueness in their field and were used by God to the fullest.
- Pray so that with the spiritual power that you enjoy you may discover and enjoy the blessing of uniqueness even in the smallest problems. Immanuel Church Sunday Worship 1st Service / 2011.10.23