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I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them all! – Numbers 11:29

 

The plague of small thinking strikes again! Joshua was extremely concerned that someone other than Moses might be used of God to prophesy. Joshua did not comprehend that God can use whomever He wants in order to accomplish whatever He wants.

In Numbers 13 the ten spies had to make a decision regarding the grapes and the giants. Huge clusters of fruit should have captured the Israelites’ attention, faith, and excitement. Instead, their eyes were on the giants who stood guard over the abundance.

The devil always tries to get our attention focused more on his resistance than on God’s provision. A small, limited vision will make us feel “like grasshoppers” in comparison to the giants (Numbers 13:33), instead of feeling that “we can certainly conquer” (v. 30)!

Philip rehearsed to Jesus how impossible it was to feed five thousand men in the wilderness, but Andrew went and found five loaves and two fish. Small thinking involves meditating on negative, impossible thoughts that outweigh the truth of God’s Word. Although Moses had told the spies to go into the land with boldness and bring back a sampling of the crops (Numbers 13:20), the spies’ fearful thinking caused them to believe that they could never get to the grapes because the giants were too large.

Think large: Conquest . . . good report . . . well able!

2020-12-31T10:58:50-07:00

I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them all! – Numbers 11:29

 

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2020-12-31T10:53:04-07:00

I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them all! – Numbers 11:29

 

(more…)

2020-12-31T10:47:10-07:00

Some of those at the table were indignant. “Why was this expensive perfume wasted?” they asked. “She could have sold it for a small fortune and given the money to the poor!” And they scolded her harshly. But Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why berate her for doing such a good thing to me?” – Mark 14:4-6

The beautiful nature of God is one of sacrifice, the giving of something on behalf of another. The ugly nature of Satan is one of selfishness, the taking of that which belongs to another.

Never have the spirits of sacrifice and selfishness been so starkly contrasted as in the Mark 14:3-10 story of a generous woman and the self-serving Judas Iscariot. The woman was reckless in her sacrifice, pouring over Jesus’ head a perfume so expensive it was worth a whole year’s salary. However, her sacrifice seems insignificant when we consider that it was anointing His head for burial. This was the last act of love shown to Jesus before His death.

Since that time, millions have read and appreciated the memory of her act, even though her money, perfume, and possessions have all long since passed from the scene. In our lives, the unselfish, beautiful sacrifices we make for Jesus and His Body will live and return to us forever. By contrast, Judas’s hideously greedy act of fattening his purse with thirty pieces of blood money has gone down in infamy.

What is the final memory others will have of you? Will it be one of sacrifice or one of selfishness? Break open your “alabaster jar,” and pour it all out on the Lord and His people.

2020-03-08T00:00:00-07:00
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