I was listening to my favorite Bible teacher the other day speaking about the people of Israel and their complaint against the daily supply of manna; requesting of God meat to satisfy them. All the while, grumbling about how tired they were of wandering in the wilderness and eating the same food. Can you imagine they even suggested they’d be better off back in Egypt?
It struck me that all that complaining about God’s perfect provision resulted in a swarm of quail. Quail in the morning, quail in the afternoon and quail at night. Quail coming out of their nostrils. Then He struck them down with a plague due to their obsession.
So what’s that got to do with our behavior as Christians? Think about it. God knows what’s best for us yet we continue to ask for what we believe is better. The crazy thing is, He’ll actually give us what we want. Then we realize just how destructive our choices can be when deciding to ignore God’s perfect plan for our lives. Be careful what you ask for. You actually may get it. Then what happens when it virtually destroys us?
I was convinced that a business partnership I was involved in launching back in the 80’s was just for me. The perfect position as a young man who cared mostly about accumulating stuff rather than pleasing God. I deceived myself by believing that being unequally yoked with unbelievers only applied to marriage. WRONG. It cost me everything. My finances, my family, and ultimately my freedom. One of my partners decided there wasn’t enough money to go around and helped himself to some of ours (a bunch of it) and perpetrated fraud on our clients at the same time. Hmmm……… Didn’t see that coming.
“God escorted his people out of the Promised Land even though they did a lot to re-direct His efforts.”
Unintended consequences of bad choices? God will let you have it, if that’s what you truly want.
As a nation we decided that a woman’s right to choose would replace the sanctity of life. Since Roe v. Wade over 50 million babies have been killed. If you’re 18 years old or younger half of your generation didn’t make it out of their mother’s womb. If you’d substitute the names of those 50 million little ones for the names on the Vietnam War Memorial it would stretch 80 miles long. That gives it a little perspective. Here’s the thing though, God forgives us. No guilt if you were one of those Mothers. There’s always redemption and love wins out.
Here’s the best news of all. God escorted His people into the Promised Land even though they did a lot to re-direct His efforts. His will prevailed and His promises were kept.
We have that same assurance if we follow Him. Don’t let the enemy distract you. We live in a world at war. Don’t ever forget it. Place the armor on daily and know God loves you and wants the best for you. Follow his cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. Eat his manna. It’s always sweet and always the best for us. Be patient and walk in that assurance.
Steve Adams – Business & Life Coach