Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Lessons on Living From Joshua
Scripture: Numbers 14:28-30
Faithfulness Rewarded
Numbers 14:28-30
"Say to them, ‘As I live,' says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: the carcasses of you who have murmured against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in.'"
Faithfulness Rewarded
It was a stormy night in Birmingham, England, and Hudson Taylor was to speak at a meeting at the Severn Street schoolroom. His hostess assured him that nobody would attend on such a stormy night, but Taylor insisted on going. "I must go even if there is no one but the doorkeeper." Fewer than a dozen people showed up, but the meeting was marked with unusual spiritual power. Half of those present either became missionaries or gave their children as missionaries; and the rest were faithful supporters of the China Inland Mission for years to come. Taylor was faithful and God rewarded him.
Faithfulness always has it rewards, both in heaven and on earth. Joshua stood faithful to God's promises. When the ten spies brought back discouraging reports about the land of Canaan, Joshua and his partner, Caleb, stood firm on God's assurance of victory. When the people threatened to stone him, he refused to back down from his convictions. It's no wonder, therefore, that Joshua and Caleb were given the privilege of entering the Promised Land when everyone else was condemned to die in the wilderness.
Being faithful often puts you on the wrong side of popular opinion. Standing steadfast on the Word of God can make you the object of ridicule, if not hatred. Being firm about your beliefs sometimes causes people to think of you as narrow-minded, unenlightened or even worse. But be faithful to what you know is right. Ultimately your faithfulness will be rewarded.
Don't be discouraged by what others say or do. Be faithful to God's Word and His work. God promises He will make it all worthwhile.
Faithfulness is the process; God's blessings are the product.
| Author: Woodrow Kroll Source: Lessons on Living From Joshua Scripture: Deuteronomy 1:36 Joshua 14:8-14 Numbers 32:11-12 Numbers 32:11-12 Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord. Total Commitment A few years ago, prominent members of society gathered in the Saints Peter and Paul Church in San Francisco for a wedding. The bride was dazzling in her wedding gown and the service was elegant in its execution. But when it came to that all-important moment to say "I do," the bride hesitated and then replied, "I just can't make up my mind." The minister waited a moment and then announced to the audience that the wedding was off. The reception was canceled and thousands of dollars' worth of food was given away. A week later, however, the bride asked for the wedding to proceed. Her uncertainty, she claimed, "was just due to nerves." Fortunately, Joshua, along with Caleb, never had such moments of uncertainty. No less than five times (Num. 32:12; Deut. 1:36; Josh. 14:8, 9, 14) the Bible says Joshua "wholly" followed the Lord. There was no hesitation, no second thoughts, no vain regrets. Instead, he gave himself to be and do all that God desired of him. His life had no room for a "maybe," or a tentative "let me think about it." Joshua's mind was made up; he would totally serve the Lord. When it comes time to give a clear testimony for the Lord, Christians often seem to be afflicted with a bad case of the nerves. They stutter and stumble and just can't seem to "make up their minds." George Gallup, in his studies on American church life, noted that America is a nation of nominal believers, many belonging to a church but few attending. They just can't make up their minds to take a stand for the Lord. Let's put behind us all our indecisiveness. When the opportunity comes to take a stand for Christ, whether by witnessing for Him or simply identifying with a local assembly of believers, don't hesitate. "Wholly" follow the Lord. A holy response comes from a wholly committed heart.
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Thanks again! So much is bump-worthy here, so I'm joyfully bumping it! You've done a good work in posting these things -so many rich testimonies, such a great Cloud of Witnesses! - and we do well to believe the promises, amen! You have encouraged me, and I pray the blessing is returned to thee, full measure, pressed down, overflowing!