Complaining, A serious offense

Complaining.....I rarely go through a day without it. We hear it everywhere we go and from almost everyone we know. I am afraid I do it far more than I care to admit. We are not the first generation to complain about everything. It goes all the way back to the children of Israel and before. In Numbers 11, God supplies a story of a nation complaining and the consequences their complaining brought them. Verse 1 says, the people complained and the Lord's angered was kindled. God sent fire among the camp to engulf the ones who were murmuring against him. Israel cried out to Moses and Moses prayed to God to stop the fire. He did. Fast forward just one verse and the congregation began to desire to have meat to eat. They did not want the manna God had supplied but dreamed of the fish they ate while they were in bondage. Verse 10 says, there was great complaining among the people. Throughout their families they were so displeased with their situation that they were weeping among themselves about how they desired something besides what God had given them. Again God's anger was provoked. The children of Israel complained among themselves so much, God took notice and decided to do something about it. He sent quail, so much quail that it encircled the camp on all sides, a days journey in all directions and three foot high. That is a lot of fish! The first thing Israel did was not fall on their knees in thanksgiving that God had supplied. They went to hoard as much fish as possible. Verse 32 says, they gathered all day, all night, and all the next day. This was just another example of how ungrateful their hearts had become. I can just imagine God standing there shaking his head in unbelief that they could not trust his provisions enough to just gather what they needed. After all, he had been supplying manna every day for years at this point. God again grew angry and sent a plague to smite the people before they could even swallow the thing they desired so much. God wants us to desire him above all. When we show little restraint in our pursuit of material things, always looking to the next thing, continually complaining about what we don't have, His wrath is kindled toward us. Can't we just trust him to take care of us? He has for years why would he stop now? Complaining is a hard habit to break. We must take notice of what God has done and develop a thankful heart through reflection on His previous love and care. In this chapter of Numbers, Moses was also found making a complaint, but I believe the difference was that His requests were made to God directly and not everyone else. Israel made their agony known to each other and not to God. Dear friend this chapter hit me hard, God takes our complaining seriously. Death by fire and plagues are serious consequences. Take notice of your murmurings today and notice that you are truly blessed. He is our Father, His job is to see to our needs. Trust Him fully so you can reflect a thankful heart.
Read Numbers 11
Philippians 2:14-15 "Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world."
Psalm 142:1-3a "I cried unto the Lord with my voice, with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before Him: I shewed before Him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knew est my path."

Record Books

Record Books. Have you ever noticed our society is full of them? Our schools have them. Our sports teams have them. Our Churches have them. The government has them in several different forms, financial and criminal. If they are good we use them, if they are bad we hate them. We try to keep track of everything. Records tell a story of our life, good or bad. We can never really get away from our past here on earth. For the people close to us, we keep records {even though they are not written down on paper} of past hurts and disappointments. Our responses to people are based on what our record of them tells us. We can never be completely unbiased to that person again. If we personally let someone down, it also effects our reaction to them.
This week I became so overwhelmed with how great our God is when I sat and meditated on some verses about God's record books. There is the Lamb's book of life that records our names when we accept Christ as Savior. This book gets us into Heaven, but the book I want to look at is the one God chooses not to keep. Psalm 130:3 says, "If you Lord should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?" Praise God in several different languages that when we mess up and seek His forgiveness, He forgives. He changes the permanent record against us. If He did not pay for our sin and continue to give us a new slate who could stand? Not me, the guilt alone would kill me. Thank God, we can go to His throne and leave it there! He has forgiven me for so much, I cannot help but worship Him. I stand in awe of Him and that makes me want to serve Him more. Who else can or will take our wrongs and remove them as far as the east is from the west? Only our God can completely remove them and give us a fresh start. Our permanent record, whatever it may be here on earth, can be changed forever with God's forgiveness. Turn to Him today and start fresh. He is faithful to forgive(I John 1:9) and dear sister, if He has forgiven you of so much already, fall on your face today and worship Him with me in complete awe. "He has not dealt with me according to my sin." I can stand! He is the lifter of my head. Praise be His name!!!
Psalm 130:3,4- "If you Lord should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared."
Psalm 103:10-12- "He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us."

Soaking in the Word

I love baths! You know the hot water, scented bubbly ones that you can lay and soak in until your skin wrinkles. There is just something about immersing yourself in warm water that relaxes. A true Calgon take me away moment. Add some chocolate and candles to the mix and it just might be heaven on earth, at least for this mother of three. It is my sanctuary away from kids, troubles, and aggravations.
God's Word should be like a warm water bath. We should be immersing ourselves in it, letting the Word soak through everything in us, changing us. So many times our exposure to the Word is more like a shower we get once a week in Sunday morning service. We move on and never look back, never changing a thing. God's Word was made to permeate us to the very core, changing everything. God promises that His Word will change us if we meditate on it and memorize it. It will take root down deep. Immersion in it causes us to grow in spiritual maturity. It helps us show fruit. It makes us react differently in similar circumstances. It shows us our dirt and helps us get rid of it. God's Word can be our sanctuary from life's storms.
Don't just get a shower of God's Word today, spend some time soaking in it. It will give comfort for the journey and when change comes you will be refreshed.

Psalm 119:9,11- "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy Word. Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."
Psalm 119:92,97,133-"Unless thy law had been my delights, I should have then perished in mine affliction. O how I love thy law! it is my meditation all the day.
Order my steps in the Word; and let not any iniquity have dominion over me."
Joshua 1:8- "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."

A Very Present Savior

Last night my son woke up in the middle of the night moaning and crying. As a Mom, of course, I was awakened and immediately went to see what was wrong. I got to his bedside just in time to hold him while he vomited all over the bed. I picked him up and carried him to the bathroom to clean him up. After waking his dad up for help, I took him to the living room and held him to calm him down. Eventually, we again settled down for the night. He, on the couch and mom on the floor beside him. I dosed off a little here and there, but did not get much rest due to the raspy, coughing spells and an occasional bout with vomiting again. While laying there on the floor listening for what need may come up next, I realized, when I am going through an especially hard time in life, all I have to do is call out to Him from my darkness and He promises to come to my aid.
During the long night just before the light shines through, I can picture my wonderful Savior laying beside the bed stroking my head telling me the same things I was repeating to my son last night. "It is okay, I know it is hard and you are miserable. I love you. I am here. It will be over soon. We will get through this together." If you are going through something difficult, please call on Him. Visualize Him sitting beside you comforting and assuring you of His unconditional love. He is there beside you completely anticipating your every need. All we have to do is ask. He wants to deliver us. He is waiting to deliver us. He is our place of refuge. He is our strength, He will sustain us. Praise the Lord otherwise where else would we turn? With Him beside you, you can make it.

Psalm 46: 1 -"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
Psalm 55:22 -"Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you."