One Year Bible Reading Day 80: Man of their word!

⁷ “Why do you want to discourage the rest of the people of Israel from going across to the land the Lord has given them? ⁸ Your ancestors did the same thing when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land. ⁹ After they went up to the valley of Eshcol and explored the land, they discouraged the people of Israel from entering the land the Lord was giving them. ¹⁰ Then the Lord was very angry with them, and he vowed, ¹¹ ‘Of all those I rescued from Egypt, no one who is twenty years old or older will ever see the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they have not obeyed me wholeheartedly. ¹² The only exceptions are Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they have wholeheartedly followed the Lord.’ Numbers 32:7-12

         Moses is warning  the Reubenites & Gadites  to NOT repeat the mistakes their ancestors made earlier in the wilderness by NOT keeping their promises: "But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the LORD, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out."  

         I remember growing up and my dad telling me that your word is your bond;  it's everything.  If people can't trust what you say and that you'll keep your word, then your character and integrity is in jeopardy.  We need to take a pause and THINK before we promise to do something.  I know that I've struggled with this concept and my weak flesh will remind me of that sometimes.  However, we should not say we're going to do something unless we are 100% positive we can come through on our words.  

         The problem is that when we do promise and don't follow through, people struggle with trusting us and ultimately we sin by failing to keep our word.  Just like Moses told those two clans that if they failed to keep their word, their sin will find them out, the same is true for us today.  

          How are you at keeping your word these days?  Is there an area of your life where you gave your word and you now are wavering?  Can you keep your word in that area?  Will you pray to God to give you strength to do so? 

One Thing Challenge:   Let us not be people who fail to keep our word or who stretch the truth!

P.T.

John 10:10