fearless
Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt? (14:3).
READ: Numbers 13:25-14:3
The Chronicles of Narnia, the classic series by C. S. Lewis, makes vivid the essentials of faith and love in our relationship with the One who loved us first. A land locked in the frigidness of winter, Narnia awaits the breath of Aslan to stir it to redemptive life. Lucy, the youngest of the four key human characters in the novels, exudes great trust and tenacity. Her older sister Susan, however, is at times more fearful and timid. Fear has often been my faithless companion too.
Wherever it moves, fear steals. It drives us to self-sufficiency in an endless litany of “what ifs.” Countless times God provided for the children of Israel in their journey to the Promised Land. Yet they often viewed themselves based on their circumstances rather than on the greatness of their God. They counseled with fear (Numbers 13:31-33) rather than with trust in God (13:30, 14:6-10). The result was life-altering. Yesterday’s provision can serve as a reminder of God’s faithfulness, but Israel’s 40 years of wandering around the wilderness shows us that trust in Him is a daily thing.
Second Timothy 1:7 says, “God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Jesus’ work for us on the cross has obliterated our need to fear. As we follow Him, we gain assurance and trust from . . .
• A right understanding of God (Numbers 14:17-20).
• An absolute trust in Him (Isaiah 26:3-4).
• A crucified life (Romans 6:4-6).
Just as salvation requires our submission to the cross, we must choose to walk in the fullness of its overcoming power. To live in fear is to return to the “winter” of our past, expecting the Father to give us something that is already ours (Luke 12:32). —Regina Franklin
What kind of fear are you currently wrestling with? What truths from God’s Word will help to free you from its clutches?
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June 2, 2009
READ: John 13:3-15
I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. —John 13:15
Pay It Forward is a movie about a 12-year-old’s plan to make a difference in the world. Motivated by a teacher at his school, Trevor invites a homeless man to sleep in his garage. Unaware of this arrangement, his mother awakens one evening to find the man working on her truck. Holding him at gunpoint, she asks him to explain himself. He shows her that he has successfully repaired her truck and tells her about Trevor’s kindness. He says, “I’m just paying it forward.”
I think this is what Jesus had in mind in one of His last conversations with His disciples. He wanted to show them the full extent of His love. So before their last meal together, He took off His outer garment, wrapped a towel around His waist, and began to wash His disciples’ feet. This was shocking because only slaves washed feet. It was an act of servanthood and a symbol that pointed to Jesus’ sacrifice, passion, and humiliation on the cross. His request to His disciples was: “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14). They were to “pay it forward.”
Imagine how different our world would look if we gave the kind of love to others that God has given us through Jesus. — Marvin Williams
To know love, open your heart to Jesus. To show love, open your heart to others.
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