My Sunday Skl

THE WORD: Numbers 20:10-11

10 He and Aaron assembled the entire community in front of the rock. Then Moses said to them, ‘Listen, you rebels! Must we bring you water from this rock?’ 11 Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Let’s continue on the topic of compromise. A big reason why we may find ourselves compromising on God’s plan is because of the people around us. Have you ever found yourself responding to people in a way that doesn’t glorify God? Maybe you’ve responded to your manager’s complaints with anger or frustration, instead of showing God’s love and mercy? Maybe you’ve responded to bad news with anxiety and fear? Maybe you’ve responded to a text message with lustful thoughts, and improper talk?  It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and forget what God has called us to do.

Think about Moses in Numbers 20, who started out obeying God’s instructions to pick up the staff, gather the people and speak to the rock, but then compromised and struck the rock instead. He even called the people “rebels” and did what he wanted, likely out of frustration with the people, instead of what God had planned. And even though the water still came out, God was not pleased. In fact, Moses’ disobedience cost him the privilege of leading the people into the Promised Land.

We’ve all been there – we’ve compromised on God’s plan because of our interactions with others. We’ve let our emotions and we’ve done things our own way instead of God’s way. Sometimes it even “works” and we get the results we wanted, like Moses drawing water from the rock. But the results don’t justify the disobedience. Just because things seem to be working out doesn’t mean we’re being faithful to God’s plan.

Let’s not make the same mistake. Let’s pray that God will guard our hearts and minds from compromise.