Day 99 Bible Reading - Luke 12: 35-36 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 11-12, Luke 12: 35-59, Psalm 55: 1-11

Luke 12: 35-36 (ESV)

“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.”

Verses 35 through 36 from Luke 12 give us advice from Jesus about waiting for his return and how we need to be focused on it and ready. I think it would be so amazing if Jesus returned, but at the same time I fear the return of Jesus because of what is written in the book of Revelations. My pastor talked about this year that we are starting to see the signs of the return of Christ as mentioned in Revelations. I do think there is a culling going on in mainstream denominations as they seem to be shrinking, and after COVID many churches closed. But I think the events I most fear from Revelations are the earth changes because those seem so destructive and disrupt so many lives. What I do not fear is Christ returning and the time of the judgement, because I have a good relationship with God. I know Jesus will recognize me and welcome me into his kingdom.

Day 98 Bible Reading - Luke 12: 22-23 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 9-10, Luke 12: 1-34, Psalm 54

Luke 12: 22-23 (ESV)

“And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.”

Verses 22 through 23 from Luke 12 remind me of how I used to be many years ago before my faith become very important to me. I was very anxious about my job because the company I was with at the time was struggling financially since the 2008 recession. VPs came and went if they didn’t perform and we even had a work stoppage of two weeks. Then came the layoffs every two to three years, which were small at first with the last one being a 10% reduction in force across the board. I was so afraid of losing my job, always wondering if I was going to be in one of the layoffs for several years. It was a stressful environment to work in and I hated it. But Holy Spirit urged me to stay in that job until one day, I got the inspiration to move to be closer to family. I moved without a job and found another one within six months in my new city. That job was okay for awhile until it wasn’t, then I got the message from Holy Spirit to leave that job. Quitting a job because I wasn’t happy was a bucket list item for me, so I was happy to leave that job and thereby fulfilling a lifelong wish. I was only able to  quit the new job, because I listened to the Holy Spirit about staying in the old job. When I quit the old job, I walked away with a nice chunk of change. Not being anxious about my job situation led me to focus more on God, and I can honestly say that I am more rich in God now than I’ve ever been before in my whole life. I owe all of this to listening to the Holy Spirit and following most of the advice I was given. God has truly taken care of me even when I was so far away from him because I was too worried about having money in my life.

Day 97 Bible Reading - Luke 11: 35-36 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 6 – 8, Luke 11: 33-54, Psalm 53

Luke 11: 35-36 (ESV)

“Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.””

Verses 35 through 36 from Luke 11 is a warning from Jesus of having darkness within ourselves. Jesus could perceive it and others can as well. If you live without the light of Jesus within you, the light within you will not be bright. Not having the light of God within you will also make you spiritually blind. You will be blind to the miracles of Jesus and live as a hypocrite. In my life, I’ve had people come up and tell they see so much light within me. Or they look at a photograph of me and tell me, “you have so much light in your eyes.” When I look at myself in the mirror, I cannot see the light that they see. I wonder if it’s because I am so used to looking at my own face, I cannot see any difference. I’ve had a relationship with God since I was a child. The most touching thing to me is when old people tell me I have so much light. They come up to me and they want to touch me, and they smile and tell “I can tell you are a good person. Do you go to church?” When I answer yes, they smile and go on their way. I had an older woman say to me when I was sitting outside of a store resting with my mask on during the COVID mask days, “I can tell you are smiling because of your eyes. You seem like such a nice person.” Even under my mask, my light shone. Does the light of God shine within you so much that random people tell you how much light you have? If not, why not?

Day 96 Bible Reading - Luke 11: 2-4 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 4: 15-49, Deuteronomy 5, Luke 11: 1-32, Psalm 52

Luke 11: 2-4 (ESV)

“And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.””

Verses 2 through 4 from Luke 11 shows Jesus teaching his disciples to say the Lord’s Prayer. I still remember a sermon I heard about the Lord’s Prayer when I was in junior high. The catholic priest at my childhood church was crying as he was talking about the Lord’s Prayer. He told us we should pray this prayer like we really meant it, and when we did we would feel tears streaming down our faces as we thought about each line we were saying especially the part about forgiveness. He said if we really thought about what it mean about God forgiving our sins and us forgiving everyone, we would cry at the power of God’s love and its ability to work through us because forgiveness was only possible with God’s help. The tears of our priest was so shocking to me. I remember my mother saying she had never seen Father Turgeon cry during a sermon because he was so moved. I remember him as a very kind, middle-aged man, with a wry sense of humor who always had a cigarette in hand after church. I remember trying to cry like he did when I said the Lord’s Prayer in my bedroom and being so proud of myself when I succeeded. It’s been a long time since I’ve cried saying the Lord’s Prayer, but I know someday the tears will come again as I recite the words about forgiveness and ponder on the power of God’s love to work through me.

Day 95 Bible Reading - Luke 10: 41-42 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 2: 24-37, Deuteronomy 3, Deuteronomy 4: 1-14, Luke 10: 25-42, Psalm 50: 10-19

Luke 10: 41-42 (ESV)

“But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.””

I love the story of Mary and Martha. In verses 41 and 42 from Luke 10, we see Christ’s answer to Martha when she complains about her sister Mary not helping her to serve. I know what it’s like to be Martha, when you feel like you need to serve and play the good host. I’ve never been a “Mary” who can just seemingly drop everything to just and listen to a guest. From reading several bible commentaries, Jesus was praising Mary’s simple devotion to him by sitting at his feet and listening to him. Mary shows a continued focus on Jesus. Her submission to him brings her peace. She is gifted with strength. By listening to Jesus, she gains wisdom and learns not to sin. Martha tries to serve Christ, but without a continued focus on him which resulted in frustration. Martha needed to diligently serve and keep her focus on Christ, and if she did that, she wouldn’t have complained about Mary. We need to remember that as we serve God – to always keep our focus on him.

Day 94 Bible Reading - Luke 10: 3 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 1, Deuteronomy 2: 1-23, Luke 9: 57-62, Luke 10: 1-24, Psalm 51: 1-9

Luke 10: 3 (ESV)

“Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.”

Verse 3 from Luke 10 reminds us we need to be like lambs when doing the work of God. A lamb is totally dependent on his shepherd to care for him, to guide him, and protect him. If we think of ourselves as a lamb and God as our shepherd, we can do the work of God without fear knowing that we are dependent on God. God will guide us and work through us in what to say and how to act. God will care for us to make sure we are headed in the right direction. And finally, God will protect us as we do our work for him in the world of “wolves.” And I know sometimes it does feel like sometimes when you are doing the work of God, that you are a sacrificial lamb. There is fear, there is trepidation, there is even a metaphorical fear of death and in some cases perhaps a literal fear of death. But we have to have faith that even if we experience a metaphorical death of our ego, God is working through us and that out of the death of our ego God will be able to speak through us in faith.

Note: I was a day behind in posting my bible readings, but I am finally caught up. YEAH! Praise God!

Day 93 Bible Reading - Luke 9: 46-48 (ESV)

Numbers 35 and 36, Luke 9: 28-56, Psalm 50: 16-23

Luke 9: 46-48 (ESV)

“An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.””

Verses 46 through 48 from Luke 9 reminds us that to be great in God’s kingdom you need to be like a child and be “least”. A child is humble and does not tell lies, much like Jesus, who was sinless. Jesus was not concerned about his own status and he doesn’t have to be the center of attention like a child. Jesus also told us to be “least” or humble, and not powerful. Jesus wants his followers to not crave power or be the person out front and be happy about it. This recommendation is hard to do in the competitive world we live in today. But to be humble is powerful in God’s kingdom. When I do work in God’s name, I try to be humble about it but it’s hard. A few weeks ago, I volunteered to help a new church get ready to open on Easter. I ended up cleaning the women’s bathroom and I felt very happy doing it, until other volunteers wanted to use the bathroom. One of the women told me that she was glad I was cleaning it and not her. I thought that such a strange remark. I was cleaning the bathroom because this church was God’s house, and I felt privileged to be cleaning it. I was cleaning it hard like it was my own house because it was God’s house. But that woman’s remark unsettled me somehow or I let it unsettle me. Maybe I was too full of pride for cleaning that bathroom because it was really disgusting, and I was so proud and happy with myself. But at the end of the day, one of the women from the church remarked that she was so happy the bathroom was clean and smelled so good. This woman’s remark made me so happy and I felt happy that I had cleaned that bathroom for God.

Day 92 Bible Reading - Luke 9: 16-17 (ESV)

Numbers 33 and 34, Luke 9: 10-27, Psalm 50: 1-15

Luke 9: 16-17 (ESV)

“And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.”

Verses 16 and 17 from Luke 9 comes from the famous story of Jesus feeding the 5000 with only fives loaves and two fish. I heard a commentary today which I found very moving. Back in the time of Christ, the people who came to listen to him did not indulge in food like they do in our time. People in those times rarely ever ate until they were satisfied. People ate food but most likely just enough to calm the hunger inside of them. Jesus really loved people and if he was going to feed them food, he was going to give them enough until they were full and satisfied. Jesus shows that God will always give us enough of what we need, and we will always be satisfied. God will not give us less than we need or just enough of what we need. God will give us what we want until we are satisfied, because that is how much God loves his people.

Day 91 Bible Reading - Luke 9: 1-2 (ESV)

Skipped a couple of days...

Numbers 31: 25-54, Numbers 32, Luke 8: 40-56, Luke 9: 1-9, Psalm 49

Luke 9: 1-2 (ESV)

“And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.”

Verses 1 to 2 from Luke 9 tells us that Christ did not send his disciples out on their mini missions without equipping them first. These verses show how considerate Christ was for the people who followed him. From these verses we need to be assured that when God sends out on mission or has a task for us that he will equip us with whatever we need to be successful. This reminds me of saying that God would never give us anything to do that we couldn’t handle. Even when it seems like the task or mission is overwhelming, we have to have the faith that God knows what he is doing and he knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows we could handle the task and if needed, he supernaturally equipped us with what we needed. I’ve read bible commentary that said the trouble comes when we go out and do a work and were not called to do it, or when we are called to do the work but we don’t take advantage of equipping that God had offered us. These verses assure that whatever we’ve been asked to do by God, he will equip us with what we need and he has confidence in us that we can do the task.

Day 90 Bible Reading - Luke 8: 22-25 (ESV)

Numbers 30, Numbers 31: 1-24, Luke 8: 19-39, Psalm 48: 9-14

Luke 8: 22-25 (ESV)

“One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?””

Verses 22 through 25 from Luke 8 remind me that even though the disciples of Jesus trusted him and had seen all the miracles that he had performed, they still panicked. But I don’t blame the disciples. I think that this is the way of human nature, that we always constantly doubt even though we know better. Isn’t our life like that sometimes? Our faith is tested. We have this incredible faith in Christ and our life is calm and going forward. We think our faith is so unshakable. Then a storm comes along in our life, and our calm life goes into a tailspin and our faith disappears. We think God is punishing us, or worse has forgotten us. But then we pray and Jesus helps us through the storm and gets our life back to calm waters. And I can imagine Christ saying to us “Where is your faith?”

Day 89 Bible Reading - Luke 8: 4-8 (ESV)

Numbers 28 and 29, Luke 8: 1-18, Psalm 48: 1-8

Luke 8: 4-8 (ESV)

“And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable,  “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it.  And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it.  And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.””

I read a commentary on verses 4 through 8 from Luke 8 which was new for me. Instead of thinking we are one of the soils (the path, the rock, the thorns, and the good soil), we should see ourselves in seeing bit our ourselves in all four soils.

Sometimes we are like the path where we allow the word of God to have no room in our lives. Sometimes we are like the rock when we have feel moved by the word of God, but whatever we feel is quickly burnt out. Sometimes we are like the thorns because we hear the word of God, but the cares of lives and the love of money are constantly threatening to choke out God’s word and our faithfulness. And finally, sometimes we are like the good soil because the word of God takes root in our heart, mind, and soul and bears fruit in our lives.

I think if we can determine what type of soil we are that day when we hear God’s word, we can figure out how to turn it around and make sure God’s words takes root in our hearts, mind, and soul and bears fruit in our lives.

Day 88 Bible Reading - Numbers 27

Numbers 26 and 27, Luke 7: 36-50, Psalm 47

Numbers 27: 18-21 (ESV)

“So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight. You shall invest him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey. And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the Lord. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation.””

Verses 18 through 21 from Numbers 27 remind us of the value of waiting. Joshua waited patiently as second in command to Moses. He did everything that was asked of him, and he was eventually rewarded by God to lead after Moses. The promotion of Joshua shows us that God does see everything that we do, and if we are patient and trusting in God, then eventually God will promote us to where we need to be. I think the hardest part is the waiting. The waiting plays with your mind and makes you distrust God and lose your faith. But if we can wait long enough, God always has a plan for us. He knows our strengths and weaknesses and will put us in a position that benefits us and his plan for humanity. But the waiting is hard, so very hard.

Day 87 Bible Reading – Happy Good Friday! Luke 7

Numbers 24 and 25, Luke 7: 15-35, Psalm 46

Luke 7: 34 (ESV)

“The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’”

I heard an interesting interpretation of verse 34 from Luke 7 by David Guzik, a pastor at the Calvary Chapel of Santa Barbara – see his commentary (https://enduringword.com/media/luke-7-witness-forgiven-woman/). Religious leaders at the time didn’t want to associate with sinful people because it was a badge of honor to do that. That’s why they made this comment about Jesus. But Guzik said that Jesus was a friend of tax collectors and sinners because he loved them and wanted to meet them where they were at. He did not despise them. His heart and compassion went out to them because he wanted to help and rescue them from their sin, to transform their lives so they are no longer under the bondage of sin. Jesus loved sinners just the way they are, but he loved them too much to leave them where they were at and wanted to transform their lies. I love this interpretation. Jesus loves me enough just the way I am, but he loved me too much to leave me where I am. He wants to transform my life and free me from the bondage of sin. People get it so wrong. Yes, Jesus loves us as sinners and accepts us, but that acceptance doesn’t come without wanting us to transform our lives from sin. That’s the power of Christ’s sacrifice for our sins on the cross. He died for our sins on the cross, otherwise it would be us instead of him on the cross.

Day 86 Bible Reading - Luke 6: 37-38 (ESV)

Numbers 22: 21-41, Numbers 23, Luke 6: 37-49, Luke 7: 1-10, Psalm 45: 10-17

Luke 6: 37-38 (ESV)

“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Verses 37-38 from Luke 6 is how I try to lead my life, although I do admit sometimes it’s hard to do that especially in the last five years. I’m still working on the “love your enemies” part. I try to take a pause on how my actions will affect someone, and sometimes when I am too emotionally involved it’s hard to take that pause. It’s so easy to let your emotions take over your actions, and you have to discipline yourself to not react. Someone wise person at one of my jobs said before you send an email response to someone, take a pause and if you can let it sit for a day so you can read it over in case you might have overreacted to something in the email. Letting the email sit for a day also lets you edit it out and keep yourself brief, concise, and professional. I’m trying to follow this advice when I want to complain about something. I’m trying to let any issues sit for two weeks if possible. After two weeks if the issue is still something I need to complain about, then I do it with the hope that all the emotion is gone and I can make a cogent definition. Does it make a difference with how people treat me? I don’t know and I don’t care if it does because that’s not my issue or my business. All I can control and care about controlling is how I react, and if I can react or treat someone the way Christ would me want to then all is right in my world.

Day 85 Bible Reading - Luke 6: 20 (ESV)

Numbers 21, Numbers 22: 1-20, Luke 6: 12-36, Psalm 45: 1-9

Luke 6: 20 (ESV)

“And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”

I have read and listened to verse 20 from Luke 6 many times, but I did not know that it might mean that it would be a requirement of God’s kingdom to be poor in spirit or have a poverty in spirit. When a person has a poverty or is bankrupt in spirit, they know that they do not have the means within themselves for salvation and they can do nothing without God. This feeling also applies to wealth as well. If I take the meaning of this verse to be true, I can now understand why Jesus has always said wealth is an obstacle to the kingdom of God. When a person has wealth in money or spirit, they know that they can still care for themselves without God and will at times no need God. Only when one is utterly poor in money or spirit to the point where they need to beg, will I think one realize nothing can done in their life without God because they are so lacking in spirit or resources. I know that when I have felt an utter lack in spirit in myself, I will cry out for God. But I don’t have this feeling 24/7. I only feel this feeling when something devastating such as death has happened in my life. When I do cry out to God, he is always there. I wish I could feel this lack of spirit in myself all the time, but I know I still have too much ego for that. I still think most of the time I can do everything myself, and don’t need God 24/7. Now I know that this ego-driven confidence is wrong, and I do want to know what it is like to need God every second of my life.

Day 84 Bible Reading

Numbers 19 and 20, Luke 5: 33-39, Luke 5: 1-11, Psalm 55: 13-26

Numbers 20: 10-12 (ESV)

“Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.””

Verses 10 to 12 from Numbers 20 are sad verses for me. Moses was grieving the death of his sister Miriam and now had to deal with the people complaining about water. He was at the end of his rope and he was angry. He did not glorify God and said “we” instead of God will bring water, and he struck the rock twice in it seems like anger. So God punished him and told him he would not be going into the Promised Land. He made this one mistake and was denied entrance. I think it’s sad because Moses had been so faithful to God the whole time from the journey out of Egypt until the almost 40 years of wandering in the desert. But God still loved Moses and we him later in Matthew in the transfiguration of Jesus. So I have hope that even though I will undoubtedly make mistakes in life, God will forgive me in the end.

Day 83 Bible Reading

Numbers 17 & 18, Luke 5: 17-32, Psalm 44: 1-12

Luke 5: 30-32 (ESV)

“And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Verses 30-32 from Luke 5 reminds me that I’m glad I joined a church, because it seems like I only thought of God when my life was messed up or I was hurting. I needed God to save me, and I needed God’s love to comfort me, and he was always there. But when my life was going okay, I never thought about God. But being in a church, I am reminded constantly of the need for God in my life whether my circumstances are good or bad. When I’m having a good day, I always thank God. I thank God every day for the little miracles I see in my life, and not just for the miracles I prayed for when I needed help. And I am reminded every day of the need for repentance for sins I commit every day in my life, and God’s mercy that was bestowed on me through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Day 82 Bible Reading

Numbers 16, Luke 38-44, Luke 5: 1-16, Psalm 43

Numbers 16: 22-24 (ESV)

“And they fell on their faces and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?” And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Say to the congregation, Get away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.””

Verses 23-24 from Numbers 16 show how much Moses and Aaron cared about their people. They had been challenged for their leadership and people were openly rebelling against them. There were 250 leaders against Moses and Aaron, and Moses said he would leave if it up God to judge if they were right. When God made his judgement to kill everyone Moses and Aaron protested and pleaded with God not to punish everyone because one man Korah had caused the rebellion. I’ve seen this kind of thing happen in the churches I’ve a part of throughout my life. It only takes one person to cause a group to fall apart. We see this warning in the New Testament in verses 17-18 from Romans 16 where Paul writes:

“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.”

It’s easy to criticize the leadership of a church because we don’t see everything that goes into making a decision, but we need to remember that God appointed these leaders and God needs to be the final authority in all areas of our life.

Day 81 Bible Reading - Numbers 14: 36-38 (ESV)

Numbers 14 and 15, Luke 4: 14-37, Psalm 42: 7-11

Numbers 14: 36-38 (ESV)

“And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing up a bad report about the land—the men who brought up a bad report of the land—died by plague before the Lord.  Of those men who went to spy out the land, only Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive.”

Verses 36-38 from Numbers 14 shows what happened to the men who didn’t have the faith in God to help them. They died by plague. And earlier in Numbers 14, God told Moses that only Caleb and Joshua would live to see the Promised Land. This is what happens when you have faith, you see and will dwell in the Promised Land. And when you don’t have faith, you die and you don’t see or find the promised land. A plague seems harsh, but when we don’t have faith doesn’t doubt enter in our life like a poison and eventually kills our faith in God. When you lose faith in God, it is like a death of sorts. We all need to pray to have the faith of Caleb and Joshua so we can see and find our own “promised land” that God promised us.

Day 80 Bible Reading - Numbers 14: 30-31

Numbers 12 and 13, Luke 3: 23-38, Luke 4: 1-13, Psalm 42: 1-6

Numbers 14: 30-31 (ESV)

But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.”

Verses 30-31 from Numbers 14 shows the difference between people who have faith in God and people who don’t. Caleb saw the same things that the other men saw, but his faith in God was so strong that he thought to himself that God will provide a way for them to overcome it. I wonder how many of us look at a dream in the same way that the ten men did. Do we see all the danger and risk involved? Do we fear that our dream is too big and we aren’t strong enough to overcome the forces standing in the way of our dream? We need to have the same strength of faith as Caleb. God told Moses that the land was theirs, and yes it would be difficult but if we just have enough faith in God’s promises to us we will know that God will help us overcome any obstacles to our dreams. We need to pray every day to have the faith of Caleb and Joshua and believe as they did, that no matter what dangers and obstacles we see, God will fulfill his promises to us.