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Christian Devotional – December 12, 2013
VERSE: Numbers 26:64–Not one of them was among those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai. TRUTH: Forty years had passed as the Israelites wandered in the desert. The people who were counted in the previous census had all died out in the desert except Caleb and Joshua because of their sin and disobedience to God. Everything that God had told them would happen, has happened. God was allowing them a second chance. This was the opportunity for the Israelites to start over. God was fulfilling His promises to the people and wanted to remind them that He will do…
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Christian Devotional – December 11, 2013
VERSE: Number 25:17–“Treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them.” TRUTH: The Midianites were actively plotting to lead the Israelites away from God. They were tempting and enticing them to follow their gods instead. God told the Israelites that they needed to treat them as enemies and get rid of them. Do we get rid of temptations in our life? While we are not to kill people, we are to recognize when people are trying to lead us down the wrong path. Do we get away from those people and situations? We need to realize that those who are trying to turn us away from God are not our friends.…
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Christian Devotional – December 10, 2013
VERSE: Numbers 24:11–“Now leave at once and go home! I said I would reward you handsomely but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded.” TRUTH: Balak had promised Balaam lots of treasure if he would come and curse the Israelites, however, Balaam said he would only say what God allowed him to say. God then had Balaam bless the Israelites three times. Balak was furious and refused to give Balaam any money stating that the Lord had caused Balaam to forfeit the money. Sometimes when we follow God, people don’t like what we say or do. hey get angry and withhold things from us. We must remember that our…
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Christian Devotional – December 9, 2013
VERSE: Numbers 23:19–God is not human that he should lie, not a human being that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? TRUTH: Because we are around people so much, we get used to being skeptical about what they say and what they promise. However, God is not like that. If He says it, He’ll do it. We can count on Him to fulfill everything that He has promised that He would do. Do we trust in God and His promises? RESPONSE: Father, I praise You for being trustworthy. You always fulfill Your promises and I will never doubt…
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Christian Devotional – December 8, 2013
VERSE: Numbers 22:29–Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.” TRUTH: Ok, so Balaam is traveling and his donkey moves off the path to avoid an angel intent upon killing his rider three times. Balaam gets angry and beats the donkey. Then the Lord opens the donkey’s mouth and the donkey asks why Balaam did that. Now Balaam must have been very angry because even a talking donkey didn’t shock him out of his anger. He didn’t even bother asking, “You can talk?” His anger that his pride had been wounded eclipsed…
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Christian Devotional – December 7, 2013
VERSE: Numbers 21:8–The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” TRUTH: The people grumbled and complained again, so the Lord allowed poisonous snakes to come into their camp. The people were dying as a result. They came to Moses and repented. Then the Lord told Moses to make a snake and put it up on a pole. Anyone who was bitten could look up to the pole and live. That would take such faith to do, because it makes no logical sense. It’s easy to look back and say that of course we…
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Christian Devotional – December 6, 2013
VERSE: Numbers 20:12–But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” TRUTH: God told Moses and Aaron to speak to a rock to bring fresh water, but they struck the rock with a staff instead. It doesn’t seem like a big difference, but to God, it was the difference between obedience and disobedience, between trusting in Him and not trusting in Him. Do we obey God’s commands completely? Or are we lazy with the details? God is concerned with the…
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Christian Devotional – December 5, 2013
VERSE: Numbers 19:22–Anything that an unclean person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches it becomes unclean till evening. TRUTH: The idea of being clean and unclean is not one that we talk about much in today’s culture. However, God is holy and pure. Therefore, the only options are to be either completely pure and holy like God, or else unclean. The people were not “sort of” clean or “mostly” clean, they were either considered completely clean or unclean. As we look at our life, we realize that God desires for us to be pure as He is, but we cannot manage that on our own. We sin and that…
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Christian Devotional – December 4, 2013
VERSE: Numbers 18:7–But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain. I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift. Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary is to be put to death. TRUTH: Being allowed to serve is a gift from God. We don’t often think of service as a gift, but one of the ways that God blesses us is by allowing us the opportunity to serve Him in special ways. Have we been blessed by God? Do we have opportunities to serve that we are overlooking? RESPONSE: Father, You have given me…
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Christian Devotional – December 3, 2013
VERSE: Numbers 17:5–The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of that constant grumbling against you by the Israelites. TRUTH: The people were challenging God’s plan again. They didn’t think that Aaron should be the priest. So, God created a test to show the people who He wanted as priest. That way, there would be no more bickering and grumbling. When we continue to challenge God’s plan, He will show us His will and plan for us. We must be looking for His hand in guiding us so that we don’t miss what He wants us to be part of. RESPONSE: Father, forgive…