Numbers 13:2 “’Send out for yourself men so that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give to the sons of Israel; you shall send a man from each of their fathers’ tribes, every one a leader among them.’”

WHO?

So, do you remember these names from the Bible?  Shammua, Shaphat, Igal, Palti, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, and Geuel.  Of course not.  But you do remember Joshua and Caleb.  These twelve men were the spies Moses sent into the land of Canaan to explore and bring back a scouting report.  You know the story.  Joshua and Caleb were ready to go in, but the other 10 men (whom you never hear from again in Scripture) had another opinion.

These 10 men, instead of leading their tribes into the Promised Land, led them into 40 years of wandering in the desert.  They became forgotten men.  No one shouts their names.  No one tells their story.  They failed at a time when leadership mattered.

TEACHING MOMENT

Our children must learn that decisions have consequences.  Their decisions now can have an impact on the lives of their future generations.  Now, I don’t mean their sins are passed down. We know that isn’t the case in Christ.  But decisions our children make now can impact their future families.

So, how do we teach them to make the right decisions?  Once again, Moms and Dads, you have to be the example.  You have to make decisions that honor the Lord every day.  They will learn from watching you.  Will you give up your desires for the good of your family?  Will you let them in on your decision process?

The Lord wants us to trust Him. He wanted those 10 men to trust Him in Canaan.  If they had only realized the same God who had divided the waters, led them by cloud and fire, gave them manna and quail, gave them water from a rock and had rescued them from Egyptian bondage would also defeat the giants.

How about you?  Will you trust Him today?  Let the generations to come shout your name in honor.  Let your name be the one remembered for leading your family into victory through Christ.

Numbers 11:6b “There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.”

CONTENTMENT

“The manna is getting old,” they said.  If only they had known what they were asking.  They were about get exactly what they asked for.  Now, before you judge them too harshly, stop and think a minute.  Haven’t you done the same thing?

We have been blessed beyond measure, but we basically say the same thing these folks said.  “God, I’m really tired of what you have blessed me with that keeps me alive.  I really want something fresh and new.”

TEACHING MOMENT

The next time your child complains about their computer being too slow or not having the latest fashion, read them this passage.  But make sure you are doing the same thing.  We can’t tell our kids they don’t need what they are asking for and then run out and buy ourselves the latest tech gadget.

Our children need to learn contentment, but we can’t describe that to them.  They need to see us being content with what the Lord has given us.  Don’t you want your children to live contented lives?  Then live one yourself.  Don’t you want your children to learn to enjoy God’s blessings?  Then don’t take them for granted yourselves.

God sustained His people in the wilderness for 40 years on manna.  If He did that, don’t you think He can handle your needs?  I just wonder when they arrived in the Promised Land if any of them thought back to the manna.  I wonder if any of them wish they had just one more taste of the “bread from heaven.”  When you learn to live day by day depending on God, you realize you can only live one day at a time anyway.

Numbers 9:15-18 “15 Now on the day that the tabernacle was erected the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony, and in the evening it was like the appearance of fire over the tabernacle, until morning. 16 So it was continuously; the cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17 Whenever the cloud was lifted from over the tent, afterward the sons of Israel would then set out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the sons of Israel would camp. 18 At the command of the Lord the sons of Israel would set out, and at the command of the Lord they would camp; as long as the cloud settled over the tabernacle, they remained camped.”

WAITING

It was important to give you all these verses today to get the full context of the movement of God through the cloud over the tabernacle.  Can you imagine the sight?  The millions of people would wait until the cloud moved before they moved.  Every morning the first thing they would do is look toward the tabernacle (toward the presence of God) and see what He wanted to do that day.

Their schedule was God’s schedule. If the cloud lingered that day, they stayed.  If it lifted and started to move, they followed.  You should really read the whole chapter to get the complete picture.  It was pretty amazing.

TEACHING MOMENT

We don’t have a cloud to follow, but we do have the Spirit of God in our lives who can lead us.  That’s the lesson for our children.  They must listen to the Spirit.  They must allow Him to lead them.  As they seek answers to life’s mysteries, they must turn to the Spirit of God Who lives within them (if they are a believer) and trust that He knows best when and how to move them.

Parents, we must model this for our children.  We must be willing to follow the leading of the Spirit of God in our family’s lives.  Where is He leading you?  Has He been leading you in one direction, but you have stayed put, or worse, have you gone in the other direction?

Wherever you are right now, stop!  Look to Him!  He should be the center of your life, just as the tabernacle was the center of the camp.  Let Him guide your every movement.

Proverbs 12:4 “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who shames him is like rottenness in his bones.”

Did you know that the word used in this verse for “excellent” can be translated as “army”?  Isn’t that a hoot?  I mean, come on!  Think about it!  The Holy Spirit inspired the writer of this proverb to use that particular word to describe the wife of a man.  Why?  Why not another word like beautiful or sweet or smart.

Because this word also has the idea of steadfastness, strength, virtuous.  That describes the woman who brings honor and recognition (the crown) to her husband.  I am blessed to have such a wife.  She brings me honor because she is an excellent wife.  She is virtuous and steadfast and strong.  She is an army of one.  Lol

TEACHING MOMENT

I do not want to come across today as sexist.  I am not. But I want to address this verse to parents of little girls.  Don’t you want them to bring honor to their husbands?  Don’t you want them to be an excellent wife?  Then you must begin now training them to be steadfast and strong.  You must train them to be grounded in their beliefs and in God’s Word.

As we train our little girls to be like that, they will grow up and become those excellent wives (should they choose to marry) to their husbands.  They will be that crown.  They will cause their husbands to walk with pride, not because of anything the husband himself has done, but because of the dignity or virtue of your little girl.  What a proud moment for parents.

So Parents, will you dedicate yourselves to putting your daughter through boot camp to become that army?  She cannot do it without you.  She needs you to get her ready.  She will face many enemies along the way.  Some will question her virtue.  You must defend it.  Some will challenge her beliefs.  You must give her the knowledge from God’s Word.

Whatever you do, remember you are raising “an excellent wife” who will be fighting for her husband and children.  Get her ready!

Numbers 6:24-26 “24 ‘The Lord bless you, and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.’”

NOT JUST ONE

If you have spent any time in a church of just about any denomination, you have probably heard these verses quoted as a closing benediction in a service.  They are beautiful words that speak of God’s blessing on the nation of Israel.  They still apply today, and the Lord has the same thoughts toward us as believers.

He wants to:  1) bless you, 2) keep you, 3) illuminate you, 4) be gracious to you, 5) look on you and 6) give you peace.  This is not one blessing!  It’s six!  Wow!  Jehovah God is still in the blessing business!  He cares about little, ole you enough to speak these words into your heart.

TEACHING MOMENT

These would be great verses to read over your children.  Don’t you want all six of these blessings for your children?  Of course you do.  But don’t try!  That’s right!  I said don’t try!  Instead invoke the Lord’s blessing on them.  Let Him be the one to bless, not you.

Sometimes we think we know better than God how to handle our children.  But there is big difference in the Lord illuminating and looking on your children than you trying to do that.  You can’t be at all places at all times.  God can.  You can’t give them peace.  Only God can.  Let Him do it!

Mom and Dad, are you allowing the Lord to speak these words into your life?  Don’t you desire a blessing too?  Why not read these verses to each other?  Husband, claim this blessing over your wife.  Wife, do the same for your husband.

What a blessing to be a blessing!  But how much more blessed is it to be blessed by the Chief Blesser, our Heavenly Father.  Bow before Him.

Proverbs 10:1 “A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish son is a grief to his mother.”

WISE TO FOOLISH

Solomon was a wise man, in fact, the wisest man whom ever lived, except for Christ.  It’s interesting that he wrote this pro\verb.  Do you remember who followed him as king?  Rehoboam, the one responsible for splitting the kingdom.

I bet Solomon didn’t see that coming.  Surely he schooled his son to make good choices.  But Rehoboam yielded to a younger bunch of advisors and ended up causing a split in the kingdom of Israel that was never repaired.

TEACHING MOMENT     

What are you teaching your children?  Are you pouring wisdom into them from God’s Word?  Are you showing them how to make choices based on the Truth, rather than on what they “believe” is best?

Have they made some bad choices?  Probably.  If they are like most kids, sometimes they are impulsive or they yield to the influence of peers.  That will happen!  But point them to this verse.  “A wise son…a foolish son.”  Which do they want to be?

Now how about you?  Just because you are grown, Mom and Dad, you are not exempt from making poor choices.  How long do you bathe your decisions in prayer before you make them?  Do you get overly anxious waiting on God and decide to just do something?  Wrong!  Don’t do that.  Wait on Him!

One generation changed Israel – from the wisest to the foolish.  Which are you?

Numbers 2:34 “Thus the sons of Israel did; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so they camped by their standards, and so they set out, every one by his family according to his father’s household.”

ORDER

Do you remember the first time you went camping?  If you were like me, there was a little confusion.  I forgot to bring a lot of stuff I needed.  I learned a lot from that first trip.  I made an exhaustive list of “necessities” for next time.

Remember the people of Israel had not been “camping” in a while.  They had lived in Egypt a long time.  Can you imagine the chaos of millions of people traveling together with all their possessions, including livestock.  It must have been quite a sight.  But God had a plan, which He gave to Moses.  Order must be kept, even to the point of who camped where and who led the procession.

TEACHING MOMENT

Order is so important for our children to learn.  God gives us instructions through His Word for a reason.  If we submit to His leadership He can give us clear instructions for every situation we encounter.  We must teach our children to trust His instructions.  The sooner they learn that the better off they will be.

So how do you teach that?  How about in your daily schedule?  Wake up times, bedtimes, meal times and assigned chores are all ways we can teach our children order and discipline.  Living “loosey goosey” does not help our children to learn order.  Structure is important.

How structured is your life?  I don’t mean to imply you can’t be flexible and relax, but we must maintain order or things will erupt into chaos quickly.  Will you commit today to putting some structure in your home?  Will you allow God to give you your “camping instructions”?  He will show you the best place to camp, the best route to take and the best time to move.  Trust Him!

Romans 16 (yes, the whole chapter)

WHATS’S IN A NAME?

Paul mentions 35 people in this chapter, not counting Jesus.  Most of these names appear nowhere else in Scripture – only here in Romans 16.  I bet these people had no idea their names would be recorded for eternity.  But here they are in Romans, one of Paul’s many letters which the Holy Spirit inspired him to write.

Now this “name dropping” does not compare to those other incidents you may have encountered.  You know what I mean. Some people have to mention they know someone or have met someone to bring attention to themselves.  No, Paul is mentioning these names to give them honor in their service to Jesus.

TEACHING MOMENT

Our children need to know their name is important to God.  He knows them by name.  He even knows their middle name, lol.  He knows everything about them.  And, although their name won’t be listed in a book of the Bible, if they are a believer, it is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  That is where it really matters.

Our children need to know that, although they may think their service to the King isn’t important, He is noticing.  He is pleased with their sacrifice.  He is blessed by their obedience.  It does not matter if anyone else on earth knows what they did, God does.  That is all that matters.

How about you?  Are you down in the dumps because no one has “patted you on the back” lately.  Why are you serving?  Why are you doing what you are doing?  It is NOT for men’s applause.  It is to please your Father in heaven.  Let Him be pleased.  That is all that matters.

Psalm 24:7-10 “7 Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! 8 Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! 10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.

TRIUMPHANT

I just love this Psalm.  Our choir sings a song based on this Psalm that just gets me all excited when I hear it.  I can just envision the Lord entering the gates of the city, triumphant in battle.

But do you know what the psalmist is referring to when he says, “Lift up your heads”?  He is not referring to our physical heads.  He is actually referring to a crossbar that was suspended above the gates that could be lowered or raised to either bar the gate or allow it to be opened.  In other words, open the gates people!  The conquering King has arrived.  Let’s celebrate!

TEACHING MOMENT

In the same way, we must teach our children to open their hearts to the King of Glory, Jesus.  We must show them that we have a choice to make.  We can either keep our hearts closed to His love and mercy or we can open wide our hearts to allow Him to come in and rule.

For some of us, that is hard.  Some of us want to keep our gates barred and our decisions to ourselves.  But we must allow the King to have complete control.  To open the gates is to surrender the city.  To open our hearts is to surrender our lives.

Have you surrendered?  Maybe you have in the past, but you have “reclaimed” part of the city.  Maybe you are hunkered down in some dark corner of the building and are refusing to allow Jesus to have complete control.  Allow Him to rule!  He is a gentle King and loves His children.  Open wide your gates!

Romans 11:29 “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

NO CHANGE

I am not sure how many times I have read this verse (at least 31 since I have read through the Bible that many times), but I have just never noticed it.  Look at the verse again – “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”  Do you get that?  That means there is no change of mind, no regrets.

Once God bestows His gifts, once God’s calling is on your life it is irrevocable – it cannot be changed.  You can’t escape it, no matter how hard you try.  Do you understand that?  God has you, if you have surrendered to Him, no matter what.  He has gifted you for a purpose, no matter what.  He has called you to a purpose, no matter what.  IRREVOCABLE!

TEACHING MOMENT

Have you ever made a decision about something your child has asked you about which required an irrevocable decision?  I am sure you have.  “Mom, can I light a fire around my brother?”  NO!!!!  “Dad, can I have the keys to the car?”  NEVER!!  You get my drift?  There are some decisions we make with our kids for their safety that cannot be changed.  What a perfect time to share this verse.

Our children need to know that we have the authority over some things that no amount of begging or pleading will change.  Other things are negotiable.  They need to know that the same applies to God.  Once they are His, they are His!  No ifs, ands or buts about it.  They are secure in that.  What peace that brings!

Are you secure in that?  Do you have “no regrets” in your relationship with Christ?  Do you have that irrevocable gift and calling on your life?  I pray you do.  If you don’t, will you give Him your life today?  Don’t wait another minute.