Week of September 30, 2022

And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and He said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?”(Numbers 20:10, NKJV)

It’s easy to see why Moses became frustrated with the Hebrew people. Moses lost his patience and became angry with them because they were being so hard-hearted. Yet each and every time that Moses shifted his focus away from God, it cost him. When he sought to help his people by taking matters into his own hands he ended up spending the next 40 years herding sheep on the back side of the desert. This time his behavior cost him the opportunity to enter the Promised Land. In his frustration, at the people’s irreverence, Moses committed the same sin of disobeying God’s instruction. Sin happened because Moses allowed his attention to shift to the behavior of others rather than God. This can happen to us all. God is always putting people around us who need our ministry but if we concentrate on their weaknesses and stubbornness their disobedience may frustrate us. We may, just like Moses, commit the sin we are condemning. We must keep our eyes focused on God. When a friend’s behavior disappoints you, don’t concentrate on the friend’s sin but go to the Lord and ask Him what He wants you to do in that person’s life. This way you will have the wisdom and the patience you need to help your friend in a way that God desires.

God Bless, Pastor Rick