Seize the Moment – Day 629
Faithful in Rebellion!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, December 6.
As a parent of three children, I care deeply that my children develop the character quality of faithfulness. I model faithfulness to my children by the way I love Jesus and serve His Church, as well as by the way I love and serve my wife and family. When I see rebellion in my children, I don’t reject them for it; rather, in love, I discipline them! Rebellion will fester in their hearts and destroy their lives if I don’t address it directly.
Moses’ greatest fear for Israel was that they would rebel against God after His death, and this motivated his “second giving” of the Law as given to us in Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 31:26-27). For over forty years, Moses had to deal constantly with the people’s rebellion against God. He used the Hebrew word for rebelling eight times in Deuteronomy, with three of those times in this chapter. Listen to Deuteronomy 9:23-24 as Moses addresses the people’s rebellion directly:
When the Lord sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying, “Go up and possess the land which I have given you,” then you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God; you neither believed Him nor listened to His voice. You have been rebellious against the Lord from the day I knew you (cf. 9:7-8).
Seize the moment and be faithful to God in the face of rebellion. It can feel very lonely to be faithful, but have faith, you are never alone—God is with you! Your faithfulness is the evidence of Jesus’ victory!