November 19, 2021

Numbers 14:27
“How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me.
Corinthians 10:10
Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
Exodus 16:2. In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.

After my devotion on Gratitude, a couple of weeks ago, and realizing that Thanksgiving is coming up, AND the fact that I needed to spend more time on what God has to say here, I found the above verses.
In Numbers, God had rescued the Israelites but they were not happy. They were sick of eating Manna (which fell from heaven fresh every day). Their shoes never wore out, they had no needs, but it was not the promised land so they grumbled & complained. God asked, “How long will you grumble against me?” In Numbers 14:27, he then went on to say people 20 years old or over will die there & never see the promised land. He even went on to say that the next generation would not have it easy. When you catch yourself complaining, read Numbers 14, it will take you 5 minutes and it’s a wake up call! God is loving, but HE is JUST as well. I don’t know about you, but I often want more. I want more good health, I want more vacations, I want more money to buy MORE….
It made me think about when my son was little. I remember sacrificing to give the boys nice things, clothes, toys, the usual. But I also remember one time when he was about 5, that he wanted a toy. It wasn’t his birthday, it wasn’t Christmas, it was an expensive, very unnecessary toy, the kind he would forget in 24 hours. So, he threw a fit. Yep, most kids do at some point. He cried, fussed, said I didn’t love him & I never give him anything…. I’m beginning to understand why God would be hurt or angry when we grumble & complain. As I punished my son when he threw a tantrum, God needs to get our attention sometimes as well. God is a loving & just parent.
Look how much he has given us! The very air we breathe, this incredibly beautiful world we live in. We do not want for anything. We have a God, who created everything, each one of us, supplies us with our every need and of course the big one, He gave us a savor. He is preparing rooms for us so that when He returns, He will take us with Him and we will dwell with Him forever. So… I am going to be working a little harder on that grumbling. I have SO much to be grateful for. It’s not long until Thanksgiving, but it would be a great idea to start thanking Him now.
Psalm 107:1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!