Sometimes, God has a surprise in store for you. A little piece of treasure that will excite you to your core. But, most of the time you do not anticipate finding that treasure on a MONDAY!!! And, I don't know about you, but I definitely never imagined I would find a life changing treasure hidden in the book of Numbers in the Old Testament of the Bible! Now, do not misunderstand me...when I read the Bible, I always am expecting to learn something new to apply to my life, but most of the time the biblical treasure I find are tucked away in the words of Jesus, or in 1 John, or somewhere in the Psalms...but Numbers? That just has never struck me as a life changing book!
However, if you would have been at my dinner table yesterday, you would have thought I was a crazy woman! I was clapping! Yelling! Celebrating! Rejoicing! All over an Old Testament tidbit. It came from a story I have heard from VBS many years ago, but I never remembered reading it in the Bible myself.
In Numbers 14 the scene is a nation of Isrealites who had been freed from Egyptian captivity, and were on the brink of entering the promised land. However, due to terrifying reports of larger than life natives, most of the nation began throwing a fit, stating it was better just to return to Egypt, instead of inheriting God's land that he had promised them. But, there was a particular man that had an attitude of obedience and he stood out to God..and he definitely impressed me!
His name: Caleb. Caleb was not afraid of the obstacles...he was more interested in the blessing. Caleb tried encouraging the Israelites to realize how exceedingly good God's blessing was, even to the point where the others were ready to stone him. He was faithful. Loyal. Strong. Brave. Listen to what God had to say about him...
"But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to [the promised land], and his descendants will inherit it. Numbers 14:24
THIS IS MY NEW LIFE VERSE! I want God to be able to say that I have a different spirit! I want God to be able to claim a wholehearted devotion from me. I want to bring blessings to myself and my descendants because of how I choose to believe the Word of the Lord.
This different spirit and wholehearted devotion that I am seeking...I want it to shine through me at all times. Whether I'm 360 pounds, 299 pounds, or some unthinkable day, 120 pounds! I want it to be displayed whether I am having a good day or a bad day, whether my kids are obedient or having a stubborn kind of day, whether my husband and I are in marital bliss or discord. Whether I am at work, church, on vacation, or just hanging out with friends...I really want something "different" to show up concerning me, no matter the situation.
One of the other things that stood out to me is that FEAR seemed to be the key ingredient holding the rest of the gang back, and Caleb seemed to let go of his fear and focus on the fact that God had everything under control. If you remember the title of one of my last blog posts was indeed FEAR! God's timing is amazing! He knew just what I needed to read. Some day, I want God to say, "Sarah, you kind of reminded me of Caleb in that situation. I'm proud of you kiddo!" And I will respond by saying, "Thank you God. Thank you for changing my heart on that Monday in March...all while reading in the book of Numbers!"
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