Day 52 or February the 21st. God is faithful
and keeps his promises. Our thoughts today are
rooted in Deuteronomy chapter 1 verse 10. The
Lord your God has increased your numbers so that
today you are as numerous as the stars in the
sky. Now the big picture surrounding this verse.
It's been a long time, about forty years since
the children of Israel left Egypt in the exodus
under the leadership of Moses. Then they wandered
in the wilderness, and a whole generation died.
Now Moses addresses all the people as they prepare
to enter the promised land. This is a new generation
who can't remember living in Egypt. Even though
Moses will not be entering with them, he is so
positive about the God he has served so faithfully
for the past 80 years. In these last days of
ministry, Moses has much to tell them, beginning
with a brief walk -through of the story so far.
He looks back and reminds the people how faithful
God has been to them, even though they have been
a rebellious and stubborn lot since God rescued
their parents from Egypt. The future looks bright.
The future is in God's hands. And now today's
action step. We have a God who history shows
to be totally reliable. Moses reminds the Israelites
that whilst God has been totally faithful, they
have been anything but. This is a second chance
that they do not deserve. Don't mess this one
up as your ancestors did. We all know that memories
fade and doubts creep in, even with the most
faithful amongst his people. But we can succeed
in following our God with a little thought and
effort. Getting to know the Bible better is a
great first step. It will strengthen your faith
in Him and enable you to trust Him more each
day. We tend to buy branded goods because we
trust the name. We use daily service providers
because they have been good to their word previously.
Why not treat God as a reliable previous provider
today and live your life as though He can be
trusted and always wants the best for you? Because
both of these are true.