BE AN ENCOURAGER, NOT A DISCOURAGER
BE AN ENCOURAGER, NOT A DISCOURAGER
Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times! —Psalm 106:3
But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel. —Psalm 106:13
They angered him at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses on their account, for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke rashly with his lips. —Psalm 106:32-33
Would it not be a wondrous joy to be able to observe justice and do what is right “at all times!” How unfortunate it is that man has a short memory and soon forgets. Man forgets quickly what God has already done and then when man is in need of guidance they do not wait for His counsel. They do not consider what He has already done in the past and how they can trust His guidance for the present and future. Man loves to depend on himself.
In man’s quest for fulfillment, when something goes wrong or is hard, instead of considering what our Lord has already done in the past, they look to their own ideas. They want to take things into their own hands. And when something cannot be resolved through human intuition, man wants to find someone to blame. This is what they did at the waters of Meribah. They blamed Moses and accused him of wanting “to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” (Exodus 17:3).
Wow… what did our Lord God just do? Did they not just observe the plagues in Egypt? Did they not just eat the first Passover in Egypt? Did not our Lord God Almighty deliver them from the Egyptian army by bringing the Israelites through the Red Sea? Yes, and the Israelites soon forgot and they tested the Lord. They did not wait for His counsel, but made false accusations against Moses and Moses was concerned that they would stone him. All this because the Israelites were questioning— “Is the LORD among us or not?” (Exodus 17:7). Yes, man’s memory is short!
The Israelites’ attitude affected Moses— “it went ill with Moses on their account, for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke rashly with his lips.” The Israelites’ negative attitude caused Moses to have a negative attitude and to speak rashly. Do we understand how our negative, ungodly attitudes, words and actions can affect others in a negative way? This is something we truly need to ponder, be aware of and seek to do what is right before our Lord God Almighty. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsQmsEE_2-s
Yes, Dear Father, please help me to do what is right in Your sight above all else. This is what truly matters. Please help me to think rightly, to speak rightly and to act rightly. May this be so in the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Your Son.