April 27, 2010

When Promises are Scary
Deuteronomy 1:5-8

While the Israelites were in the land of Moab east of the Jordan River, Moses carefully explained the LORD’s instructions as follows. 6 “When we were at Mount Sinai, the LORD our God said to us, ‘You have stayed at this mountain long enough. 7 It is time to break camp and move on.

Go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all the neighboring regions—the Jordan Valley, . . . . . . and all the way to the great Euphrates River. 8 Look, I am giving all this land to you! Go in and occupy it, for it is the land the LORD swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to all their descendants.’” Deuteronomy 1:5-8 (NLT)

“The Journey” begins in 12 days


Sometimes it’s time to get moving. And sometimes that’s very, very hard to do because we get stuck. We get stuck not only in our “comfort zone” but also in our “discomfort zone”. Strangely many of us like being stuck in our misery. Why? Sometimes responsibility is just too scary and hard.

The Hebrews, a nation without a land, were given a land and told to enter it within two weeks of God’s offer. It took them 40 years. Why?

The Books of Moses after Genesis (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) tell us that the descendants of Abraham simply didn’t trust Moses, didn’t trust God. A new land was too frightening, too much work, too much sacrifice, too much danger, too much insecurity, too uncomfortable . . . . . .just more than they bargained for. Who knew freedom from slavery would be so hard? Many of them liked slavery better than freedom. Oppression has it’s perks: don’t have to think, don’t have to make decisions, don’t have to worry about food or shelter. Just work, eat some, and sleep.

But God doesn’t call that living. And God doesn’t think anyone can live, really live, without purpose, responsibility, hard work, difficult challenges and honoring the God who made you.

God promises “life abundant” (check out Deuteronomy 30:19) which means happiness in its truest sense. But happiness is hard. It is self forgetful, it looks ahead, obeys God, and looks to God’s purposes for and through oneself. Unhappiness is easy. Just stay comfortable no matter how much discomfort your comfort zone brings and unhappiness will find you.

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