THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE! Despite all that God had done for them, the Israelites often complained about His provision for them as they made their way toward the Promised Land. It did not take long for them to forget about being freed from slavery, crossing the Red Sea, destruction of the Egyptians, and the constant provisions. When they complained about manna God miraculously provided day after day for them, God sent poisonous snakes as a judgment and many people died after they were bitten. “Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people” (Num 21:7). Instead of taking away the snakes, God instructed Moses to put a brass serpent on a pole in the center of the camp. Anyone who was bitten could look on that snake and be healed. They did not need medical attention, they did not need to bring sacrifices—all that was necessary for healing was the faith to look. Every person who looked on that brass serpent recovered from the poisonous bite. Jesus used this story in talking to Nicodemus about the vital necessity of being born again through faith. Repeatedly, the Scriptures tell us that we cannot save ourselves. Our only hope is in the Savior, and our only salvation is through faith in His sacrifice. When we look to Him in faith, His sacrifice is applied to our account, and our eternal destiny is settled in Heaven. His great gift of love gives us an unshakable hope for the future. Because our salvation is totally dependent on God, our hope does not depend on our own works or righteousness. If God provided for our eternal salvation, do you think He will forsake us now? He said, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee” (Heb 13:5). Memorize Romans 8:32, “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Everyone will have trouble, but with the trouble is the knowledge that our Lord is right there with us in it.
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 14:43:14 +0000
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