Devotions

DEVOTION BY MARK FUGATE 

The Promised Land

I love the story about the twelve spies who went to spy out the promised land.  You are really only familiar with two of them.  The two who came back and said let’s go – let’s take the promised land.  Their names are Caleb and Joshua.  I’m guessing not many could give you one name of the ten who came back and said we can’t do it. 

Joshua and Caleb had a front row seat to watch God work, they saw the ten plagues come upon Egypt.  They watched just how far God goes to do what He says He’s going to do.  They understood that this was the Promised land.  That’s important – it wasn’t the I’ll think about it land – or the we will see if we can do it land.  Not the you let me know what you think land – not the I’ll get back with you land.  Not the maybe land, or the probably land, or the most likely land, it’s the promised land. These 12 spies were not sent in as consultants.  God didn’t say hey pick 12 and let’s have them do an analysis of the situation and put together a pie chart of probability before deciding if we can go in.  That’s not how this goes and that’s not how God rolls.

• God didn’t ask for their opinion on whether or not they think this is a good idea.

He sends them in to explore something that he has already said belongs to them.  Man if there was ever a lesson for us church it’s right here in this story.

• Don’t let what you think is possible get in the way of what God has already promised.

When you are a follower of Jesus Christ you don’t ever get to play the victim card.  You’re never the underdog. I don’t  care what happens culturally, what’s going on around us, how much decline morally our world is in, we are never the underdog.  If God is for us who can be against us?  Man o man do we need to practice this truth.  Our God is still on the throne – and we can take every promise he has ever made to the bank.  You see there’s another promised land I’m looking forward to – it’s not being scouted out, or checked out, it’s being prepared.  And I know it’s real, and it’s our future home – I know that because it’s the promised land.