Enjoy Life, Enjoy God

HOPE GIVER

July 28, 2009

 Skeptics, cynics, doomsayers abound, today, and yesterday. Sometimes with good reason they easily capture our attention. But genuine realists, are one thing, but harbingers of doom...not much use.

These men who were responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the Lord. Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephuneh survived.
-Number 14:37,38 TNIV

The fearmongers, the nay-sayers, the negative people, the cynics, always abound, and usually mock people of hope, and voices of hope. This pretty much was the case when Moses sent the scouts into Canaan. The vast majority pointed out the reason to fear, and were influential; Caleb and Joshua, however, focused not simply on HOPE, but on God's faithfulness to them. The outcome of the story if terrible! The doomsayers are snuffed out, and Joshua and Caleb blessed. ONE CAUTION: It is not right to apply such a story in a simplistic fashion--like have faith, trust God or die!

Yet it is a call to self-reflection. Who am I? There is not much of an upside to heeding the doomsayers. There is life and hope in trusting God's faithfulness.
Joyfully,

Dale Patterson