DCLM Daily Manna 26 May 2023 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Does It Matter?
TOPIC: Does It Matter? (DCLM Daily Manna 26 May 2023)
KEY VERSE: “And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also” (Numbers 20:11).
TEXT: Numbers 20:1-13 (KJV)
1 Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.
2 And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
3 And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord!
4 And why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?
5 And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.
6 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto them.
7 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
9 And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him.
10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
12 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
13 This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.
MESSAGE:
Yes, it does matter a lot to God if we fail in any task He asks us to perform. He expects us to follow His brief all through without deviating. He expects a hundred percent completion of any job He hands over to His servants, since on His part He will not fail to kit us with all we need to succeed.
Moses, the man of God, had all it would take to get water from the rock at Kadesh to quench the thirst of millions of Israelites and their beasts. The Lord did not instruct him to use the rod He told him to carry. He was only to speak to the rock, “and it shall give forth his water”. But Moses, driven by anger due to the incontinence of the assembly, got into trouble as he struck the rock and gave the impression of unbelief, which God charged him with, as he did not “sanctify [Him] in the eyes of the children of Israel”. Therefore, he was disallowed from reaching the Promised Land for his error.
Leaders are to be doubly watchful in the assignments they receive from the Lord. Corresponding with the business of sticking to the brief of His agenda, they must constantly control their tempers so they do not feed their emotions with self-will. The second level of precaution is the people. Spirit-guided leaders would not permit themselves to fall into sin because of the demands of the led.
It is not the wish of the Lord that His servants should fall in the course of serving Him or when guiding His people on pilgrimage in the world. Rather, His teaching is that we can avoid fatal pitfalls if we refrain from carnal interpretation of His guidelines or attempting to deviate a little in order to please members of our congregations.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Emotions serve better when controlled, not when they control.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 Samuel 12-13
Deeper Life Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
