In the past I have written about the importance of teamwork…
you know, “teamwork makes the dream work!” I love the Ronald Reagan quote, “There’s
no limit to the good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit.” I was reminded
of these things yesterday during our church service… the pastors are teaching
through “The Greatest Sermon Ever”, or better known as “The Sermon on the Mount”
in Matthew 5…
Yet yesterday the pastor started in Numbers chapter 11.
He shared from a story that is familiar but admitted he had not really paid
attention in the past to some of the content… and I must admit the same with
me. It is an incredible story of God’s provision and man’s insatiable desire to
always have more.
A few points from the passage and the sermon:
·
After the miraculous exodus from Egypt, God had
provided sustenance for the children of Israel in the form of manna; but some
of the people began to complain… vs 4 states they “yielded to intense cravings.”
Simply put they were not content with manna… even though vs 8 describes the taste
to that of “pastry prepared with oil.” (Pastor Matt was confused why they were
complaining about cupcakes for breakfast???
·
In their complaining they started wanting “fish…
cucumbers… melons… leeks… and garlic” (vs 5) which they claimed they got “free”;
forgetting the slavery… the beatings… the labor… etc. (Side note: I typically
do not make political statements but there is a good lesson here… be careful whenever
expecting something free from government… there is always a cost somewhere… there
is no such thing as government-funded… only tax-payer-funded.)
·
Moses was so frustrated with the people that he
asked God to “kill me here and now.” (vs 15) It is important to understand that
complaining is draining on leaders…
·
God was also angered by the complaining and said…
you want meat? I’ll give you meat! (Arby’s has nothing compared to this!) In vs
20 it shares that the Lord would give them enough meat to cover “a whole month.”
Vs 31 shares that a wind brought forth enough quail to cover the ground “two
cubits” deep for radius of a day’s journey around them.
·
This was followed by judgement of a plague due
to their lustful ungrateful hearts… leading to the naming of the place to be “Kibroth
Hattaavah” which literally means “graves of lust” or graves of craving…
I don’t want to just recap yesterday’s message, (I would
encourage you to go to discoverlifepoint.com and click on the message.) There were
many takeaways but the one that jumped at me from our sports devotion mindset
was this: My future hinges on my ability to manage my cravings! (Pastor Matt Brooks)
Basically, it is this… if I am a team player my cravings
(desires) will be for the good of the team, not for my own desire or lust to be
noticed or put on a pedestal. I will not be worried about a teammate getting
more shots than me… or more press clippings. I will be concerned with making the
play in front of me… about doing the right thing at the right time for the right
reason!
I will pursue right… and right is determined by whatever
the coach has asked of me!
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Notice that this is what it means to manage our cravings…
to hunger (crave, desire) doing the right thing and we will be filled (satisfied,
contented.)
SIDE NOTE: Remember we attain positional righteousness
before God by believing in the finished work of Christ on our behalf, in turn
receiving His righteousness… this is called “imputed” righteousness. (See 2
Corinthians 5:21) But our daily lives should involve pursuing practical
righteousness, which is simply doing things God’s way!
Don’t fall into a grave of craving selfish desires… delight
in the Lord and pursue His desires for you!!!
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