Guest Blog written by: Jessica Brown

consequences.
something that happens as a result of a particular action or set of
conditions.

we’ve all esablished them.
been reminded of them.
reminded others of them.
done our best to teach our kids about them.

it isn’t easy to suffer the consequences of our sin.
our outbursts of anger.
our puffed up pride.
our inflated egos.
our wandering hearts.
our ignoring ears.
our blinded eyes.
our loose lips.

do you ever get so entrenched in a story that you begin to imagine what the
character must be feeling or thinking?
do you find yourself crying at the heartache?
do you ever get a little whoop-whoop when the character triumphs over evil?

yeah, me too.

yesterday, we read how moses hit the rock twice after God had clearly told
him to speak to the rock and water would flow.
moses unleashed his frustrations and pent up anger on the rock in front of
all the israelites.
and God dealt with moses accordingly.
for He told moses that he would not be allowed to enter into the promised
land.

can you imagine for a moment how moses must have felt when given the
consequence for his action?

after a long journey of many twists and turns and heartachingly long years.
moses would die before entering into the promised land.
and yet, he was still expected to lead the people on the journey forward.
until the appointed time.

imagine the anguish.
the waiting.
the wondering.
the questioning.
the doubting.

i imagine i would replay that moment over and over and over again.
wishing i could do it different.
praying i wouldn’t have to suffer the consequences.
yet knowing i would, indeed, suffer.

many months passed.
and then…

“one day the Lord said to moses, “climb one of the mountains east of the
river, and look out over the land I have given the people of israel. after
you have seen it, you will die like your brother, aaron, for you both
rebelled against my instructions in the wilderness of zin. when the people
of israel rebelled, you failed to demonstrate my holiness to them at the
waters.” numbers 27:12-14

sit with that for minute.

God has taken you to the mountaintop to see the very place that you are
denied entrance.
to remind you of your sin.
and the consequence of your disobedience.

did God do this to make moses feel bad?
all over again?
to taunt him with the prize he would never see?
to rip the scab off the wound?

just the opposite.
God wanted to prepare moses heart for the end of his journey.
to give moses time to prepare the people.
and moses interceded for the people.
like he always did.

he asked the Lord to raise up another leader.
to guide them.
and lead them.
so they would not be like sheep without a shepherd.

i found myself crying over this encounter this morning.

how often do i see my consequences and ask for God to use it as a blessing
for others?
do i humbly accept the outcome of my actions?
and trust that God will work it for His glory?

may we humble ourselves to the consequences of our sin and use the
opportunity to grow and mature in our walk with Christ. may we know that
He is good in the midst of trouble and trust His love for us does not
waiver. like any good Father, He corrects and teaches and guides us in a
way of obedience. for He alone knows what is best for us.

Jessica G. Brown, Coordinator
Occupational Health Services
McLeod Health
Office: 843-777-5736
Cell: 843-687-2663

http://www.mcleodoccupationalhealth.org
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Guest Blog written by: Ethan Pettigrew

As I read through today’s passage, I noticed a recurring theme; the Israelite people would get upset Moses or God, God would the want to destroy the Israelites,and Moses would then plead for everyone else’s life. Two of these occurrences.

In Numbers 16, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram,all Levites, sparked a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. Even though these men had, on numerous occasions, seen Moses directly communicate with God and miracles done through Moses by God, they believed that Moses had too much control over the Israelite people. This angered Moses causing him to set up basically a competition to see whose side God was on. After all the men had their offerings ready, God told Moses and Aaron to get out of the way because he was about to destroy everyone. Once Moses convinced God to just kill the rebels, God opened up the ground to swallow Korah, Dathan, and Abiram and then he burned the other 250 rebels.

In Chapter 13, leaders from each tribe of Israel went to scout out the land of Canaan. Upon the twelve men’s return they gave a report. The men all said that the land land was everything they expected and more, however all but two of the men said that it was certain death to try to invade and take the land. Caleb and Joshua were the only two who believed that God would provide a way for them to win. When God saw that no one believed in his strength, he declared that the Israelites would wander for another 40 years until everyone who doubted in God died (basically just leaving Caleb, Joshua, and children).

When first reading this scripture today, I wondered how the Israelites could doubt God so much. They had first hand experiences of God’s power; the parting of the Red Sea, God providing water from a rock as well as numerous victories in battle. At first I thought,if people today experienced those things there’s no way we wouldn’t all believe wholeheartedly in God. Then it hit me, we are exactly like the Israelites. Everyday we see a burning ball of gas millions of miles away that provides us with the heat and light necessary to survival. We see animals and plants consisting of countless cells that aren’t even visible to the naked eye. Less than 2 hours away from Florence is the ocean, a single body of water that supports millions of organisms. Not to mention we have the Bible, God’s direct words to us about his glory and power.

Guest Blog written by: Rachel Freeman

One thing that we all struggle with is wanting to be in control.  Whether we acknowledge it or not, we all have some sort of idea of how we want things to go.  However, these passages of scripture show us that God also has a plan.  The first thing I noticed during my reading was how detailed God’s instructions were. God didn’t leave it out any information, and He didn’t leave room for suggestions.  God had a set plan, just like He has a set plan for us as well. We hear it all the time that God has a plan for everyone, but I don’t think we ever realize how specialized His plan is for us.  God has an amazing plan and His plan is always greater than our own, and we need to obedient.  We need to be like Moses who never hesitated to follow God’s set plan.