REFLECTIONS

When God Says No

Abraham was promised to be the father of a great nation. From a burning bush, Moses heard God’s call to lead his people there. He watched curse after curse befall Pharaoh’s hardened heart and miracle after miracle performed to sustain and protect them on their journey until they entered the land God promised to Abraham. Moses, though, watched the entry from a distant mountaintop. After all that time and effort, God gave him the disappointing news. Moses would not enter the promised land with the people he led there.

Israel’s greatest king built the promised land into a great nation, strong militarily, and financially prosperous. King David gave all the credit to God and drew plans for a great temple to honor him. Only, God said no; that job belonged to Solomon.

We work a lifetime to leave our mark on the world, and we do leave one—usually though, something in our plan is left undone—something God called someone else to do.

King David drew the plans for it, but Solomon built the temple. Moses led the Israelites to the brink of the land God promised to Abraham. But Joshua led them into it. God promised to make Abraham the father of a great nation, but not in his lifetime.

Still, hope for tomorrow drove the lives of these great men. And hope for tomorrow drives our lives too.

Jesus came to give us hope for tomorrow, that our lives are not lived in vain.

Hope for tomorrow—where would we be without it? We can only live within today. But God charged us to build toward tomorrow. To make life beautiful like it was in Eden, to walk with God. We have plenty to do as we journey through this world. Those who walked before us left work for us to do. And like our ancestors, part of our journey is to prepare others to carry on the work God planned for them—

To walk with Him through the Garden of life toward His tomorrow.

You are the light of the world,

Richard +

www.reflectingthesavior.org

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