Living in the Land of Hope

A child has the capacity to live in various lands. They amaze me at times with there hope, creativity and imagination. I am reminded of Jesus' words to be like a child in our faith. Not childish or avoiding reality but to be able to as a child allow God to pick us up and hold us. A child believes in their parents and that their Daddy is bigger than anyone's Daddy and tougher too. After a while it is easy to miss the greatness of God and live in a land of the giants or our perceived giants. After the Israelites had left Mount Sinai on their journey to the land of Canaan, they came to Kadesh which was near its borders. It seemed that they would soon reach their new home. From Kadesh spies were sent out to search the land, find out its nature and the difficulties that might stand in the way of their taking it. All the twelve spies brought back the report that the land was a good land and fruitful, "a land that flows with milk and honey"; but only two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, believed that they could take it. The others were discouraged by the enemies they saw in the land, especially the giants. The story has great inner meaning. We all recognize the image of a pleasant land as a picture of the life God wants us to live now and the heavenly life to come and we recognize that the "giants" that stand in our way are our natural inclinations to live for self and the pleasures of the world but also to not believe we can go the distance as supposed obstacles stand in our way. Just as Israel was called to leave Egypt and go to the land of Canaan, in the same way the Lord calls us to leave where we are and move forward - to overcome the difficulties in our lives and not allow fear or perceived issues to keep us from "taking the land". There are many difficulties to overcome, many enemies to conquer before we can possess this land. I am so proud of Lompoc Foursquare Church, you are moving forward and embracing God's future for us. People are coming to Jesus, many are taking our FastTrack classes right now, others are joining Life Transformation Groups and still others are joining teams and using their gifts and talents for God. We could easily sit on our successes of the past the building and expansion we have done and the growth we have experienced. We could simply say: we have enough, we have reached enough - but we never base the size of our church with how many attend but rather how many are still outside the church and attend no church or have never come to know the joy of Jesus.
Moses was commanded to send spies to search out the land to find out what it was like. Again the meaning is clear. The Lord does not ask us to strive for something about which we know nothing. Nor does He tell us that the way will be easy. Instead, He places the issue directly before us. We are to enter into an inheritance larger and richer than that which we now possess, but not until we have overcome the spiritual enemies that stand in the way. The promise land for us lies before each one of us and before our church. I am so proud of you - your prayers, your giving, your financial release to our expansion fund and your generous hearts to serve and make an eternal difference. I think of the many who come early and stay late each Sunday and the many who have joined teams and serve, always overcoming the giants of self, greed and fear. The brand new families from our community and from Vandenberg Air Force Base - wow.
The lesson of the "land" is same lesson is taught in the parable of the man who, intending to build a tower, first counted the cost to see if he could finish it; and also in the parable of the king who, planning to make war on another king, sat down and counted his forces to see if he could win. And these parables end with the words, "In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple."As I write, I stop to pray for those of you who will click and read this and the seeming giants you face right now. The things that stand in your way from living how God called you to live and doing what God called you to do and giving how God called you to give. Some are afraid to accept a new "land" or "territory" God has for them. They think that they will have to give up some things which they like to do. Others think that some time soon they might get clear perspective and see the future as it really is and with commitment move forward. I have driven by the churches in town who are diminishing, their heart is gone and their desire to embrace all that God has is dwindled. We must keep God's heart and Spirit alive in us and increase the love to possess the "land" - no matter the cost. We will not always be victorious; sometimes it may be a long battle; but the Lord will conquer it for us if we are patient and faithful to the end. We have seen great victories all along the way, and we shall find times of rest, happiness and peace. The victory is well worth the price. Some people are afraid to follow the Lord because they think it will cost too much. But it is worth it. Giving God our best even in times of discouragement or when "giants" loom in the land is worth it - well - just go for it. What cost are you struggling with paying right now? What 'giants" do you believe you saw? Are they real? They can cost us from entering our land and making the impact God has for us. What is holding you back? It is forever true that whether a thing costs too much or not depends on what we get in return for what we give up. If we give up self-seeking and self-intelligence in return for learning about the Lord and doing as He asks....Instead of anxiety we get peace. Instead of a barren wilderness we get a land that flows with milk and honey. It is a land of hope. God has more for us to do, more people to reach, more teams to build, more souls to save, more land to purchase, more building to build, more creative ways to communicate and reach out - He is leading us and we will follow.
Let's go for it!
Let's go there,
Pastor Bernie