A Daily Devotional by Kenton Cheek
2 March 2024
Reading From Numbers 18-20
“In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried…
…But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.’
…Moses removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar. And Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, and when the whole community learned that Aaron had died, all the Israelites mourned for him thirty days.”
–Numbers 20:1, 12, 28-29
My heart breaks for Moses. Leading Israel was not a job he wanted or felt qualified for in the first place. Now his sister and brother, who were partners with him in leading the people, have died. In his anger and frustration with the Israelites, he did not carefully follow the Lord’s instructions to speak to the rock to receive water. Rather, he rebuked the people, struck the rock twice and in doing so sinned against God and now he cannot enter the Promised Land.
A close friend recently shared with me a helpful acronym: HALT. When I am Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired or all four, I need to take extra care to follow God’s direction and be loving toward others. In good times, love, joy and peace come easily. But with the children of God, we have the Source of every good and perfect gift dwelling within us. By the power of the Holy Spirit, even when I am hungry, angry, lonely and tired, I have the ability to yield to His will and allow Him to have His perfect way in my life. As I choose to surrender to Him, I can bear good spiritual fruit even in difficult seasons.
“God, give me the strength and the courage to do what is right and loving even when it’s difficult. Your Presence is where the power is. Amen.”
Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
–II Timothy 4:2
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God 
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