"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the
truth." (John 16:13, NIV2)
Napoleon Bonaparte wanted to be in
control of the whole civilized world. To do so, he sold all his rights
to the lands in North America. It was a massive territory, consisting of
eight hundred thousand square miles of land. All of this for the price
of fifteen million dollars, about 3 cents an acre. The Louisiana
Purchase doubled the size of the United States! To Bonaparte though,
North America was but an uncivilized and wild speck in his eye. A
worthless territory, only good to be sold so that he could conquer all
of civilized Europe.
In a twist of irony, he lost it all. He was
defeated in Waterloo, Belgium and exiled for good. But then imagine if
he had paid more importance to North America, is it possible that his
ambitious dream could have been fulfilled? Imagine all of North America
speaking French! It was not to be though, as Napoleon relied only on his
own ingenuity.
Too often we do the same thing. We make decisions
on the spur of a moment. How often haven't we regretted such decisions!
"But it felt so right!"
This happened with the Israelites, when
they conquered the Promised Land. People of Gibeon resorted to a ruse
(See Josh 9:3-4). They were well aware that nothing could stop these
Israelites. Instead of war, they turned themselves into Oscar-winning
performers, wearing shabby tunics, patched-up flip-flops, and cracked
wineskins, all to give the illusion that they had come from far off.
The Israelites believed them and made a pact of peace with them.
After all, these people sure didn't belong to the soon-to-be conquered
Promised Land! But here was their pitfall: "The Israelites sampled their
provisions but did not inquire of the LORD." (Josh 9:14, NIV2)
Imagine how disgusted these Israelites became when they had to protect
the people of Gibeon, who were living just over the hill, from an attack
by their neighbors (See Joshua 10)! How different the outcome of this
would have been if they had depended on our Father Abba!
How
often don't we do the same! It's true, we often have to rush and have no
time to truly consider some of our decisions. But then, is it even
worthwhile to make hasty decisions when more often than not we regret
them?
Something amazing happens once we accept Jesus fully in our
lives. God's Spirit begins to reside in us, and He will guide us in all
things, as long as we depend on Him. We are filled by the Spirit from
above, and not only does He guide us, He also fills our heart with
peace, joy and love.
How could it be otherwise? The Life source
is truly residing in us!
How often could we have avoided stupid,
costly decisions, if we had only inquired of Him?
We have a
Forever Friend that we can truly trust. No Louisiana Purchase will ever
happen to us, if we rely on the Real Life Source. Our Heavenly Dad is
our guide!
"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we
trust in the name of the LORD our God." (Ps 20:7, NIV2)
Who will
you trust?
Rob Chaffart
All for Nothing. Alive Series, Part 10
Today's Bible Verse:
"The Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it
neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you
and will be in you." (John 14:17)
All for Nothing. Alive Series, Part 10
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