Prayer for Complete Self-giving

     Prière d'une âme qui désire se donner à Dieu sans réserve

By Francois de Salignac de La Mothe Fenelon

My God, I wish to give myself [completely] to you. Give me courage to do so. Strengthen my weak will, which sighs for you. I stretch my arms to you. Take me. If I do not have the strength to give myself [wholly] to you, draw me to you by the sweetness (or fragrance)  of your perfumes. Lead me to follow you by the cords of your love.

Lord, to whom to do I belong, if not yours alone? It would be cruel bondage to belong to myself and to my own passions! O true freedom of the Children of God! We do not know it. Happy is the one who discovers where it lies, and seeks it no longer where it is not. A thousand times happy is he who depends on God for everything, no longer to depend on himself alone.

But how is it, O my Divine Bridegroom, that we fear to break our chains? Do fleeting pleasures mean more than your eternal truth, and [more than desiring] you yourself? Is it right to be afraid to give ourselves [fully] to you? O monstrous folly! That would be to fear for our own happiness. That would be to fear to go out of Egypt to enter the promised land. That would be to complain in the desert, to lose taste for the manna, remembering the flesh pots of Egypt.

It is not really I who gives myself to you. But it is you, O my love, who gives yourself [wholly] to me. [Therefore], I do not hesitate to give my heart [completely] to you. What joy to be alone with you and to be there with you, no more to hear and no more to speak what is empty and useless, so that I may listen to you! O infinite wisdom! Do you not [truly] speak to me of better things than these foolish men? You will [indeed] speak to me, O love of my God! You will teach me, you will make me flee fleeting pleasures and lying. You will feed me from yourself. You will hold back in me all idle curiosity.

Lord, when I consider your yoke, it seems to me too mild. And is this then the cross which I ought to carry as I follow you all the days of my life? Have you no other cup, more bitter with my passion to make me drink to the dregs? Will you limit [my yoke] to this peaceful rest? Under a holy [and righteous] rulership? And among such good examples, the severe showing of sorrow and repentance which I have deserved for my sins? O love! You only make me to love you. You do not strike me. You spare my weakness. After this, should I still fear to draw near to you? Can the crosses of being alone frighten me? Those which the world overwhelms us ought to frighten us. [The world and the empty pleasures it promises.] What blindness not to be afraid of them!

No infinite misery, which your mercy alone can overcome! The less I have had of light and of courage, the more I have deserved your compassion. O God, I have made myself unworthy of you, but I can become a miracle of your grace. Give me all that I lack and there will be nothing in me which does not exact your gifts.

(From the book Christian Perfection, Bethany House Publishers, 1975, pages 74-75)

Fenelon (6 August 1651- 7 January 1715) was a French writer and Archbishop of Cambrai. He became well-known as a skilled spiritual counselor and even successfully tutored the grandson of King Louis XIV. His role in counseling and pastorate made his writings very practical. He urged others to be diligent about their spiritual walk but not to take it “too far.” Those who were overly concerned may fall into unwarranted fears that are more destructive than helpful.

Regarding himself he says, “I am to myself…the whole of a great diocese, more burdensome than the outside one, and a diocese which I am incapable of reforming.”

Christian Perfection is a collection of letters and addresses, still relevant to our generation.

Ten hindrances to your fullness of blessings part 2

“This is why you had to stay in Kadesh as long as you did.” (Deuteronomy 1:46, CJB)

It would be cruel to allow an eight-year-old, Grade two pupil to enroll in the university, get a course in Nuclear Physics and delve into atoms, electrons, neutrons, positrons, neutrinos, theory of relativity, M-theory, quantum fields, etc. 

No crayons, no playgrounds, no trips to the zoo or to the children’s library. And definitely no licking lollipops during lab sessions in inorganic chemistry! 

This pupil will not be able to cope with the demands of research, laboratory experiments, assignments, lessons and overall demands of college life. This kid would wish he’d never been born.

In the same way, it would be cruel if God allows someone to receive great blessings if those very blessings will destroy him. It makes sense to qualify first before allowing you to enter your promised land. 

God in His goodness will never set you up for failure. In Him is a good fight of faith. It is a good fight because God already knew you will win by the His grace. Passing your tests then are absolutely necessary before you can rise to the next level of blessings or usefulness in God’s Kingdom.

For two years in the desert since the crossing of the Red Sea, the Lord led them to difficult situations to test them. They scored zero in all their tests! You can almost feel God’s heartbreak. Two years of constant nurturing yielded no fruit.

Number 14:22-23

“None of the people who saw my glory and the signs I did in Egypt and in the desert, yet tested me these ten times and did not listen to my voice, will see the land I swore to their ancestors! None of those who treated me with contempt will see it.”

Here are the ten hindrances to your fullness of blessings: (Adapted from Dr. Brian Bailey’s book The Journey of Israel, 2002, pages 264-266)

1. Opposition from the world (Exodus 14:11-14)

These are worldly temptations and seductions that lure you back to the world and its ways. A great part of it is persecution from ungodly people - your loved ones, too. (2 Timothy 3:12)

When you announce to your family that you are now born again, they may jeer and say either you are just joking, it’s just a fad or you’ll only last three months. They honestly think you will go back to your old  habits. If you go beyond three months, they would say you are taking these religious stuff too seriously you might lose your mind.

Even your ungodly friends persuade you to stop your “religious” madness because you might pass beyond heaven for being too godly. They most likely say this to ease their own conscience. When believers get serious in their walk with God, unbelievers take notice and they become uneasy. Now, they need to see their sinful lives in light of God’s righteousness. For the ungodly, it’s easier to throw mud at somebody who just got cleaned up than admit their own dirty lives.

If you follow Jesus, know that persecution will come your way. Take heart, Go will strengthen you. Satan will throw great temptations to lure you back to the bondage of sin. Take heart, God will provide a way of escape.

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” (! Corinthians 10:13, NLT)

Either way, you must take a firm stand for our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no middle ground. You cannot participate in the sinful lifestyle of your ungodly friends and win God’s approval at the same time. We are in the world but we are not of the world. We lovingly win our friends to the Lord, but we need to take care not to participate in their sins.

Pharaoh and all his army chased the Israelites all the way to the Red Sea to enslave them again. God gave a directive to them “never to go back that way again.” (Deuteronomy 17:16, CJB)

Egypt is a type of the world and bondage to ungodliness. God wants us to walk holy and keep on growing in His righteousness. Make a firm stand for Jesus Christ and never go back to your dirty ways again.

2. Bitter Waters (Exodus 15:22-27)

Bitter waters refer to bitter experiences. After three days of crossing the Red Sea, they came to a wadi of water. They started drinking but the water was bitter. They grumbled and said, “What are we to drink?” (Exodus 15:24)

Christians go through bitter experiences and disappointments. 

To extract the precious essential oils of flowers used in making perfume, the flowers goes through steam distillation whereby the heat of the steam breaks the cellular structure of the flowers and releases the precious fragrances.

When we embrace bitter experiences with Christlike attitude, they will produce in us a sweetness and graciousness in our spirits. Our character becomes fragrant with Christlikeness. Sadly, there are those who remain bitter after the experience.

In the narrative of the Israelites, God instructed Moses to cut a particular wood and throw it in the water. The water became sweet and drinkable. We overcome bitter experiences by taking them to the cross of Christ. As you surrender your heart to the Lord, He will give you the ability to manifest grace even while under pressure.

3. Hunger (Exodus 16:1-12)

Hunger speaks not only of physical hunger but also of economic trials. Dr. Brian Bailey says, These are “times when we do not have enough money or the things that we really want.” This may refer to material needs or financial pressures.

“The people of Israel said to them, ‘We wish Adonai had used his own hand to kill us off in Egypt! There we used to sit around the pots with the meat boiling, and we had as much food as we wanted. But you have taken us out into this desert to let this whole assembly starve to death!” (Exodus 16:3)

Was this true? They were the lowest of slaves in Egypt was it not? They did not have as much food as they wanted. Or else they would not have called on the Lord to save them from extreme slavery.

In life, we will experience periods where we don not get what we want or there is not enough. These seasons challenges us to exercise our faith and dependence on God. 

4. Thirst (Exodus 17:1-7) 

According to Dr. Bailey, these are dry and boring experiences. Exodus 17:1-7

“The people quarreled with Moshe, demanding, ‘Give us water to drink!’ But Moshe replied, ‘Why pick a fight with me? Why are you testing Adonai? However, the people were thirsty for water there and grumbled against Moshe, ‘For what did you bring us from Egypt? To kill us, our children and our livestock with thirst?’… ‘The place was named Massah [testing] and M’rivah [quarreling] because of the quarreling of the people of Isra’el and because they tested Adonai by asking, ‘Is Adonai with us or not?’” (Exodus 17:2-3,7, CJB)

It is when we go through dull and mundane seasons we are called to exercise faithfulness more than ever. It’s easy to slack but God challenges us to heighten up our spiritual disciplines. Keep on reading and meditating your bible, keep on praying, keep on obeying the Lord, keep on doing good. For in due time you will reap a good harvest if you do not give up. (Galatians 6:9) 

5. Idolatry (Exodus 32)

An idol is anything that replaces your love toward God. It steals your heart away from God.

Aaron made a scathing remarks on the Israelites, “You know what these people are like, that they are determined to do evil. So they said to me, ‘Make us gods to go ahead of us; because this Moshe, the man that brought us up from the land of Egypt- We don’t know what has become of him.’ I answered them, ‘Anyone with gold, strip it off!’ So they gave it to me. I threw it in the fire, and out came this calf!’” (Exodus 32:22-24, CJB) 

Idols are cheap substitutes for God. Idols cheat those who honors them. Idols promises good things but they do not live up to their promise. For instance, when you love your gadgets more than you love God, you will have fun for a while but later on you will feel empty inside. Then those gadgets will call for more gadgets, fooling you into thinking that more of them will make you happier. But then again, you still feel dissatisfied. How much gadgets do you need to be happy? When you allow these to “use” you, you will never be happy. Electronic gadgets are good when you rule over them and not them ruling over you.

Stay away from anything that cools down your love for God, anything that steals your heart away from Him or anything that distracts you from a pure and simple love-relationship with the Lord. 

6. Complaining

Dr. Brian Bailey says, “[They] constantly complained about their circumstances. Complaining causes us not to  find favor with God. Philippians 2:14 says, “Do everything without complaining or arguing.” (NIV)

Complaining has deadly consequences: “But the people began complaining about their hardships to Adonai. When Adonai heard it, his anger flared up, so that fire from Adonai broke out against them and consumed the outskirts of the camp.” (Numbers 11:1, CJB) Complainers never get what they want. They will crave for a good life but it will never come. Instead they will always run into trouble, arguing, fighting for their “rights.” Like the sensation of burning, they will experience “searing situations.” They are uncomfortable, uneasy and hard to live with.

7. Unthankfulness

“The children of Israel never learned to give thanks to God. They were unthankful for the manna He provided for them; they wanted quails. Unthankfulness is one of the first steps to backsliding.” (Journey of Israel, Dr. Brian Bailey)

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” When we run into difficulties, we need to recognize what God is up to. When we see God’s hand, thankfulness will naturally spring from our hearts. Why, we know that “all things work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

There are no accidents in the Kingdom of God. Things just didn’t happen. Everything has a purpose and a plan. Things did not happen by chance. The enemy may have a hand in your troubles right now, but God will have the upper hand. This will give occasion for His miracles to work in your life.

When we give thanks even in troublesome times, we declare our trust that God is in control of everything. And He is definitely in control. 

The unthankful, however, will never see God’s hand at work. This person will miss the opportunity to see God’s glory at work in his own life. Learn to count your blessings and practice thanking God in everything. You will realize that God has been actively working in all aspects of your life. How great is the love of God towards us who believe!

8. Gluttony

Dr. Bailey defines this as “lust for food, and every other kind of excessive desire.”

God wants us to exercise discipline. Self-control helps you stay on track, keeps your desires in check, and helps you keep your eyes on the goal. 

Gluttony is craving for more than what you need. This may lead to unhealthy and destructive addictions. 

9. Criticism

Even Aaron and Miriam criticized Moses. (Numbers 12:1-2) Miriam never made it to the promised land.

Ungodly criticism does not build up. It tears apart and does not strengthen ties. Criticism on your leaders attacks God because He placed those leaders over you. (Romans 13:1-2) So, God takes it personally when you dishonor your leaders in this way.

10. Unbelief

Dr. Bailey tells that “the ten spies infected the whole congregation with fear and unbelief.”

Unbelief is distrusting God. It refuses to believe God and His good promises. It questions God’s goodness. 

For the Israelites, it struck God at the heart because the people who were supposed to uphold His covenants, believe in Him and obey His commandments, were the very same people who disowned Him. He came to His own but His own did not believe Him. (John 1:11)

“None of those who treated me with contempt will see it.” (Numbers 14:23, CJB) You may be tempted to think that God was being capricious. This is not the case. The Israelites came to the point where they became hopeless. They just don’t want God to rule over them. They don’t want to trust Him. They want to their own thing. And they wanted to use God for their own pleasures. 

They constantly demanded their “rights.” And when they got it, they acted like a spoiled brat. When God corrected them for their wrongs, they complained and rebelled. 

When they fell into unbelief, that was beyond hope. They will never believe whatever God says. The only thing left to do is to just let them die. What a scary thing to be in! May the Lord have mercy on us. 

These ten hindrances to your blessings are like warnings. They tell you to stay away from what poisons your character. Imagine if there were no warning signs. No stop signs at intersections and cars charge ahead; no warning labels on insect sprays and sprays it on your food; no warning signs like dead end - bridge out and you keep driving on. But when the warnings are up there, it would be foolish to ignore them.

God wants us to enjoy His blessings to the fullest. The ten hindrances above spoil the fun. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1, NIV)

“Every trial should be a steppingstone to greater heights in God. However, because the children of Israel failed in their tests, the tests became stumbling-blocks that hindered them from moving on with God. Therefore, we must seek to pass the trials and tests that we experience so that we will succeed in life.” (The Journey of Israel, page 264)

Ten Hindrances to your fullness of blessings (part 1 of 2)

“This is why you had to stay in Kadesh as long as you did.” (Deuteronomy 1:46, CJB)

If your life is going in circles, you have not yet entered into the fullness of your blessings. Your situation may promise great things but ends up in disappointment. Things progress well but then… a thud. Dead end. You may be going through a wilderness experience.

We all go through our own wildernesses. The smartest thing to do then is to obtain the greatest good we can out of it. The Israelites went through their wilderness but the majority of them never came out. They went in circles until the day they expired.

Kadesh-barnea: The acid test whether you are ready to enter your promised land or not

Kadesh-barnea was the border to the promised land. It was here that the Lord tested them whether they qualified to possess their inheritance or not. The Lord was ready to give them the land but the people disqualified themselves.

(Picture: Kadesh-barnea. The most prominent mountain in the upper left is said to be Jebel-Harun, the mountain where Aaron was buried.)

Whether you qualify to enter into your “promised land” - fullness of blessings, answered prayers, maturity in Christ or revival - depends on whether or not you overcome your own “Kadesh-barnea.”

A miner applies an acid test to determine if the gold in question is the real deal. A small amount of hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid is dropped to the metal. If it dissolves in the presence of the acid, it is pyrite - a fool’s gold. Real gold does not dissolve. Today, we use the term “acid test” as a verifier of truth or reality.

In order to understand what Kadesh-barnea stands for, it may be helpful for us to understand its Hebrew meaning. Strong’s concordance defines Kadesh-barnea as “wilderness of wandering.” If we dig further and get to the root words, it tells us an interesting insight.

Kadesh = a (quasi) sacred person, can also mean dedicated. (It’s so close to the word Kodesh which means holy, dedicated)

Barnea comes from two root words: Bar and Nuwa

Bar = grain (or figuratively people or a field)

Nuwa = to waver or wander

Putting them together, Kadesh-barnea may mean “(quasi) holy people who waver or wander.” So there you go.  In Kadesh-barnea, they ‘wavered’ in their faith and decided to go back to Egypt. They refused to go in. They wavered because they were dedicated to the wrong things. Publicly they appeared holy to the Lord but in secret they were worshipping other gods. Their hearts were divided.

Amos 5:25-26 states, “Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, Israel? No, you served your pagan gods - Sakkuth your king god and Kaiwan your star god - the images you made for yourselves.” (NLT)

(This picture is a northeastern view of Kadesh-barnea - the borderland to their inheritance. During rainy season, the wadi becomes a well-watered and fruitful spot. This is most likely the place where Moses sent out the 12 spies. They went in circles here for thirty-eight years. Miriam died and was buried here. Korah’s rebellion, the murmuring of the whole camp and the budding of Aaron’s rod happened here. Aaron died near here. And it was here where Moses struck the rock instead of speaking to it. Miriam, Aaron and Moses did not make it to the other side.)

Why does God bring us to wilderness experiences? There are two principles we need to understand:

A. God tests before He invests. 

This was a preaching point I heard sometime ago that still rings true today. We go through our wilderness experience in order to test us. But the test is not for God to know our hearts. It is for us to know the real condition of our hearts. These tests prove how frail we are. When we realize it, we would humble ourselves and walk in true dependence to God’s grace.

Deuteronomy 8:2 says,

“You are to remember everything of the way in which Adonai [the LORD] led you these forty years int he desert, humbling you and testing you in order to know what was in your heart - whether you would obey his [commandments] or not.”

It was the Lord who led them in all their travels in the desert especially those places of great need. God intentionally brought them there to show them their true state: frail and desperately in need of God. 

For instance, it was the Lord who led them to the bitter waters. (Exodus 15:22-27) They grumbled instead of trusting in the Lord. They missed the joy of receiving their miracle. When the waters turned sweet by God’s power, we don’t hear a single thanksgiving!

 It is during times of great difficulties that our true selves are exposed. We may think we are already Christlike until we are subjected to great pressure, severe testings and stress. When fire is directed to the gold, its impurities comes out. Yet at the same time, the fiery process actually purifies the gold. So, take heart when you are going through tough times. God is investing on you.

Since they came out of the Red Sea, the Lord was discipling them through Moses as they traveled along. Two years of “discipleship” yielded no fruit. God expected at least a blip in radar screen of faith but they did absolutely zilch. They were subjected to ten tests but they failed in each one of them.

Deuteronomy 1:12 summarizes their general attitude in the desert: “But you are burdensome, bothersome and quarrelsome! How can I bear it myself alone?” (CJB)

When they approached Kadesh-barnea, the border to the promised land, they were not just ready to enter in.

B. When God gives a promise, things turn for the worse before they become better.

This principle is repeated again and again throughout scripture. Here’s a few examples: God promises super-blessings to Abraham and his descendants. Abraham leaves all his relatives to pursue God’s dream. Arriving in the land, God says, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And then famine hits the land. (Genesis 12) He was 75 years old, he obtains his promised son after 25 years. Abraham becomes a friend of God.

Isaac receives the promises of Abraham, blessings in his generation and to his descendants. He marries the most beautiful woman but she’s barren. He had to plead with God for a baby. He got married when he was forty, he had children at sixty. Again, severe famine. The land supposed to be blessed experienced lack. The Lord tells him to stay. Isaac planted and in the same year and reaped a hundredfold harvest! (Genesis 26) God blessed him abundantly in time of famine.

Jacob was given the same promise given to Abraham and Isaac but again, famine! Jacob and his whole family ended up in Egypt. Here, however, he lives a prosperous life. Joseph, his son, receives a dream of greatness, then goes through terrible testings before he became second in command to Pharaoh.

David was anointed king of Israel in his teens. He suffered and persevered for about 25 years before ascending to the throne.

Jesus was no exception. Hebrews 5:8 says, “Even though He was a Son, he learned obedience through his sufferings.” Obedience has its price, Jesus paid it in full. Before the glory of resurrection, there was death on the cross. Shall we be exempted?

When your situation downturns right after the Lord promises you good things, know for certain that you are under a test. The Lord brought you there to strengthen your heart until your faith becomes unshakable.

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. (James 1:2-4, NLT)

The Lord tested the Israelites for two years but it was the Israelites who tested the Lord instead! When the Lord brought them to a tight spot, they quarreled against Moses, complained instead of maintaining a trusting attitude,  arrogantly demanded their "rights", and "troubled" the Lord.

If you are in a test right now, know for certain that God wants you to overcome. If you are under fire, the Lord is purifying you. He does not give a test to disqualify anyone, the Lord tests because He wants to qualify you. The Lord is rooting for you.

When your situation is turning for the worse, know that it is just temporary. When you pass your test, your situation will definitely turn for good. 

The wilderness journey of the Israelites warn us against disqualifying ourselves in receiving His fullness of blessings. Always remember that with every difficulty, God gives a corresponding grace to overcome (Romans 5:20).

(continuation of Ten hindrances to your fullness of blessings tomorrow)

Doggie Joyride and Lapping It Up

Stopping for a red traffic light at the intersection of Quirino Highway and Zabarte road in Novaliches, Quezon City, a motorcycle eased and stopped right in front of my vehicle with this dog precariously sitting behind the driver. 

No belts, no straps, no worries. Just happily enjoying the joyride. The friendly doggie looked really comfortable and did not appear to be in any danger at all.

Glad to have my camera with me and quickly took a picture before the light turned green. They sped away and were gone in seconds. The dog grinned all the way lapping the curious attention from people and sprinkling saliva here and there. Life is good for this canine:)

This got me thinking. God has taken us on a joyride, too!

We are the dog, God is the driver and our God-given dreams is the destination. We began our joyride when we took the first steps in living a life of trusting in Jesus Christ.

I believe God wants us to go on an adventure with Him, like the dog, sitting and lapping it all up - mercy, grace, love, joy and endless blessings. We can never reach our God-given dreams without His help. When we act in faith by resting in His abilities and following His cues, we will enjoy the ride. But when you become restless and do your own thing, you actually endanger yourself by falling down.

Remembering, too, that I am a gentile (non-Jew), re-writing the book of Deuteronomy (the book of the law for Jews) would be totally meaningless, had it not been for Jesus Christ who made all the blessings this book contains available to us as well.

As gentiles, we were not originally part of the blessings and covenants. But through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, we were taken along for a joyride - wild olive branches lovingly grafted in so we can benefit along with Israel.(Romans 11:17) I am humbled and grateful that God would be kind enough to do it. 

Riding along, we may feel uneasy as the driver maneuvers in twists and turns. And like the dog, we need to keep our balance at all times. After a few practice, centering our gravity becomes second nature. I noticed that the dog leaned hard on the back of the driver. I think that’s the key to successful joyriding. 

Let’s lean hard on God who is more than enough to bring us gloriously to our destination - heaven’s best!

The Faithful Inherit God’s Best (part 2 of 2)

How did Caleb grow in faithfulness?

“[None of them will see the good land I promised] except Kalev (Caleb) the son of Y’funeh - he will see it; I will give him and his descendants the land he walked on, because he has fully followed (or remained faithful to) Adonai.” (Deuteronomy 1:36, CJB)

He was of a different spirit. He was not swayed by the flood of negativity and faithlessness around him. He may have lived in an environment where greed, selfishness, pride and rebellion were praised rather than censured, but he remained uncorrupted.

Numbers 14:24 declares, “But my servant [Caleb], because he had a different Spirit with him and has fully followed me - him I will bring into the land he entered, and it will belong to his descendants.” (CJB)

Caleb stood strong in the Lord against great opposition. At a time of national apostasy, where people are attacking God’s motives, he along with Moses, Aaron and Joshua, boldly stood for God.

Even while there was a talk of stoning them, he boldly silenced the people before Moses and said, “We ought to go up immediately and take possession of it; there is no question that we can conquer it.” (Numbers 13:30, CJB)

He showed deep sorrow in the face of unfaithfulness. (Numbers 14:6-7) (Moses, Aaron and Joshua showed the same sorrow)Our true selves come out when we are under pressure. Caleb was at his best even in times of crises. He was tested along with all the other Israelites but he came forth shining as gold.

Rewards of Caleb’s faithfulness:

He earned the privilege of leading the next generation to their promised land. He became one of the most respected or shall we say fearsome leaders in Israel. 

God honored him by referring to Caleb as “My servant.” This is one of the greatest honor you can receive from the Lord. (Numbers 14:24)

He did not grow weak. (Caleb speaking to Joshua during their conquest in the promised land) “Now, look: [the LORD] has kept me alive these forty-five years…Today I am eighty-five years old, but I am as strong today as on the day [Moses] sent me - I’m as strong now as I was then, whether for war or simply for going here and there.” (Joshua 14:10-11, CJB) 

There’s a great lesson here: Even if your promised land is “delayed” due to unfaithfulness around you, God will preserve your strength and vigor until you enter in. Faithfulness makes our spirits young.

He got what he desired from the Lord: Horeb and its surrounding cities.  These were the lands of the giants, the most difficult to conquer, but the best of all the land. (Joshua 14:14) Furthermore, David, who was from Caleb’s tribe of Judah, conquered Mount Zion- the future site of God’s temple and Jerusalem, the city of the great king - our Lord Jesus Christ. Even a cursory glance at the map would show that the tribe of Judah got the biggest share of inheritance in Canaan.

He had the pleasure of killing and driving away the giants in the land. (Joshua 15:13-14) He drove out the very giants that the Israelites said would devour them alive. Furthermore, his tribe’s descendant David and his warriors finished off the last of the giants. (1 Chronicles 20:8)

His name became synonymous to whole-hearted faithfulness to the LORD. (Numbers 14:24, 32:12, Deuteronomy 1:36, Joshua 14:14)

He imparted his unconquerable spirit to his family. Achsah, Caleb’s daughter, did not rest until she was fully satisfied with her inheritance. (Judges 1:11-15) His son-in-law, Othniel, became the first national judge in Israel. As long as Othniel lived, there was peace in the land.

How did Joshua develop faithfulness?

“Y’hoshua the son of Nun, your assistant - he will go in there. So encourage him, because he will enable Isra’el to take possession of it.” (Deuteronomy 1:38, CJB)

Joshua grew from being an ordinary Israelite to becoming one of the leaders in his tribe (he was one of the 12 leaders chosen as spies) and until he became the successor of Moses as leader of the whole nation.

Joshua was faithful in smaller successes. He won smaller battles in preparation for greater ones. (Exodus 17:8-16) He steadily progressed to become the military-general of the whole nation. Moses even changed his name from Hoshea (salvation) to Joshua (the LORD is salvation). Numbers 13:16. A change of name signifies a change of character. Joshua has God attached to his name, which can mean he entered into spiritual maturity in his relationship with God.

Other examples of name changes:  Abram (exalted father), after having a life-changing encounter with God Almighty, became Abraham (father of many). (Genesis 17:1-6) Abraham received his new name when he was 99 years old, when God took action to his promise. A year later, Isaac was born. Jacob - the supplanter, after wrestling with the Angel of the Lord, became Isra’el - prince with God. (Genesis 32) 

He was a loyal servant. (Exodus 24:13) Joshua had a humble heart of a servant. For Joshua, serving was a privilege and no task was too menial. In Exodus 24:13, Moses went up to Mount Sinai (with all the raging fire of God burning and the top of the mountain glowing red hot) together with Joshua as his personal assistant attending to his needs. While Moses stayed 40 days and nights speaking with God, Joshua patiently waited. (He was spared from the delusion of idolatry down below at the camp.)

Joshua developed intimacy with God. “Adonai would speak to Moshe face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Then he would return to the camp [to minister tot he people]; but the young man who was his assistant, Y’hoshua the son of Nun, never left the inside of the tent.” (Exodus 33:11, CJB) While others were busy with their own businesses, Joshua was busy developing a close relationship with God. He took the time to be holy and separated himself to get to know the Lord.

He meditated on God’s word daily. (Joshua 1:8) As he stayed in God’s presence daily, I believe the Lord instructed him in His word as well and the Lord commanded him to take His words to heart.

Rewards of Joshua’s faithfulness:

His daily fellowship with God produced in him an unshakable faith. He became strong in the Lord and full of might because God was with him. (Numbers 14:6-8, Joshua 1:9) His fellowship with God brought him to a new paradigm - delighting in God. 

When the whole camp was overwhelmed with impossibility, Joshua proclaimed: “If Adonai is pleased with us, then he will bring us into this land and give it to us - a land flowing with milk and honey.” (Numbers 14:8, CJB) He understood that the real secret to success was God’s favor.

He carried God’s presence. “And the LORD said to Moses: ‘Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.” (Numbers 27:18, NKJV)

The Lord promoted him to succeed Moses as leader of the whole nation. (Numbers 27:18-23)

He was filled with the Spirit of Wisdom. (Deuteronomy 34:9)

He caused all Isra’el to inherit the land. (Deuteronomy 1:38) He not only went himself, but he also strongly influenced others to possess their promised land. All those who went with him to possess the land stayed faithful to the Lord all their days. (Joshua 24:31)

His whole household remained faithful to the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)

He got what he wanted - Almighty God. What could be a greater promise than in Joshua 1:9, where God declared to him: “Haven’t I ordered you, ‘Be strong, be bold’? So don’t be afraid or downhearted, because Adonai your God is with you.” (CJB)

Also, Joshua and Caleb had the joy of leading faithful followers. All the grumbling, complaining and rebellion died in the wilderness.

Delighting in the Lord is an awesome thing. God’s favor causes us to inherit all the best that He has for us. Take note of Joshua’s words, “If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it to us.” (Numbers 14:8, CJB)  We win God’s favor as we grow in Christlikeness. To walk in God’s favor, we must have all three: called and chosen and faithful.

May the Lord delight in our faithfulness and cause us to inherit His good promises… And may all who come behind us find us faithful and inspire them to be faithful as well, in Jesus’ name, amen:)

(Re-writing Deuteronomy 007)

The Faithful Inherit God's Best (part 1 of 2)

Out of the 2 million estimated people who came out of Egypt with Moses, only two adults namely: Joshua and Caleb, actually inherited the promised land. Faithfulness brought them there.

Joshua and Caleb became the new leaders of the second generation Israelites who successfully possessed their inheritance. 

The Lord declared to Moses that none will inherit the good land “except Kalev (Caleb) the son of Y’funeh - he will see it; I will give him and his descendants the land he walked on, because he has fully followed Adonai… Y’hoshua the son of Nun, your assistant - he will go in there. So encourage him, because he will enable Isra’el to take possession of it.” (Deuteronomy 1:36, 38, CJB)

Called and Chosen and Faithful = Overcomer

Revelation 17:14 declares, “They (referring to the beast and its kings in the book of Revelation) will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are called, chosen and faithful will overcome along with him.” (CJB)

The New Living Translation renders, “…And his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with him.” This gives us a sense that those who are not just the called, not even the called and chosen, but the “called and chosen and faithful” are the ones who overcome. 

To overcome like our Lord, we need to progress from being called and being chosen to being faithful in Christ. Many miss the mark of God’s best because they fail to stay true to Christ in relation to their manners, speech and character. Our mark is Christlikeness. Let us keep growing until we become like Jesus in every way.

An echo of Revelation 17:14  is possibly 1 Peter 2:4-10, verse 9 states:

“But you are a chosen people, the King’s [priests], a holy nation, a people for God to possess! Why? In order for you to declare the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; before you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (CJB)

We have been CALLED OUT of darkness and we are a CHOSEN PEOPLE in order to DECLARE HIS PRAISES (the faithful witness of our lives declare His praises).

Again in 1 Peter 2:4-7, we see this theme: “As you COME TO HIM (that is, CALLED), the living stone [Christ] rejected by people but chosen by God and precious to Him, you yourselves, as living stones , are being built up into a spiritual house to be [priests] SET APART for God (or CHOSEN for God)…. Now to you who KEEP TRUSTING (or to the FAITHFUL ones), he [Christ] is precious.” (CJB)

Our Christian life begins when we are born again - when we turn away from sinning, make Jesus Christ as ruler of all, and start walking in holiness. Then, God expects us to grow (called), to be fruitful (chosen) and to qualify for our inheritance (faithful).

Unfaithfulness hinders you from attaining your promised land:

God declared: "Of all those I rescued from Egypt, no one who is twenty years old or older will ever see the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they have not obeyed me wholeheartedly. The only exceptions are Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they have wholeheartedly followed the LORD. (Numbers 32:11-12, NLT)

Those who overcome are the called and chosen and faithful:

1. Called

All the multitude of Israelites responded to the call of God including Joshua and Caleb to cross the Red Sea in order to offer sacrifices to God in the desert. (Exodus 3:18) This was their call.  

But the desert was never intended to be their burial ground! 

The desert was supposed to be their training ground: to develop humility, obedience and dependence on God Almighty. (Deuteronomy 8:2) 

In the same way Israel’s calling out of Egypt to worship God in the desert is not their final destination, our born again experience is not our journey's end. It is just the entrance toward God’s fullness of blessings. A growing phase if you will.

Once called out of darkness, we are to forever turn away from it and keep on walking in His glorious light.

If you previously enjoyed cheating, you no longer go back to cheating, or use dishonest means to have your way, or lie, manipulate, participate in wild parties, harbor unforgiveness, indulge in lust, greed and selfish pleasures, nurture bitterness, pride and selfish ambition, or use crass/insensitive speech, or live in an ungodly manner.

God emphatically warns against going back to worldly ways: “But he [the king] shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again.’” Egypt is a type of the world and God never wants us to revert to ungodly influences.

Solomon violated this instruction. “[He] built up a huge force of chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses…..Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt…” (2 Chronicles 1:14,16) 

Consequently, along with the importation of horses were the employment of Egyptian horse trainers, developing ties with Egyptian business people, politicians and Pharaoh himself. Political ties included inter-marriages. In fact, Solomon “fell in love” and married the daughter of Pharaoh and other ungodly princesses. Later on, these same foreign wives turned his heart away from the Lord (1 Kings 11:4). He failed the faithfulness test.

The book of Ecclesiastes was his sad confession that without God, “Everything is meaningless!” Even with all the prestige that riches, power and knowledge gives, Solomon’s experimentations “under the sun” (or living like God is not actively involved in one’s daily life) were all empty.

The called phase is our growing phase. This is where we grow in trusting Christ, knowing Him personally, and fellowship with other believers. This is one of the most important phases in our Christian life, but we need to move up higher.

2. Chosen

Among the many who were called, Joshua and Caleb were chosen as members of the 12 leaders who spied out the land. They rose from the ranks of ordinary Israelites to serve God’s people in a special capacity.

According to 1 Peter 2:9, the chosen are the people consecrated by the Lord to be His priests, His treasured possession, and HIs dwelling place. Yes, God wants to dwell in you!

Many are called, but few are chosen. They were chosen not because God randomly picked them. They were chosen because they separated themselves from the world to be “useful to the Master.” They grew from being baby Christians to being responsible. They grew from a “serve me” attitude to “I’m happy to serve!” attitude. 

The chosen ones are set apart to be the King’s priests. When we grow in the Lord, we become useful servants of God. God uses your career or unique place in the world to influence others toward righteousness.

2 Timothy 2:21 says, “Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from [ungodly living], he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified (meaning set apart or chosen) and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.”

God will never entrust His work to babies. We must grow in the Lord to be useful for Him. For example, God cannot use you to have a ministry of giving when you remain selfish. This could be the reason why your business venture is not picking up yet. Thus, you are very much still on the receiving end and not on the giving end. You may be happy receiving God’s blessings but miss the greater joy of giving. (Acts 20:35)

Another example is one who keeps on falling in sin but never gets down on his knees to ask for God’s mercy to stamp it out. He may enjoy God’s forgiveness but he never partakes of the beauty of living a holy life. They remain babies in the faith and fail to be rooted in the faith. They are too lazy to exercise holiness, integrity, love, kindness and all other godly qualities. God's grace is available to us, but we need to appropriate them by faith to produce righteousness in us.

The chosen phase is our fruitfulness phase. God gives us the privilege to take part in what He is doing. He sends us to share the gospel, disciple others, influence our colleagues to righteousness, lay hands on the sick, cast out devils, perform signs and wonders, grow businesses to fund His works, help the poor and needy and all other fruitful works in the Kingdom.

The chosen phase is the most dynamic, action packed phase. We are no longer babies needing help, we grow to become servants of the Lord. We move from "Bless me!" to "I'm here to be a blessing!" 

But this is not the end goal. We need to move on to maturity.

3. Faithful

Among the twelve who spied out the land, only Joshua and Caleb remained faithful (true or full of faith) to the Lord. Their faithfulness qualified them to possess the promised land.

If the called are the baby Christians and the chosen are the servants of the Lord, the faithful are the mature sons of God: they have grown in the image of Christ. 

They become joint-heirs with Christ: “The Spirit himself bears witness with our own spirits that we are children of God; and if we are children, then we are also heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with the Messiah - provided we are suffering with him in order also to be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:16, CJB)

So those who are faithful are the ones who paid the price to be godly. They progress from being a servant to becoming a friend of God. They took time to be grow in holiness. They grow in intimacy with God and carry God’s presence with them.

These are the ones who suffer with Christ, pass their tests and persevere in attaining Christlikeness.

Faithfulness calls for joy in the midst of fiery trials. “Regard it as joy, my brothers, when you face various kinds of temptations; for you know that the testing of your trust produces perseverance. But let perseverance to its complete work; so the you may be complete and whole (or become like Christ in every way), lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4, CJB)

Faithfulness calls for patience and endurance, while keeping your joy in the midst of fiery trials. “Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.” (Colossians 1:11-12, NKJV) Faithfulness qualifies us to inherit all of God’s best.

Let us be clear though that the faithfulness we are talking about is first and foremost faithfulness to the Lord Jesus Christ, not loyalty to a religion, program, affiliation, vocation, career or one's own pursuits (though they may have value on their own).

The faithfulness phase is our maturity phase. After going through tests, God causes us to reflect his glory, enjoy intimate fellowship with the Holy Spirit, exercise greater spiritual authority, walk in Christlikeness and become a precious friend of God. Here, our fruits are lasting, our impact eternal and our faith unshakable. I pray that all of us would attain to this by His grace, amen:)

Joshua and Caleb were tested in many ways, and yet they remained faithful to the Lord. The unfaithful, it seems, always run into trouble, while the faithful remain calm and confident. (Isaiah 30:15) 

One way to check ourselves is to take a moment of reflection and ask: Am I always ending up into trouble? Am I causing a lot of trouble lately? If this is so, you may be in a wilderness experience - a season of tests. 

If you have been circling around (that is, if your troubles come back time and again), you may not be passing your tests. God challenges you to grow in Christ’s character, to depend on His power to act and not to take matters into your own hands. 

Let us keep ourselves in the love of God and may we enjoy all the best that God has for us, amen:)

**Disclaimer: The writer may not necessarily agree with the contents of the websites where photos were taken.**

(Re-writing Deuteronomy 007)

Can leaders miss the mark too?

Definitely possible. The Israelite leaders during the exodus were not careful in following the Lord. They, in turn, swayed the whole nation into error. They themselves were barred from entering in the Promised Land. 

Leaders are to influence their communities to possess all of God's best for them. They provide stability, direction and empowerment to the people.

Godly leaders are especially needed during times of crises. These are when leaders are called to shine at their best. Not the time to shrink back, but the time to leap in faith.

Moses wisely appointed leaders in the camp according to their abilities. There were leaders "of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, of tens, and officers, tribe by tribe." (Deuteronomy 1:15) These leaders, however, were the source of most contentions between Moses and the Israelites.

Leaders carry an awesome responsibility and accountability. They influence people either for good or evil. Sadly, the appointed leaders used their authority in fueling Israel’s negative spirit and inciting rebellion in the camp.

The Ten Spies

In Kadesh-Barnea, the Israelites appoint 12 intelligence agents to secretly spy the land for forty days. The twelve were all respected leaders as Joshua and Caleb were. (Numbers 13:1-16)

The ten spies were sorely responsible in corrupting the spirit of the nation by instilling fear and unbelief. They caused rebellion against God so much that they wanted another leader. This may be the decision of the whole nation but their influence was ultimately responsible.

They were the ones who spread remarks such as:

“It is because Adonai hated us that he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, only to hand us over to the [Amorites] to destroy us.” (Deuteronomy 1:27, CJB)

“‘We can’t attack those people, because they are stronger than we are;’ and they spread a negative report about the land they had reconnoitered for the people of Isra’el by saying, ‘The land we passed through in order to spy it out is a land that devours its inhabitants. All the people we saw there were giant!’” (Numbers 13:31-32, CJB)

“And they said to each other, “Let’s appoint a leader (meaning replace Moses as leader) and return to Egypt.” (Exodus 14:4) 

What happened to the ten spies?

After showing the Israelites the fruits of the land and giving glowing reports, the ten spies turned around and completely undermined God. Numbers 14:37 declares, “those men who gave the unfavorable report about the land died by the plague in the presence of Adonai.”  The Lord judged them right then and there.

When the next generation Israelites went in, Joshua now wisely picked only two faithful spies instead of twelve. (Joshua 2:1) In this occasion, less is more.

Reflection:

Leaders should beware of:

- Giving a negative or evil report.  Let us honor God by instilling faith rather than destroying people’s confidence in God.

- Demoralizing God’s people. Let us inspire God’s people to pass all their tests and fulfill their destinies in God. Nothing is more rewarding than to see the people you influence receive great commendation from the Lord Himself. (Example, Moses inspired and trained Joshua well.)

- Spreading complaints. It is bad enough for people to constantly complain, but it is far worse to see leaders be first ones to complain. This is evil in the sight of God.

- Going back to Egypt. This is a type of returning to worldly ways. (Examples: disregarding faith, taking matters into your own hands, prayerlessness, lack of passion for the things of God, and desiring what the world can offer.)

Moses and Aaron too?

Moses sounded a little accusingly here, “Also, because of you Adonai was angry with me and said, ‘You too will not go in there.” (Deuteronomy 1:37, CJB) In just a single stroke, he lost his ultimate dream of ever walking into the promised land.

Why?

Answer: Meribah Springs.

Meribah means quarreling, arguments, or disputation. This was where the Israelites quarreled with God! (Exodus 17:7, Numbers 20:13)

As expected, when the Israelites were parched with thirst, they quarreled with Moses: “We wish we had died when our brothers died before Adonai. Why did you bring Adonai’s community into this desert? To die there, we and our livestock? Why did you make us leave Egypt? To bring us to this terrible place without seed, figs, grapevines, pomegranates or even water to drink?”

This happened twice! The first one was in Exodus 17:1-7. At that time, the Lord told Moses to strike at the rock with his staff to produce water and it did.

This second time, the Lord instructed Moses to speak to the rock and not strike it anymore. But instead of telling the rock to produce water, he bashed at the rock twice.

“…after Moshe and Aharon had assembled the community in front of the rock, he said to them, ‘Listen here, you rebels! Are we supposed to bring you water from this rock?’ Then Moshe raised his hand and hit the rock twice with his staff. Water flowed out in abundance, and the community and their livestock drank.” (Numbers 20:10-11, CJB)

From the standpoint of the Israelites, Moses and Aaron delivered successfully. But from God's standpoint, it was a disappointment.


“But Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, ‘Because you did not trust me, so as to cause me to be regarded as holy by the people of Israel, you will not bring this community into the land I have given them.” (Numbers 20:12, CJB)

Moses and Aaron misrepresented the Lord. Striking the rock instead of speaking to it seemed such a trivial mistake. But I believe Moses understood that the "Rock" who followed them was the Lord! (1 Corinthians 10:4) It was not simply a rock but an illustration of the Lord as the Rock.

Moses knew that the Lord was laying down a pattern for future generations. Christ was to die only once for the sins of mankind. Then after this, sinners need only to call on Him to be saved (Romans 10:13). Moses did not trust the Lord enough to follow the exact instruction. God exacts a high standard among his servants.

He should have gone to the rock and said something like, “O Rock, let living waters come forth from you according to the word of the Lord.” Instead, he charged ahead and struck the rock with his staff not once but twice. Moses anger got the best of him. It was not a good way to conduct oneself in the presence of the Lord and before God’s people. 

In his anger, Moses denounced the Israelites saying, “Listen here, you rebels!”  We must represent the Lord in high esteem by not allowing ourselves to badmouth or give insulting charges to God’s people. Ministers stand before God's people and speak His words. We must hold our office with utmost dignity and grace. As His representatives on earth, God Almighty must be regarded as holy in our conduct and speech.

Reflection:

Moses was one of the greatest leaders Israel ever had and certainly the most humble. One could feel for Moses on this account. He must be in such strain that he gave way to anger. It was a very costly error. May the Lord spare us from acting out in anger.

Dr. Brian Bailey in his book The Journey of Israel has great insights: “Moses had a problem with anger in his life. It was an inherited iniquity in his family line from Levi. He struggled to overcome anger. After he killed the Egyptian, he spent forty years in the wilderness. During that time, God was tempering his volatile nature. Numbers 12:3 states that Moses was the meekest man in the world. Meekness is the antidote to anger. It seemed as if Moses had conquered his weakness; however, in Numbers 20, Moses’ anger rose up again. We should ask the Lord to develop meekness in our lives. If we struggle with hatred, we should ask God to develop His love in our hearts.” (Journey of Israel by Dr. Brian Bailey, page 289) 

Even after many heart-rending cries, Moses could not go in. Only in God’s mercy was Moses allowed to at least see the land with his own eyes - on the day he died! (Deuteronomy 34:1-4) And well, if you can accept it, after two thousand years, he eventually landed in one of its mountains at the time of Jesus’ transfiguration. (Matthew 17:1-3)

When leaders seek to perform God’s will, it brings great blessings to the whole community. But when they walk in error, so does the people they influence. Like priest, like people. This is why God exacts greater accountability upon leaders. To whom much is given, much shall be required (Luke 12:48).

Writing this blog strikes me at heart because in a sense, I also, am a leader. I am so grateful for re-writing this book. There is so much to it already even in the first chapter. It led me to continually ask God's mercy to qualify me to possess my "promised land," to move on to Zion, fulfill my destiny and walk in the fulness of God's will. The prayer, "Lead us not to temptation but deliver us from the wicked one," became more meaningful as ever.

Spiritual leaders must teach their people to be strong in the word, prayer and character of Christ. When both leaders and people grow in Christ's stature, they could spur one another to good deeds for the glory of God.


     Pray for your leaders. 

Paul learned the great value of prayer covering so he kept urging the churches to pray for him and his missionary team- to supply them with the Spirit for empowerment and to keep them in the grace of God.

Righteous Leadership

Righteous leadership is modeling Christ. Paul was not arrogant or acting with an air of superiority when he urged the Corinthians, “Imitate me, jus as I also imitate Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1, also 1 Cor. 4:16) It was his humble appeal for the church to follow the way of the cross- "to die to yourself daily and follow Christ."

Paul, in the spirit of true humility and dependence to God’s grace, encouraged the believers not to be proud in anything except in the cross of Jesus Christ. A leader with this intention never draws attention to himself but only to the one whom we should all follow - the Lord Jesus Christ.

One could say that the Corinthian saints were “burdensome, bothersome and quarrelsome” to Paul much like their ancient Israelite counterparts. But by the grace of God, Paul was still able to preface his letter with:

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always for you because of God’s love and kindness given to you through Christ Jesus, in that you have been enriched by him in so many ways particularly in power of speech and depth of knowledge.” (1 Corinthians 1:3-5)

After threatening them with, “If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come!,” he still had the grace and dignity to say, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.” (1 Corinthians 16:22-23, NKJV)

May the Lord be proud of us as leaders in this generation, amen:)

(Re-writing Deuteronomy 006)

**Disclaimer: The writer may not necessarily agree with the contents of the websites where photos were taken.**