Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - THE WISE MEN

 

THE WISE MEN

  Matthew 2:1-2 puts the story of the Wise Men this way: “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’”

This familiar story is often told each Christmas without much thought as to what must have taken place behind the scenes. The “Magi” were certainly not Jewish, but they seemed to know more about the Jewish prophecies than did the scholars of King Herod. For although the prophecies were known, the signs were not, and so Herod had to ask the wise men to bring back to him the location that was being sought.

The prophecies were well known. Genesis 49:10 states that “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes…” and when the Romans took the sceptre (the symbol of authority) from the Jewish people, it is apparently recorded in the Babylonian Talmud that the Jewish priests tore their garments because the prophecy had apparently gone unfulfilled.  They were not expecting the course of events that was about to transpire.

How did the “wise men” know about the prophecies of the Jewish people, what to look for, or have the confidence to set out on such a journey? After all, it would have taken about four months to make the trip from the area of Babylon to Jerusalem. It states this in Ezra 7:9 “On the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem…”

Perhaps a clue is also found in Daniel 2:48 for it states there that after Daniel had interpreted the kings’ dream “…the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon.”

So the wise men of the time of Daniel could have been informed about the Jewish prophesies by Daniel, with this knowledge being passed down to those similar persons at the time of Christ’s birth. They were certainly more in tune with the signs, because Herod needed to have the wise men find for him where Christ was born. 

Such it was that wise men, who were not Jewish, apparently were more aware of the Jewish prophesies and more able to see the signs than were the chief priests of Herod and the other Jewish leaders. And they had such confidence in their findings that a journey of four months was not enough to deter them from their quest. So they arrived at the completion of their quest and gave homage to Christ.

The leaders of the Temple, of the Jewish nation, did not see the sign of Christ’s coming; they apparently did not interpret properly the Prophecies and mistook His coming entirely. It took pagan wise men from the East to see what needed to be seen; and they had the conviction to act. 

So is there a lesson in all this for us? In Matthew 24:3, the disciples asked “…what shall be the sign of Your coming…?” Jesus, in Matthew 24:6-10, replied: “…you will hear of wars and rumours of wars…nation will rise against nation…there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places…many will be offended…the love of many will grow cold.”

At Christ’s first coming, those who were closest to the scene missed the signs entirely. Those who should have been “in the know” were not. Let us not become too complacent with what we think we know that we don’t recognize an unplanned for event and an unexpected sign. After all, if unbelievers would travel for four months because of their conviction regarding the Messiah’s coming, shouldn’t we, if we truly believe, watch for the signs in a like manner. It would be a tragedy to be like the priests of Herod and miss Christ’s second coming entirely. 

As we consider the birth of Jesus this Christmas, that’s just something to think about.

               

Pastor Caroline - November 29, 2020 - Hope

Pastor Caroline - November 25, 2020

 

Decisions , decisions, big and small

We must take time to lift them all

To our Lord.

1Thessalonians Chapter 5 Verses 16 to 18

(16) Be joyful always

(16) Pray at all times

(18) Be thankful in all circumstances. This is what God wants from you in your life in union with Christ Jesus.

 

This scripture I find is very helpful when making decisions. Be joyful, pray, and be thankful that we have the choice to make decisions.

Sometimes decisions are easy, and sometimes they are difficult. Perhaps the decision only involves you, or maybe it involves family and/or friends. For this writing I have decided to use me as an example in decision making.

 

Little decisions are made in an instant in my life, however the bigger ones take time and consideration. They always involve prayer. Perhaps they need the help or attention of someone I trust, such as my husband, my son or daughter, my sister, perhaps an older wiser friend, my Pastor, doctor, or lawyer.

 

I am never alone when it comes to important decisions in my life. God is always with me. He has been with me to help me in my decision making from the time I’ve been nine years old when I accepted Him as Lord and Saviour of my life. I asked Him to help me make decisions at home and at school when I was young. From that time forward, I never felt alone, or lonely. The best decision I ever made was to follow Jesus. My next best decision was to marry Spencer, the love of my life. Then we decided to have children and God blessed us with a boy and a girl.

Well now folks I could surely bore you to tears with all the decisions I had to make in my past 67 years of existence. Your decisions are probably not a whole lot different than mine throughout a lifetime.

 

There is one very important decision I will ask you to make, if you haven’t already, and that is to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour of your life. Invite Him into your heart today and my friend, I assure you, it will be the best decision you’ll ever make. This one decision will carry you through life here on earth and into a glorious eternity. You will spend your forever and ever with the very One who created you. Imagine that for a moment..... How thankful you will be that you decided to have Jesus as your Friend, as your Lord, and as your Savior.

When you decide to follow Jesus, all decisions in your life will be easier to make when you follow His word in the bible. This morning I opened this writing with 1 Thessalonians Chapter 5 Verses 16 to 18

(16) Be joyful always

(17) Pray at all times

(18) Be thankful in all circumstances.

This is what God wants from you in your life in union with Christ Jesus.

 

I can decide to “be joyful always“

I can decide to “pray at all times“

I can decide to be “thankful in all circumstances”.

I can decide that “I want God in my life and decide to do as He instructs and guides me to do”.

I can decide to be “in union with Christ Jesus”.  

So can you, everyday you can decide to have Him in your every decision, just as I have decided to.

 

God decided, over 2000 years ago, I was worth the cost of the life of His beloved Son, and so He sent Jesus to die for me, and for you, to cover our sin debt.

I have decided to follow Jesus.

Have you?

 

Please take time today to consider my question, search your heart, and accept Him as Lord and Saviour. It will be the best decision of your life!

 

Then, trust in the Lord when you’ve made your decision to follow Him.

Proverbs Chapter 3 Verses 5 and 6 in the Good News Bible reads:

(5) Trust in The Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know.

(6) Remember the Lord in everything you do, and He will show you the right way.

 

I venture to say this is good advice for all of us to consider every day.

 

Oh how I love Jesus and I know He loves me and you!!!!

 

Have a blessed day in Jesus.

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Ecclesiastes Part 17

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - THE DASH

 THE DASH

In Psalm 89:47 David asked the Lord to “[r]emember how short my time is; For what futility have You created all the children of men?” In James 4:14, the shortness of time is mentioned this way: “…whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”

In many cases, if you look at the memorials to deceased persons, one’s life is often represented in the manner Date of Birth and Date of Death. For example;

XXXX - YYYY

1960 - 2010

Where the Date of Birth and the Date of Death is separated with just a dash in between. How short is life when it can be represented by just a dash. A dash which contains all of life’s activities between the dates.  All of one’s ambitions, hopes, and planning.  All of a person’s achievements and disappointments, successes and failures, training and careers.  The work, vacations and retirements, the good and bad times, the ups and downs of life, the families and friends and the births and deaths which come to us all. All included in that short dash between birth and death. And yet we spend so much time trying to plan for, work towards, and worry about what will happen in that short dash.

Perhaps we should think of existence more like this:

______________________________________XXXX - YYYY___________________________________

Of something more than just the dash between dates.  We are certainly told of a life that can extend long after our earthly demise and perhaps we should start thinking of an existence that may begin long before we’re born; there is some evidence for this.  A life that is infinitely longer than the time represented by the dash between the date of our birth and that of our death. But where we spend so much of our earthly existence preparing for a life and career in the “dash” we spend so little time and effort in preparing for eternity.   

King Solomon tells us that whatever we do without God is in the end vanity; either prideful or meaningless. And as we all must die, our earthly bodies will end; but what after?  Matthew 10:28 tells us to “…not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”  The point is that without God, life ends at the dash.

With Christ, however, the line will go on forever. Which would you prefer? Just something you should think about.

Pastor Caroline - November 22, 2020 - My Dear Friends

Pastor Caroline - Deep Roots Wednesday November 18 2020

 Keep your roots deep in Him,  build your lives on Him and become stronger in your faith as you were taught. And be filled with thanksgiving.

Colossians  Chapter 2 Verse 7

A tree stands tall and straight, even though it sways in the wind. The rain and wind are heavy today as I write this message. Out of my window I see the trees swaying, but not breaking!! They are grounded in the earth, their roots run deep and so they are solidly planted. Makes me think of us in Christ and so God took me to the Verse 7 in Colossians Chapter 2.

When we keep our roots in Him, we too are well grounded as we study and apply His word to our lives. If you have accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour of your life, then the word of God here in this scripture reminds us to live in union with Him. When we stay close to Him we build our faith strong. We learn to be thankful in all things. We build our lives according to His word and accept His will in our lives. There will be high winds,(things that happen in life to blow us off our feet), there will be heavy rains, (tears of sorrow and/or pain),but we can and will remain strong in our faith because we come to Jesus in all circumstances and situations of life. He directs us to His word to bring comfort, direction and healing. His word in Colossians Chapter 2 Verse 10 says:
(10) And you have been given full life in union with Him.  He is supreme over every spiritual ruler and authority.
Wow, that is such a comfort to know Jesus rules over all! Everything in our lives is in His hands. I certainly can rest in that!!

When we build our lives on the word of God and God leads us in life, then we can be assured our lives will stand the test of time and we can weather the storms of life, high winds and all. A life built in Jesus is a life in the fullness of Christ. The word of God says so and for that I am thankful.
How about you?

You may want to read the full chapter in Colossians Chapter2 Verses 6 to 19 under the title Fullness of Life in Christ as found in the Good News Bible.

Enjoy your week and remember keep your roots deep in Him. 

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Ecclesiastes Part 16

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About

LOVE-LABOUR or LABOUR-LOVE?

A decorative plate we have states: “It is a pleasure to labour for those we love.” Just think about that for a moment. It certainly isn’t difficult to labour or do things for your spouse when you love them, your children when you’re there, or for friends when they’re in need and you can lend a hand. It’s not a chore to do something for someone you care about and really, if the care is genuine, it would be hard not to do something to help where help is needed.

This concept of love-labour or labour-love is really the main concept of the Bible and of the Christian-God relationship. To my knowledge, Christianity is the only “religion” where relationship is the main thrust and God is portrayed not just as a God of authority, but where “God is love”(1 John 4:8). In other religions, man must labour to obtain God’s approval, augmenting that with sacrifices or other rituals but all the time not really knowing if what is being done is sufficient to prevent God’s displeasure.  Love is often nowhere in the cards. Even in the end, one may obtain a reward but not necessarily God’s love. If should be more difficult to labour under those circumstances where God’s love is not ensured.

But in reality, God has shown His love for us before we do anything. We are told that: “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” (John 3:16), who in effect came as a substitute for us and to show us that true love is the way. He said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Now, if God is love, what he’s really saying is “[Love] is the way, the truth and the life…” and this is reflected in the commandment “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength”(Deuteronomy 6:5), and also “…You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and ‘your neighbour as yourself’”(Luke 10:27).

    1 John puts it this way: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”(1 John 4:7-10).

  So, is it a pleasure to labour for those we love? God through Christ laboured - he strove and exerted His power of mind and spirit - for us because He loved us and in return we should be willing to labour for Him if we truly love Him. But we labour because we have been first loved; we don’t work to obtain acceptance or approval, neither do we have to do sacrifice or ritual. We are loved and labour as a result of that love.  “But be doers of the word…” for “…faith without works is dead” (James 1:22 & 2:20).

One should labour because you are loved and it should be a pleasure to labour in return if you love in return. It is not right to labour to gain God’s approval or acceptance because “[f]or by grace you have been saved through faith…not of works” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

It IS a pleasure to labour for those we love;.. and it is something to think about.   

 

Pastor Caroline - All The Days of My Life

Let us bring our offerings to the store house

 

God loves a cheerful giver, as we are told in 2 Corinthians Chapter 9 Verse 7

Let us bring our offerings to the store house. At this time we are unable to meet at the store house, so if you’ve been keeping your offering tucked away that is wonderful. 

Perhaps at this time you would like to mail your offerings to:

Master’s Hand Ministry
 c/o of Peter MacLaren
Post Office Box 1924
Pictou Nova Scotia
BOK 1H0

Or please feel free to call Pastor Caroline and she will gladly pick up your gift and take it to Peter. As we move into the fall we have expenses to meet and we also would love to continue to support our local missions, (the breakfast program and Roots for Youth) and also our international mission with Pastor Gamel. 

We thank God for the faithfulness and generosity you have provided and as we continue to build the kingdom of God we love to reach out and help those who are in need of blessing. Thank you in advance for your generosity and remember God loves a cheerful giver. 

Little is much when God is in it!!

He can and does a marvelous work through us. 

Pastor Caroline - November 11, 2020

 

The greatest love a person can have for his friends is to give his life for them. John Chapter 15 Verse 13

Every Remembrance Day this very scripture comes to my mind and heart as I share in a time of remembering.

Friends, as we pause today to remember those who have fallen over the years, our hearts are filled with gratitude. We know that many gave their lives to give our country the freedoms we enjoy to this day. We give thanks for all who have served and continue to serve. We do not take it for granted, nor do we take it lightly. My prayer is that one day this world would see the peace that our Heavenly Father intended.

This year Remembrance Day will be celebrated and honoured in a much different way from what we as Canadians are used to. As we share virtually we will be keeping each other safe. Our hearts will hold the same gratitude, love, honour and respect for the many servicemen and women who have served and continue to serve Canada today. Although the parades and gatherings at our Cenotaphs are scaled back this year, we can still honour our fallen soldiers and all those who have died in the line of duty and all who have been wounded changing how they move forward in life. We can lift a prayer, call a veteran, lay flowers on a grave, and sing Oh Canada as we stand, at attention, in our own living room or kitchen. Perhaps hold your poppy in your hand at 11 AM and recall anyone and everyone you knew personally who served and continues to serve. Let’s remember all who fought and died, all who returned home forever changed, and all who wear the uniform of service today.

Let us remember, lest we forget. May we all stand together, even at a distance, and observe a one minute silence. Let us picture in our minds the crosses, row on row, and bow our heads in prayer.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the many men and women who gave up their lives for our freedom. We ask that we remember every day the cost of our freedom. We also thank you for your son Jesus, who gave up His life, for our freedom from the condemnation of our sin, that we may spend eternity with You. Thank You for the opportunity to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, because He laid down His life for us, taking our sin to the cross and paying a debt we owed. We stand humbly before You today as we remember, with grateful hearts.
Amen.

However you spend Remembrance Day please do so with grateful hearts, and be proud of all the Canadians who make Canada a wonderful country to live in. 

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Ecclesiastes Part 15

Look at all the shoeboxes we filled!

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone who participated in giving pledges so we could fill the shoeboxes. 

This event was carried out differently this year due to COVID-19, however, thank you to the giving hearts as we were successful in filling more boxes this year than in previous years. I believe that is thanks to you and God who stirred many hearts to give and spread the love of Jesus. Many children will receive the shoebox gift and they will be delighted; but more importantly they will be told about "the greatest gift" ever given and that is Jesus and His love. They will learn of His birth, life, and death, His Resurrection and Ascension to Heaven and how He waits for us to join Him in Heaven for eternity when we except Him as Lord and Savior. He is the "true meaning of Christmas". He is the greatest gift ever given to mankind!!

Thank you for helping us fill the shoeboxes, for sharing the love of Jesus, and for being a blessing to children who need hope now more than ever before.

Merry Christmas to all of you and Merry Christmas to the children who will receive the love of Christ.

Thank you once again for your generosity.

In His love we serve,
Pastor Caroline, congregants and friends of Master’s Hand Ministry   

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About

 LEST WE FORGET

The line above is one repeated a lot during this time of year. And while it is true that we should not forget the sacrifice made by those who gave so much for us, it is also true that what we remember and how we remember it is often altered by what we read and see in the media. The images of war either glamorizes conflict and trivializes sacrifice or in some other way changes the reality of what really was at that time.

“Memory has a way of playing tricks on you.”  There is a lot of truth to that saying as memory is often altered by the preconceived ideas of what a person thinks a situation should be like, what difficulties might have been encountered, and what objectives might have been met.  Thus, even if someone has actually been witness to an event, we may not remember it as it truly happened.  We tend to minimize what is really unpleasant and focus on the more tolerable aspects at the time. 

This minimization can result in the loss of the reasons for which sacrifices were made or they can be diluted in the translation.  It’s not really sufficient to recall only the sacrifice and not the purpose for which that sacrifice was made. And at the same time, if that purpose or ideal has been diluted or compromised, then the sacrifice made for it has also been, to some degree, lessened.

Do we really still support the ideals and purposes for which so many sacrificed in years past or have we “muddied the waters” to the point that what our forefathers fought so hard for no longer remains as valid as it once did? Have we in fact lost our country’s first ideals?

In many ways, this could be similar to the church at Ephesus. This church was one of the churches started by Paul shortly after his conversion and not long after Christ’s ascension. This was also near the same time as when the apostles were preaching and taken before the Sanhedrin, the High Court, and told “…not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:18). They replied: “…‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard’” (Acts 3:19-20).

And what did they speak about? “For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness”(1 Corinthians 1:22-23).

But about a mere 50 or so years later, in John’s letter to the church in Ephesus, He said: “‘I know your works, your labour, your patience…Nevertheless I have [something] against you because you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works…”(Revelation 2:2-5). Failure to do these first works resulted in  Christ saying He would remove the light from the church - “He who has an ear to hear, let him hear…” (Revelation 2:7).  And that is what did come to pass - the church at Ephesus is no more.

Many great churches of the past are, today, no more. Did they leave their first love as well? Did they forget what it was that that caused the first church to be so successful? In the same vein, there are many aspects of our society that have changed from what made it so great and successful in the first instance. Have we put aside the principles and reasons for which so many sacrifices were made over the past century?

The church at Ephesus forgot its “first love,” it’s real reason for existence. Countries can do the same thing and just as the light can be removed from a church the same can happen to a country. And then, what does all the sacrifice really mean?

  Just as a church needs to remember its real purpose, so does a nation. It is important to keep the real reasons for our being here in mind, lest we forget and go the way of the past. Lest we forget what others did for us. Lest we forget what Christ did for us.

Lest we forget. This Remembrance Day, something to think about.         

Pastor Caroline - November 8, 2020 - We Rememeber

Pastor Caroline - November 4, 2020

 

Today I am sharing with you  Psalm 121
(1) I look to the mountains, where will my help come from?
(2) My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
(3) He will not let you fall;
your protector is always awake.
(4) The protector of Israel never doses or sleeps.
(5) The Lord will guard you;
He is by your side to protect you.
(6) The sun will not hurt you during the day, nor the moon during the night.
(7) The Lord will protect you from all danger; he will keep you safe.
(8) He will protect you as you come and go
Now and forever.

What powerful words of truth found in these eight lines of scripture. When you read them over and over you will be excited as you come to understand what God is telling you. What a beautiful Psalm to read to start your day. I trust you will get great joy and peace when you read this scripture.

God is telling us here to look up, to heaven, and realize that He made heaven and earth and so He is very capable of being our protector. He is our help!!  He cares very much for each and everyone of us. Our Heavenly Father is always awake, day and night, under the sun and under the moon, He never sleeps and He alone sees what is happening in this world and to His people. He wants to protect us in everything that happens. He is well aware of all things and wants us to be under His protection.

When we find comfort in His word, our very soul and mind can rest in knowing He wants only the best for His own. His word says He will protect us from all danger, keeping us safe, as we come and go, now and forever. This is what we read in verses seven and eight; and so I believe, as I pray you do as well; that God is with me at all times, overseeing all my days from now to eternity.

Now my dear friends, I trust you receive great peace and comfort from this scripture today and that your heart is content. Then you will truly be able to say to anyone, that your help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. How beautiful is that? Now go confidently into this day knowing the word of the Lord is your strength and He is with you 24 hours a day, everyday!!! 

God bless you.

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Ecclesiastes Part 14

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - OBEDIENCE

 OBEDIENCE

In the book of Leviticus, God set out the Laws of Sacrifice needed to illustrate obedience to God’s requirements for sin to be covered. These were laws that the Jewish people were compelled to follow if they were to remain on good terms with Jehovah. And only the highest quality sacrifice would be acceptable. “You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God a bull or sheep which has any blemish or defect, for that is an abomination to the Lord your God.”( Deuteronomy 17:1)

But even then, God really had different plans overall. In 1 Samuel 15:22 “…Samuel said: ‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams’.”  You see, to follow the Laws of Sacrifice was really only a means to obedience and it was obedience that God really required.

Obedience, however, is often not what God received and there are many examples in the Bible where this happened and the consequences that ensued. For example, in 1 Kings 2:3 David said Solomon to “…keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgements, and His testimonies…[t]hat you may prosper…”  In other words, he was to obey the Lord.  In return, he was told “…if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments…then I will lengthen your days” (1 Kings 3:14).  But this was not to be. Solomon eventually “…did evil in the sight of the Lord…” (1 Kings 11:6) and “So the Lord became angry with Solomon…” (1Kings 11:9) for he had not “…kept My covenant and My statutes…”(1 Kings 11:11) and Solomon’s life ended at about the age of 60.

In 1 Samuel 15 Saul was told by God through Samuel to punish Amalek and to “…utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them…”(1 Samuel 15 3).  Saul, however, took Agag, the king of the Amalekites, alive as well as the best of their animals (apparently to sacrifice to the Lord). But Samuel responded to this by saying: “Why did you not obey the word of the Lord?” (1 Samuel 15:19). He also said: “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king” (1Samuel 15:23).

So, Solomon disobeyed God and apparently had his life shortened as a result of his disobedience and Saul lost his position due to his failure to heed the Lord’s instruction. Both of these, however, were rather serious breeches of their commitment to God. Do so “lesser offences” have the same results?  Let’s look at Moses for a moment. He led the Hebrews out of Egypt and in the wilderness for 40 years. He was a faithful follower of God and intervened multiple times on behalf of his people.  Just when they were about to enter the promised land, and were in need of water, God said “Take the rod…speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water…” (Numbers 20:8).  But Moses was a bit frustrated with the people and “…lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly” (Numbers 20:11).  The Lord said: “…Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them”(Numbers 20:12).

From simple mistake to miscue or straight disobedience God still exacted a punishment.  After all Moses had done, he lost his promise. Solomon had his life shortened, and Saul lost his position.

Being more obedient is perhaps something we all should think more about. 

Pastor Caroline - November 1, 2020 - Redeemed