Reading your Bible for Today April 10

April 10: Numbers 11:4-6

KJV Key Verse: Numbers 11:5
5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:

Devotion:
How often do you crave for the things which you do not have? How many of those things which you crave are things you do not actually need? We look back and remember the good times in our lives, but when we allow those memories to pre-occupy our thoughts all the time we are in danger of lusting after those times.

Whilst it is not bad in itself to look back and remember the good times, it is bad to lust after those times. Before we were Christians, we probably got up to all sorts of things; those things need to be put behind us so we can continue in Gods will rather than lusting after our old ways. We need to look at what is good for us in our lives rather than what we used to do which we enjoyed. There will be times when God does supply us with good things just to give us a change, and what we do during those times or with those things is important.

Just like the children of Israel gathering the manna, we have to be consistent in what we do, not letting ourselves go too far, but making sure we do enough. When God does give us something, He will often give it plentifully because of His love for us. What we do during those times is important... If we 'pig' out or go overboard with the times of plenty, then we are showing that we lust after things rather than just accepting what we need from God. He supplied the children of Israel with so many quails that it would make it easy for them to catch. What they did was to catch so many they could not eat them all and soon a plague went through the camp.

When God gives us good times, we need to make sure we realise He is the one giving those times to us and act according to His will during those times, not according to our own lusts. Why should He give us anything if we are going to forget about Him as soon as we do get to the good times?

Points to Ponder:
Do you take all you can get when someone offers you something?

Do you accept God's love or abuse it?