We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
Hebrews 3:14-19
There are lots of things in this life that have a cause and effect. When you do one thing, it always leads to another. Sometimes it happens right away. Sometimes it takes a while. And other times it takes years and years. In sports, you might have some natural ability, but it takes years and years of practice to get better. You need to have more than coaches and trainers. You actually have to do what they tell you to do. You must be willing to change what comes naturally and do what someone with more experience tells you.
The same thing is true in the arts. You might have a beautiful natural singing voice. You might be able to sit down and play the piano. You can pick up a brush and create an incredible painting. But you’ll always, always, always need someone to teach you. Someone with more experience and knowledge to show you new techniques. And then you’ll have to do it their way. You’ll have to abandon what’s worked so well for so long and do something that feels weird.
You see, without changing, we’d be stuck right where we are. Now that might sound so very obvious, but it’s so true that it makes us feel uncomfortable. It makes us feel exposed and vulnerable. It was like this with the nation of Israel. God took them out of Egypt and they heard God’s word about his promised land. They then had the choice of whether or not to take possession of it.
Things were pretty sweet right where they were. God was giving them food that fell out of the sky[1]. He was giving them water right out of the rocks[2]. Their cloths and shoes weren’t wearing out[3].
God was giving it to them. They belonged to him and he was providing everything they needed. God had promised it to them, and God’s never been known to not deliver what he promises. As we’d say in the neighborhood that I was raised in, he always comes up with the goods.
But that wasn’t enough. God’s promise was a nice start, but the people needed something more. They wanted another opinion. After all, what could be wrong with more information? The more we know, the less that’s unknown. The better we can be prepared.
So, God let’s them send spies into the land. And guess what? It’s as good as God had promised. The land itself was good to grow crops in. It would support cattle and sheep. There was water. There was fruit and produce all over the place to prove that it was as good as God had promised. Even better.
But that wasn’t enough. You see, the reason that the land was so great is that there were people who had been farming the land. They’d build houses and wells. There were wells and barns. It was already in “move in” condition. All they needed to do was close the deal and take the land.
And that was the last straw. They refused to obey God’s word. He said that the people would surely win with God going in front of them. God hadn’t lost a battle yet, and he wasn’t about to start now. The people had God’s personal promise and they turned their backs on him.
When I listen closely to these stores and words, they have a really familiar ring to them. They sound like a story that I’ve heard before. Actually, it’s more personal than that. While the exact details might be different, my story is filled with God reassuring me that he’s with me. That he’s going to provide for me. That he’s going to protect me.
And what do I do? I do the exact thing that the nation of Israel does. I go looking for more information. I say that I believe and then I start looking for ways to help God out. After all, he needs to know what I know. He needs my assistance. I need to hold his arms up with my strength.
Then everything falls apart. My plans fail. My strength becomes like a limp, wet piece of angel hair pasta. All the things that I thought I knew, all the things that I thought that I had under control unravel like fishing line from a casting reel. That’s my cause and effect.
But God’s looking and waiting for us to come to ourselves. To realize how we’ve messed things us. To turn and walk back to him. And when he sees us, he runs to us and welcomes us back with forgiveness and restoration. That’s God’s cause and effect. We’re the cause and he’s all the effect. The time is right now for our part of God’s cause and effect to happen.
Noodling Questions
List three cause and effects that have changed your life.
How has God let you do things that have come back to bite you? Explain.
What two important things did you learn from these cause and effect lessons?
[1] Exodus 16:4-18
[2] Exodus 17:5,6
[3] Deuteronomy 29:5
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