NUMBERS AND DEUTERONOMY

It's a quiet Thursday morning and looking forward to a day at home and soul-winning tonight!  I'm in Numbers and Deuteronomy today.  Here are a few thoughts: 1) THE SECOND CENSUS- This takes place in Numbers 26.  In the first of the book, we see the children of Israel are numbered and again in chapter 26.  The difference is that they have gone through the wilderness and now every man who was numbered and was above 40 in chapter one is now dead because of disobedience, except Joshua and Caleb and Moses, and Moses will not make it either!  They died in the wilderness.  A journey of two weeks became a journey of a life-time.  They arrived to Kadesh-Barnea on the Jordan after about two weeks only to decide to turn around and not enter the promised land.  Now their judgment is set.  For every day of searching out the land (40 days), they now will spend 40 years in the wilderness till all of that generation has died off.  Not a land of milk and honey like Canaan, but the wilderness.  A waste howling wilderness!  Are you stepping forward in faith, in the Christian life... or are you balking at going forward with God?  Do you see the results?  Do you want a life of wandering in the wilderness of life?  Go with God... step out in faith.... let God lead you ever forward for His glory! 2) ELEVEN DAYS- Deut. 1:2 "(There are eleven days journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.)  When exactly 430 years had transpired in Egypt, on the same day, they began their journey out of Egypt to the promised land.  When they got to Mt. Sinai they were but 11 days away from entering the promised land.  They turned back and would not go in.  Close.... so close.  How close are we to having our promised land?  In reality, our only promised land is in Heaven!  How close are you to Heaven?  I don't mean to the day of your death... none of us know that; but, I mean how close are you to Heaven?  Does it enter your mind?  Is your heart set on Heaven?  How can we be "heavenly minded" without Heaven being close to our minds and hearts?  Today, think about heaven and let Heaven be close to you. Have a blessed day, my day is getting busy with just a few phone calls and appointments I didn't have before, I have now.  May God bless!   Pastor Mike Mutchler