Wholly Following God… by Hannah Erickson

Today’s Passage –Numbers 32 – 33 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – 1 Corinthians 1 – 4Proverbs 27Psalms 136 – 140)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song  – Micah 6:8

Read the “0227 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “Be Sure Your Sin Will Find You Out.

Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me: Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the LORD.” (Numbers 32:11 – 13)

In this passage, it mentions that none of the Israelites were wholly following the Lord except for Caleb and Joshua. Because Caleb and Joshua wholly followed God, they were the only two of their generation who were able to see the promised land. As Christians, we need to wholly follow God. God doesn’t just want a part of us, He wants all of us.

Caleb and Joshua had to be different than the rest of the Israelites in order to wholly follow God. If we are going to wholly follow God, we have to be different than the rest of the world.

 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

I’m sure it was not easy for Caleb and Joshua to follow God when no one else was. Not only did they have to be different, but they also had to be unashamed. To wholly follow God, they had to go against the grain of what everyone else was doing. They had to be bold and they had to be unashamed.

According to my earnest expectation and [my] hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but [that] with all boldness, as always, [so] now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether [it be] by life, or by death. (Philippians 1:20)

In addition to being different and unashamed, they had to be focused. If Caleb and Joshua were not focused on God, they wouldn’t be able to wholly follow after Him. You can’t follow something if you are not focused on it. If you are not focused on God, you can’t wholly follow him because He doesn’t have all of you. We as Christians need to be fully focused on God, if the things of this world have our attention than we are not following the Lord “wholly.”

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24)

We can’t wholly follow God in our own strength. Caleb and Joshua were not able to be different, unashamed, and focused because of their own strength. In fact, if you turn back to Numbers 14:24, it says that Caleb “had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully.” The secret to wholly following after God is to have God. We can only wholly follow God if we are relying on God to help us.  

Because Caleb and Joshua were wholly following God, they were able to enter the Promised Land. If we are different, bold, and focused, wholly following after God, He will bless us just like he blessed Caleb and Joshua with the Promised Land.

Sisters – Sami, Melissa, and Hannah


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Issan
Issan
4 years ago

Different, Bold and Focused. Great points Hannah !

Cindy Erickson
Cindy Erickson
4 years ago

Amen! Good post!

C Stahl
C Stahl
4 years ago

Thank you Hannah for a great post. Amen.

Debbie Leatherman
Debbie Leatherman
4 years ago

Thank you Hannah. Very good.

Elvis Hernandez
Elvis Hernandez
4 years ago

Thanks really needed this!

Rachel
Rachel
4 years ago

A great reminder to stay focused on God. It’s so easy to get caught up in everything else in this world. Really nice post Hannah.

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