Overcoming the Grasshopper Mentality

“We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”—Numbers 13:33

The Torah portion for this week is Shelach, from Numbers 13:1–15:41 and the Haftorah from Joshua 2:1–24.

Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.” What we believe to be true about ourselves often becomes our reality.

When the spies sent by Moses to scout out the land of Canaan returned to the desert, they described what they saw. They saw great produce and a land flowing with milk and honey. But – and this was the key word – the people were unconquerable. In describing the inhabitants of the land, the spies said that they saw the Nephilim. According to the Sages, these were actual giants. The spies explained that in the eyes of these giants, they appeared to be little grasshoppers.

But wait a second! How did the spies know what the giants were thinking about them? After all, they were spies in the land and shouldn’t have spoken to anyone along the way. How could they be so sure that they looked like grasshoppers – like insignificant, vulnerable bugs – to the inhabitants of Canaan?

At Issue - Rejection

2 Chronicles 11:13–17

Rejection hurts—when your boss hands you a pink slip, or your husband walks out on you, or a close friend deserts you. 

Rejection makes you doubt your abilities, your worth, your purpose in life. But not all rejection is bad. 

The Levites were rejected by Jeroboam, who wanted to choose his own priests to offer sacrifices to false gods. Painful as the rejection was, it motivated the Levites to move to Jerusalem to serve God there—a change they wouldn’t have made otherwise. 

The Importance Of Remembering God's Provisions

The American painter John Sargent once painted a panel of roses that was highly praised by critics. It was a small picture, but it approached perfection. And although he was offered a high price for it on many occasions, Sargent refused to sell it.

When asked why he would never sell this 

The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Kar. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.” — 1 Samuel 7:11-12

painting, Sargent said he considered it his best work and was very proud of it. So whenever he was deeply discouraged and doubtful of his abilities as an artist, he would look at it and remind himself, “I painted that.” Then his confidence and ability would come back to him.

In the spiritual life, it’s important to set up milestones so you can remember where God has come through for you in the past. 

What Is a Kibbutz?

IFCJ

In Hebrew, kibbutz means “communal settlement,” and that describes some of what goes into these rural communities dotting the Israeli countryside.

First founded in 1909 by a group of young Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, the original kibbutzim (the plural of kibbutz) were guided by the Marxist principle “from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.” Members of a kibbutz shared meals, property, possessions, farming duties, and child-rearing responsibilities. They were dedicated to living off the land and being a strong, giving Jewish community.

God’s Personal Attention to Detail

by Rick Warren Your hands shaped me and made me. Job 10:8 (NIV) God formed every creature on this planet with a special area of expertise. Some animals run, some hop, some swim, some burrow, and some fly. Each has a particular role to play based on the way they were shaped by God. The same is true with humans. Before God created you, he planned exactly how he wanted you to serve him, and then he shaped you for those tasks. He carefully shaped and formed you to serve him in a way that makes your ministry unique. God never wastes anything. He would not give you abilities, interests, talents, gifts, personality, and life experiences unless he intended to use them for his glory. Talk about it  What abilities, talents, and gifts has God given you? How do you think God wants you to use them?  What interests do you have that can be used to serve God?  Why do you think God gave you the personality you have? What kind of service do you think he had in mind? Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and most influential churches. Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller "The Purpose Driven Life." His book, "The Purpose Driven Church," was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. He is also the founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for pastors.

Leftover Parts

Written by John Grant

 
How can we hear God’s voice speaking into our lives? Take this lesson.

“But who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You.” 1 Chronicles 29:24

When my bride looked at me and said, “The toilet is broken,” I turned to her and said, “Do I look like Joe the Plumber?” Then she reminded me how much plumbers charge on weekends so I thought I should at least take a look. After all, it might just be a broken flap and I have replaced those before.

No, it wasn’t that. The whole flush valve was broken. I have never fixed one of those before. But, I thought, why not give it a try. So, I went to the local “fix it depot” and after staring at the different choices picked the one that most looked like the one in my tank.

Facing Uncertainty

We often don’t appreciate our most basic abilities, like sight and hearing, until we lose them, temporarily or permanently. It seemed like a mundane day for Susan until she found herself rushed the to the hospital. The next few days gave her a lot to think about as she wondered if life would ever be the same. The uncertainty of her predicament made her realize how fragile our lives really are. Are you dealing with uncertainty? Do you need someone to talk to about it?

Video provided by: TruthMedia films

http://powertochange.com/discover/stories/facing-uncertainty/

Related

Is it possible to find peace during hard times?

http://powertochange.com/discover/stories/facing-uncertainty/

USE YOUR SEEDS OR YOU WILL LOSE THEM ALL!

Serge Roux-Levrat

In Matthew 13, Jesus tells the parable of the sower to the large crowds that had come to listen to him. What He told them can be found in Matthew 13:12: “Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” We all have good seeds to plant, so what is this scripture telling us? It basically reveals to us that if we use (i.e. plant) our seeds, we shall reap abundance.

This is certainly also true in the natural world. If a farmer would only get back one seed from each seed that he plants, then he would not continue sowing seeds as he would be spending his time in utter futility. With just one apple seed, for example, a farmer can expect a harvest of more than 100 apples each year. As the law of harvest applies everywhere, what is true in the natural world is also true in all the aspects of life. Reaping more than we sow is essential, otherwise no one would activate the law of harvest. Thus, we can reasonably expect someone who keeps planting his seeds to be blessed abundantly over time.

→ Let’s now address the warning part of the scripture. If we all have seeds to plant, how can we then find someone who hasn’t any? The answer is not as difficult as we could imagine. We all know people who tell us day after day that they have no talents, that their dreams will never come to pass, that they will never get the job they hope for, that they wished that they were like someone else. Do you see what’s happening? They are not planting good seeds, but bad ones. Where are those seeds coming from? From their thoughts! They basically “engineered” them. Guess what? The law of harvest gets in motion and produces in their lives truckloads of bad fruits.