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Topic: Unguarded Passion [DCLM Daily Manna 22 August 2019 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
Text: Exodus 17:1-7 (KJV)
1 And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.
2 Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?
3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
4 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.
5 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.
6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?
Key Verse: “Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, why chide ye with me? Wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?” (Exodus 17:2).
MESSAGE:
Passion is a strong feeling of enthusiasm for something. Passion, if not properly guarded, could lead to negative results which can damn the soul. The consequences could lead from one problem to the other.
Our text narrates the journey of the children of Israel to the Promised Land. They had just left the wilderness of Sin and by the commandment of God, they were asked to pitch in Rephidim. In Rephidim, there was no water for the people to drink. They thirsted for water and murmured against Moses. Moses had to cry to God and the Lord directed him to smite the rock in Horeb. The smiting of the rock brought out the water for the people to drink and satisfied their desire.
It was not the need of water by the children of Israel that mattered. They were outrageous in their demand. They directed their demand to Moses instead of God. Instead of praying to God, they were weeping and crying to Moses. Their action was purely a demonstration of unbelief.
Unguarded passions provoked by unbridled appetites can make us guilty and act like sinners. We must not allow our inordinate cry and passion for our needs to make us look like rebels before the Almighty. This actions sometimes force our leaders to run to God with fear.
Although the journey of Israel was directed by God under the direction of the Pillar of cloud and fire, yet there was need in the lives of the people. That we are under a ministry filled and directed by the power of God does not mean we won’t have needs in our lives. God in His love and mercy performed a miracle of water for the children of Israel. That Rock was Christ and the coming of water from that rock was a demonstration of Christ’s grace as unmerited favour brought down for us. Let’s carry our need to God through Christ by pleading and spreading our hands of faith to Him.
Thought For The Day: Don’t allow your passion to misguide you.
The Bible In One Year: Psalm 11–18
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
