And Swallowed Them

And Swallowed Them by Kirk Hunt

Now it came to pass, as he [Moses] finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them [the rebels], and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods.

Numbers 16:31-32 NKJV
Please read also Numbers 16:1-40

Korah’s rebellion against Moses had a deadly, clear-cut resolution. The dirt beneath the feet of the rebels and mutineers split open, swallowed them, then closed again. The mutineers, their family members, and even their possessions, disappeared in a moment. Please read Numbers 16:1-40 for the complete account.

Why did Korah rebel against Moses? At Jude 1:11, Korah’s rebellion is associated with other notorious sinners and their sins of greed: Cain the brother slayer; Balaam the spiritual sell-sword. Whatever his reasons, Korah, and 250 other men, were destroyed with their families. No one could deny their destruction as a clear move of God. Whatever their motivations, God judged their actions with harsh finality.

There was time between the start of the rebellion and their punishment by God. I believe there was time and opportunity (Numbers 16:16, 23-24) for Korah or his mutineers to repent and receive mercy. Instead of confessing error and sin, the rebels pushed ahead to God’s sovereign judgment.

Often, men and women get minutes, or hours, to confess before God and withdraw from their sin and rebellion. Too often, rebels push ahead to God’s final and very public judgment. In this pause, have you re-considered what you are doing?

Think: Father-God am I in Your will, or am I in rebellion?

Pray: “Lord, help me to be in Your Will and not in rebellion against You.”

Copyright © November 2020, Kirk Hunt

This devotional is brought to you courtesy of CadreMen Press. You can purchase a copy of Blessed and Blessing: Devotionals For Gospel Champions from your favorite bookseller or directly from CadreMen Press.

Bearing With Each Other

Bearing With Each Other by Kirk Hunt

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

Colossians 3:12-13 NKJV

Bearing with people is not easy. Folk can be so wrong, so annoying, and so in need of a slap in the head. Instead, we are commanded to treat the worst of them with forbearance which consists of patience, courtesy and dignity. This is so important that the apostle does not frame it as a request.

Keep in mind that folk, at their best, rarely change in a moment. Even when they want to badly. During the transition, they need friends, family and saints to stay with them as they do the work and follow the process.

So, with the rebels or lawbreakers disarmed and at your feet, you are commanded. Show them your best patience. Give them your sincerest courtesies. Blanket them with your richest dignity. Prove that you are one of God’s selected saints.

Somewhere in there, you will need to forgive them. For yourself, not for them. Forgiveness makes your work with and towards them lighter and easier.

Follow the forbearance commandment whether they ask for forgiveness, or not. Because you are commanded to love and forgive others as Christ forgave and loves you. And when you find yourself receiving patience, courtesy and dignity, do the math.

Think: Forbearance is a commandment to God’s people.

Pray: “Lord, help me to be forbearant with everyone, especially other saints.”

Copyright © November 2020, Kirk Hunt

This devotional is brought to you courtesy of CadreMen Press. You can purchase a copy of Blessed and Blessing: Devotionals For Gospel Champions from your favorite bookseller or directly from CadreMen Press.

Flying On Instruments

Flying On Instruments by Kirk Hunt

Now the Lord had said to Abram:
Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.

Genesis 12:1 NKJV

Pack up. Move out. I will tell you where you are going, later.” Abram, later renamed Abraham, led his household into the wilderness on God’s Word, alone. At God’s command, Abram started flying on instruments.

Abram’s obedience was an act of faith. He left home, hearth, kith and kin, for whereabouts to be determined. Faith is the only rational explanation.

Aircraft have long had the ability to fly on instruments. On instruments, a pilot doesn’t need to see out of the cockpit at all. The pilot trusts the instruments, and the instruments get the pilot (safely) to the destination.

The things God asks of us are sometimes too big for us. The ending is too far for us to see. Worse, we can see the goal, but the path to the goal seems impossible to us. The God of creation asks you, and I, to trust Him.

He sees farther and deeper than we can. His knowledge exceeds the total of all humanity. His power exceeds anything and everything.

God faithfully led Abram to Canaan, and established him as a father of nations. You can put your faith in God, just as Abram did. Your faith and obedience will land you safely in His purpose for your life.

Think: I can trust Him. Especially through the instruments of faith.

Pray: “Lord, help me respond to You in faith and obedience.”

Copyright © November 2020, Kirk Hunt

This devotional is brought to you courtesy of CadreMen Press. You can purchase a copy of Blessed and Blessing: Devotionals For Gospel Champions from your favorite bookseller or directly from CadreMen Press.

Vote Against

Vote Against by Kirk Hunt

Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.

Acts 26:9-10 NKJV

People, even Godly folk, make mistakes or wrong choices. Godly men and women (saints) fix their errors when they can. When you discover you made the wrong choice before, vote against error now.

Before his conversion to Christianity, Saul of Tarsus was a vicious and merciless persecutor of Christians. After his conversion on the Damascus road, the same man became a strong supporter of those he once brutalized and murdered. He even changed his name to mark his new choices.

Listening to the very Jesus he once sought to stamp out, Paul the apostle wrote 14 of the New Testament’s 27 books. Each word he wrote down was a vote cast against his prior errors. Each book he completed became a repudiation of his prior life and choices.

Even Godly men and women can make wrong choices. The difference is that God’s saints, when confronted with their error, change their actions. Even if they need a little nudging, God’s saints vote against the wrong and choose the correct.

Think: You must vote against your wrong actions. Changing your name is optional.

Pray: “Lord, give me the strength to follow You correctly in grace and truth.”

Copyright © November 2020, Kirk Hunt

This devotional is brought to you courtesy of CadreMen Press. You can purchase a copy of Blessed and Blessing: Devotionals For Gospel Champions from your favorite bookseller or directly from CadreMen Press.