Corona Devo 376

Place these staffs in the Tabernacle in front of the Ark containing the tablets of the Covenant, where I meet with you. (5) Buds will sprout on the staff belonging to the man I choose. Then I will finally put an end to the people’s murmuring and complaining against you.”

(6) So Moses gave the instructions to the people of Israel, and each of the twelve tribal leaders, including Aaron, brought Moses a staff. (7) Moses placed the staffs in the Lord’s presence in the Tabernacle of the Covenant. (8) When he went into the Tabernacle of the Covenant the next day, he found that Aaron’s staff, representing the tribe of Levi, had sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds! ~Numbers 17:4-8

When was the last time we counted our blessings?

I know and I experience the drain that day-to-day life can take on our spirit and our energy, but shame on us if we allow the "stresses" of our often privileged lives to weigh us down. Because the reality for most of us--if we know Jesus--is that our lives have sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds (Numbers 17:8).

Okay, so that phrase may seem like a weird description of blessing in our lives, but I see truth and relevance in it. Each of the words explode with promise, growth, progression and positive outcome. This is our story in Christ if we are following Him earnestly and submitting our lives to Him.

I am not daring to suggest that only hunky-dory things come at us as Christ-followers. Often, it is quite the opposite. But review your life, and more specifically: review it since you have been walking with the Lord: even in the midst of tribulation, in the valley's of life, and when we are broken: God is there, and as an outcome of those times of trial in our lives we have sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds (Numbers 17:8).

But beyond strength-coming-from-hardship, these scripture verses touch me in reference to gratitude today.

The Lord used this sprouting staff to "prove a point" to the Israelites as they wandered in the actual wilderness, but also in their own wilderness of jealousy and spite, which was rooted in their jealousy of Moses and Aaron in leadership over them. Feeling this way about someone else sucks all of the gratitude and joy out of us and that kind of mind-set and heart-set is not where God wants us to be, nor can he connect with us when we are there. The Israelites were there.

I am sometimes there.

But today, feel the Lord calling us away from there, and into a place where we have sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds (Numbers 17:8). God has done this in our lives. And if you have not experienced it yet, then get alone with Jesus, listen to Him and His word, and wait. Our faith is hard work to "garden". There is so much sin, selfishness, junk and dirt that God has to rototill in our life. But give Him room and He will go to work in our hearts and our lives. And it is work...sometimes painful work. But Jesus tends to us, nurtures us, and grows us in Him. And in the middle of the wilderness, in the middle of the turning-over-of-our-dirt, something happens. Faith happens, and the fruit-of-faith happens. And then we can look and see that our situations, our relationships, or our perspectives on them have sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds (Numbers 17:8).

A final angle on this verse is acknowledging the actual blessings and growth in our life. How you count the ways that God has produced sprouts, buds, blossoms, and ripe almonds (Numbers 17:8) in your life differs for each of us, but we must not forget to count them: Health (recovered/endurance as we suffer/or clean bill), Family, Spouse, Home, Job, Finances, Friends, Church, Church-family, Jesus(!), Salvation, Freedom, and anything else that comes to your mind.

Make a "gratitude list" today. Start with being able to breathe. That is a blessing that we often overlook, and when we start there, the rest flows. We are blessed. Be honest with yourself about your life. We can stop feeling angry or like victims. We are blessed.

We need to get real with ourselves and get thankful with God because look at how our staffs have sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds! (Numbers 17:4-8).

I like that this verse describes the progression and timeline of (most) blessings. "Sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds" (Numbers 17:4-8) are all different stages of "a blessing" developing, and I don't know about you, but sometimes the "bud" of a blessing doesn't look or feel anything like the "ripe almond" that is eventually produced, but everything starts somewhere.

Let's start somewhere in gratitude today for all that God has blessed us with. Don't limit yourself to shallow answers like money or popularity. Go deep and enjoy the harvest that has sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds (Numbers 17:4-8) throughout your entire life and deep within your heart even when we weren't aware what God was doing.

Place these staffs... (5) Buds will sprout on the staff belonging to the man I choose... (Numbers 17:4-5

The Lord has chosen us.

When he went into the Tabernacle of the Covenant the next day, he found that Aaron’s staff, representing the tribe of Levi, had sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds! ~Numbers 17:8

Aaron's staff isn't the only one in full bloom! Each of the words explode with promise, growth, progression and positive outcome for our lives as well. This is our story in Christ..

Today, feel the Lord calling us into gratitude for the places where we have sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds (Numbers 17:8).

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com