Today's Passage: Numbers 23-24
I am so impressed by Balaam's character in this story. He could have easily bent to Balak's will and said the things he wanted, but instead he stood strong for God and what he knew was right.
We all have found our selves in this situation, faced with the choice to say the right thing and risk the earthly back lash or say what a person wants and not be true to our beliefs and God. This story reminds me of a question I am often asked by youth: How do I choose what hills to die on when it comes to defending my faith? I think this is one of the most challenging question for Christians in our current culture. What I tell my youth is: Our lives should reflect our beliefs in every way, not just our words. If you only give your beliefs and God lip service then you will be viewed as judgmental and hypocritical when you speak about them or are confronted on them. By living out your beliefs it provides you with the opportunity to speak truth in those situations. It also establishes to others that God is the most important thing in your life and eliminates any ideas they might have to sway that point of view.
In our culture it has become viewed as uncool and even wrong in some cases to stand firm in your beliefs. God's command to Balaam to only say what God had give him, rings true for us too. We must live lives that represent our beliefs so that we do not disqualify our testimonies about the Lord. We should do this so that when we are asked: Why do you live this way? We can say with confidence: Because I am being obedient to the Lord.
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