Little By Little
Today’s scripture selection: Numbers 33-36
Key verse: Numbers 33:1
“Here are the stages in the journey of the Israelites….”
Sometimes they made a lot of progress; sometimes they failed miserably.
Sometimes they remained true to their covenant with God; sometimes they went running after idols of their own making.
Sometimes they were the people of God; sometimes they became so self-absorbed they acted as if they were gods.
But through all their wandering – the entire journey – one thing remained the same. They traveled, little by little, in stages.
Now, that might conjure up in your mind a silly cartoon: Moses and the people making their way across the desert in horse drawn stagecoaches.
But you know what I mean.
The people traveled in faith; imperfect as they were; sometimes making good progress; sometimes going down the wrong path; sometimes just sort of wandering aimlessly.
And, most importantly, God was with them each step of the way.
Isn’t it that way for us too?
On our life’s journey – it’s a combination of open highway, wrong way turns, and dead ends. And a loving God helps us, if we will let Him, to ultimately find the right path.
What amazing grace; what incomparable love – that we are not just left to wander. And that one day – He will show us the way home.
Prayer: Lord, I am so prone to wander; so often lost. Lead me in the way you would have me go – little by little. AMEN.
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By Paul Simrell
The Reverend Paul W. Simrell has served for over thirty years in a variety of congregational and institutional settings. He is a recognized minister with standing in the Virginia region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada and is nationally endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for specialized ministry in both pastoral counseling and chaplaincy. Ordained in 1982, he has served congregations in Kentucky, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. He currently serves as the pastor of Elpis Christian Church, a small, historic congregation located just a few miles west of Richmond, Virginia. Elpis is the Greek word meaning “expectant hope.” He also serves on the associate clinical staff of the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care, Richmond, Virginia, both as a pastoral counselor and a ministerial assessment specialist, specializing in executive, clergy and relationship coaching. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Lexington Theological Seminary and has done advanced clinical training in chaplaincy and pastoral counseling at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas and the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care in Richmond, Virginia. He is a Certified Pastoral Counselor, an ACPE Practitioner, and a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. He is a Certified Facilitator of the Prepare-Enrich relationship assessment and skills-building program and served as a volunteer chaplain for over twenty years with the CJW Medical Center campuses in Richmond, Virginia. His avocational interests include playing the piano and drawing. He is very happily married to his wife Elizabeth Yeamans Simrell, a free-lance writer, who is also a Certified Facilitator for the Prepare-Enrich program.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
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