Okay, so if you've been skipping or skimming my Summit summaries, you should read this one. I'm just saying ...
Jeff Manion's talk entitled "The Land Between" was quite possibly one of the most moving Summit speeches I've heard to date, and after 3 years of incredible presentations, that's saying something!
The land between, is the part of the journey between here (Egypt) and there (Canaan). It's the place where our language is liberally sprinkled with "for now."
The land between is fertile soil for complaint. (Numbers 11:1-6)
The problem with the Israelites complaints is that they weren't complaining against circumstances, they were complaining against God. Their ultimate complaint was that He was not enough.
The land between is also fertile soil for a leadership meltdown. (Numbers 11:11-14)
Throw yourself into spiritual leadership, and you will have moments when you come to the end of yourself. Often times, we are prepared for disappointment, but we're not always prepared for YEARS of disappointment.
The land between is fertile soil for God's provision. (Numbers 11:16-17)
God's provision for Moses, a broken leader, "Bring me 70 elders ... they will help you ... you will not have to carry the burden alone." What if God is good? What if He is gracious? What if He says, "As you open your hands to release the burden, leave them open to receive the blessing."?
Numbers 11:23, "Is the Lord's arm too short?" Are you questioning God's character or His competence?
The land between is fertile soil for God's discipline. (Numbers 11:18-20, 31-34)
Loving parents bring effective and timely discipline on beloved children. Discipline is inflicting pain for redemptive purposes. We are naive to think that we are immune from God's corrective hand. Discipline is pain for the purpose of rescue.
The land between is fertile soil for transformational growth. (Numbers 11:24-25)
The land between is where God whispers, "I need you to trust Me." When you travel through the land between, your heart is in danger. There are choices to be made that will determine who you are in the future. Moses poured out his heart before God in the land between while the Israelites complained about God there. The place that you hate is the soil where God can do some of His richest and deepest work. The space in your life that you most resent is the very soil where God wants to produce the crop we so desperately desire. Trust evicts complaint. They are incompatible roommates.
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