Crime, racism, sexual exploitation, failing schools and dysfunctional families seem to dominate the news. Throw in a heavy dose of election-year politics and it is easy to get caught up in the shadows at work to stifle the Light in this world.
Jason Riley, author of “Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals Make It Harder for Blacks to Succeed”, recently wrote about the Republican candidate venturing into the inner cities of Philadelphia and Detroit. He said, “Democrats deserve criticism for their treatment of black voters, but it’s hard to take it seriously coming from a man who seems to have discovered black America about 15 minutes ago. Someone on Team Trump ought to inform the candidate that the vast majority of black people in the U.S. are neither unemployed nor living in poverty.” Mr. Riley’s message is that news and the politics of our day have a proclivity to focus on the wrong things. The result is continued stumbling around in the shadows.
“Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.’ But the men who had gone up with him (and Joshua) said, ‘We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.’ And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. … And they said to each other, ‘We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.’” – Numbers 13:30-32 & 14:4. The Lord had instructed Moses to send a representative from each of the twelve tribes to explore the land of Canaan which He was giving to the Israelites. Two men, Caleb and Joshua saw the land as it was – flowing with milk and honey and called the people to step into the Lord’s plan for them to take the land. The other ten men were overwhelmed by people of “great size” that they saw in the land. They spread a bad report about the land casting a shadow over Caleb’s charge. The result was 40 years of stumbling around in the wilderness.
Jason Riley is a modern-day Caleb – he focuses on right things and encourages others to step boldly forward instead of stumbling around in the shadows. To a man, we are called to be a modern-day Caleb, to step forward in His Light as fathers in our families, as men in our circles of influence and as Christians in the Church. The shadows of this world can distract. As men of God our role is to focus on the right things and encourage all to step boldy forward in the power of the resurrected Christ and indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer guide: My Father, thank You for the Light shown into this world through Your Son. Forgive me for stumbling around in the shadows of bad news and challenging situations before me. When You have provided glimpses of Your glory in my life I have failed to step forward in the Light boldly as a Caleb. Help me keep my eyes on You, to focus on right things and step boldly forward as Your representative in my family, in my circles of influence and effectively as the Church where You have me. Amen.
A faithful father focuses on right things and steps boldly forward in the Light.
