Misunderstanding

It is Friday, 27th November 2020, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for the day.

Joshua, Chapter 22 from verse 10 right through to verse 34 - please read it if you get an opportunity.

I will not read it for you today.

I want to speak to you about misunderstanding. Misunderstanding.

You see what happened was, there were twelve tribes that were going across the Jordan River into the Land of Canaan.

But two and a half of those tribes, the tribes of Gad, Reuben and half the tribe of Manasseh, asked Moses if they could remain on the other side of the Jordan River because the grazing was good and they had many animals.

And Moses agreed on one condition, that they helped the other ten tribes to get settled which they did.

Then the two and a half tribes came back to go to the other side of the Jordan River from where they came.

But in the meantime, they had built a huge monument.

The other ten tribes heard about it and they go very angry and they suspected rebellion.

There was about to be a potential civil war.

Fortunately, Joshua sent the priests to go and find out what was happening.

The two and a half tribes that had built the monument said, “This is not an altar. This is a witness of what God has done for us,” and diffused a potential civil war.

What are we talking about? That’s right, misunderstanding!

You see, perception is not the truth. Perception is what you feel or think it is.

Mom and dad arguing, children and parents arguing, brother and sister arguing - It is no good. It has got to stop.

Now, how are we going to do that. How are we going to stop this devastation?

Well, 1 Peter 4:8 says that love will cover a multitude of sins.

You see, dad is not speaking at the moment, children, because he is very worried.

He doesn’t know if he is going to be retrenched next month.

Mom is short and snappy because she doesn’t know if she is going to have a meal to put on the table tomorrow.

The boss is pushing unreasonably hard because he doesn’t want to lay off any of his workers.

But you think otherwise, you see, because that is perception. We have got to stop that.

This old granny, an eskimo, up in the northern part of Alaska, in the middle of a tremendous snow storm that had been going on for weeks on end, her and her family were all huddled in one of these igloos, and early one morning granny said, “I am just going outside for a minute.” And she never came back.

The children, mom and dad were so disappointed. “She has left us. She has left us at our worst moment. She has left us and we are just about starving with hunger.”

But you see, they misunderstood what granny did. Granny decided to walk away, to die in the snow, because it would be one less mouth to feed. She loved them so much.

She didn’t want to be a burden to them.

The storm subsided, the food lasted and they made it. Jesus says, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” John 12:24.

Have patience with one another today. Try and see the other person’s side of the story and let us work together.

This lockdown will be lifted shortly and then we can carry on.

God bless you and have a great day.