The people of Israel who were rescued out of slavery in Egypt, by God, via Moses, were in the wilderness for 40 years before a minority of them were able to enter into the Promised Land. Most of them did not get to go into the Promised Land and they did not get to enter into God’s eternal rest because of unbelief, i.e. disobedience. But a minority of them who were of genuine faith in the Lord, who believed God and did what he said, entered his rest.

“Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: ‘The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.’ We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.” (1 Corinthians 10:6-11 NASB1995)

These were the offenses of those who did not get to go into the Promised Land and into God’s eternal rest. They were idolaters, revelers, drunkards, the sexually immoral, and those who tested Christ and who grumbled against God and against his servant Moses. For they were those who set their hearts on evil things and who did not set their hearts on God and on his Word and on obeying the Lord and his instructions (commands) to them.

And these things occurred as examples to us to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. And these things happened to them as examples and were written down for us as warnings for us, so that we do not follow their example and do the kinds of evil things that they did, and so be rejected by God. For the Scriptures teach us that if sin and disobedience to God are what we practice that we will not inherit eternal life with God.

“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” v.12

So, what is this teaching us? We can’t just “pray the prayer” to receive Christ and now we are good to go to heaven, done deal, end of story. We can’t just make a profession of faith in Jesus with our lips and think we are now saved for eternity and heaven is now guaranteed us when we die. We have to deny self, die to sin daily, and walk in obedience to our Lord, in practice, if we want to have eternal life with God (see Luke 9:23-26).

For salvation is not lip service only. Because Jesus Christ, in his death on that cross, put our sins to death with him, by faith in him we are now able to die to sin and obey God as a matter of life practice, by his grace. And in his resurrection he conquered death, hell, Satan, and sin on our behalf so that, by faith in Christ, we can now live victoriously over sin in the power of God. For Jesus died to change us, to transform us, and to make us more like him.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; Acts 26:18; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Colossians 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

Your Love Offering

An Original Work / September 13, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Thank You, Lord, for Your love,
Dying on a tree,
So we’d be forgiven,
Live eternally.
Thank You for Your kindness,
Your love offering,
When You shed Your blood,
So we could be set free.
Thank You, Lord, for Your cross,
Dying for our sins,
So we’d live in vict’ry,
Purified within.

Thank You, Lord, for Your life
You gave for our sin,
Giving us a new life,
We’re made whole within.
Thank You for Your mercy.
You paid what we owe.
When we turn from our sin,
Your grace freely flows.
Thank You, Lord, for conq’ring
Death and sin and hell,
So we’d walk in freedom,
With You now to dwell.

Thank You, Lord, that You will
Soon come for Your bride.
Perfectly You made her
To with You abide.
Thank You for Your Spirit;
Our God, three in One,
Giveth us salvation,
Through God’s only Son.
Thank You, Lord, for Jesus!
He’s our King of kings!
He will reign forever!
Our praise to Him bring!!

Be Careful That You Don’t Fall
An Original Work / April 19, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love