Numbers

So God brought his people out of Slavery in Egypt, and yet still they rebel and lose faith in Him.

A lot.

As a result, they wander the wilderness for forty years.  They complained about the food they were given, they complained about the leaders they were given, and they refused to enter the land they were given, because they did not have faith that God could help them to keep it.

So they wandered aimlessly for an entire generation.

But God never left them.  Despite their stubbornness and sin... "The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion." (Numbers 14:18a)

NUMBERS

So quick to forget

We wander out our sentence

Yet still not alone

All of our actions have consequences.  We sin, and we face punishment.

For us today, Jesus has taken that punishment, so we no longer have to face death, or wander in the wilderness.  We can come back to God time and time again, and we are forgiven and loved.

And when we do fall.  When we do sin.  When we ask for forgiveness... We need to

(a) remind ourselves that God still loves us with all His heart. (And it is a BIG heart)

(b) remember that we are saved by Jesus' actions, not our own.  And be thankful.

(c) not let it stop us from standing up again.