I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Sunday morning, the 19th of April, 2026 and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Old Testament, in the Book of Numbers 32:32: ”We will cross over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, but the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us on this side of the Jordan.” Now the situation was, as they were going to go across into the land of milk and honey, the Children of Israel, there were two and a half tribes that asked Moses if they could remain on the other side of the Jordan, because they were cattlemen and they were shepherds, and the land was good and the grass was good and they didn’t want to go across. So Moses sought counsel from the Lord. The Lord said, ”Yes, they can stay there, but first they have an obligation, they have a responsibility, they need to go with all the other tribes across the River Jordan and fight and defeat the enemy, and then when the battle has been won they can return back, to the other side of the Jordan, and that’s when they can have their inheritance.” Then we go to the New Testament, 1 Timothy 5:8. The Lord says: “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” We’ve got to get things right first at home before we try and help anybody else. We’ve got to take care of our wives, our children, and our husbands before we go to the mission fields, as it were. What happened with those two and a half tribes, the tribe of Rueben, Dan and Manasseh, they were very happy to stay back. Moses said, ”Okay but you must fulfil your obligation. First, you must help your family get established across the river, then you can return. You know what is very sad for me, and I am in full-time ministry, is when I hear of young people that get so excited, they meet Jesus, now they want to serve the Lord and they want to save the world, and that’s wonderful. That passion is very exciting, I was one of them, but the Lord says, before you do that, you make sure your young wife, your husband, your children are well equipped and taken care of and then you can fulfil the calling of God on your life. There’s nowhere in the Bible that you can show me where the Lord says, ”Leave everything you have and your responsibility and obligations and go to the mission field.” Get your house in order first, and then by all means, preach the Gospel with all of your heart. Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day. Goodbye.
