JESUS CARES Mission Int.

THE LIMITATIONS OF MAN

Man is fallible; God is infallible. Man is finite; God is infinite. Man is limited (in his authority, ability, capability, and capacity); God is unlimited. As Genesis 3:19 reminds us, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." When you encounter a man, bear in mind that he is limited. A man, irrespective of who he is or whatever position he occupies, is limited.

Sometimes we find it very difficult to believe when a highly placed person in society does something shameful. So, at times, we question our faith when we hear that a very respectful man of God does something despicable. Some have even backslidden from following Jesus because a great man of God misbehaved. Man is fallible; as a result, he can miss the point.

Moses missed the point because he thought he would follow the same formula as the previous miracle. In Exodus 17:6, God instructed Moses to strike the rock to bring forth water, but in Numbers 20:8, God told him to speak to the rock instead. However, Moses disobeyed and struck the rock again, forgetting the current instructions. He faced the consequences, as God said, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honour as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them" (Numbers 20:12). Samuel looked at a rejected man and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord" (1 Samuel 16:6 NIV). Thank God it was only in his thoughts; I don't know what would have happened if Samuel had openly voiced that thought with that strong word "surely."

How many times has your pastor, mentor, teacher, boss, or head of department listened to gossip and, without investigation, lashed out at you with rebuke, query, or even sacked you? This happened because of the limitations of man. What can mere dust do with his little brain to understand everything around him? May the Lord give you understanding today.

As you begin this new month , you owe yourself and your neneighbourhese responsibilities:

1. Show understanding
2. Accept the blame if that guarantees the peace you seek
3. Forgive, forgive, and forgive again
4. Apologize for wrong conclusions before facts are established
5. Repair, restore, and reunite every cut tie after discovering the truth

Lord Jesus, give us Your peace and not the peace of the world. We are finite; give us a new heart to understand and to love those who offend us. In Jesus Christ's mighty name.
Good morning and happy New month