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I was reading the end of Revelation this morning and found a thought that has stuck with me today. In 21:6, it says, “to him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost.” It caused me to look forward to the hope of heaven.
The next time you pay for something as simple as water (i.e., bottled water or your water bill), remember that God promises to provide free water. He doesn’t charge for it, and he doesn’t put it on a tab. He gives it away. When I finally get to heaven and drink from that wonderful spring, he’s not going to make me pay the bill because he already did.
Good thoughts!
One thing that impressed me yesterday in the Book of Deuteronomy was God’s command to worship him in the unique way that God commanded through Moses. In 12:4 Moses commands the people not to worship the LORD in the way that other nations worship their gods.
The people of Israel were to be set apart and different than all the other nations since they were worshipers of the one true God, Yahweh. In distinguishing how he wanted to be worshipped, the LORD detailed his law to the people in the books of Leviticus and Numbers.
What was applicable to me was that God used the wilderness as his training ground for his people. He trained his people to worship him in the wilderness so that they would know how to worship him in the land of abundance.
That has significance for us today because God still uses hard times in our lives to cause us to trust and worship him in all circumstances. One of the problems that comes with the good times in our lives is that we begin to shift our trust from God to our trust in ourselves.
One of the things that I learned this summer while taking Hebrew (my wilderness) was to keep my committment to read my Bible and to pray as a way to depend on the LORD to sustain my life.
Now this principle of God using our wilderness experiences for his worship also has an eschatological parallel. You see, God is using our time on earth (the wilderness) to train us to worship him in heaven (the time of abundance).
Where are you at in life? Is this a season in the wilderness or a season in abundance? Are you seeking God in the wilderness to worship him? Are you still worshipping him in a time of abundance?
Last week I read about the character of Joseph. One of the things that struck me was the perspective he had regarding the troubles in his life.
If you remember, his own brothers sold him into slavery to get rid of him. Then, while he was a slave for Potiphar, he was wrongly accused. He spent two years in prison because he was wrongly accused.
What struck me about this was that Joseph was able to keep from harboring any sort of bitterness that we would normally expect. If someone wrongs you, isn’t your natural response to get back at them? Does an injustice toward you cause you to want to correct the situation so you can have justice.
Joseph didn’t respond this way. In fact, he responded with great love towards his brothers (of course he did play a joke on them). When they were in need, he welcomed them and demonstrated first class hospitality towards them. Would you open your home to someone who made you a slave?
After Jacob died, the brothers worried that Joseph might finally respond harshly toward them. Even still, Joseph had the response, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to acomplish what is now being done…”
God blessed Jacob’s family through the life of Joseph. What’s amazing is that Joseph accepted the blessing even though it wasn’t solely for him. The blessing was meant for all of Jacob’s family as well as those who didn’t have to hunger during the famine.
What are some injustices in your life? They can be frustrating and cause bitterness and resentment. Maybe your injustices are a means for God to bring his blessing to others. If that’s the case, then we should remember to be thankful in all circumstances and to rejoice always.
I turned in my last Hebrew paper today; it was on Psalm 11.
David states the main point of the psalm in the first verse, “In the LORD I take refuge.” He could have said it more plainly, “I trust in the LORD.” However, by claiming refuge in the LORD he is claiming more than just trust. He is also claiming dependence on the LORD’s ability to rescue him from the attack of the wicked (cf. vv.2-3). By taking refuge in the LORD, David was relinquishing his own ability to save himself, and acknowledging that the only way he could avoid destruction, was to allow the LORD to be his shield and defender.
The rest of the psalm explains David’s reason for taking refuge in the LORD.
Something to think about…What are your reasons for taking refuge in the LORD? What gives you confidence that the LORD will defend you and judge your enemies? If you don’t like your answer, maybe the better question is what keeps you from having the confidence to put your trust in the LORD?
