Hide and seek ∙

Hide and seek ∙

The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. – Luke 19:10

Luke 19:1-10

 1 Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town.

 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich.

 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd.

 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.

 5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”

 6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy.

 10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

Americans love to go camping. The whole family goes off to some national Park or camping grounds and sets up for some time alone in the woods without cell phone reception. Sadly, little children often wander off alone and become separated from their families. They get disoriented and then find themselves lost in the woods. Usually, fear takes over when they realize they’re totally alone and have no clue where they are. Rescue missions are organized. Sometimes they are successful, other times not.

The Father sent the Lord Jesus Christ on a rescue mission for people just like us. We are truly lost, but most of us do not know it. The Lord Jesus Christ said He came “to seek and to save that which was lost.” The fact of the matter is that He is seeking us. If we really want to be found and rescued in this life and for eternity, the Lord Jesus Christ makes it possible through His sacrificial death.

When born into this world, most of us have a human family. Others are unwanted and “alone,” separated from their natural mother and/or father. We are all born spiritually separated and far removed from the Father God.

Some of us are “alone,” even in the midst of crowds. We are social isolates. We come to see ourselves as outcasts with no sense of belonging. We are lost. We, too, need to be rescued! So it was with Zaccheus.

To be found, we have to know we are lost. Often, it takes desperation and great sorrow to bring many of us to this point.

Zaccheus was determined to see Jesus and would let nothing stop him. For Zacchaeus to mingle with the crowd at all was a courageous thing to do. It was an opportunity not to be missed. Things were not easy for Zacchaeus, but the little man had the courage of desperation (Barclay).

REFLECT & PRAY

The Heavenly Father has drawn up a rescue plan. He has executed it. He is now actively seeking us.

Father thank You for rescuing me from being eternally lost. Show me how to experience life as You intended it for me.

INSIGHT

We are like sheep that have gone astray (Isaiah 53:6). Jesus, the Good Shepherd, seeks out lost sheep. All those who accept His gracious offer are found and saved.

To be “found” requires an act of “radical repentance.” Often repentance is seriously misunderstood. Many think it requires mental and physical contrition, remorse, and penitence. The Greek word translated as repentance is metanoeo. Metanoeocomes from two Greek words meta – change and noeo – mind. It simply means to “change one’s mind.” In the Old Testament, repentance called for a change in a person’s attitude toward God that impacted one’s actions and life choices; it involved the idea of “turning” from one way of thinking and living to a different way (ESV notes). External acts of contrition often follow along with prayers of remorse, confession, and the renouncing of sin. But repentance itself is simply changing your mind.

We change our minds about the Truth the Father provided in the Word of God. His Truth becomes our Truth. We enter into a personal relationship with our Rescuer. Father then begins a lifelong process of rescuing us from ourselves, our wrong thinking, and heart wounds. He transforms us from the inside out, and we change our ways.

When we are “found,” we are no longer outcasts; instead, we are adopted and welcomed into the Father’s Forever Family. We become His precious, beloved, and cherished children.

But there is more! He has made it possible for us to experience all He has dreamed and planned for our lives.

John 10:10 I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

For one reason or another, many of us find ourselves merely passing through life, not really enjoying it. We get busy doing things, but we do not experience the joy that comes from a close relationship with the Father. Many of us lack close, intimate, long-term friendships and relationships. Our lives have become very superficial and materialistic. We give ourselves over to things with only temporal value and significance rather than eternal worth. Can you imagine what it would be like to one day stand before the Father, and admit we lived dull, boring lives of “quiet desperation?”

1 Timothy 6:17 God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.

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© Dr. H 2022

Failure to communicate? ∙

Failure to communicate? ∙

“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” – Mark 4:23

Mark 4:23-25

 23 “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

 24 Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given – and you will receive even more.”

 25 “To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even their little understanding will be taken away from them.”

“Can you hear me now?” Paul Marcarelli was the “Test Man” character for Verizon Wireless cell phone commercials from 2002 to 2011. Entertainment Weekly named him one of the most intriguing people of 2002. He appeared in all of his Verizon commercials wearing a gray Verizon jacket and his own horn-rimmed glasses. He repeatedly checked to ensure that the Verizon signal was reaching the desired area and that communication was taking place.

Communication is an art that can be studied and mastered. Communication is the activity of conveying information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and intended recipient/s. The communication process is complete once the receivers have understood the sender’s message.

If the folks you are attempting to communicate with do not get it, you have not communicated!

Regarding Biblical communication, we are primarily engaged in receiving the Father’s communication and passing it on to others.

What is the goal of biblical communication? Biblical communication intends to share the living and active Word of God in a clear and easily understood way. The Father will use His Word to accomplish His purpose.

1 Timothy 1:5 The goal of our instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that issues from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.

Hebrews 5:14 Solid food is for the mature, who, through practice, have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

REFLECT & PRAY

Communicating the remarkable truth that the Father has provided to the world is not only possible for, but required of each child of the King.

Father thank You for communicating Your truth so that even I can understand. Teach me to teach others, as You have taught me.

INSIGHT

How did the Father communicate truth to mankind? The Holy Spirit facilitated the process. Referring to how the Old Testament Scriptures were written, Peter writes:

2 Peter 1:21 no prophecy was ever made by an act of human impulse. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.

No biblical prophecy was ever produced merely because people wanted to prophesy. The Father gave prophecy in Scripture through men, who “spoke” as they were moved, carried along by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was working within the Old Testament prophets. The men spoke the Father’s words, using their own personalities, knowledge, background, vocabulary, and style.

The same Holy Spirit, responsible for the Scriptures’ inspiration and production, is available to each child of the King to empower our communication with others. He empowers us in our study and research, preparation, organization, and often the very words we speak.

There is no one set formula. The Holy Spirit often energizes our careful effort and preparation. Or our insight and wording may be spontaneous and spur-of-the-moment. The Holy Spirit does what is necessary to get the job done.

Most preaching and teaching in the book of Acts was spontaneous and extemporaneous. Usually, there wasn’t time to prepare a message. “It was not the performance of an hour but the preparation of a lifetime.” It was the preachers who were prepared, not the sermons (BBC).

How does spiritual communication take place? By the Filling of the Holy Spirit. The Father enables people. The Holy Spirit empowers, encourages, and energizes. He often supplies the words and nuances of communication.

Matthew 10:19-20 Don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. For it is not you who will be speaking– it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

This empowerment is frequently called the Filling of the Holy Spirit.

Micah 3:8 I am filled with power – With the Spirit of the LORD

Acts 4: 8 Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “ . . .

Acts 13:9-10 Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him and said . . .

Our part is to seek to be cleansed, empty, and available conduits through which the Holy Spirit can work. Ideally, it should be the outworking of our walk with Him. However, we also pray to be empty of self-ambition and pride. We seek cleansing from known sin. We empty ourselves of ourselves so that we might be filled and empowered. In so doing, we follow the example of Christ.

How did the Father facilitate the communication process? Effective communication is need-driven – person-driven. The Father created needs or circumstances in the lives of individuals. He then supernaturally provided what was needed and applicable to resolve the needs and comfort the people. Knowledge was communicated, and that knowledge was the Father’s answer. The Scriptures are replete with answers from the Father for the needs of our everyday lives.

The Holy Spirit always has one-on-one communication with children of the King who are attuned to His voice. When we teach, He speaks to each person’s heart and mind. We are merely His conduit. For it is not we who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in us. (Matthew 10:20). This is the promise and the reality of Biblical Communication.

The Father knows the depths of each individual soul. He searches our hearts and knows our ways. He knows exactly how to speak to each person. This is, in part, why Christ was such an effective communicator. His ability was perceived as keen, penetrating insight, wisdom, authority, and bold confidence.

John 2:25 He Himself knew what was in man.

Matthew 7:29 He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

This ability transferred to the apostles who had been with Him.

Acts 4:13 Now, as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.

The same Holy Spirit is with us to empower our teaching and communicate to others.

Understanding Scripture is not an intellectual matter but a spiritual and moral issue. No matter how great the intellect or advanced one’s education, we are inadequate without the Father’s enablement.

1 Corinthians 2:7-8, 14

 7 The wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God – his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began.

 8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

14 But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.

Matthew 23:23 Do not neglect the more important things.

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© Dr. H 2022

The beloved are nots

The beloved are nots

God blesses those who are poor in spirit and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. – Matthew 5:3

1 Corinthians 1:26-28

 26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you.

 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.

 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, the things that are not, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.

What values were the motivating force of the culture of the Greco-Roman world? It was a time and place defined by the level of status and honor one possessed (MacMullen). “Rome was a highly stratified and therefore an immensely self-conscious society characterized by complex systems for defining, signifying, and acknowledging status” (Beacham). Money (Pecunia) and Status (Philotimia) were worshiped as goddesses (Barclay).

Celsus was a second-century Greek philosopher and antagonist of early Christianity. He wrote one of the most scathing attacks on Christianity of that time. He asserted that the Christian outlook was: “Let no cultured person draw near, none wise, none sensible; for all that kind of thing we count evil; but if any man is ignorant if any is wanting in sense and culture if any is a fool let him come boldly.” He claimed that the Christians were “‘like a swarm of bats – or ants creeping out of their nests – or frogs holding a symposium around a swamp – or worms in gathering in a corner of mud” (Barclay).

What made Christianity so attractive to those who would become children of the King? It “introduced them into a society committed to looking at them primarily as people, all equally valuable and valued. It gave them a space in which they could flourish in freedom.” The cross “embodied the paradox they lived” and “made sense of the ambiguity of their lives” (Murphy-O’Connor).

This gracious acceptance is what made Christianity remarkable and attractive. The Roman Empire had over 60,000,000 slaves. “In the eyes of the law, a slave was a ‘living tool’, a thing and not a person at all . . .. Christianity made people who were things into real men and women; more, into sons and daughters of God. It gave self-respect to those who had no respect; it gave life eternal to those who had no life; it told them that, even if they did not matter to others, they still mattered intensely to God. It told people who were worthless in the eyes of the world that, in the eyes of God, they were worth the death of his only Son. Christianity was, and still is, the most uplifting thing in the whole universe” (Barclay).

The Father chose the are nots to confound those that are. To Him, they were beloved!

1 Corinthians 1:28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, the things that are not, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.

REFLECT & PRAY

Children of the King are the beloved are nots ofthe eternal, omnipotent Father God.

Father thank You for loving me just as I am, sinful and foolish. There is nothing I could ever do to earn Your acceptance and love. Thank You for graciously bestowing upon me.

INSIGHT

Who are the children of the King? They are typically not those whom the world considers of high esteem. They are not wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy (1 Corinthians 1:26). Rather, with a few exceptions (Moses, Joseph, Daniel, Esther, Paul, etc.) they are the antithesis of what the world would choose. They are just regular folks. But they are the Father’s folks. What the world does not choose, the Father has chosen. He has chosen to make them His own and they are beloved.

Pause and consider that for a moment. That is exactly what Paul asked us to do to consider or think about our calling (1 Corinthians 1:26)

Why did the Father choose us?

The Greek verb translated as chosen is eklegomai. Eklegomai has the sense of selecting for one’s own reasons or purposes from a number of alternatives. To get a bit technical, this Greek verb is in the middle voice of Greek. The middle voice is used to express self-involvement or self-interest. Thus it connotes that the Father had a stake, a personal interest in the choices which He made. He chose the children of the King to be His because He wanted to. The Father wanted us. We are attractive and desirable to Him. We are His beloved.

What a glorious, gracious method of selection. There is no competition to make the cut. The Father has chosen those whom He has chosen. This reality is reiterated three times by Paul for emphasis in 1 Corinthians 1:27-28. He has chosen “from the midst of the world . . . those individuals whom no one judged worthy of attention and made them the bearers of His kingdom” (Garland).

The need for love and acceptance is a universal desire of the human race. Abraham Maslow conceived a hierarchy of human need in 1943. It has become a motivational theory in psychology. According to Maslow, the need for love and belonging is of foundational importance to the human race. Every child of the King is unconditionally loved and accepted for time and eternity.

According to the world, the children of the King are foolish. The Greek word translated as foolish is moros. Moros connotes dull, stupid, or foolishness. The English word moron comes from this word. Those who are morons in the eyes of the world are greatly loved by the Father. What matters most, the opinions of fallen humankind or the assessment and choice of the Father, the living God?

Paul compares the children of the King who are considered to be foolish, weak, and powerless, to the seeming weakness and powerlessness of the cross. The work of the cross and the death of Christ to redeem a lost world, is the greatest work ever wrought by the mighty arm of the Father, the omnipotent God.

Isaiah 52:10 The LORD has bared His holy arm . . .. that all the ends of the earth may see the salvation of our God.

“God chose the foolish because the wise thought the cross was sheer folly as a means for saving the world, the weak because the strong thought they were powerful enough without God, and the low and despised because the high and mighty did not care to debase themselves by attaching themselves to a crucified God” (Garland).

“God purposely chose the things that humans consider foolish in order to shame so-called wise people, and he chose the things that humans consider weak to shame powerful people” (UBS). “… for he (God) wanted to reduce to nothing those who are something before men” (GeCL).“He (God) decided to cause people whom humans consider important to have no importance at all” (UBS).

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© Dr. H 2022

Provisions for the unexpected

Provisions for the unexpected

So I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. – Philippians 1:19

Genesis 22:6-14

 6 So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together,

 7 Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”

 8 “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.

 9 When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.

 10 And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice.

 11 At that moment the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”

 12 “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”

 13 Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son.

 14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “The LORD will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”

On planet Earth, unexpected losses and calamities occur. On June 24, 2021, Champlain Towers South, a 12-story beachfront condominium in the Miami suburb of Surfside, Florida, partially collapsed. The pancake collapse destroyed 55 of the 136 units in the building.

The building had been sinking since the 1990s at a significant rate of about two millimeters (0.079 in) per year. In 2018, an inspection showed a “major error” in the construction of the pool deck, whereby the waterproofing was not sloped. Consequently, water collected there until it could evaporate. Over the years, the concrete slabs below the pool deck became severely damaged by the collected water. The report noted the waterproofing below the pool deck was beyond its useful life and must all be completely removed and replaced. The firm wrote that “failure to replace waterproofing in the near future will cause the extent of the concrete deterioration to expand exponentially.”

How can such eventualities be prepared for? How can people in need be helped? In the business world, particularly banking, to cover future potential adversities, “provisions” must be set aside.

What are provisions?

Provisions represent funds put aside by a company to cover unanticipated losses in the future. In other words, a provision is a liability of uncertain timing and amount. Income tax liabilities, warranties, loan defaults, asset devaluation, future litigation fees, etc., are typical provisions. To account for these risks, companies must make provision to ensure they have enough money set apart to cover them.

The Scriptures are clear that the Father is all-powerful and loves each child of the King. He has made ample provision and promised to take care of our needs. But exactly how does that work?

Abraham walked with the Father for some time. He learned much from previous experiences. But what he was asked to believe in Genesis 17 was, humanly speaking, impossible. He was past the age of being able to have a child. The same was true of his wife.

Genesis 17:17 He laughed to himself in disbelief. “How could I become a father at the age of 100?” he thought. “And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?”

Genesis 18:12 Sarah laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master – my husband – is also so old?”

Human limitations do not present an insurmountable obstacle to the Father. He did the impossible and overcame their human inadequacies. They were once again able to have children. And miracle of miracles, Isaac was born.

The Bible is replete with stories of the Father doing the impossible. Contemplate for a moment, why does He do this? The simple answer is to demonstrate that He is real and that He is actively involved in our lives.

It is incumbent upon each child of the King to learn to exercise faith and trust in His promises and provision. The assignments and tasks He gives us are intended to grow our faith and trust in Him. As we depend upon Him and follow His guidance, we find ourselves in the right place, at the right time, with the right attitude. The Father does the rest.

“At the age of 75, Abraham enrolled in the ‘School of Faith.’ Now he was over 100, and he was still having soul-stretching experiences. We are never too old to face new challenges, fight new battles, and learn new truths. When we stop learning, we stop growing; and when we stop growing, we stop living” (Wiersbe).

REFLECT & PRAY

“Life is difficult. Once we truly know that life is difficult – once we truly understand and accept it – then life is no longer difficult” (M. Scott Peck).

Father, I struggle to trust You. It is so easy to take matters into my own hands. Encourage me to remember that You have made provision for my needs and that You fulfill Your promises. I have re-enrolled in the School of Faith.

INSIGHT

In Genesis 22, Abraham is prepared to fully believe the Father’s promises no matter what. He has grown to maturity. He is walking by faith and will now demonstrate how real his faith is. This chapter is one of the rare and remarkable times when the Father enters the time-space continuum. He makes Himself visible to Abraham and interacts with him. Further, the Father sends His angel to prevent a horrendous tragedy.

The lesson of Genesis 22 is straightforward. The Lord will provide!

Genesis 22:8 “God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering”

Genesis 22:14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the LORD will provide”).

Yahweh-Yireh literally means “The Lord will see to it,” that is, “The Lord will provide” (Wiersbe).

In modern English, we have an analogous expression. When we make a promise, we simply say, “I’ll take care of it.” Regarding His provision, the Father says, “I’ll take care of it.” to each child of the King. How amazing! He’s got our back.

“In times of testing, it is easy to think only about our needs and our burdens; instead, we should be focusing on bringing glory to Jesus Christ. We find ourselves asking ‘How can I get out of this?’ Instead of ‘What can I get out of this that will honor the Lord?’ We sometimes waste our sufferings by neglecting or ignoring opportunities to reveal Jesus Christ to others who are watching us go through the furnace” (Wiersbe).

“The Lord will provide – always. He may surprise us, He may perplex us, He may make us wait. But He will always provide exactly what we need, when we need it” (Stanley).

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© Dr. H 2022

I did not know I was hungry ∙

I did not know I was hungry ∙

He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. – Deuteronomy 8:16

Deuteronomy 8:2-3

 2 Remember how the LORD your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands.

 3 Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

The story is about a cocoon, a butterfly, and a young boy. One day, a small opening appeared in a cocoon, through which a butterfly would soon appear. A boy stopped and watched how the butterfly struggled to get out of the cocoon. The butterfly was exerting much effort, but the gap was not widening. The boy thought that perhaps the butterfly was not strong enough to break through.

The boy made a fateful decision to “help” the butterfly. The boy used a small knife and cut a larger opening in the cocoon. The butterfly was able to emerge without much additional effort. But it appeared scrawny and feeble. It could barely move its crinkled wings.

The boy watched, hoping the butterfly would spread its wings and fly. But that never happened. The butterfly would live out its existence frail and grounded.

For the rest of its now drastically shortened life, the butterfly would have to drag its weak body and useless, crinkled wings. It was unable to fly. The boy did not realize that the effort required to spread the narrow gap of the cocoon was necessary for the butterfly. The energy expended would pump life-giving fluid from the body to the butterfly’s wings, enabling them to expand and allow the butterfly to fly. Butterflies and cocoons were designed so that it takes much effort for butterflies to emerge from their cocoons. This makes them strong and vibrant. It is part of the Father’s design for them.

If we were allowed to live without encountering and overcoming difficulties, we would not grow and develop, become stronger, and reach our full potential. The Father puts challenges into our lives to strengthen us, not destroy us.

Life is filled with challenges. Sometimes the Father leads us into extended periods of time that are barren, difficult, and seemingly without end or purpose. But the Father never does anything without a plan, well thought out, and with specific goals in mind.

When we experience such times in the wilderness, the best question is not “why?” but rather, “Father, what do You want me to learn from this?”

These tests focus our trust in the Father and His ability, faithfulness, and willingness to provide for us. It provides answers to questions that often go unspoken. Will He meet our needs? Is He as good as we think He is?

We are spiritual beings and we cannot exist on material nourishment alone. We are spiritually hungry, but we do not know it. We become aware of our spiritual hunger through the trials we face.

Deuteronomy 8:3 He humbled you and let you be hungry . . . that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.

But perhaps of no lesser importance, we discover ourselves. We learn what is truly in our hearts. What kind of stuff are we really made of? Are we willing to discover the Father’s purpose and goals, cast aside our selfishness and fears, and obey Him at all costs?

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” This phrase has become a popular expression in American culture. It owes its origin to American football. The phrase was coined in 1953 in a speech made by John Thomas, the coach of the Green Hornets football team.

What is not important is how we begin our wilderness journey; what is essential is how we finish it.

REFLECT & PRAY

Who am I really? What am I willing to commit to endure for my King, my Father? Our walk with Him is ultimately not about us and our human frailty but rather about Him and His marvelous strength.

Father as I look back over my life, I see how many times You have been there for me. I thought I was totally alone, but You were there. When I was weak, You became my strength. You coached me and taught me how to live. You showed me that inner strength and sustenance come through the Word of God! Encourage me to finish the journey I began.

INSIGHT

The Father uses the wilderness to test our character. The wilderness reveals our hearts. Our true character is demonstrated through obedience or the lack thereof.

The wilderness experience was not the end of the journey. It was only the beginning of the journey. Its rigors are developmental. They prepare people to engage in the real battle that lies ahead. Success in the land of promise depends on prior success in the wilderness.

Lush, abundant, natural provision was on the horizon. The Father’s supernatural provision in the barren desert is preparation for what is to come.

How do you teach someone to handle wealth and abundance? The Father’s method is through scarcity and learning to trust Him and Him alone.

Deuteronomy 8:5-17

 5 Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the LORD your God disciplines you for your own good.

 7 For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with fountains and springs that gush out in the valleys and hills.

 9 It is a land where food is plentiful, and nothing is lacking.

 10 When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.

 11 But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today.

 14 Do not become proud at that time and forget the LORD your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.

 17 He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’

“Challenges are what makes life interesting. Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful” (Joshua J. Marine).

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© Dr. H 2022