Deuteronomy 8:2 “And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.”
I so enjoyed listening yesterday to my Mom and Nicole. Not just because they are two incredible women in my life, but to see the contrast in the places of life in which they are. My Mom clearly through to that other side of raising children and Nicole right smack in the middle of it.
What becomes clear when listening to the “older” generations is whether or not their hearts truly remained faithful during those times of “being humbled” and “being tested.” It is easy to get caught up in the “glory” of someone who has already endured many years of life and sometimes decades of difficulty only to see the fruit of remaining faithful to God as the final result. I love listening to the stories of over comers because it is so inspiring, but I must always remember that they are over comers for a reason. They overcame something. That something are those tests of life. Those tests of life reveal what is truly in our hearts. It answers that silent question that we continually ask ourselves, “Do I have what it takes?” Do I have what it takes to raise my kids? Do I have what it takes to resist this temptation? Do I have what it takes to love my spouse when he/she is not easy to love? Do I have what it takes to remain pure in a sexually charged world? Do I have what it takes to go against my classmates when they wrongly gossip against another in my school? What is in my heart? Those tests in life will reveal to you what is in your heart.
The good news is if you are not happy with what you find, you have every opportunity to go to God and settle that. Our verse above talks about being humble. Humble enough to go to God and let Him know we are not strong enough and we need Him and we need His commandments. Yes you heard me right we need His commandments! Keeping His commandments leads to life!
Deuteronomy 8:1 "Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers.”
That you may live and multiply! That you may go in and possess the land! Some of us aren’t where we are supposed to be because we are not obeying His commandments. His commandments are toward items like, marriage, being single, our characters, our finances, how we speak to others and what we speak to others and much more. If you are struggling in any of those areas, it just may be that you are not following His commandments (they are not suggestions) in that area.
The Bible is full of those who endured great trials and great tests. Those that were treated unfairly, those that were in physical pain, those that were not listened to, those that were not respected and a myriad of other examples. Read about their lives and how God worked in their lives during those difficult times and let God’s Holy Spirit speak to your heart while you read and reflect. Grab a biography from the library about some of the incredible men and women of the last 100 years or so and I guarantee you will find a big piece of their lives being one of great difficulty and you will read how they overcame! God is still providing strength today to thousands and thousands of individuals. You and I can be one of those as well.
As I listened to my Mom, I obviously had inside information about what she endured while raising us five children. It wasn’t easy, the fact that I did not drive her crazy is a testimony to her faith and endurance! I wish she could have stayed longer to talk to us all for there is fruit pouring forth from her life all over the place, but some of those seeds for that fruit was planted over 20 years ago and is just now beginning to sprout forth, I’m glad she endured instead of destroying the crop way back then, for many are benefitting today….
Questions to Ask Yourself:
1. What do you believe are some of the tests that are putting your heart under fire today?
2. What are you doing to increase your chances in passing that test? What bad “study” habits are hindering your chances in passing those tests?
Pastor e
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