THE BENEFITS OF DESERT EXPERIENCES

Deserts, valleys, and deserted islands are usually not habitable places. People do not make such places their home, and if they find themselves there, it is always a temporary situation; they are just passing through.

The desert is a dry, hot place, water is scarce, food is scarce and nobody else lives there. A person in a desert will feel very lonely, isolated, hungry and thirsty. Should he be in trouble, there will be no help. Nobody in their right mind will choose to live in a desert. Therefore, anybody in a desert was most likely placed there, intentionally, by another or got there because he/she got lost. 

The Israelites were in the desert, not by choice. God was taking them through the desert to the Promised Land, a place flowing with milk and honey.  They could have made that journey, by-passing the desert, but God had a good reason for taking them through the wilderness (see Exodus 13:17-18). They were excited about the Promised Land alright, but they hated their desert experiences so much so that they wished they were back in Egypt, as slaves. They were willing to do anything to be out of the desert, including killing Moses, their leader. They had no food, God sent them manna; they had no meat, God sent them quails (see Exodus 16). They had no water God sent them water from the Rock! (See Exodus 17:1-6).

We all have trials in our lives we can refer to as deserts, valleys or deserted islands. Life in our individual deserts is dry, painful, exhausting and quite often unexplained, with no end in sight. How did we get there? Where were we going? How are we coping? 

So how did we get there? Most likely, God put us there or allowed our circumstances to work out that way, so He can have us to Himself in the desert. He needs to get our undivided attention and teach us lessons we cannot learn otherwise (see Jeremiah 29:11).

And where were we going? We might not know the short term destination but the final destination is to be like Christ. He is teaching us lessons to mature us and make us fit for heaven (see James 1:2-4).

How are we coping? We should be looking to Christ the author and finisher of our faith (see Hebrews 12:1-2). Focusing on the goal, will make the desert more tolerable and hopefully, we will even get to appreciate it. I am not sure the Israelites ever got to the point of appreciating their desert experiences as a nation, but we should. I know of individuals who are thankful for past painful experiences, because of the lasting lessons they learned to benefit themselves and others.

Let’s learn from the Israelites. Because of their rebellion and murmuring in the wilderness, they stayed there longer than they would have. The older generation, including Moses, did not make it into the Promised Land. We need to get with God’s program. We need to make it safely through the desert into the Promised Land.  “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5 NLT).

IDENTITY CRISIS

 A person’s identity is who they are; it is what sets them apart from everyone else. Who are you? Who do you claim to be? Do people know you, and does their knowledge of you match who you claim to be? Don’t make room for them to assume who you are, and don’t make room for them to guess, but if they do guess, make it possible for them to guess correctly. Just be yourself!

For example, if you see an individual with a stethoscope around his or her neck, you could assume he or she is a medical professional. If you see an individual in court, wearing a robe, sitting behind the bench, and holding a gavel, you could assume he or she is the judge.

In our natural world, everyone has parents. So it is in the spiritual world.  You either have God or Satan for a father. Do you call yourself a child of God? If you do, then be a child of God. When you meet people, do they notice something about you that causes them to assume or guess you are a Christian, or will they be uncertain? If they don’t think you are a child of God, you are left with only one other option: they must think you are a child of the devil. But if you are a Christian, then there is something wrong with your identity. What is it? 

If you became a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, then the person you are should be obvious to people around you. If you live a life of obedience to God, you will in essence be saying you love Him (see John 14:15). On the other hand, if you are living in disobedience, people can quickly assume you are not a Christian, even if you claim to be one.

Jesus is not interested in lip service, and He made that plain to the disciples when He asked them, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not what I say?” (Luke 6:46 NIV). When Jesus was warning against false prophets, He said, “By their fruit you’ll recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn-bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit” (Matthew 7:16-18 NIV).

If you are a child of God, the characteristics (fruit) you exhibit should be a clear indication that you are His son or daughter. There is no better way of demonstrating that you are child of God than through obedience. The Bible says, “Be holy for I (God) am holy.” In other words, we should exhibit His trait of holiness in the way we live.

Developing those traits is an ongoing effort. We do not arrive at holiness overnight. According to the apostle Paul, we have to work at it with fear and trembling (see Philippians 2:12). It takes meditation on God’s Word and allowing it to transform us into His nature through the renewing of our mind. Then we will shine, as the Scripture says, like stars in the universe (see Philippians 2:15).

Observing the lives of the disciples, the Jewish leaders were able to accurately conclude that they had been with Jesus. If we indeed have been with Jesus, it should be obvious to others. Claiming to be a Christian and yet living as an unbeliever is proof of an identity crisis. It means one is not really sure who one is.

We need to turn our backs on worldliness and all appearances of evil. A Christian should not live comfortably in sin. If you are, then you need to revisit God’s plan of salvation to make sure you are really born again. If we fall into sin, we should quickly repent, confess, and seek forgiveness. That is the mark of a Christian: the fear of sin and the concern for displeasing God.

Are you experiencing an identity crisis? You can change that by making the determination to live a life that is pleasing to God, and then seeking the help of the Spirit to accomplish it. Let’s put on the armor of God and keep it on (see Ephesians 6:11-18), 24/7.

AS FOR GOD, HIS WAY IS PERFECT (Psalm 18:30 NIV)

Anything perfect cannot be improved upon! It is all it can be and should be. So God’s way lacks nothing! We cannot wish or request anything better.

God’s way is perfect, even He cannot improve upon it.

What is God’s way, and why is it perfect?  God’s way is love, because all His other attributes flow out of love.  His kindness, justice, mercy, you name it, they all flow out of love, and therefore His way is love and His love is perfect.  His love is just the thing you and I need!

His love is perfect, when I don’t understand my circumstances,

His love is perfect, when I make mistakes,

His love is perfect, when I hurt

His love is perfect, even when I face disappointments that lead to discouragement.

His love is perfect, all the time, and under all circumstances.

His love is perfect in all He does, and in all He allows in my life.

He is working it all out for His glory and for my good.

This is a reminder that I am totally safe in His care.

As for God, His way is perfect,

I will trust and not be afraid,

I will trust and not question His wisdom,

O, perfect love, such awesome comfort

(Psalm 18:30 NIV84)

EARNING RETURNS ON GOD'S RESOURCES

 What does it mean to earn returns? To earn returns means to gain or receive profit on a committed capital (an investment). Usually, the capital and the gains earned belong to the individual who provided the capital. 

Although whatever we own belongs to God (we are simply stewards – see Psalm 24:1), we can legally and rightfully earn returns on it for ourselves. You might ask, “How in the world can anyone gain returns on what belongs to another person?” Well, in God’s economy, it is very simple. Spend God’s money and resources wisely and generously: don’t be stingy, and the returns will pile up for you in heaven (see Luke 18:22). What a brilliant idea! After all, earthly riches are temporary; we do not take our possessions in moving trucks with us when we die.

Paul says to the young preacher Timothy, “Command them (the rich) to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasures for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:18-19 NIV).

In the parable of the shrewd manager, for instance (see Luke 16:1-9), the manager falsified debtors’ records that cost his employer lots of money. He came up with a scheme in preparation for his future, thinking these debtors would be kind to him when he was broke after being fired by his employer. But in our case as Christians, we don’t have to falsify anything; we have God’s permission to use all that He has entrusted to us for His glory and for our benefit (see Matthew 6:19-20).   

          

So Christian, what are you doing with what God has entrusted to you? Are you holding onto it tightly? Remember, “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously” (2 Corinthians 9:6 NIV). So let it go. It is not yours anyway; allow it to work for your future!

 “How?” you ask. Meet the needs you see around you, give to God’s work, and Jesus’ response to you will be, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” (Matthew 25:35-36 NIV). 

If we don’t invest what God has entrusted to us now, we cannot hope for any future returns. If you’d like to hear God say to you, “Well done good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your Master’s happiness” (Matthew 25:21 NIV), then do this: START TODAY PUTTING GOD’S RESOURCES TO WORK to benefit others!

  

PAIN AND SUFFERING

“The Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless” Psalm 84:11

What an awesome promise to claim and hold on to! I am encouraged to know that God will provide me with all the good He believes will benefit me! Of course, like some other promises, there is an attached condition. The condition is that my Christian walk be blameless. This condition does not mean I have to be sinless, but it does mean that I have to hate sin, and make a conscious effort to not be overcome by it. I need to not take advantage of God’s goodness.  

I have met people living in sin unashamedly; because they claim God will forgive them. I’ve had to remind them of the question the Bible puts to Christians, “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer (Romans 6:1-2 NIV84)? Our attitude towards sin is indicative of our respect or disrespect for God, and how serious we are about our faith. The Bible states, “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him” (1 John 3:6 NIV84). Our disdain for sin should convince people that we know and fear God. We can’t claim a relationship with God and be comfortably living in sin at the same time. Claims are not enough; our way of life speaks louder than our claims. Blamelessness also means walking in obedience to God’s Word; and that is when we can confidently claim this promise.   

God doesn’t withhold good from us, but He also doesn’t withhold painful experiences from us. Painful experiences include but not limited to, loss, suffering, poor health, financial difficulties, persecutions, and the like, and are good for building our character. Through suffering, we learn to carefully examine our lives to make sure we do not have any un-confessed sins; we learn to trust God, and also look at life from His perspective. The Scripture says God made Jesus perfect through suffering (see Hebrew 2:10), and Jesus, though the Son of God, learned obedience from what He suffered (see Hebrews 5:8). If sinless Jesus was made perfect through suffering, then we mega sinners need to embrace suffering with the understanding that suffering is for our good, and that it identifies us as members of God’s family, with Jesus as our Brother (see Hebrews 2:11). Addressing the issue of suffering, Paul and Barnabas, encouraged their new converts in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch to remain faithful to the faith by saying, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22 NIV84).

The Psalmist is a good example of how to appreciate pain; he said to God, “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever” (Psalm 30:11-12 NIV84).  So through his experience, the Psalmist learned to praise God and testify about His goodness and sustaining power in times of distress. Therefore, if God allows a painful experience, it must be because it is good. Praising God is one of the outcomes of suffering that God desires for us (see Isaiah 57:18-19). Let us therefore endure suffering as children who desire to be transformed into the image of their Father. This calls to mind another Scripture, “In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 NIV84).

It is essential to remember that in our suffering, God controls the intensity and duration, and also makes a way of escape for us  because He has promised that He will not allow us to go through more than we can bear (see 1 Corinthians 10:13). God does not rejoice in our pain, but rejoices when we bear godly fruit of righteousness and peace. The Scripture says, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11 NIV84).

God told Jeremiah that His plans for him were for welfare (see Jeremiah 29:11), but Jeremiah’s experiences were not always without problems. His own people plotted to kill him because they did not appreciate his messages (see Jeremiah 11:18-19, 21). Jeremiah was persecuted and jailed by a colleague, Pashhur the priest, for prophesying doom and gloom as instructed by the Lord (see Jeremiah 20:1-2). These experiences do not sound like welfare, but God allowed them, maybe, to test and grow Jeremiah’s faith.

The outcome of enduring pain does not benefit only the person experiencing it; it also benefits the Body of Christ, the Church. The Church is encouraged when it witnesses, first-hand, the power and faithfulness of God in the life of other believers. Having said that, it is also fair to say it is okay to pour out our hearts to God in our pain; Jesus did. On the cross, He said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” (Mark 15:34 NIV84)? However, He did not request legions of angels to come to His defense, although He could have (see Matthew 26:53). Instead, He completed the task the Father had given Him. By so doing, He earned the highest place that heaven affords and a name that is above every name, so that at the mention of His name every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth (see Philippians 2:8-11). Similarly, God has made wonderful promises to those who overcome the difficulties and challenges of life (See Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:12, 21; 21:7).

So in suffering, let us not quit! Let us focus on Christ and the prize ahead. After all, He is gone to prepare a place for us, and before we know it, He will be back to take us to be with Him for all eternity (see John 14:2-3). Even so Lord Jesus, come!  

ARE YOUR AFFAIRS IN ORDER?

Recently, I received an invitation through the mail to a free seminar on wills and trusts. The title of the seminar—ARE YOUR AFFAIRS IN ORDER? This seminar, I’m sure, is designed to remind the attendees that life here on earth is going to end some time, so they need to prepare before it does. They’ll need to make their wishes known regarding their funeral arrangements and how to handle their estate. This will ensure their desires are met and there aren’t any regrets on the part of their loved ones. 

Quite frequently, very ill or terminally ill patients have also heard their medical providers admonish them to get their affairs in order: an indication that death could be imminent. The reason for the admonishment is the same—make your wishes known, so someone else doesn’t make decisions against your unspoken wishes. After all, it’s your funeral and your assets; you should have a say in how they’re handled.   

Having said all that, are your affairs in order? I am sure your answer will be one of the following: “yes,” “no,’ or “still working on it.” Please do, and do it quickly, if your answer is ‘no.’ but there is another area of life you need to get in order that is more important than how your funeral or estate is handled.

Is your soul ready for eternity, or are you going to leave that to chance? The Bible makes it clear: “Each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27 NLT). It might not be a big deal if you can’t decide on your funeral, but it sure will be a big deal if you leave your eternity to chance. The end result of not planning for eternity will be facing God’s judgment, and being condemned to spend eternity in hell with the devil and his demons (see Matthew 25:41).

The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death, {separation from God} but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 NLT). As I mentioned earlier regarding your funeral, if you don’t make your wishes known ahead of time, another person (family or friend) will make that decision for you, like it or not. You won’t have the opportunity to make changes; once you miss the window of opportunity, you’ve missed it! Likewise, if you miss the opportunity to make plans to spend eternity with God in heaven, you have automatically and non-verbally decided to go to hell.

To avoid the disappointment of not getting into heaven, you have to make plans now, and have the assurance that after this life, you’ll be with God in heaven and not with the devil in hell. It’s like making a hotel reservation ahead of a planned trip. When you arrive at your destination, you’ll be allowed in, and you’ll have a clean bed waiting for you. You won’t have to worry about being locked out (see Matthew 25:1-12).

Are you wondering how to make plans for heaven? I’ll tell you! You need to admit you’re a sinner, because the Bible says you are (see Romans 3:23), repent of your sins (see Acts 2:38), and ask God for forgiveness through Jesus Christ who died on the cross in your place and in mine. God will forgive you and put His Holy Spirit in your heart, and make sure your name is in the Book of Life (see Revelations 3:5). When you take this step, God assures you: “I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

Please get your affairs in order now, because tomorrow could be too late. Call on Jesus today for salvation; you can never be too early!

CHRISTIAN LIVING

The Christian life is a transformed life; we have been moved from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. We cannot live this life without help—without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit who lives within us.

Christians are adopted children of God. Prior to adoption, we were controlled by the devil.  Each one of us had an earthly nature of sin, evidenced by sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from the lips (see Colossians 3:6,8). Through the finished work of Christ, God rescued us from the devil’s camp. This made us children of the Most High God. He put His Spirit into us to bear witness with our spirit that we really are His children and to teach us how to live godly lives.

As Christians we are called to walk as Jesus walked. That means we turn our backs on sin, give up our former ways of living, and focus on God’s ways. The Bible says that our lives are hid with Christ (see Colossians 3:3) just as we might hide treasures from thieves. It is obvious that, if our lives are hid with Christ, we’ll treasure His ways more than worldly ways.

There are Christians who think believing in Jesus is all they need to do. They think that after they profess their faith, they are free to live any way that pleases them. In truth, believing in Jesus is only the beginning of the journey. Until we see Jesus face to face, we must continually seek to become more and more like Him. The apostle Paul expresses it this way, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12 NIV), and John says it this way, “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin” (1 John 5:18 NIV). We need to make a conscious effort to hate sin and to have nothing to do with it.

It is clear from the Scriptures that God’s wrath is coming against those who live in sin (see Colossians 3:6). Let us, therefore, keep ourselves clean. Our salvation cost Him a price we cannot imagine. The least we can do is live to please and honor Him, so let’s obey the Scriptures, working out our salvation with genuine fear and trembling!