LED BY THE LORD. Deuteronomy 8 Every human has a nature that God has placed within us that is never fully satisfied with what we eat and drink. The pleasures and successes we experience in life are short-lived, and we quickly realize that “life does not consist of the abundance of things we possess.” Without a conscious recognition of peace with God and fellowship with Him personally, people will live and die unfulfilled and unsatisfied.
The word of God helps us understand both good and bad experiences in life. It relates to our events because it tells stories of similar true events from the past and how God guided and gave understanding to people who believed in Him. In a world filled with sin, uncertainty, and death, we can find wisdom and hope in God’s word. Reading, studying, trusting, and applying the teachings of the Bible will be exactly what we need.
Really meaningful life is available to us when we recognize our need for divine guidance, agree, and are convinced that God can satisfy us. When we pray for God to be with us and give us directions, we can experience and enjoy our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ and practice what our Lord teaches us.
When we take time to reflect on our lives so far, we realize we have been blessed and are daily receiving new blessings that we often overlook. When we read the Word of God devotionally, we begin to examine ourselves to see if we are true “practitioners” of the truths we’ve learned. The Lord our God guides us daily, step by step, along the path of life He has created for us. As He does this, He grants grace upon grace—grace given for the grace we need. Additionally, we receive faith upon faith—answers from His Word when we move forward in His will.
The process of living by the Word of God often follows a certain pattern. A need arises, and we wonder how it will be met. Knowing our need increases our faith in our Gracious Father, and we confidently turn to Him. We remember how He has dealt with us in the past and why things unknown at the time have turned out to be great blessings.
By God's grace, He has humbled us so that we realize what we thought we could do; we could not accomplish it without Him. In humility and repentance for our arrogant pride, we came to Him, and He enabled us to do what was needed with His power. In hindsight, we began to understand our true need for God in the small things of life and what we once considered big. This was a testing time for our Lord to show us our limitations and His all-sufficiency. By allowing us to face difficulties beyond our control or capacity to handle, He reveals to us who we truly are, and we learn who God truly is. In those moments of need, we discover that God meets that need.
When the children of Israel rose to dress each day, they could examine their shoes and clothes and find no sign of wear and tear in them despite the journey of the day before. They were probably quite amazed at first, but soon, they began to take the provision of God for granted. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for God's people to take for granted our acceptance by God through Christ, our fellowship with Him, and His provision for our well-being in the small things of life. It is when we are conscious of God with us that our fellowship with Him lets both us and Him know what is in our hearts. When we learn God in the little things of life, He can trust us with the big things. When we are truly thankful for food, the appetite to eat it, and the sense of smell to enjoy it, we are often moved to pray for those who have very little and, if possible, take steps to provide for their needs as well.
The tests in life we face may be challenging, but no matter how tough they are, they reveal God’s holiness and expose our character as well. Prosperity and wealth can uplift us and lead us to forget our need for God if we're unaware of the dangers that come with what is called “human success.” We need to remember that God provides for our needs and can take away what He allows us to have if He chooses to do so. We do not deserve good things from God because we believe we are good people. It is by God’s mercy that a way has been made for our cleansing from sin through the atonement Jesus Christ made for us on the cross.
In grace, God sometimes leads us to a place in life where we learn the value of hunger. When it is hunger like the Lord Jesus experienced when He was tempted by the devil, we discover there is a satisfaction that goes far beyond being filled with food. Those who "hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled" with that holy provision. We have been "made the righteousness of God in Him." At those moments when our spiritual senses are sharpened, we realize what is truly important in life. Then, when God feeds us, we learn from Him. "Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls."
The children of Israel spent forty years being trained on how to live in the land of promise. Those years in the wilderness taught them the importance of trusting God and obeying His word. They had to learn that “In Him, we live and move and have our being.” They would realize that, solely because of God’s providential care, they had survived. The same would be true in the promised land that would be “flowing with milk and honey.” However, those lost years could have been avoided if they had only been willing to follow God's word and His leading when they first reached Kadesh-Barnea.
We are in as much or more danger when we are “full, rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing,” as when we are poor and weak. There is a tendency to take all the good things we receive from God for granted and to complain when difficulties or bad things happen to us. It may be that if we are not careful, we will blame God for allowing them to happen. With thanksgiving, we are to make our requests known to God. Remembering is not just thinking about something that has happened; it also involves behavior tied to our memories of past experiences. Regular reminders of God’s goodness and our duty are vital, especially when we believe we are succeeding on our own. It is because of God's mercies that we have been preserved and are being kept safe.
We are called to observe what we know and practice it. Remember what God has taught us and learn life lessons from those times of training. We are also called to consider why God has corrected us and what led up to that need for correction. It is not right for us to be corrected repeatedly for the same issue. Correction and chastening are inevitable, but their purpose is "to yield the peaceable fruits of righteousness." When we are charged to obey God's word and follow the precepts it teaches, we must not ignore such a charge. The One who gives it is the Lord God, who has "all power in heaven and on earth." How arrogant for a mere man to try to change the holy instructions given by God so they fit my preconceived ideas.
On the other hand, when we consider Him and aim to observe, remember, and obey His divine commands, we find He moves in grace toward us and blesses us with spiritual blessings that bring peace and contentment. The discontent of those who judge blessings by tangible things in life will never go away. There will always be more things the world offers than we can ever use. Yet, a discontented person will seek them. How much better to genuinely say, "Satisfied with Thee Lord Jesus, I am blessed."
To maintain balance, God wanted His people not just to remember what He had done during their forty years of wandering in the wilderness but also to remember other fundamental truths. May we never forget who our Lord truly is. He is Eternal in His essence. He is Almighty in power. He is Supreme in authority. He is Limitless in ability. He is Gracious in His dealings with us. He is Merciful in His forgiveness. He is Tender in acts of compassion. His Love is boundless. There is no limit to who our Lord is or what He can do. He is infinite in every attribute yet has come close to us, being our Savior and Lord. He considers us friends. His Love for us is beyond our understanding!
To understand the many blessings we have received from Him, we should remember where we came from. The Israelites were to recall their bondage, their insignificance, and how the Lord led them. We remember we were "not a people." We didn't count at all in terms of deserving any attention from God. But now we are "the people of God." We are no longer strangers to His grace; we are sons and daughters adopted into His family. Even more than a normal adoption, we have been given a new nature through the new birth. Both by adoption and by birth, we are children of the Living God. We have gone from having nothing to having everything in Christ, from being enemies and strangers to being children and heirs, from having "no hope and without God in the world" to being blessed with the position of sonship.
Now, what we have are all things to enjoy in Christ. When we find ourselves in joyful fellowship with God, our lives become filled with blessings and meaningful purposes. Along with these blessings come responsibilities to God to live holy, righteous, and godly lives because of our relationship with Him. As those who are "special people," we owe the world around us our testimony of Him and His grace. The people we live among need to see that the blessings we receive are also offered to them. Everything "we are, and have, and hope to be" is owed to our Lord. If we forget who He is and what He has done, and turn to the ways of the world around us to seek satisfaction for our fleshly nature, all we have and enjoy can be quickly lost—except for the new nature we have been given. That nature will be grieved, and we will find no true joy. The reality of our spiritual joy and blessings will be lost if we turn to the religious world, the world of pleasure, the business world, or any other worldly aspect in search of satisfaction.
To genuinely obey God and follow His commands, my heart must be fully drawn to Him. Submitting to His plans is not burdensome when I live in the blessed freedom He provides. Understanding what God desires and willingly submitting to it isn't always natural. Obedience, prompted by God's grace toward me, is why I dedicate myself to letting my love for Him shine through.
My will is centered on obeying God. I believe He wants the best for me, even though I rely on faith alone in His Word. With each event in my life, I trust that my Lord knows what’s best. Since He is infinite, nothing is beyond His knowledge. Obedience to Him means walking by faith, not by sight, and trusting that what He has for me will be revealed in His perfect timing.
My mind is naturally limited, so I can't truly know right from wrong unless I commit to the principles of truth and grace. In my weakness, His will becomes strong, and a foundation is laid in my mind so my spiritual intelligence can take control. As I search the scriptures of truth, I will discover that learning from the Lord brings rest to my soul.
My strengths and talents are limited. Additionally, this body is becoming slower and weaker. Thankfully, the Lord is gracious and willing to use any physical abilities I have when I fellowship with Him whom I seek. Fellowship in the Gospel, fellowship in any part of His work, is my delight in whatever way I can participate. Whether financial or physical, I pray there will be no way I shirk fulfilling my responsibilities so that I can consecrate what I am and have to Him.
I look forward to a day when accounts are settled and I stand in awe before the One I truly love. Before sitting at the marriage supper with Him, my life will be shown to reveal what has been for His glory. May my purpose in life remain consistent in faith each day as I seek to serve Him with my heart in obedience to His will. May my demeanor reflect God's grace, and may I never stray from the path of obedience to my Lord.