Thursday, August 30, 2018

Passing the Test – Part 2



Michael continues his massage of God’s testing, stating that in Numbers 13, God placed the giants in the land to test Israel. God tested Israel because He had their best interest at heart. Unfortunately, Israel also tested God, thinking that they had their own best interest at heart. They resisted God and submitted unto their own will. They disagreed with the definition of "Israel's best interest." Our trial, like Israel’s, is to subject our will to His will and come to the conclusion that "Father knows best."

According to Genesis 22:1, God tested Abraham. The Hebrew root word for "test" is the word, "smell."  God needed to find out if Abraham would pass the "smell test." God wanted to know: "Abraham, where's your heart?" Do you love me above all? Do you believe that Isaac is indeed the promised seed through whom I will keep my promise of the coming Messiah?" Often God will allow the enemy to overcome His people when they turn their backs on Him. This is the theme of the Old Testament book of Habakkuk. When things are dark and there seems no escape, God will make a way, when there is no way. God never honors fear, but he always honors faith.  He is faithful to His word. He is a God of love, mercy and grace.

God intends for us to spend our time in this fallen world preparing our hearts for our homeland in heaven. According to Hebrews 11, Abraham lived by faith in foreign land, because he was looking toward a city whose architect and builder was God. As Paul said, I count the suffering of this present time of little value in light of the value of God's eternity:  “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;”

The theme of Hebrews 11 is, "have I put down roots in this world, or am I living for eternity in my heavenly homeland." The Believers in the “hall of faith” received the promises of God knowing that they were exiles in this world. They longed for their home in heaven. They desired a better country that God had prepared for them in eternity.  

As the song says, "This world is not our home, we're just a-passing through; Our treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue." At the end of our life in this "foreign land," we live to hear our Father say, "well done thou good and faithful servant:  ... enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”

May God richly bless you,
Your brother in Christ, Michael


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