Blessings and
honor to Jesus our Lord who is upon His throne. He blessed us with a winsome
Wednesday Evening gathering. The food was very delicious, the fellowship was
sweet, and the Study time was a great blessing. We looked at Deuteronomy 8. This
is the account of the way the Lord leads His people to the Promised Land, an
account which is very instructive for us. It was a strange mixture of difficulty
and divine intervention—both hunger and provision. In verse 3 we read that, on
the one hand, God allowed these people to suffer hunger. He led them in a
wilderness—not a tropical paradise, not a land filled with milk and honey but a
dry, dusty desert. Moses describes that place in verse 15, “He led you through
the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous
snakes and scorpions.”
I am convinced that the same God who parted the Red Sea could have with one stroke wiped out every snake and every scorpion in that desert, but He didn't do that. Instead he allowed His people to contend with snakes, scorpions, hunger, and thirst. Our loving God does not remove all the difficulties we encounter in life.
We know about some of the struggles these people experienced while in the wilderness. There were times when they thought they were going to die of thirst. At Meribah (Exodus 17) the people panicked and were ready to stone Moses. They thought they were going to die of thirst right then and there. God intervened and supplied water from the rock. The rest of verse 15 and the first of verse 16 says, “...He brought you water out of the hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the dessert, something your fathers had never known...” So we have this very interesting combination of experiences. On the one hand, God allowed them to encounter hunger and thirst, but on the other hand, he miraculously provided manna for them to eat. Then He miraculously supplied water.
This combination of provision and want is mentioned all through the Bible. God provides Abraham an heir—but it takes a whole lot longer than Abraham was expecting. Joseph’s dreams come to pass but only after years of slavery and imprisonment. Moses became the great deliverer he was destined to be, but after some humbling experiences and 40 years in the wilderness as a nobody. We could talk about David’s journey to the throne and even his struggles as king. We could talk about Jeremiah. We could talk about all the apostles. The Apostle Paul had abundant visions and revelations. Through him God healed the sick, raised people from the dead, turned multitudes from the power of Satan to a rich life in God. On the island of Malta, people tried to proclaim Paul and Barnabas as gods, but on another occasion, his friends had to lower him from a window in a basket so that he could run for his life. (Moments of great victory and exaltation were tempered with humbling experiences when he was painfully aware of his weakness and humanity.
Paul's combination of life circumstances are why he could say in Phil 4:12, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
I am convinced that the same God who parted the Red Sea could have with one stroke wiped out every snake and every scorpion in that desert, but He didn't do that. Instead he allowed His people to contend with snakes, scorpions, hunger, and thirst. Our loving God does not remove all the difficulties we encounter in life.
We know about some of the struggles these people experienced while in the wilderness. There were times when they thought they were going to die of thirst. At Meribah (Exodus 17) the people panicked and were ready to stone Moses. They thought they were going to die of thirst right then and there. God intervened and supplied water from the rock. The rest of verse 15 and the first of verse 16 says, “...He brought you water out of the hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the dessert, something your fathers had never known...” So we have this very interesting combination of experiences. On the one hand, God allowed them to encounter hunger and thirst, but on the other hand, he miraculously provided manna for them to eat. Then He miraculously supplied water.
This combination of provision and want is mentioned all through the Bible. God provides Abraham an heir—but it takes a whole lot longer than Abraham was expecting. Joseph’s dreams come to pass but only after years of slavery and imprisonment. Moses became the great deliverer he was destined to be, but after some humbling experiences and 40 years in the wilderness as a nobody. We could talk about David’s journey to the throne and even his struggles as king. We could talk about Jeremiah. We could talk about all the apostles. The Apostle Paul had abundant visions and revelations. Through him God healed the sick, raised people from the dead, turned multitudes from the power of Satan to a rich life in God. On the island of Malta, people tried to proclaim Paul and Barnabas as gods, but on another occasion, his friends had to lower him from a window in a basket so that he could run for his life. (Moments of great victory and exaltation were tempered with humbling experiences when he was painfully aware of his weakness and humanity.
Paul's combination of life circumstances are why he could say in Phil 4:12, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
Praise the Lord for
all His divine promises, for His divine intervention, and for his continuous
presence. As we pause and ponder about His grace and greatness we are propelled
to a position of gratitude and thanksgiving.
There was one man
who became so troubled that he decided to end his life. Just as he was about to
throw himself over a cliff he heard a man call out to him, "Please Sir. Before
you throw yourself off that cliff can I please have your watch, shoes and belt?
He looked over and there was a homeless man wearing only rags. When he
considered how much he had, he got back in his car and started a new life with a
greater sense of thankfulness for every little gift from God. He realized that
the good things that he had were riches for others.
In
Christ,
Brown
A Special
Thanksgiving Worship;
Saturday, November
17, 2012
Location: First
United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Ave., Endicott
Sponsored by: Union
Center United Methodist Church
Speaker: Dr. Dino
Pedrone,
President, Davis
College, Binghamton,
Special Music :
Worship Band of Davis College,
Organist : Yancey
Moore
Pianist: Aric
Phinney
All are welcome. For
Information call: 607-748-6329
or
607-748-1358
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