My first comment today is in the form of a question. “How can we know what we truly believe, if we haven’t been tested?” Yeah, I know! Bring that up! 🙄 I don’t know about you, but I always hated exams. Instead, I loved assignments. But exams? Nah! Not-so-much. Sigh. The idea of testing of any kind gives me butterflies. 

Here are some verses we might sometimes like to quote at other people … a-n-d … we hope that somehow those verses won’t apply to us! (Fat chance.) “You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” Deuteronomy 8:2. BTW, I know that verse is in the Old Testament, I would just like to mention that those O.T. pages are still in my bible – how about yours?  If “…every promise in the book is MINE…” then so are all the instructions and corrections! Jesus completed our salvation – He didn’t eliminate the need for it! It’s a process – ya might want to think about that one. 🤔

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; see if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the WAY everlasting.” Psalm 139:23.24. There are loads more verses like that one! Our Heavenly Father loves us so much that He gave all He had – everything He truly valued and loved – to buy us back. All of that is free but … it will cost us everything too. Vastly simplified, the difference between the Old and the New Testament, is JESUS CHRIST – He died for us, and sent back the Holy Spirit to HELP US to live our new life for the Father’s purposes. 

Now, let’s leap over to the NEW Testament and see what that says. “….but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts.” 1 Thessalonians 2:4. Here’s another one:  “…each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire,andthe fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.” 

The fire of God tests us. I’m pretty sure that nobody will like it… but difficulties and hard times are doing something useful – they show us where our hearts really are. Even life itself tests us. Are you ready for this verse?: “…knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” James 1:3. Yeah, good old James, he always says what nobody wants to hear. Ya gotta love that guy!

Remember the parable about the old and new wineskins? The reason the old wineskin burst is because it was longer flexible. A new wineskin is stretchable. It adapts and stretches during the fermenting process. Personally speaking, I am no longer young, stretching in the physical, emotional, or spiritual realm is not my idea of having fun! I just want to relax and enjoy my old age. I think that was what got to Moses in the end – we know He wasn’t DEAF or BLIND – the bible says so! But perhaps …he was just plumb worn out. Dragging a million or more people around with you will do that you know! So will living to be 120! 

Life itself is hard. Sometimes we get so busy trying to make this life work for us, and the people we love – we forget that we are SomeOne Else’s servant now. Perhaps we even passionately pray for “More Lord, more of you Lord.” Well, I think He looks at that prayer and says – “Where the heck do you think you are going to put the MORE? You are barely able to stretch enough for what you have already been given!”  We desperately need to become flexible and put down our own theology and ideas. Some of that stuff has set like cement inside us! 

Here is one of the things that can often hurt us – we are resisting His will! The Western church has become complacent. She only wants the things that suit Her – She likes being comfortable and having enough. We must pray to be pliable and stretchable and prepared to live by faith. For some of us that will mean we leave our place of birth and go and live some place else where we can be of service to Him. That happened to people in the Old Testament, and people in the New. Read the book. Bye. 👋🏻

Luke 12:49: “Jesus said to His disciples: ‘I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already!”