May 19th

Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and remember the great love of the Lord.
Psalm 107:43

Even wisdom is foolish unless it is acted upon. The Israelites experienced God in a very direct manner in their escape from Egypt in the desert. Yet, they wandered for 40 years endlessly. This allowed woe, sin and trouble to lurk at their front door to destroy and delay their success. They refused to apply the things God had said to them about their conduct and rules of living. They also indulged in a great deal of rebellious activity and hardened their hearts towards God. To be close to God, we need to have a soft heart towards Him and heed His words of love towards us that are written in the Bible.

The Israelites also chose to forget the miraculous deeds of the Lord to free them from their slavery and bondage. All they cared about was what they wanted now. It was with great love that the Lord powerfully freed His poor and suffering people. His lavish love for them also gave them more than they needed to survive and prosper when they reached their next destination in the promised land. Along the way, God also met their needs for food and protection from the elements. Their clothes did not wear out. God provided water out of the rocks and gave manna for their food. When the Israelites did not remember the love of the Lord, they were more subject to being afraid because they conveniently forgot all the ways He had protected them.

I encourage my friends to have a blessing book so that they can write down the blessings that God gives them every day. This is a useful tool to increase their faith and keep fear farther from them because faith and thankfulness are strong antidotes to remove fear.