The Greater the Affliction, the Greater the Reward

See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand! —Galatians 6:11

Some scholars have suggested that Paul's thorn in the flesh was that his eyesight was deteriorating. Whether it was partial blindness or not, we do not know. Perhaps it was a disability.

Whatever our thorn in the flesh is, and regardless of whether we have asked for it to be removed (as we surely have), I urge all of us to realize that it is there because God says it is still right for it to be there. It is true that God will use you all the more and all the better because that disability is still there.

I once asked Joni Eareckson Tada, "Would you like to be healed?" I thought she would have a quick answer, because I thought everyone asked her that. But it was as though she had never even thought about it! Finally she said, "Yes, but," she continued, "the most precious time of my day is when they put me to bed, and I am alone with the Lord. I am so afraid that if I didn't have this paralysis, I wouldn't have that intimacy."

Seeing our Blessings

“We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost – also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”—Numbers 11:5–6

The Torah portion for this week is Behaalotecha, from Numbers 8:1–12:16 and the Haftorah from Zechariah 2:14–4:7.

The manna that fell from heaven was miraculous. It fell daily, with the exception of the Sabbath, when no work was permitted. There was exactly enough, even on Friday, when two times the amount needed fell so that there would be enough for the Sabbath. The Sages teach that the manna tasted exactly like the person eating it wanted it to taste.
Pretty amazing! So how is it possible that the Israelites complained about it?

Complaining in the Wilderness

Written by Darren Hewer

“Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you.” (Philippians 2:14, NLT)

Do you enjoy waking up early? I don’t. I emphasize with the psalmist when he writes: “I rise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your words.” (Psalm 119:147, NLT)

It’s not that I’m lazy, I’m just not a “morning person”. That’s why I need to continually turn away from the temptation to complain.

Just after the Exodus, when Moses had miraculously led the Israelites out of Egypt, the Israelites sung a song of praise to the Lord for their deliverance. (See Exodus 15.) 

I Choose to Give ThanksThank

by Helen Lescheid

“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God” Psalm 50:23

I felt unappreciated, unloved, and unworthy to call myself a Christian.

Jesus exuded a joyful confidence no matter what happened in his life. He lived each day in joyful obedience to the Father. The kind of life, he promised to his followers: “I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness” (John 10:10). But where was the joy in my life? Defeat and depression clung to me. It probably would never change. After all, I was by nature a melancholic. The experts said so.

Facing Marah?

"Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore, it was named Marah. So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" Exodus 15:22-24

Bitter things. No one likes bitter things. But bitter things are part of life. Life is not all honey and no bees. Roses do have thorns ... and all people face "bitter waters" from one degree or another.

The Marah story in Exodus 15 is especially significant. You see, in Exodus 14, God's people had just seen and personally experienced the greatest Old Testament miracle: the parting of the Red Sea and the drowning of Pharaoh and his armies. The people take the first 21 verses of chapter 15 to rejoice and dance and sing over the great power of God. Life is good, and God is awesome! Hallelujah!

Inspiration – Are Wives Moving Mountains?

Are wives moving mountains?

Are you actively throwing mountains into the sea or are you trying to climb over them?

Think of mountains as trials or barricades, standing in your way! They are huge, overwhelmingly huge, and it may even seem impossible to get past… but we have something bigger than the mountains in our life, we have Jesus! Our faith in Jesus can get us through any trial in our life. Jesus says we can basically pick it up and toss it to the side. He makes it sound so simple:)

Reaching the Promised Land

JOYCE MEYER

 

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Is your attitude causing you to journey in the wilderness longer than you should?

If you are facing a struggle in your life, perhaps the problem isn’t what you think it is. Many times, we focus on another person or a situation and we think that’s what is causing us to be unhappy. But the real issue might be that you have a bad attitude.

It may seem like your problem is your spouse, your children, a co-worker, the traffic, the economy, your church ... but actually, you might be wandering around in the wilderness, unable to find your promised land because your attitude stinks.