愛戀 ‧ 情曲 ‧ 神の語

Dearly Beloved

God does allow certain tests to distinguish between those
whose hearts truly follow the Lord from those who don't. These tests are
always designed in the area of love and humility. God tested Abraham's
love towards him in Genesis 22:1 and spoke of the ten trials (tests) which He
brought the Israelites through (Deuteronomy 8:16; Numbers 14:22). Every
Christian has a wilderness to go through just like Jesus. The key is not to
stay too long in the wilderness beyond God's perfect timing. It was God's
perfect Will to take the Israelites through the wilderness (optimum time about
one year) but through their disobedience it ended up as forty years with the
older generation all except for Caleb and Joshua dying there.

The wilderness is a time of pruning and training. It is when
we learn to overcome our weaknesses and demonic influences over our lives. The
way out through the wilderness is the road of humility. Those who have not been
through the wilderness do not know true humility. We learn to be yielded,
broken and contrite in the wilderness. It was his forty years in the wilderness
that turned the proud Moses, prince of Egypt, into the humble Moses, servant of
God. He was skilled in all the arts of eloquence and wisdom of Egypt (Josephus
the Jewish historian spoke of the battles Moses fought and won) and became one
speechless before God (Acts 7:22; Exodus 4:10). After forty years in the back
parts of the wilderness and experiencing God, Moses became the humblest man in
Egypt (Numbers 12:3). The real test of the wilderness is not just the physical
place, it is a spiritual place of testing whether we are humble before the Lord
or not. Every one enters the wilderness at some time in their lives. Only those
who are humble get out; those who don't actually die in the wilderness
without seeing the perfect Will of God done in their lives. It is of utmost
importance then that we learn the art of humility before our God.

Before honour is given by God, humility must be
present (Proverbs 15:33).

Destruction will always come to the proud and
before honour is humility (Proverbs 18:12).

The only way to riches, honour and long abundant
life is the fear of the Lord and humility (Proverbs 22:4)

The grace of God is only activated by those who
are humble before God (1 Peter 5:5).

The only true and sure path to success both in
this life and in the next life is the path of humility. Those who don't
learn it early in life will have to face the consequences of their pride the
rest of their lives. Every one of us will be tested in this life and the secret
to passing the test is to learn to walk in true humility before God and before
man. The Lord's purpose for testing us is not to harm us or to do evil,
rather He seeks to bless us and do good to us. However, He needs to test us and
prove us to ensure that we can handle all the goodness and blessings that He
desires to pour upon our lives. He desires that we always remain humble in Him
and use all our resources for the good of all. Thus He seeks out the humble
among us and rewards mightily (Deuteronomy 8:16). The greater the reward and
blessings that God wants to bless us with, the greater the test. We must have
the humility to handle the power and authority that God wants to manifest
through our lives otherwise we will be turning every stone into bread for our
own use.

Many Christians wonder why they should go through
tests since Jesus has already paid every price for us. Jesus did die on the
cross for our atonement but we still need to learn to apply the redemption and
promises of Jesus into our lives. Even Jesus expected us to learn to abide in
the vine and obey His word (John 15:1-5). Jesus cannot make us abide in the
vine or obey the word, it is an experiential thing to actually learn how to do
it. He gave us the right and authority to be a branch in Him but we must do the
abiding by our own free will. We must learn to allow Him to prune and purify us
through His word (John 15:2). The branch cannot bear fruit until it abides in
Him; neither can we unless we learn to abide in Him (John 15:4). Jesus might
have open the channel right to God's throne, but we still must learn to
pray and enter the throne room (Hebrews 4:11-16). Diligence and faith are still
required to separate those who truly love God from those who don't
(Hebrews 4:11; 11:6). The reward is given to those who diligently seek Him and
not to the lazy (Hebrews 11:6).

We do not learn patience and faith without
tribulations and trials. The testing of our faith produces patience and we
should count it all joy when we are tested for the reward would be great (James
1:2-4). There is no shortcut to patience and humility, the path to true
patience and humility is the path of trials and testing of our faith and love
in God (Romans 5:1-5; James 1:2-4). The very passage that speaks about us
standing in the grace of God (Romans 5:2) speaks about us entering into trials
and tribulations so that we can receive glory and patience and the character it
produces (Romans 5:2-5). Indeed it is only when we are persecuted that the
Spirit of glory rests upon us and that our reward in heaven is great (1 Peter 4:14;
Luke 6:22-23). The God of all grace, who has called us into eternal glory, will
perfect, establish, strengthen and settle us after we have suffered (been
tested) a while (1 Peter 5:10).

There is also a false humility (outward) and a
true humility (inward) (Colossians 2:18; 23). False humility may look religious
but it is actually hidden pride. The Pharisees loved to make themselves look
religious and make known their prayers and false spirituality and humility:
they love to be seen by men in their religious prayer, they make vain
repetitions in order to be heard by men and not by God, they disfigure their
faces when they fast to look spiritual, etc. (Matthew 6:5-18). Humility does
have outward demonstration but it is primarily the inward humility of the heart
that matters. Only God can see the heart and we must not mistake false outward
religiosity for humility. It is the hidden person of the heart, the
incorruptible beauty of a meek, quiet and gentle spirit – that is true
humility (1 Peter 3:4). Humility gives one the ability to submit to authority
(1 Peter 5:5). Humility respects the weak and helpless and does not oppress or
take advantage of them.

May we learn true humility from our Lord and
Master Jesus Christ. He is the meekest and most humble of all souls on earth.
We as His followers must learn to walk in humility as He has done so. The path
to greatness and riches and honour is the path of humility.

Let us all prosper through walking in this path.

In Christ Jesus