WOULD YOU LIKE ONE “S” OR TWO? THE FREEDOM TO DECIDE

This post is part of the Christian Writer’s blog chain. Our theme for July is “Freedom.” I am posting every Wednesday in July on the freedom theme. Follow the links to the right to see what my Christian Writer friends have to say about freedom.

                            

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Do you remember all those fun rules you learned in grade school?

“I before e, except after c…”

“Thirty days hath September, April, June and November…”

“Any number times ten, put a zero at the end.” Oh, wait...I made that one up.

My favorite spelling rule was the desert/dessert rule: “Dessert has two s’s because you always want seconds on dessert.”

My mother seemed to have a keen understanding of that rule because when she was thinking about what to cook for dinner, she always planned dessert first.

The only good thing about deserts, on the other hand, are all the sandwiches there (…all the sand which is there). Alas, my sense of humor stopped developing at grade four. (Nonetheless, read Monday's post about the spiritual truths I've learned from sandwiches.)

That reminds me of Jesus.

Here Carol goes again…

Yes. Please come with me.

Let’s go back to Exodus. Remember the wandering Jews? No, not the plant. The Jews, led by Moses into the desert where they wandered for 40 years before reaching the land God promised them. If it hadn’t been for their and Moses’ disobedience, it would have been a quick hop across the Red Sea and straight through to the other side of the Jordan River and the Promised Land. But instead, the Jews whined.

I need water.

I’m hungry.

What’s this manna? I want meat.

Quail? I was hoping for a nice lamb chop.

How come we had to leave Egypt anyway?

Whine. Whine. Whine.

And then they started worshipping idols.

Ouch. Bad idea that.

Eventually, God must have figured they learned their lesson because He fulfilled His promise and delivered them to the Promised Land.

The Jews then left the desert and entered a land so wonderful it was described as a land “flowing with milk and honey.” Milk and honey? That sounds sort of like a milkshake, doesn’t it? Or the makings of ice cream. Or pudding. 

In other words, it sounds a lot like dessert.

The Jews spent 40 years in the desert until they could appreciate the dessert God had promised them.

God’s promises are delicious. They are the ultimate good ending to every bad story. And one of God’s promises, known to the ancient Jewish people, was that He would send a messiah—a redeemer who would bring salvation to His people.

God fulfilled that promise when He sent Jesus. The sweetest milk. The purest honey. The most delicious gift.

God planned Jesus’ gift to the world before the world began. Just like Mom plans dessert first. But even though Mom planned dessert first, we still had to eat our Brussels sprouts before we got it. We only got the good stuff after we finished the bad stuff.

Praise God, Christ came and brought us freedom to enjoy the good stuff while struggling through the bad.  

Jesus gives us freedom while in the desert to have dessert. Put in a child’s perspective, we get to have dessert along with the Brussels sprouts.  

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for your plan and the promise of a messiah who would save us. Jesus, thank you for fulfilling that promise and guaranteeing our salvation. Holy Spirit, remind us of this sweet gift and show us ways to share it with others. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? What is the most luscious dessert you’ve ever had? How is it like Jesus? No fair, saying “angel food cake”!

                                                             

FRESH MOUNTAIN AIR

This post is part of the ChristianWriters.com blog chain. Our theme for June is “fresh air.” Click on the links to the right to enjoy what my friends have to say about “fresh air.”

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The contemporary Christian group, Third Day, has a beautiful song called Mountain of God. Here is part of it.

Even though the journey's long

and I know the road is hard.

Well, the one who's gone before me,

He will help me carry on.

And after all that I've been through,

now I realize the truth

that I must go through the valley

to stand upon the mountain of God!

Do you recall Moses’ journey through the desert?  For 40 years as the Jews meandered toward their goal, following as God led them by day with a pillar of cloud and by night with a pillar of fire. What a long, hot, dusty journey it must have been. How many of the people who had left Egypt died in that desert? How much suffering was involved in the journey?

I imagine the tents and the families; little children running past the crying babies and moaning elders, tired from the journey—emotionally, physically and spiritually. I imagine Moses, climbing the mountain and finding God waiting for him. It must have meant cooler temperatures, possibly even fresh, invigorating air after the heat of the dry, desert valley.

We too wander the desert of life. We yearn for a roadmap, forgetting that God has given us his divine roadmap right there in scripture. Sometimes—even with our eyes focused on God—we wander the desert valley. Trials. Pain. Worry. Grief. Setbacks. Loneliness.

These valleys make us yearn for the fresh air we can find when we stand on the mountain with God. Those precious moments when we feel God’s presence; know His love and grace.

Here’s to the fresh air we can find when we stand upon the mountain with God.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for walking through our valleys with us and thank you for meeting us on the mountain where you fill our spirits with your fresh air. Remind us that your presence, your word and your Spirit are refreshing to our souls. Keep us seeking after you. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Was there a time in your life when you felt you were traveling through a long, dry desert valley? Was there a time when you experienced the refreshing presence of God and could look back on the valley and know that God carried you through it?