<< back to devotions
God’s Economy
Based on “The Answer to Thirst” by Pastor Mark Balmer; 11/8-9/08,
Message #2464; Daily Devotional #5 - “God’s Economy”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): I believe it is safe to say that our country is facing some trying times. Every time I turn on the news there seems to be another bad report, and I begin to wonder if anything good is happening in the world today. The Israelites, too, wondered the same thing as they were being tested in the desert (Exodus 17:1-2). They forgot yet again that the Lord would provide for their needs. The Lord was showing them that He would not only meet their physical needs, but their spiritual needs as well. God was trying to show them who He was. He wanted them to obey and trust. The Israelites failed the test. They complained to Moses and said …“Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” (Exodus 17:3) I know that as I read Scripture and want to criticize the Israelites for their reaction, I often have to stop and point the finger back at myself. How many times have I failed to trust God? How often do I forget that He has never left me or abandoned me? (Deuteronomy 31:6)
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): We know that throughout Scripture the Israelites would continually fail to trust God. They had times of victory and times of defeat. Whenever Israel failed to obey and trust God, those were the times they experienced defeat. The Lord used those times to call Israel to repentance and back to Himself and His care. Israel could not do anything apart from God and neither can we (John 15:5). Each time Israel faced a trial, they immediately wanted to return to Egypt. Egypt is nothing more than a picture of the world, and so often we do the same. The Lord frees us from bondage and then often, when things get tough again, we want to retreat right back into that bondage. We can argue and complain to God about the trial we find ourselves in. But if we are not careful, that grumbling and complaining can actually make our hearts hard and turn us back to the world from which He freed us. We will miss the miracle and the blessing He wants us to receive. We will miss the “Living Water” that quenches our thirst. (John 4:10-11)
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): Examine your life. Is there something that you haven’t totally surrendered to God? As we see, nothing is secure in our world. I am often reminded of Jesus, who did not own a home, yet His needs were always met. Yes, He was fully God, but He was also fully man. He did only what the Father told Him to do (John 14:30). He had to completely surrender everything to the Father, and we are to do the same. When we trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are marked as His. He quenches our Spiritual thirst and fills the void that is in our life. We in turn let that water flow from us to share with others (John 7:37). Whatever it is you may be facing in life, know that God can be trusted, and He will never leave nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). Believer, guard your heart and don’t listen to the enemy’s lies. Replace those lies with the Truth of God’s Word. If you haven’t accepted Christ as your Savior, will you do so today? He will satisfy and quench the thirst that is within you.
Cultivating (Additional Reading): John 6:35; Psalm 78:15
HS
Calvary Chapel of Melbourne; 2955 Minton Road; W. Melbourne, FL 32904; 321-952-9673
All Bible references are from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise noted.
New King James Version = NKJV, King James Version = KJV.
<< back to devotions