“So the Lord burned with anger against
Israel. He said, “Because these people have violated my covenant, which I made
with their ancestors, and have ignored my commands, I will no longer drive
out the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died. I did this to test
Israel—to see whether or not they would follow the ways of the Lord as their
ancestors did.” That is why the Lord left those nations in place. He did not
quickly drive them out or allow Joshua to conquer them all”Judges 2:20-23 NLT
When
Joshua died, part of the Promised Land was still to be conquered to complete
the promise God made to Moses when they left Egypt. The Israelites could only
conquer a portion of it, and these verses explain why: ". I did this to test
Israel—to see whether or not they would follow the ways of the Lord as their
ancestors did.”(v.22)
How
many blessings from God do you still feel you haven´t reach? Do you have doubts
about God´s promises because time passes and you don´t see any change? Perhaps the
Lord is testing you as He did with the Israelites.
The
fulfillment of a promise does not depend on God, it depends on our behavior
during a specific time, in which the Lord tests us to decide whether or not we
are mature enough to receive His blessing.
Hebreos
6:11-12 says:
Our great desire is that
you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain
that what you hope for will come true. 12 Then you will not become spiritually dull and
indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to
inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.
These
verses teach us some attitudes we should seek and practice to receive God´s
promises:
1)
LOVE: (v. 11)
God
is love, and in His Word it is emphasized that everything we do without love
has no value (1Cor.13:1-3). Jesus summed up the law saying: "Love God
above all things and your neighbor as yourself" (Mt 22: 37-40). Love is
what moves us to do good, to be just and honest. A person with an empty heart
is someone easy to tempt. Love is like a shield that protects us from evil. “The
perfect love casts away fear” (1Jn4:18)
2)
FAITH: (V.12)
Without
faith it is impossible to please God (Heb 11: 6). You can not follow someone
you do not believe in. Each person is tested on the level of faith they have.
Abraham, the father of faith, was progressively tested until he reached an great
level of faith. Whether we want it or not, we will always be tested and taken
to higher levels of faith.
3)
PERSEVERANCE: (V.12)
Patience
is a virtue that very few has. This is the right time to develop them.
"God blesses those who patiently endure testing
and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has
promised to those who love him." James 1:12
God
does not test us to make us suffer, He does it to make us grow, in other to
appreciate his blessings, receiving them with hearts full of love, faith and
perseverance.
There
is a song that begins by saying, "The truth can hurt you, or the truth can
change you ... What does the truth do to you?" Today I say to you, "God´s
tests can hurt you, or God´s tests can change you ... What Do God´s tests do to
you?”.
"And we know that God causes everything to work
together[a] for the good of those who love God and are
called according to his purpose for them."
Romans
8:28
15/02/2017
@fotala10
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