REFLECTIONS

August 5th, 2024

but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Romans 5:3-5

God’s Classrooms

You say something interrupted your customary daily life? Might it be God working in your life? He does that, you know.

 “Continuing education.” seldom ranks high on the list of desirable things to do. But “CE” is a requirement for maintaining accreditation in most trades and professions. So regardless of how one feels about it, CE serves to refresh what we already know and to develop skills in preparation for challenges that lie ahead.

 When God imposes CE, He almost always carries us into places or circumstances that make us feel uncomfortable or even lost—like desert experiences. He exiled Moses to the desert for 40 years—and that was before he led the Israelites around in the wilderness for 40 more, finally guiding them to the promised land. John the Baptist lived in the desert for most of his adult life before baptizing the Son of God.

Paul found himself in the desert for three years sorting out the messages from his experience on the Damascus Road in preparation to share the love of Jesus with the world. Even Jesus hungered in the desert for 40 days in preparation for his encounter with Satan.

 God prepares each of us for the roles He has chosen us to play. Desert experiences are God’s classrooms. But even as God uses desert experiences to refine us and reshape our lives…

He also gives us victories from those trying times.

“You are the light of the world,”

Richard +www.reflectingthesavior.org


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