If we want the love of God to be real in our lives, then we can’t love material things and comforts more than we love God. Just as He did with the Israelites, God uses the tough things in our lives to test us. He wants to see how much we truly love Him, and He wants to strengthen our spiritual muscles. Therefore, we must be willing to obey and follow God at any cost. Obedience in the littlest of things guarantees a victorious life.
Many Israelites missed out on entering the Promised Land because they weren’t willing to make strategic sacrifices. They wanted good returns without depositing anything. They were on the winning team, but because of their unbelief they did not partner with God, their coach. They did not commit to His ways, nor did they maintain a good attitude.
This is not how a Christian on the winning team should behave. If we sacrifice the right things at the right time, the outcome will benefit us instead of harm us. We actually gain more in the long term when we choose to be obedient instead of giving in to short-term desires.
I took the above photo in 2001 of my husband, Rob, with our baby, Samantha, and Jeremiah and Jessica while on a missions trip to Zambia. It was one of my toughest experiences as a mother, but it was also one of my best. I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to check out both my photography blog and my parenting blog. God bless!
