Egypt #4
“The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.” (Exodus 16:4, 5)
God’s purpose in giving manna to the people was much more than just satisfying their hunger. It was more than just getting the group to stop their whining. Every blessing He brings has benefits for us and for the Kingdom of God.
First, He is more interested in you becoming all that He has created you to be than in you being comfortable. In fact, most of the time His work “on” us is uncomfortable. Each of us is designed to be a godly citizen of His kingdom. This involves growing and learning through testing. Everything that God allows to come into our lives is for that purpose. Even blessings! It is God’s desire that our faith in Him increase and that our relationship with Him would deepen. He also desires that all that we do bring glory to His name (show the world that He is God). So, God is not interested in giving you blessings just for you to be happy and comfortable. He has a plan to build you up into His godly creation.
How have you been blessed today? What has God brought your way? With each blessing comes a list of instructions. When Israel received the manna God also gave directions on how to use it. The Scripture says that it was a “test” to see if they would obey. We learn from studying that God was testing the amount of “trust” that they had in Him. Maybe God wanted to make sure that they didn’t see Him as a cosmic Santa Claus who brought gifts to good boys and girls. Maybe He wanted to know that they were more concerned about how to use the gifts than the gifts themselves.
One truth that we see for sure is that a blessing from God shows that He is a gracious and caring God but, how we handle the blessing is a test of our submission to His direction. Are we gracious? Do we share from the abundance that God has given us? Do we present the gift before God and ask Him how He wants us to use it? Some interesting things for a blessed people to think about.
God has provided you with manna today. Use it to His glory.
Blessings!
