EXODUS 13:17–18 – When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.

THEME OF THE DAY. TWO KEY LESSONS FOR CHRISTIAN GROWTH. Two things must quickly be learned in the Christian life. They are so important to not only understanding the Christian life but recognizing and following God’s spiritual work in us as we grow in grace. If we are involved in discipling other Christians, and I hope we are for that is one of the purposes for our existence as Christ’s people, these two truths are to be taught and brought to remembrance often. They are illustrated well in today’s scripture.

First, God’s ways are not our ways. Notice how today’s passage unfolds – “God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near.” I imagine there were people in the traveling band leaving Egypt who wondered what Moses was doing as he led them. Here might be a portion of that conversation; “Moses, why are we going the long way and through the wilderness no less? Don’t you see on the map this way is shorter, probably less difficult?” And we are no different. All of us want the “easy route” to spiritual maturity. No one wants the hard schools of discipleship God enrolls us in; those trying and suffering times in the wilderness to develop the Fruit of the Spirit in us. Yet, there is no easy route to growth in Christ. We are told by our God, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). One of the most important life lessons to live the Christian life is to be aware that the way and how we think God is at work in and through us is probably not accurate. And especially if we find the path easy. Yes, Jesus did say, “My yoke is easy”, but He did not say following Him as we wear it would be (Matthew 11:28-30).

The second thing to grasp about Christian growth is that the spiritual work God does in us is never for ourselves alone. God led His children through the wilderness for multiple reasons. It was to further equip them for battle, develop their trust in Him, and to purge from their hearts worldly Egypt. And God’s work in us is also not for our sake alone. He equips, develops, and grows us in His Son so that we might be used to be blessings and helpers in the lives of His other children. One of the great examples of this is in the area of comfort. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). Do we see the principle? We are comforted by God to give God’s comfort to others. Remember, we are not storage bins of God’s grace to ourselves, but dispensers of God’s grace to others. Nothing will stop the flow of enjoying God quicker than keeping Him to ourselves. We get from God to give to others on behalf of God.

So, these are important lessons to learn about Christian growth from the Israelites traveling out of Egypt. May God help us heed them, live them, and share them with our brothers and sisters who are on the road to heaven with us.

PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for Your wisdom that leads me the right way, not easy, but right way.”

QUOTE: “There will never be anything in the Christian life that is easy. If so, it isn’t the Christian life.”