Why Am I Not Experiencing Eternal Life?

All too often our spiritual story identifies more with the Israelites’ than Jesus’.  We experience salvation and deliverance and then we enter into a wilderness experience.  Like the Israelites we get distracted, confused, and discouraged.  We do what we think is right instead of obeying God’s commands.  We loose track of God and His purpose.  Our focus is down below instead of up above.  We forget that we have been saved and delivered, responding according to the flesh.  Some of the Israelites died in the wilderness, never having experienced God’s promised land on earth.

Jesus entered into the wilderness too.  Right after He was baptized and the Holy Spirit came and remained with Him, He went into the wilderness where He was tested and tempted.  Jesus focussed.  He allowed the experience to destroy His flesh.  The testing served to prove Him and empower Him to complete God’s purpose for His life.  His experience qualified Him, made Him ready to do God’s ministry here on earth.  He responded to the test in the way God would have Him respond.

The result?  Jesus’ wilderness experience lasted 40 days.  The Israelites? 40 years.  Huh.

I don’t want to spend my life saved by grace but never experiencing the life God has given me, a life as represented by the Promised Land.  I certainly don’t want to die in the wilderness!!  The wilderness is dark and sight is limited.  Jesus is Light.  The Promised Land is flowing with milk and honey.  Eternal life is filled with richness and abundance.  We experience the first fruits of heaven when we respond as God would have us respond.  Our life takes on an eternal quality when we obey the Holy Spirit.

Let’s focus on God today!