Even today these words are hard to explain. They only make sense in the context of faith when we, like Simon Peter, say, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

To hunger and thirst for righteousness, desiring and longing for all peoples to live together in peace and with justice, where everyone can flourish (shalom), is God’s design for human living.

Are we seeking justice and righteousness in our world today? If not, why not? This kind of hunger is part of what pulls us closer to God and to each other.

Why would Jesus talk about little yeast particles that could work surprisingly through so much dough? The kingdom of heaven, he said, is like that yeast. This helps us see that even though we may not always notice it, God is working constantly in and through people’s lives throughout this whole wide world, building up his kingdom and providing us with the “bread of life” that we need in order to have life to the full.

Do you ever feel like you are being brought to the end of your ability to do what God is asking of you? Could God be inviting you to see what he can do for you that you simply cannot do by yourself?

Notice, however, that the ground is cursed and the ­serpent is cursed but that the people and the food are not cursed. Though we suffer the impacts and consequences of sin, we still experience some measure of blessing: the ground still produces food. And because our mortal bodies will not live forever, the time needed to work hard for food is limited. This is a kind of mercy in disguise. This difficulty also foreshadows the tremendous gift it is that God provides bread, and that in the end God himself is our bread.

Though painful, we are never left alone in the process. The Refiner doesn’t put us through the fire just to stand by and watch. He stays with us, while lovingly turning up the heat until we release our impurities to Him. God knows our “trudging” through this life. He sees the trials and the hardships that come. But He doesn't stand by at a distance. He is with us, and in us, providing the strength we need to endure.

There is no doubt that the Israelites suffered greatly in the wilderness. What could have been a direct route, ended up being a very long road to the promised land. But if the Lord would have ignored their rebellion and skipped the refining process, the impurities of their hearts would have defiled His blessing.

The big question for us, is will we allow God to refine us, or will we continue to wander in the wilderness of rebellion?

Let’s willingly yield every impurity to Him. Let’s be open to the refining process, knowing that it is strengthening us and preparing us to cross over to the promised land.

Hospitality was central to the culture of that time, and it demonstrated God’s purpose for relationships. When people break bread together, something important happens. People who eat together develop a deeper understanding of each other.

The lesson for us is to let a holy and reverent fear of the Lord motivate our service to Him; to remember what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do. God does amazing things in the lives of ordinary people. All He looks for is faith in His Son Jesus—a faith that leads us to do great things for His glory. I don’t know about you, but I want that more than anything.

Service without love at the center leads to bitter hearts and broken relationships.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 gives us a pretty exhaustive list of what our love should look like. Love is patient, kind, envy, doesn’t boast, does not dishonor others, is not self-seeking, is slow to anger, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil, rejoices with truth, always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love does not fail. What a list!

If a person does not have the Holy Spirit, she doesn’t belong to Christ (Romans 8:9), therefore making it impossible to grow the fruit of the Spirit in her life. So we receive the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation, when we make a conscious decision to follow Christ and let Him be the Lord of our lives.

As with any fruit, we won’t see it and enjoy it right away. We won’t see evidence of the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives the second we surrender our lives to Christ. A fruit starts from a seed and that seed contains everything for the plant to begin and produce more fruit. In order for a tree to yield fruit it goes through a cycle where it must be planted in good soil, it must be nurtured, it must have a light source; it must be watered until it reaches maturity. The fruit is initially a seed, then a seedling, then a sprout, until it’s a fruit (ripe for picking!)