Deuteronomy 8:2-5

"Remember that every road that God led you on for those forty years in wilderness, pushing you to your limits, testing you so that he would know what you were made of, whether you would keep His commandments or not. He put you through hard times. He made you go hungry. Then He fed you with manna, something neither you, nor your parents knew anything about, so that you would learn that men and women do not live by bread alone; we live by every word that comes from God's mouth. Your clothes didnt wear out and your feet didn't blister for those forty years. You learned deep in your heart the God disciplines you in the same ways a father disciplines his child."
Deuteronomy 8:2-5
(The Message)

Although I may not be traveling through Egyptian slavery, and my life can be considered to be a piece of cake compared to this forty year journey, I still experience the overall nastiness of life, where I am my reactions are put to the test and I am left struggling to cling to His word for guidance and to make the right decisions.

Every day,I have to consciously ask myself, "am I living my life to His standards?" Am I wandering around, lost and broken, or am I trying hard to follow His will and commandments?

He will never stray from me, will never leave me alone, or hungry, or ill. But what He will do is see how much I am committed to Him. He will bless me if I am a thankful, dutiful servant. For all that I have been given, all the blessings I have received are because of Him. There is absolutely no way I could have all that I have in my life if it weren't for Him! My God is so good and for that, He deserves my constant praise! I need to be humble and thank Him for getting me through the shadows and dark spots in life and providing me with all that I have.

I have the tendency to be a very self centered thinking person. I coach myself through life, praising myself for getting through a long day of work, school, and whatever else comes my way. I get excited when I think about how I worked so hard to do something, or how I am the one who got myself where I am today. This thinking is so stinking backwards and wrong! The only reason I am where I am is because my God is a loving God and blesses me massively. He gives me the strength I need to conquer the day, even when I'm being a snot and thinking I did it all myself! I need to start praising Him constantly! Thanking Him for everything. He leads me through all the crap! He tests me to draw me closer to Him. And above all, He loves me, even when I'm a total idiot.

Good times are coming. This life on earth is a time of serving. A time of living through crazy times, knowing that we can do anything with Christ backing us up. In my mind, it's like have a, "life coach," who has got your back the whole way! He just wants us to live out His commandments!

And praise Him. Each day I wake up, I must praise His holy name.