In Chapter 20, we examine the importance of enduring a period of preparation in joining the adventure of following Jesus...
The author draws a parallel between Jesus’ fasting in the
desert for 40 days, both with Moses’ 40 years in the wilderness prior to
freeing the Hebrew slaves and with the Hebrews’ 40 years in the desert before
making it to the promised land.
To be alive in the adventure of Jesus is to accept the
invitation to follow Him and enter discipleship. This means we need to clearly understand what
it means to follow Him – to align our mission with His. If we dare to follow Jesus, we can also
expect to enter a time of preparation; a
time for refinement; a time to shed earthy desires and shift to an eternal
perspective.
Let’s consider a few things:
What is the temptation you need to overcome?
What do you need to be freed from?
What promised land are you striving for?
And finally, do your answers to these questions line up with
His mission for your life?
It is a beautiful thing to choose to be His disciple and
also to endure times of preparation, even though preparation can be painful. I believe this preparation time is actually not
just one period of time but that it continuously weaves throughout our lives, refining
different aspects of our character and building our spiritual muscles to match
up with His plan for our life. For
example, do you need to be more courageous? Then perhaps you will endure a
season which requires bravery.
Share a story about a time you went through some hardship or
temptation that prepared you for a later opportunity, or a time when you missed
an opportunity because you were unprepared.
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