“Who is this coming up from the wilderness
Like pillars of smoke,
Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
With all scented powders of the merchant?”
— Song of Songs 3:6
If the world does not seem to us a wilderness, we are in an unhealthy condition. If we are caught by the world, we will not be able to function properly before the Lord. A normal Christian should always feel that the world is a wilderness. Whether rich or poor, whether in joy or sorrow, we should never allow ourselves to be deceived by the world. Our goal is the holy city, where the Lord alone is king. Nothing else should capture our heart. If you are one who has come up from the wilderness, then nothing can touch you, for your focus is fixed upon the Lord.
We might think that we have consecrated everything to the Lord when in fact we have preserved much for ourselves. The more the Lord works on us, the more we will be purified. Once we realize that without the Lord we really have nothing, we begin to gain the testimony that we are coming up from the wilderness.
Adapted from The Journey of Life, page 210.
Monday: “Desiring Nothing of the World”