GOODNESS IS GREATER

READING: ROMANS 5:6-11

Verse 8: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Sometimes God is falsely accused of being unloving. This accusation is very often the result of  suffering that has been experienced or seen. People say that a loving God would not allow suffering to take place. This accusation against the Lord is totally out of order. He has gone to great extremes to provide what is needed to both prevent and to relieve suffering. With regard to prevention, He has given us the Bible so that we can understand how to conform to His order. When we do so, we avoid countless  situations and behaviors that otherwise would ultimately produce suffering. Powerful testimonies of God’s desire and His provision to prevent us from eternal suffering are found throughout  the New Testament. The verse quoted above is an example. He Who was perfect took our sins upon  Himself and suffered in order to pay our debt of suffering. His goodness thus accomplished, is greater than the accumulation of all false charges that are made against Him. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. When have you seen suffering prevented by the application of godly principle?

2. How will you respond if you hear the Lord falsely accused of being unloving.

WHAT ABOUT THE KEY?

READING: ROMANS 8:31-39

Verse 32: “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”

Edward loves his daughter and begins to prepare years ahead of time, so that he and Mom will be able to give Molly a new car when she graduates from college. With skimping, saving and sacrifice they are able to do it. Finally, after the graduation ceremony, the family goes home. Dad takes Molly to the shining car in the driveway. He says to her “Sweetie, this is your car.” The beaming young lady tries to open the car door, but it’s locked. She looks expectantly to her father, but he says “I’m going to keep the keys”. Well that just doesn’t make sense. You can’t imagine a loving father doing such a thing. Well if a person would not be so unjust, then certainly the perfect Lord and God of all would not be. Having created such wonderful expectations for us, His children, He  certainly would not deny us the key to His promises. He does not bring us to the door of His Kingdom to deny us entry. By paying the price for our sins, He has provided the key that admits us.  This key is given to all who ask. All who call upon the Lord will be saved. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. In the reading above, how is Edward like Father God?

2. In addition to eternal life with the Lord, what expectations are you eagerly awaiting?

WHAT’S UP?

READING: 1 SAMUEL 10:1-8

Verse 7: “And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands: for God is with you.”

The words above were spoken by Samuel the prophet to Saul just before Saul was anointed to be the King of Israel, because He had never been a king before. We also frequently come to times in our lives when we are about to experience situations that are completely new to us. We often try to imagine or project how these events will be, but there is no way to actually know. Then, when it becomes over, done and completed; we may realize that we would not have understood even if we had received information or instruction before hand. It was that way for Saul. The Lord knew that too much advance knowledge would not have been good for him. In His wisdom, God wanted Saul to know only that guidance would be provided when needed. We are blessed that this same divine wisdom is used to provide for our lives. We may not always appreciate this fully because sometimes we just simply want to know what is coming. However, the truth upon which we can rest is not knowledge based. It is faith based because  Almighty God has promised to be with us. No matter what unknown awaits us, He will be our victory. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. Are Samuel’s words to Saul of current use to you in your life?

2. Can you think of a time when it would have been detrimental if you had known more in advance?

HE KNOWS YOUR PLACE

READING: JOHN 21:15-19

Verse 19: “This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him ‘Follow Me.’”

The Lord Jesus has clearly stated His intent for His people to follow Him and His example of godliness. Several scriptures establish this expectation, but it is expressed bluntly and forcefully as  quoted above. The Lord simply and forthrightly commanded Peter to follow Him. It is interesting that immediately following this command, Peter strayed from the focus on following and began to question Jesus regarding the future of John, his fellow disciple. The Lord answered Peter by telling him that John’s future was not his concern, and that it had nothing to do with Peter. The last words from the Lord Jesus to Peter on the subject were essentially a repetition of what He had said previously: “You follow Me”. Basically Jesus was saying that Peter should mind his own business and just follow Him. Not only was that a pointed and vivid lesson for Peter, but it is equally emphatic for us today. Any
one of us can easily become involved in matters that should not concern us. This can distract us from more worthy goals that God has for us. The Father may appreciate our hearts and desires to see other things made right, but His priority is that we first follow Him. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. What can result if we exceed the boundaries that are intended for us?

2. What would cause you to be a better follower of the Lord?

IT’S AN ORDER

READING: JOSHUA 1:1-9

Verse 9: "have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

The first chapter of the Book of Joshua relates the manner in which God commissioned Joshua to lead the Israelites. In verse nine the Lord made the above statement to him. This verse was a powerful word of encouragement given by the Lord to His servant. It is interesting to note that this encouragement took a different form than is usually used. Normally, encouragement is something that is offered. In this case, the Lord commanded encouragement to Joshua. It seems that God did not want there to be an option for the difficult and challenging times that were ahead. He wanted the  reminder to be continually present in a powerful way, that He had not given permission to be weak, to lack courage, to be afraid or to be dismayed. Today every Believer can, and should, personalize that message. Just as the Lord established it for Joshua, we too can accept it as a word of God for our lives. It was not a suggestion that was made! It was a command that was given and it is one that still applies for the people of God today. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. As you consider this verse, what does it mean to you that it is a command rather than just an encouragement?

2. Are there recurring situations in your life where you lack courage, are afraid or become dismayed? What response is needed?

A REALLY BAD DEAL

READING: PSALM 106:19-23

Verses 19, 20: “They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molded image. Thus they changed their glory into the image of an ox that eats grass.”

Above is how the Bible presents two verses of Psalm 106. These verses describe an experience of the Israelites. They got what would rightly be called a bad deal. They gave up the glory of God for an idol. We know that nothing approaches the worth of the glory of God - absolutely nothing. But the truth is that the Hebrews could hardy have gotten further from this glory. Instead of glory, they settled for the image of an ox! With the hindsight we have today, we can easily label this sinful trade-off as a bad deal. But hold on; wait a minute. What happens when we sin? I think the answer is that we do basically the same thing the Israelites did. In John 17, Jesus gave oneness with the Godhead and glory to all Believers. However, it is true that sin separates us from these gifts that we have been granted. Therefore, when we sin, we trade glory and oneness with God for the carnality of sin. Just like the Israelites, we make a bad deal. How blessed we are for the life giving reality that Jesus has saved us and redeemed our bad deals. That’s a thought - about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. In what aspect of your life are you most subject to what is described above as a bad deal?

2. The best thing for a bad deal is to replace it with a good deal. What is the best response to sin as a bad deal?

WHICH IS IT?

READING: ACTS 19:1-10

Verse 9: “But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.”

The qualities of persistence and perseverance are generally highly valued. However, like most other qualities, they can be detrimental if pursued inappropriately. For example, the wrong kind of  persistence can pretty quickly become stubbornness. In Acts 19:9, the Apostle Paul demonstrates the wisdom involved in distinguishing between perseverance and stubbornness. When he encountered  hardened unbelief in response to the gospel, he departed and withdrew the disciples. Guided by the wisdom of God’s word, Paul employed godly counsel. As Jesus had commanded (Matthew 10:14), he departed from those who would not receive him or hear his words. Any situation like Paul's that results in an  outcome that is suspect, is a good time for Holy Spirit inspection. At such a time it may be that stubbornness has been exerted and caused failure, producing strife. On the other hand, it may be that persistence has been applied and caused success, producing character. As we live with these possibilities, the question that should honestly be faced is – which is it? May such situations cause us to seek out fresh godly wisdom for a right response each time they occur. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. Are you inclined toward either persistence or stubbornness?

2. What can a person do to either increase in persistence or decrease in stubbornness?