THE JETHRO PRINCIPLE PLUS

READING: EXODUS 18:13-23

Verse 19: “Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God.”

This passage of scripture describes the type of leadership that Moses exercised over the Israelites. The Bible states that he alone sat as judge over the people from morning until evening. He did this until Jethro, his father-in-law, helped Moses to see that he was taking on too much. Jethro advised Moses to appoint leaders to assist him by judging smaller matters, then Moses would only have to judge the great matters. This sound leadership practice is now known and taught as the Jethro Principle. However, the deeper key to success in using this principle is not always recognized. In verse 19 above Jethro established the foundation for his instruction to his son-in-law. The basic strength in the principle was that Moses was to stand before God and to take the difficulties to the Lord. Before doing anything else, he had to learn to first look for help from his Lord and his God. The Jethro principle is built upon putting God first! Every good thing begins in Him. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. How do you suppose Jethro got his wisdom?

2. What are your thoughts about the use of Jethro's input in your life?

THE OTHER HAND

READING: 1 TIMOTHY 6:3-10

Verse 6: “Now godliness with contentment is great gain”

The Book of Proverbs is full of contrasts. Many verses inform us that if you have a certain condition on one hand, then you can expect another condition on the other hand. Such a contrast also exists between verses 6 and 9 of 1 Timothy 6. Verse 9 says “those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.” First a person is tempted, and then is trapped and held by the temptation. Then, even worse, the temptation also stimulates many other lusts which ultimately cause people to drown in destruction. That means they become so full of destruction there is no room for relief, just like a person drowning in water has no room for air in their lungs. Praise the Lord for the other hand granted in verse 6! Instead of loss and destruction from temptation and lusts, this verse promises that godliness with contentment is great gain. Let’s choose the Lord's hand of blessing! That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. What is your attitude about being rich?

2. How would you describe your overall level of contentment?

JUSTICE

READING: DEUTERONOMY 1:9-18

Verse 17: “You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s...”

We often hear a great deal of concern expressed about our judicial system. We hear discussions which question the objectivity of federal judges some of whom are viewed as abusing their positions of trust. Much evidence supports charges against courts, particularly regarding the wealthy having advantages that are denied to those having less funds and influence. The result of many suspicions and accusations is that confidence in the consistent availability of justice is eroding. The Bible clearly identifies the heart of the problem that exists. The root of our suffering is simply the need for greater godly influence. In Deuteronomy 1, a system was established that permitted the people to be free of the fear of bad judgments. Verse 17 reveals the core of systematic righteous judgments where it says “the judgment is God’s”. They looked to the Lord rather than human reason for their justice. Today we desperately need the acceptance of a vital fact. That reality is that trustworthy judgments follow godliness. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. What response does this reading elicit from you?

2. How does this verse have application in our Christian church experiences?

DON’T EVEN GO THERE

READING: LUKE 18:1-8

Verse 1: “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.”

This verse sets a clear expectation for the people of God. To lose heart means to become discouraged. Therefore, the biblical lesson in the verse is that prayer prevents discouragement. Christians are usually quite faithful to employ prayer as a cry for help after discouragement or other issues have set in. That’s like closing the gate after the horse is gone. Instead we ought to pray in order to prevent losing heart or becoming discouraged. To that someone might say, “That’s great, but how do I know when I’m going to be discouraged so that I can pray in advance to prevent it?” An effective answer to that question is in this same verse of scripture. It tells us that we always ought to pray and not lose heart. That response is reinforced in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 where the Bible says to “pray without ceasing”. So Luke 18:1 turns out to be an affirmation to us that constant prayer is rewarding. Through continual prayer we are able to avoid and have victory over discouragement. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. Are your prayers more frequently proactive or more frequently reactive?

2. What do you expect your prayers to accomplish?

TOO LITTLE – TOO LATE

READING: NUMBERS 14:39-45

Verse 41: “And Moses said, ‘Now why do you transgress the command of the Lord?’”

Numbers 14 relates how the Israelites rejected God’s plan. They sinned by refusing to cross into the Promised Land when they should have. As they realized the magnitude of their offense against the Lord, they tried to correct their sin. Belatedly, they tried to do what God had previously wanted of them. The problem was that it was entirely too late. They had disregarded the Lord’s command, and were therefore soundly defeated in battle. Their experience confirms the frequently used expression that says “two wrongs don’t make a right”. By using their own solution to correct the sin of disobedience instead of repenting, they added the sin of rebellion and dug a deeper hole for themselves. We can use their experience to our advantage. When we disobey, and disobey we will, we can avoid adding the sin of rebellion to the disobedience. We should learn instead, to turn to the Lord, to receive His generous and merciful gifts of forgiveness and repentance; and submit to His will. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. If at first you don’t succeed, what is the next step?

2. How was Moses able to know in advance that their idea would not succeed?

WHEN HELP IS NEEDED

READING: JOHN 2:1-12

Verse 3: “And when they ran out of wine the mother of Jesus said to Him, ‘They have no wine’”

When the wine ran out, that constituted a terrible experience. If the refreshments ran out at a modern wedding it might be a bit embarrassing, but it wouldn’t be of disastrous proportions. Maybe an apology would be made and then life would go on. It was not so easy then. Because of the nature of the traditions at that time, the family’s reputation would have been shattered. Therefore, when Mary went to Jesus for help it was with a great deal of pressure and desperation. Mary could have  attempted alternatives other than going to Jesus. She could have called on the local wine merchant, collected wine from the neighbors or used some other option. However, even though He was not yet established as one able to perform miracles, Mary had a confidence in Jesus that caused her to seek His help. We should always follow Mary’s example in our times of need. Why seek other sources  when the infinite and eternal source is present? His promise is to deliver us and supply all our need. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. What do you think caused Mary to have such confidence?

2. Does this passage teach you anything about how to approach the Lord?

WHO IS INVITED?

READING: JOHN 2:1-12

Verse 2: “Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.”

The statement that both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding provides an excellent model. It is a model that should be used to plan contemporary weddings as well. It would be ideal if Jesus and His disciples were involved in every marriage by invitation. Even as the presence of Jesus at the Cana wedding was a key factor to its success, our weddings these days also should be  influenced by the presence of the Spirit of the Lord. As was true above above at Cana, disciples should be included too. There are differing definitions of disciples. A disciple is a learner or pupil in general. The Disciples of Christ were those who identified with, worshipped and followed the Lord as He ministered. Today Christian disciples are similar to the latter. We become disciples by confessing and accepting the Lordship of Jesus. The institution of marriage would benefit tremendously if more weddings conformed to the Cana model. If that were so, they would be: 1) founded in the spiritual influence caused by the presence of the Lord. They would be: 2) influenced by the physical presence of those  who confess His Lordship. This model was good that day in Cana and it hasn’t lost its power. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. What was most important about Jesus being present at the wedding?

2. What is the greatest benefit from Jesus turning the water into wine?