THAT HURTS!

READING: JUDGES 6:11-15

Verse 13: “Gideon said to Him, “Oh my LORD, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?” But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.’”

Gideon was struggling with the fact that Israel was greatly impoverished  because of the Midianites. Therefore he critically questioned the Angel of the Lord as stated in verse 13. Gideon expressed his conclusion, but in fact Israel had not really been forsaken. The reality was that they were undergoing chastening. Accordingly, when they did turn to the Lord, He delivered them. At times people are in distress as Gideon was. They say, “I don’t understand why this is happening.” Sometimes they actually feel that the Lord has forsaken them. However, like the Israelites, sometimes they too are being chastened for their own ultimate benefit. In these cases God is not forsaking them but loving them, and loving them enough to correct their behaviors. The Father is not to be doubted because times are hard. He does not forsake His children, but He does chasten us “...for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.” (Hebrews 12:10). He does it because “...it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11). He is for us not against us! That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. What is your most memorable experience with chastening?

2. How can a person know they are being chastened?

IS IT STILL GOOD?

READING: 2 SAMUEL 5:17-25

Verse 23: “Therefore David inquired of the LORD, and He said, ‘You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees.”

The passage of scripture cited above describes two battles fought by the nation of Israel under King David. David inquired of the Lord for instructions to fight the first battle, and the Israelites were victorious using God’s battle plan. The second battle was also won, but the battle plan provided by the Lord for David to use was different. If David had not consulted with God regarding the second battle and had reused the first tactic instead, his army could very well may have been defeated. David’s faithfulness to seek God before going into battle is a good example and an excellent source of wisdom. Many times it may seem that previous successes are also formulas for current situations, and they may be. There are occasions when a repetition is effective. However, there are also instances when the old way is not suited for a new condition. Like David, before going forward in any venture, no matter how well previously practiced it may be, we should confirm the will of the Lord. Whether that results in a repeated response or a different one, success is in hearing and obeying the Lord. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. Is it practical to depend on God’s direction for your ventures?

2. What is one reason a former response might not work in a current situation?

DISSIMILAR

READING: GENESIS 13:1-11

Verse 4: “to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.”

One of the primary benefits of our relationships with the Lord is that through them we become able to have the direct effect of His involvement, influence and leadership in our lives. When we depend on the fruit of His presence and lordship, we get blessed by His goodness. Following is a scriptural example of this truth. In Genesis 13 we read of Abram and Lot as they were seeking the territory that God had for them. In verse 4, as described above, we see what Abram did. He called on the name of the Lord. In so doing he expressed his confidence in God. In verse 10, it can be seen what Lot did. He lifted his eyes and saw that the land seemed to be good. He put his confidence in what he saw.  Abram’s result was that The Lord showed him the land he was to have, and committed it to him and his descendants. Lot’s result was that he went among wicked and sinful men. Abram occupied and prospered in the land that God promised. Lot lost the land he chose because of the sinfulness of those around him. The extreme opposite nature of the results that came to these two men is not limited to their particular experience only. Theirs was not an isolated or rare occurrence. Instead, their outcomes offer a fact that we can securely take
away from this event. This fact is that godly success comes to those who
call on the name of the Lord. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.
RESPONSE
1. What name would you give to Abram’s response?
2. How would you classify Lot’s response?

HOLD THE FORT

READING: 2 KINGS 3:11-18

Verse 14: “And Elisha said, ‘As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you, nor see you.’”

I have been in military training situations when instructors used some extreme effects as “attention getters” to begin their training sessions. Elisha was like that as he delivered a very dramatic attention getter. He would get a high mark for an opening statement, as quoted above, to the kings who went to see him. He clearly made the point that he was tolerating the presence of Jehoram, the ungodly king of Israel, only because Jehoram was with Jehoshaphat the godly king of Judah. It seems Elisha’s position very much represents the state of the world today. King Jehoshaphat can be viewed as corresponding to the godly people of the earth, while King Jehoram represents the ungodly. Like Elisha did for Jehoshaphat, the Lord has favor for the godly. He has no such acceptance of the ungodly. If it were not for the godly, it seems that the judgment of the Lord would surely be executed against those who dishonor Him. In fact, we know that day is coming. I believe this state of affairs carries with it an implication for today’s Christians. It is true that we who have favor also have responsibility. We must faithfully occupy until Jesus comes. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. What is there about the Gospel that is a special attention getter for you?

2. What is your role as an “occupier”?

BETTER THAN THE BEST

READING: ROMANS 8:31-39

Verse 37: “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

It is very interesting that we are told we are more than conquerors. We know what it means to be a conqueror, but this verse raises the expectation of something more than that. What can this mean? History readily reveals that many people have become conquerors through military victories. However, after winning their battles and wars, these conquerors had the problem of holding their gains. They had to resist forces working to bring them down. They were conquerors but they could not rest in their conquests. Christians have something in common with their experiences. We too are conquerors. We have victory over sin and death through our Savior, our Lord Jesus. It is by His power that we have that victory. It is by that same power that we are raised up to the higher level of being more than conquerors. The added ingredient that gives us this greater stature, is that we have rest, assurance and peace in the conquest we have been granted. Why can we have this confidence that military commanders have lacked? We are assured because the power of the Lord that overcame sin and death is also the strength and protection that maintains our victory. By the grace of God, we are granted what none of those military conquerors had. That is the eternal victory we have in Jesus! That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. How much you identify with being more than a conqueror?

2. What do you have to say to Jesus about winning your victory for you?

GLORY REVEALED

READING: COLOSSIANS 2:24-29

Verse 26: “the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.”

When an exceptionally large lottery prize is announced, many people want to buy a chance to win it. They are excited about the huge jackpot before them. Even though the potential winnings are temporal, those involved are anything but indifferent. It’s completely accurate, however, to say that indifference is widespread when it comes to the eternal realities of the Kingdom of God. So often people don’t care about the eternal truths that are sound reasons for much excitement and great joy. The verse above is such a reason. According the Reese Chronological Bible, there were nearly 4,000 years between the creation and the birth of Jesus. Those years represent the ages and generations through which the mystery was hidden. Then, with the advent of the Lord Jesus, the mystery was revealed. It is this revelation that has exposed the gift of eternal salvation, the Gospel of God. At the time when lottery winnings will be very long gone and forgotten, the revealed mystery of our oneness with God will still be the source of everlasting glory. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. What observations do you have about the revelation of the mystery being made to you?

2. We know only God has the answer, but what thoughts do you have about the mystery being hidden for so long?

BETTER THAN MEDS

READING: PHILIPPIANS 4:1-6

Verse 6: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God...”

In our society we are experiencing a period during which anxiety is widespread. Contrary to this  experience, however, biblical instruction as presented in the verse above, is to not be anxious. Immediately following that instruction, the Bible informs its readers of how to avoid anxiety. It says people should prayerfully express their situations to the Lord with thankfulness. In other words, we are to report our concerns to Him trusting Him as our loving and faithful Heavenly Father. When we accomplish this, there is no longer reason for anxiety if we indeed put our faith in Him. At that point we don’t then have to wait for results in order to be relieved of anxiety. Our true peace in the Lord will not hinge on what is going to happen or how it will be. We must not look to the human resolution first and as our primary need. Godly victory over anxiety comes we first give priority to the Resolver Himself! Then from Him will come our human resolution. As we cast our cares on Him we are able to enter the peace of God which passes understanding. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. What goes wrong with ungodly responses to anxiety?

2. What role does the thanksgiving have when we pray as above?