How do you respond to instruction, criticism, or rebuke? Do you have a teachable spirit (attitude)? Do you accept wisdom and instruction as God’s sovereign work in your life or do you get defensive and reject it? I know I find it hard at times to take correction. But what do our answers say about us and why is it so important to understand and deal with these things?
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Anxiety and stress, even paranoia are not just modern issues. People in the Bible suffered from the same emotions. Today we’ll see an example in the life of Saul. If we’re struggling with some of those same emotions, could the reason Saul suffered such strong negative feelings be true for us, even to a small degree? If so, understanding it could change our lives.
We’ll also talk about word pictures in the Bible and how Jesus can cause our hearts to burn with the fire of the Holy Spirit by opening our understanding of His Word!
Our Proverbs reading reminds us that even the thoughts of an evil man or woman are an abomination to God, because, “thoughts are words to God.”
Thoughts come, even ungodly ones at times, but what do we do with them? Do we take them and consider them, look at them from different angles, or do we reject those that are not pleasing to Him? What are we saying to God with our thoughts?
And from our Old Testament reading in 1 Samuel, we’re reminded of the importance of our perspective. How do you view life and its potential problems? What do you see? One kind of vision leads to greater faith in God; the other leads to fear, worry, and doubt.
Sin makes a mess of our lives. And many times we are miserable about the consequences of our sinful choices: a broken relationship, financial cost, punishment for bad behavior, loss of respect. But sorrow over consequences isn’t necessarily godly sorrow.
Worldly sorrow may involve emotional distress, fear, anger, and even self-abasement. But its goal is the removal of consequences. Just as it did with Saul in today’s reading, it can, actually, lead to disqualification instead of restoration.
Godly sorrow, on the other hand, involves something else. So, how can we know the difference?
Most of us would say that finding joy in trials is next to impossible, and yet, the Bible commands us to do just that! How is that possible and how can we grow in that ability?
Also, today, do you find yourself praying about the same struggles day after day and week after week … sometimes year after year. Are you tempted to give up or do you feel like you have simply failed God?
The Disciples still didn’t get it! While Jesus was preparing Himself for the reality of the cross they were squabbling about their future positions in the kingdom, bragging about how they would never let Him down, and sleeping when He asked them to pray. I wonder how many times they looked back on those moments and believed they had failed God.
How about you? Do you ever feel like you have failed God? Maybe you promised to never again fall into some old sin habit. Instead, you found yourself arguing with your husband, yelling at your kids, missing your quiet time, and giving up in discouragement. If so, you’re not alone.
Today it’s easy to see how the unbelieving world has rejected God’s truth and authority. But, even as believers, we must fight the constant bombardment of philosophies and information, much of which directly contradicts the Bible. All this makes learning God’s Word all the more important. If we don’t, we may start to think and look more and more like the unbelievers around us and find ourselves just blending in..
In today’s Old Testament reading, the Philistines misinterpreted their victory over the nation of Israel. Since they didn’t understand God’s sovereignty, they presumptuously thought their god Dagon had defeated Israel’s God. When God responded clearly to their false assumptions, they came up with an elaborate, though foolish, plan to make amends. It involved an offering of “golden tumors,” among other things. Though our attempts may look different, we often believe that we need to offer God our own “golden tumors” or some other act of contrition. But what is it He actually wants?
And in today’s New Testament reading, Jesus reminds us that we need to be ready and watching for His return. So, how can we know if we are ready?
Once at a Bible study, the teacher opened with the question, “Can anything good come from persecution?” How would you answer that question? And how do you respond when it does come?” Because persecution, mistreatment, and rejection do come to us all.
It’s not always life-threatening. Sometimes it comes in more subtle ways, sometimes from our own family members and friends and that hurts. So, how does God use persecution for good and how might He be using it for good in your life and mine? And the most important question is, will we respond in godly ways, ways that will enable us to benefit and God to receive glory?
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