Have you ever been misjudged, falsely accused, or passed over by someone in leadership? Have you been hurt, mistreated, or treated unfairly? What do you think about at those times? Is it possible those events are actually orchestrated by God? And could those be the times we can grow the most? But something may need to change if that’s to happen.
Also, find out why God would call a group of women the “cows of Bashan.” Not very flattering! But could we be guilty of the same thing?
Today’s Readings:
Amos 4-7
Psalm 141.5-10
Proverbs 29.26
Revelation 4.1-11
Welcome to “God’s Word Day by Day.” Why not make the coming year the best ever when it comes to your understanding and enjoyment of Scripture by signing up for these daily devotionals?
Now on to the magnificent Word …
When You’re Treated Unfairly
Proverbs 29.26:
God’s Justice
Many seek the ruler’s favor, but justice for man comes from the LORD.
Have you ever been misjudged, falsely accused, or passed over by someone in leadership? Have you been hurt or mistreated?
What do you think about at those times? Is your response to trust God and rest in His justice and timing? Or is your temptation to get angry and take matters into your own hands? That can be a huge temptation to us all.
But if we’re going to grow and become more like Christ we may need to change the way we think and respond.
Resist Anger, Bitterness & Complaining
As believers, we need to resist becoming angry and bitter or constantly complaining. This is so important. If you’re struggling with any of those responses, I hope you’ll spend some time reading these posts from my series on emotions and two others on bitterness and complaining.
“Handling Anger Biblically” Part 1
“Handling Anger Biblically” Part 2
“Handling Anger Biblically” Part 3
But it doesn’t stop with our responses. We also need to learn more about God Himself.
Who Is God When We’re Treated Unfairly?
One way to know God better is by meditating on His attributes.
First, we need to remember that He is good! If He allows us to go through some test or trial, it’s for our good (Rom. 8.28-29). It’s intended to help us grow in the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5.22-23) and come to trust Him more.
Second, God is Sovereign. That means He is completely in control of everything. He is omnipotent and has the power and the ability to bring about whatever He chooses (“justice for man comes from the LORD”).
Job 42.2 says:
I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
Think about that; God’s unstoppable plans, His perfect plans and purposes, will come to pass.
He is, also, omnipresent, present everywhere and at all times!
He is omniscient and knows everything. Nothing we think about, nothing we do, and nothing that happens to us is a secret to Him.
He is a God of love, a God of mercy, and perfectly holy. But He is also a God of justice.
So, since He knows everything, He has the power to do whatever He needs or wants to do, He is completely sovereign, a God of justice, and He loves His children, He is well able to take care of You and make all things right in His time. Put your faith and trust in Him. He is our faithful, loving Father! Trust in His unstoppable, wonderful plans, even when things don’t go the way you think they should!
Today’s Other Readings:
Amos 4-7:
You Cows of Bashan!
Amos was written primarily to the Northern tribes (Samaria) during a time of relative peace and prosperity. In chapter 4 Amos begins by addressing the women of Samaria calling them “cows of Bashan.” Wow, that’s pretty harsh!
The problem was that these women were living in luxury and encouraging their husbands to focus on material prosperity. Verse 1, “Who say to your husbands, ‘Bring wine, let us drink!’” And they had no regard for those less fortunate, “Who oppress the poor, who crush the needy …”
As wives, mothers, and sisters, we have much more influence over our families than we think or like to admit. How are we influencing them? What is our focus? Could we be acting like the “cows of Bashan”? Are we saying we want our husbands to be godly leaders and our sons to grow up to be godly men … all the while putting our focus on material things, pushing them to get a better job, more education, and provide more “stuff”?
Or do we encourage them to consider the spiritual implications of a job or career first? Will it allow them time to serve the Lord? Will having that bigger house make it difficult to give to the work of God? How do our lifestyles, our careers, and our goals fit with God’s plans and purposes? Whose agenda are we on, His or ours?
And Husbands …
And husbands, are you leading your wives in this area? You are to wash us with the water of the Word (Eph. 5.26), pray for us, help us to grow spiritually, and lead by example.
Matthew 6 says:
19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Where is your treasure and therefore your heart? One day all our “stuff” will be gone and all that will remain is what we did with eternal motives.
Psalm 141.5-10:
Receiving Criticism
Let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; it shall be as excellent oil; let my head not refuse it (v. 5).
And Proverbs 27.6 says:
Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
How do you respond to criticism? Do you welcome it, taking it to God and asking Him to show you how you need to grow and change? Or do you get defensive and choose to be offended? God can even use ungodly, unfair criticism for our good just as He does any other unfair treatment.
Revelation 4.1-11:
The Reason We Celebrate
This next section of the book of Revelation starts out with a glimpse into the throne room of heaven. We see the church represented by the 24 elders worshiping God the Father and Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
We also see the number seven multiple times. Seven represents perfection or completeness in the Bible. In this chapter, there are the “seven Spirits of God” (not really seven different spirits, but perfection). Tomorrow we will read about “seven seals,” “seven eyes,” and “seven horns.”
What an awesome privilege that God would include in His Eternal Word this glimpse into heaven for our encouragement and blessing!
That same “Eternal Word,” personified in Jesus Christ, laid down His right to be in heaven, allowed Himself to be born into the body of a baby, lived a perfect sinless life, and offered Himself as the Lamb of God who takes away our sins. He not only brings about justice in this life, but He made it possible for each of us to be justified in the eyes of God, the only justification that will really matter for eternity!
HE IS THE REASON WE CELEBRATE THIS SEASON!
Coming Up:
In the next few days, we’ll talk about grace, being a Christian single, the responsibility involved in being a true friend, the Tribulation, the opening of the 7 seals in Revelation, and pose the question, “Does what goes around come around?” I hope you’ll join us.
Get Ready for the Coming Year with a Plan for Your Bible Reading
The holidays are just around the corner and the new year will be on us before we know it. What will you do to make Bible reading an ongoing habit in the coming year? I want to encourage you to set a goal to read through the Bible again or for the first time. If you join me here, I’ll take you through a plan that covers both the Old and New Testaments in about 15 minutes a day. Sign up here for my daily email. It can serve as a gentle reminder to stay on track and I believe you’ll benefit from the additional background and application comments that I share.
Start today so you can begin the habit and it will be a regular part of your day come January.
You can also follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. Just click on the social media icons. But nothing replaces having the daily devotion pop up in your inbox each day. It, usually (once in a while life gets in the way), goes out at 6 a.m. MST.
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.