Judges 8 - 11.11.24
Scripture
Judges 8:33-34 NLT
“As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping the images of Baal, making Baal-berith their god. They forgot the Lord their God, who had rescued them from all their enemies surrounding them.”
Observation
Gideon led a group of 300 warriors to go and conquer the Midianites. Gideon and these men had already conquered and killed over 120,000 men with his small army during his leadership. It was obvious that God’s favor was with Gideon and with God on his side, he was eventually able to defeat and conquer the Midianites. During the rest of Gideon’s lifetime, there was peace among the Israelites and the land. But, as soon as Gideon died, things were about to change. The Israelites went back to their wicked ways, worshiping idols and forgetting about God. 🤦🏽♂️
Application
How soon we forget.
Before we get on the Israelites for always seeming to forget about God, and going back to their old ways, we need to pump the brakes here, look in the mirror for a second, and see if we can sometimes do the same thing. It may not be on the scale of the Israelites here, but if we are honest with ourselves, we are just as guilty of forgetting God sometimes too. It could be a time where we received some bad health news. We ask others to pray for us. We even seek God harder than we ever did before. But, as soon as the doctor comes and gives us the news that we are in the clear, we get back to our lives, forgetting God, and allowing the busyness of life get in the way of our relationship with God again. It can be a vicious cycle too! We receive a life crisis. We then seek God. He helps us. We go back to our “scheduled program”. Rinse and repeat! We treat God like He is our personal “magic genie”, only seeking Him whenever we need something and whenever He gives it to us, we forget about Him. How self-centered can we be? You will see as we continue to read the book of Judges that the Israelites go through this same cycle. We need to learn from their mistakes, NOT repeat them!
“These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.” -1 Corinthians 10:11 NLT
We need to seek God daily! Not just when we need something either. We need to give Him our praise and thanksgiving DAILY. We need to give Him our concerns DAILY. We need to follow Him and His ways DAILY. Just look what God has done for the likes of Moses and Gideon, and see how God’s favor was with them, and how He blessed them. They were men who sought after God DAILY.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me for the times I forget about Your goodness and faithfulness. Forgive me for ever treating You like a vending machine or my personal magic genie. God, You are so faithful even when I’m not. You desire a daily relationship with me because You love and care for me. May I seek You each day, to give You all my praise and concerns. Help me to walk Your path the way Moses and Gideon did, so I may be blessed and a blessing to those around me. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽
-Moses Gaddi
1 Corinthians 16 - 11.8.24
SCRIPTURE
For God’s people. 1 Corinthians 16:13 -14: Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.
OBSERVATION
In the book of 1 Corinthians Paul is recognizing the needs of the Christians in the towns mentioned; giving them encouraging words; recognizing what they have done, and telling them he would come to these churches as soon as he can. But IN THE MEANTIME he is giving them instructions to be ready, stand fast and to love.
In these scriptures, Paul is encouraging Christians to:
WATCH—
1 Peter 5:8-9 "Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. But you must resist the devil and stay strong in your faith"
( Matthew 24:42, 26:41, Mark 13:37 )
STAND FAST—
Liberty in Jesus: Galatians 5:1
Christian unity: Philippians 1:27
The Lord HIMSELF: Philippians 4:1
The teaching of the apostles 2 Thessalonians 2:15
BE STRONG—
Power of His might Ephesians 6:10
His grace 2 Timothy 2:1
DO EVERYTHING IN LOVE—
In a sense, each of these mean the same thing, simply saying it in a different way. Christians are to be like strong soldiers, on guard, watching for their Lord’s return but also being aware of temptation to choose something not good for us with bad consequences. And to do it all with Love.
APPLICATION
But what does it mean to us? It all is accomplished through FAITH. Stand firm in Faith, be courageous and do it all in LOVE.
TWO Lessons: be prepared for His returning for us and the hope of our salvation
Be prepared for temptation that brings us harm.
Here are three ways to stand firm in your faith:
Praise God. Praise God for who He is and what He has done in your life. Praise can renew your strength and activate power in your life.
Pray for others. Praying for others is a way to turn your heart toward others. Intercession is the highest expression of love.
Spend time with God. Quiet time with God is a way to be intentional with your relationship with God. You can go to a secluded place to hear God more clearly or rest in His presence ANYWHERE.
Standing firm in your faith is an active position, not a passive one. It's when you let God take over and live out His principles daily. And spending time with other believers to share your conflict and your life’s journey and ASK FOR PRAYER. All of these show our love for HIM and others.
PRAYER
Lord, there is so much to consider BUT this we ask that we Be on guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love. Because of your promises we TRUST IN YOU AND YOUR GRACE that YOU WILL!!! And we give you the glory of your word with humble adoration. And Lord, give us the opportunity to share your words to others in our daily walk so that they come to know YOU. WE know someone plants a seed and another one waters it…So today Jesus let us be gardeners of your word. Amen.
- Charleen Zakarian
1 Corinthians 15 - 11.7.24
S - 1 Corinthians 15:56-58 (NIV) The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
O – Paul wrote this letter to correct the thinking of the Corinthian Christians about what resurrection from the dead means for born-again believers. The Church of Corinth had difficulties with the concept of bodily resurrection, and Paul wrote this letter to instruct them in several areas. First, Scripture tells us that Christ died for our sins and without that truth, His death was worthless and those who believe in Him are still in their sins and without hope. Secondly, He was buried in a tomb, and he was raised on the third day. Many unbelievers will tell us that Jesus did not rise from the dead, but He was SEEN, not by one or two people, but by SEVERAL people…Peter, the Disciples, more than 500 Christians, James, the Apostles and Paul. Those facts were documented and the RESSURECTION is a historical fact.
A – I know there was a lot of fear, anxiety, tension and even hatred, surrounding the elections on Tuesday, but we do not need to live in that space as Christian believers! Regardless of who you voted for, or whether your candidate won, we have NO reason to fear whatever is to come. One of the grandest name descriptions of our God is “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” It is used to declare God’s authority over all creation and reminds believers of His power and might.
Rev. 11:15
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:
“The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,
and he will reign for ever and ever.”
FOREVER as in Eternity! We should not be discouraged by any doubters who deny the Resurrection. We as Christians should be filled with HOPE and the knowledge that one day we will see the living proof when Jesus returns.
Rev. 1:7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”[b]
So shall it be! Amen.
Let’s not allow discouragement to keep us from working for our Lord. Let’s do the good that we have the opportunity to do, knowing that the work will have eternal results. Hopefully you all did your part in this election and got out there and voted, now let’s leave it there. What’s done is done. Continue to pray for God’s hand to be upon our President, helping to guide Him/Her to do the things that are good! As we continue to do the works that we have been called to do, we can find peace and freedom in letting Jesus handle the rest of it.
P – Jesus comfort those who are feeling fearful right now; those who may not know you yet; those who question the validity of your Resurrection. Open their eyes to see you God right in front of them…the God who loves them so much and wants to give them a hope and a future! Help my Christian brothers and sisters to stay the course, to stay focused on you and not anything that would distract them from the work you have called them/us to do. Give us your Shalom Peace and place a hedge of protection around us. May we do our very best to stay united as the Church, praying always to share the Gospel and the love of Jesus with anyone that we are given opportunity. Thank you that we do not need to live in fear! My heart is so GRATEFUL to you for leading my paths straight, from saving me from MY sin, for giving me Victory over the enemy, and for providing everything that we need! In Jesus’ name, Amen!
- Crystal Flory