One of the saddest sections of all scripture is when God’s word tells us: “Then the sons of the Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” We’ve reached the book of Judges in our chronological march through the bible. Joshua dies and God’s people believe they know what’s best in that they gradually drift into darkness again and again. God raises up Judges to lead them back into the light of God’s fellowship. Think, for just a second as to how the Israelites must have felt when being oppressed by those to whom God sent to chastise them. Can’t you hear the cries? “Why should we be treated like this?” “How could God allow this nation to overtake God’s very own people?” Could it be that the chastisement the Israelites felt was the result of God looking out after their own best interest? Couldn’t the same be said of us today? The typical view of the Christian life is our desire of being delivered from all adversity. In reality, it actually means being delivered IN adversity, which is something entirely different. Just because we’ve pledged our lives to Christ doesn’t mean we won’t incur hardship. Jesus reminds His disciples: “In the world you WILL have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I’ve overcome the world” John 16:33. Remember, Christian, God doesn’t give us overcoming life—He gives us life as we overcome! The strain of life is what builds our strength. No strain = no strength. It shouldn’t surprise us: the only way to become stronger physically is to exercise our bodies (sometimes even to the point of exhaustion). The same is true of the spiritual life. When you continually give of yourself spiritually, you will receive more strength! Remember, God never wastes a hurt and there’s never an instance of pain He can’t use to His glory and our benefit.


Have a blessed day and remember the One who gave it to you!
 Kevin

Imagine the trepidation experienced by the priests as they started walking with the Ark of the Covenant into the water toward the Promised Land. The text says God was heaping the water upstream, which meant they would have been heading into flood-stage water waiting for it to recede enough not to drown. One of the biggest reasons Christians fail to launch out into the ‘deep’ waters of faith is because we hesitate. We pause long enough to consider the consequences of our actions without taking into consideration as to how powerful God’s Holy Spirit is to the Christian! God stopped the Jordan River waters above the priests. They had to acknowledge that God was going to keep His end of the bargain! The courage of vision is to say "Lord if that is you let me come to you walking on the water." The courage of vision is to say "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." The courage of vision is to say "If God be for us, who can be against us." The courage of vision is to say "The trials of this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory of the next life.” Don’t you see it, church? If we (by child-like faith) submit ourselves to Almighty God there’s no way we can lose! Depend less on your inability to swim and more on your willingness to take a plunge into the churning waters of doubt and fear to rescue another from spiritual death!

Have a blessed day and remember the One who gave it to you!
 Kevin

Even with reading God’s Word like a story book there will inevitably be folks who say, "I just don't understand the Bible." It’s one thing for folks who choose not to know God to struggle with biblical concepts but why do those who claim to know Him struggle? Although biblical education is valuable, the key to understanding scripture is not education as much as it is obedience. In today’s lesson, the Israelites chose to allow the “vocal minority” to drown out the voices of Joshua & Caleb. The Promised Land was theirs for the taking, but fools prevailed and thousands upon thousands of people perished in the wilderness. God’s Word is designed as such that as we act on what we read, the Bible "comes alive," and we begin to hear and understand the voice of God. However, if we have not obeyed what He's revealed to us, why would He give us His deeper truths? "The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him" (Ps. 25:14), and those who fear Him are the ones who obey His commandments and are promised "a good understanding.” Living a fleshly lifestyle of disobedience to the Lord clouds our eyes, diminishes our ability to hear, and fogs our thinking. Even though we might be privileged with full access to the mind of Christ at our finger tips, our attachment to our own sinful ways keeps us from tapping into the rich treasures of wisdom that are found in His Word. As we dig into today’s lesson, listen to the lack of faith exhibited by the Israelites. Learn from their mistakes! Then with reliance upon the Holy Spirit, commit to do what He tells you. When you obey His voice, He'll reveal deeper truths, and your understanding will grow. A study of God’s Word is designed to be a joy, not a bore and it gives life to the listener and understanding to the obedient!

Have a blessed day and remember the One who gave it to you! Kevin