Today’s Readings: Judges 9:22‐10:18, Luke 24:13‐53, Psalm 100:1‐5, Proverbs 14:11‐12

Luke 24: 27, 32, and 45, 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself…  32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”…  45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

What must it have been like to have Jesus interpret the Scriptures for you?  Could it be that we have something even better?  He left to send us the Holy Spirit to live in us and to be our constant teacher.

Apply: I want to give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to open my mind to understand the Scriptures.

Has your heart ever burned within you as you listened to someone interpret the Bible?

Today’s Readings:  Judges 8:18‐9:21, Luke 23:44‐24:12, Psalm 99:1‐9, Proverbs 14:9‐10

Proverbs 14:10 The heart knows its own bitterness,
and no stranger shares its joy.

Are you self aware?  Do you realize the condition of your heart?  Are you harboring bitterness?  Are you finding true joy in the Lord?  Today I was encouraged by an All Pro Dad (recommended) blog post to find Joy.  Check it out here.

Apply:  I want to focus my heart on the JOY of the Lord.

What brings you true joy?

Today’s Readings: Judges 7:1‐8:17, Luke 23:13‐43, Psalm 97:1‐98:9, Proverbs 14:7‐8

Judges 7:2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’”

The Spring of Herod

Observations:

• God did not want to work through an army of many.
• If the people were victorious with many, they would boast in themselves instead of in God.

In most areas of my life, I try to gather as many qualified men for battle as possible.  In my ministry at camp, I am always praying that God would stack my team with a lot of incredibly talented and Godly young adults.  God often chooses to use the least of these to do the greatest things.

Apply:

I want God to use me in areas where I cannot boast in my own strength.

Can you testify of a Gideon victory in your own life?

Today’s Readings: Judges 6:1‐40, Luke 22:54‐23:12, Psalm 95:1‐96:13, Proverbs 14:5‐6

Judges 6:11-12  Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”

Observations and thoughts:

• Gideon is beating out wheat (normally done on a threshing floor so the wind could blow off the chaff) in a winepress (usually underground to keep the wine cool – see pic below).
• Gideon is hiding.
• The angel’s first words to him are: “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”

Winepress in Maresha

What?  Gideon is prepping food in hiding.  If anything, I am expecting God to rebuke him for hiding or acting timidly.  Instead, the Angel speaks identity into Gideon.  He comments on his position with God and his personal character.  “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”

Application:  I want to speak identity into my family, friends, and co-laborers in ministry.

Who has God used to speak identity into your life?

Today’s Readings:  Judges 4:1‐5:31, Luke 22:35‐53, Psalm 94:1‐23, Proverbs 14:3‐4

Judges 5:2  “That the leaders took the lead in Israel,
that the people offered themselves willingly,
bless the Lord!

Observations:

• When leaders lead, God gets glory
• When followers offer themselves willing, God gets glory

Application:

I need to understand my role in every situation.  When God has given me a position of leadership, I need to lead.  When God has placed me in a position to follow, I need to offer myself willingly.

Why do we struggle to function within our roles?

Today’s Readings: Judges 2:10‐3:31, Luke 22:14‐34, Psalm 92:1‐93:5, Proverbs 14:1‐2

Today being Easter, I’m going to bend my blogging rules and talk about something God showed me in the Easter narrative a few chapters ahead of our reading in Luke.

Context: After the women went into the tomb, they did not see Jesus’ body and were “perplexed.”  Two angels appear and say:

Text: Luke 24:5b-8  “Why do you seek the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, ⁷ that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”

⁸ And they remembered his words.

We live in a Christian culture that does not remember God’s words.  I hear the angels saying: “What are you looking for.  You knew this was going to happen.  He told you so.  Don’t you remember?”

It is interesting that the women need to be reminded of what Jesus said relating to his death and resurrection in order to remember.  It would seem like after Jesus died, they would be clinging to what he said about his resurrection.  However, they needed to be reminded to remember.

Apply: Look for things that remind us of God’s words.

What jumped out to you in the Easter story today?

Today’s Readings: Judges 1:1‐2:9, Luke 21:29‐22:13, Psalm 90:1‐91:16, Proverbs 13:24‐25

Luke 21: 37-38  And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet.  And early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him.

This is the last day of Holy Week.  Luke 21:37-38 summarizes what Jesus was doing during the last week before his crucifixion.  What stands out to me is Jesus finishing strong in his ministry.  He continues to be others focused and to teach knowing his death is imminent.  For a more detailed lay-out of his final week, check out this article.

When I was in Israel, it was pointed out to me that during Holy Week, the population of Jerusalem would quadruple.  This forced Jesus and his disciples to stay in Bethany and later probably in a gethsemane (an olive press in the garden) on the Mount of Olives (which had many gethsemanes and gardens during the time of Christ – the text implies there may have only been one titled the Garden of Gethsemane).

I’ve included a picture of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.  The wall that you see on the temple mount has two filled-in gates through which Christ will enter through when he returns.  I’ve also included a picture of one of the parts of the olive garden that claims the name of the Garden of Gethsemane.

Apply: I want to run through every finish line that God gives me.  I want to be others focused.

What helps you remember to finish strong?

Today’s Readings: Joshua 24:1‐33, Luke 21:1‐28, Psalm 89:38‐52, Proverbs 13:20‐23

Questions out of the second half of Joshua 24:

Do you have spiritual mentors that push you to serve the Lord? 14-15 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness… Choose this day whom you will serve…  But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Do you remember God’s faithfulness? 16-18 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery… Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

Do you know there are consequences if you forsake God? 19-20 But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.  If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.”

Have you cleaned house? 21-23 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.” Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

Have you committed to obedience? 24-26a And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem. And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God.

What are your witness stones? 26b-28  And he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.” So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.

Today’s Readings: Joshua 22:21‐23:16, Luke 20:27‐47, Psalm 89:14‐37, Proverbs 13:17‐19

Joshua 23:14b-16a … not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed.  But just as all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the Lord your God has given you, if you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them…

Observation:

• Two chapters later than the similar verses in yesterday’s post…
• God is faithful to bless and to discipline.
• Serving and bowing down to other Gods brings evil and destruction in our lives.
• The IF in our future is related to us, not God.

Where am I serving idols and not God?  In our culture, most of us do not have carved images that we “bow down” to.  However, we struggle with idolatry through placing too much worth on stuff.  We “serve” other people and other things before God.  In my life it is often my agenda, my family, approval, comfort or work.

Application:  Today I want to focus on serving God and letting the rest of my life flow out of the service of him.

What are you spending the most of your time serving?

Today’s Readings: Joshua 21:1‐22:20, Luke 20:1‐26, Psalm 89:1‐13, Proverbs 13:15‐16

Joshua 21: 45 Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.

Observations:

• Not one word – completely
• All the good promises – God has good plans for his people
• Lord had made – God made these promises.  Not Israel.
• Had failed – All came to pass

Why do we doubt God?  We see in history that he comes through every time.  In my life he has proved himself over and over.  The Bible helps us remember and recognize his faithfulness.

Apply: I want to worship God for his faithfulness.

Can you give an example of how God has shown his faithfulness in your life?