Judges 6:14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” 15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” (NIV)
Has God ever called you to do something for which you felt very ill-equipped?
Make no mistake, on your own you probably were ill-equipped indeed. I was watching The Chosen recently and Matthew and Jesus were in conversation about Jesus having chosen Peter as his rock and foundation upon which his church would be built. The show takes a little creative license with imagining conversations that might have ensued and in one such conversation Matthew says, “I guess I am finding it hard to accept that the person you would formally assign leadership to of a group, with the keys to the kingdom of heaven, would be someone so…temperamental. I know the term’s a metaphor, but he does not act like a rock.”
Jesus chuckles and then replies, “I make people what they aren’t.”
I loved that line and we can certainly see examples of people throughout the Bible who by their own merit were not up to a God-assigned task (e.g., Moses, Jeremiah, the Apostle Paul, etc.). Some even tried to persuade God to find someone else, but we know God would not lead us to something simply to watch us fail. He always has a plan and He is always up to the task. Do we have enough faith that God will see it through? 1 Thessalonians 5:24 reminds us, “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (ESV).
God assures Gideon that he need not rely on his own strength in Judges 6:16: The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.” Our weaknesses are not a deterrent when it comes to carrying out a mission God has called us to do. Accordingly, 2 Corinthians 12:9 reminds us that our limitations should not prevent us from stepping out in boldness, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (ESV).
REflection Questions
Has God ever called you to do something for which you felt very ill-equipped?
Do we have enough faith that God will see it through?
Why did Gideon feel weak? What made him a mighty hero? Why do you feel weak? What can make you into a mighty hero? What happens when you refuse to let God strengthen and use you?
How do you put yourself in a position where “The Lord is with you”?
Prayer
Dear God, I thank You for giving strength and making heroes where there was only weakness and fear. You are a great God with a great plan! Your desire is to see people saved from the enemy and sometimes You do that in some pretty creative ways. Help me see Your battle plans and realize the role You want me to play – which I can only do when YOU are with me. Help me always draw closer to You so Your strength & Your Spirit runs through me. Thank You for Your Son who is our perfect example and Savior.
In our Joshua reading today, we see once again one of the primary reasons that the Israelites were seemingly obsessed with lineage: all of those “who begat who begat who” passages that we come across in scripture. The reason is, put simply, that’s where you got your inheritance, if you were a Jew. That’s how you knew what your inheritance even was. Your inheritance, to some degree, affected the level of your wealth, your occupation, everything. Let’s say you wanted to be a fisherman; well, if your inheritance of land doesn’t have a large body of water with fish in it, you might want to consider shepherding as an option. If you wanted to be a priest, you’d have to prove that Aaron was an ancestor of yours at some point. Joshua 13 breaks down a number of these very specific physical inheritances for the Israelites, which were non-negotiable and non-transferrable.
When you have been especially faithful though, and when you have the gumption to ask for it, sometimes you can receive an extra portion; this is what happens in Josh 14:6-15 (and continuing on some in chapter 15, as far as some of the details go) when Caleb approaches Joshua and says specifically “So now, give me this hill country about which Yahweh spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps Yahweh will be with me, and I will dispossess them as Yahweh has spoken.” (Josh 14:12, LSB). It then goes on to say: “Therefore, Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb…because he fully followed Yahweh the God of Israel.” (Josh 14:14, LSB). Read the whole section carefully, starting when he approaches Joshua.
If you have not read yesterday’s devotion, you should go back and do it now because we’re going to talk for just a little bit more about giants; also called “the Anakim” or “the sons of Anak” (among other things). Josh 14:15 gives us a big (no pun intended) clue here, when it says “Now the name of Hebron was formerly Kiriath-arba; for Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim…” (that’s from the LSB version, also note that Kiriath means “city”, so “City of Arba”).
Let’s consider for a moment. The only giant whose height and size we know fully in scripture is Goliath of Gath, and he stood approximately 9′ 9″ according to the masoretic text (which I tend to agree with, on the basis of their impeccable and zealous exactly accurate transmission of the scriptures). In contrast to this, the Septuagint, some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the historian Josephus place his height at approximately 6′ 9″ (due to a textual transmission discrepancy between the Hebrew and the Greek). If you have any historical knowledge of the Masoretes and their almost psychotic zeal for accurately reproducing scripture, you’ll understand why I favor that first number of 9′ 9″. We also know that Og (one of the Rephaim, another group described as giants) the king of Bashan’s iron bed was 13.5′ long by 6’wide (see Deut 3:11), and that seems logically like it’d be a little too much empty head or foot space if you were just under 7′ tall, but pretty reasonable if you were around 10′-13′ tall. King Og is mentioned briefly in Josh 13:31.
So we don’t actually know how big this Arba fellow was, but we DO know that he was “the greatest among the Anakim”. So, let’s just say “really really big”. I could speculate that he was most likely well over 10′ tall, probably by a large portion, but that’s just speculation. The point is, he was really a big guy. So when Caleb asks for this special inheritance, it’s with the understanding that “Hey, even though I’m 85 years old now, I’m going to go whip the biggest giant there is, and take his land. Also, any offspring of his who are also giants, I’ll whip them too, and take their land as well.” (that’s clearly paraphrased, but spot on accurate, the bit about the offspring is noted in chapter 15). So what’s the point of this little digression into speculation and size?
The point is this: it’s not always easy to claim your inheritance. Sometimes, it’s going to take a bit of gumption, and maybe a scrap. You may have to be bold, and brave, and act with what some might call “temerity”. Sometimes, you have to look at the biggest guy there is and go “Yea, I can take that guy.”, and if you’re Caleb, that’s not always going to be a metaphor. In our case, it might be (or it might not, who knows?).
In Matt 25:34 it explains that our inheritance as followers of Ha’Mashiach (The Anointed One, or The Christ) provided that we obey God’s word, is the Kingdom of God. Please take a moment and read the words of our King in Matthew 25:31-46. This plainly explains to us that not our lineage, but our actions, will qualify us for our inheritance, the Kingdom of God. Jesus tells us that to actively seek our inheritance, the Kingdom of God, should be first in our priorities (Matt 6:33), and that all the other stuff will be taken care of.
As gentiles, we should be very cognizant of the fact that we will have to qualify for our inheritance, it doesn’t matter what your lineage is. Note I didn’t say earn, nothing that we could ever do would be enough to enter in to the Kingdom of God, but to even qualify for consideration we need to represent the character of God correctly to our fellow creation, to enact tzedakah (look it up) and love our neighbor as ourself, and to successfully love YHVH God with all our heart, soul, and might. Sometimes as Christians, we tend to think we should be meek and quiet, but we know that James has written “you have not because you ask not” (James 4:2).
It may be that at times we have to act with temerity. We know that there are things that can disqualify us from our inheritance (1 Cor 6:9-11), so we must fight tooth and nailagainst the enemy who tries to present these things to us as desirable. We WILL have to fight giants, whether real or metaphorical. You are going to have to go through some things, in order to qualify. It doesn’t matter though, because nothing compares; no suffering which you may have to endure will in any way compare to the glory of the Kingdom of God (Rom 8:18). Be like Caleb, in other words, and go boldly to claim your inheritance.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What is it that you dread? If you are afraid of something that is hampering your obedience whether it’s a situation, a person, a conversation, starting an action, stopping an action, changing a habit, whatever it might be – that is your giant. Of course it’s scary, now go fight it. You need to identify it for yourself first though (we tend to be really good at pretending it’s not there).
What things have you allowed into your life that you are seeking first, instead of your inheritance (The Kingdom), and how can you change that?
Think for a moment about what steps you can take that would assist you in qualifying for entry into the Kingdom? List out 3, and then implement them into your routine.
PRAYER
Father God, thank you. All of these things I have, they have come from Your hand. Please help me, lead me and guide me, grant me wisdom and humility, and if it is Your will allow me to enter into Your kingdom. Grant me my inheritance Lord, and help me to be a servant who pleases. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“Be strong and courageous!” Those were the words of God himself to Joshua in the first chapter which we read yesterday. In fact, God there challenged him three times with those exact words. At the end of the chapter, when the whole nation committed themselves to Joshua and his leadership, they too encouraged him with those same words, “Be strong and courageous!”
Joshua’s courage, and that of all the Israelites was tested in chapters 3 and 4. God was about to lead them into the promised land, but it meant getting to the other side of the Jordan River. There was no bridge and the river was at flood stage. A most amazing miracle was about to happen! The priests were to carry the ark of the covenant into the river. As soon as their toes got wet, the flow of the river was disrupted. The current, flowing from the north to the south, completely stopped, and the water heaped up to their right. It was an invisible dam, accomplished by the almighty power of God. There’s no way to know how high that wall of water heaped, but it must have been quite a sight! No water flowed to the left. People downstream must have wondered what happened to the river? Not only did God stop the flow, but the whole nation then walked across the riverbed into the promised land. Not only did they walk across the riverbed, but it says they walked on dry ground! You can imagine the mud and muck at the bottom of the Jordan. How long would that have taken to dry up naturally? A few years ago, I baptized a young lady in a pond. After immersing her, we attempted to return to shore, but my feet were quickly sinking into the mud, so much so that I began to sink. We both needed help getting out of the water. God not only stopped the flow of the Jordan, but he instantaneously dried up the riverbed. A miracle indeed!
One more thought before we move on. Joshua 4:24 says, “He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful, and so that you might always fear the LORD your God!” To fear God is to have a holy revere for him, that is, a deep respect and admiration.
Psalm 33 is a Psalm of praise and acknowledgment of who the LORD is, what he has done, his obvious worthiness of worship. Notice especially the teaching in V. 8, “Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him!” See also V. 18, “But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love . . .” This reveals the call, and good reason for all people to respect and worship the LORD!
As you read Mark 16, you’ll probably see a note that verses 9-20 are not included in the most reliable early manuscripts. That’s not to suggest that those events never happened, nor that those words were never said. They may, or may not have happened or been said, but there’s doubt that they were originally part of Mark’s gospel. Most of these references are verified in other scriptural accounts. I will mention that some suggest a diminished importance for water baptism since Jesus’ words in verses 15 & 16 may or may not have ever been put quite like it’s worded here. One should never propagate a teaching or position based solely on one questionable passage. However, this questionable passage does not negate the numerous other scriptures that teach water baptism and its significance as a step in the process of salvation.
Reflection Questions
Joshua was clearly called and equipped to serve the LORD. In what ways do you feel called and equipped to serve?
Have you ever needed the encouragement to be strong and courageous when you knew you needed to do the right thing?
Have you yourself submitted to the waters of baptism as taught and practiced in the book of Acts, as symbolically explained in Romans 6, and with the promise of Galatians 3?
Prayer
“Heavenly Father, thank you for the historical record of men and events such as we read in the book of Joshua. Thank you for the teaching and challenge we find in Psalm 33, that we should fear, revere you, that we should put our hope in you, and that your eyes are upon those who do. Thank you again for your son Jesus, and for the hope we can have in the kingdom because of him! In his name. Amen!”
Waiting is hard. We all know this. We have all had things we’ve prayed for, waited on receiving. Patience truly is a virtue.
Waiting is scary. It’s hard to be still. We feel we should be doing something. Sadly we don’t recognize waiting on God as something worth doing. We become anxious in those still moments God is building character. We begin to question, to doubt.
The end of Psalms 27 describes waiting as brave and courageous (v. 14 NLT). Sometimes being still is the bravest thing a person can do. It takes courage to put your trust in something other than what you yourself can produce.
Throughout various points in my life, God has called me to seasons of waiting. It’s hard. I never really thought of it as courageous or brave, just something I sadly had to experience. Had someone plainly told me back then, my decision to wait on God’s revelation was an act of bravery and not defeated surrender, I might have responded to those situations with more joy and hope.
And so, I’m keeping it short and simple, today. For those of you that find themselves in a season of waiting, take heart and hope from the words of David. Your decision to wait on God and trust in His timing is brave. You are not doing nothing. You are taking a courageous step of faith. Do not let the barren wasteland of waiting rob you of the hope and joy we have in our Awesome God.
Reflection Questions:
Think back to a season of your life where you were waiting. What difference would your response have been to that time if you had been told your waiting was an act of bravery and courage? Is there someone in your life today that needs to be told this?
Are you in a season of waiting? How is waiting brave? How is it courageous?
Check out the song “Take Courage” by Kristine DiMarco. I prefer the radio version found here: https://youtu.be/Ehw0FWFGl_A How does this song relate to our topic of waiting, today?
Prayer:
Dear LORD,
It is in You that I put my hope, my trust. Let me stand firm in the security of Your word, even during the uncertain waiting periods of my life. You are the one who delivers me. You will rescue me from my deep waters. Let me be still enough to hear You. Let me be brave enough to wait for You.
In the name of the one who delivers, Your son, Jesus Christ,
In today’s reading of Exodus 1 & 2 we get to meet 5 women (one of them a young lady) who each displayed wisdom, courage and compassion.
First off, we have Shiphrah and Puah, two Hebrew midwives at a time in Egypt when Pharaoh was scared of the growing Hebrew population. Pharaoh had already tried breaking the Hebrew people by enslaving them into forced labor building his cities. But even when he made the work harder and harder, the Hebrews were still multiplying and growing in strength. Fearing an uprising, Pharaoh hatched an evil plan and gave an order to the midwives. They were to kill every Hebrew baby boy that they were called in to help deliver. Imagine for a moment that your job was to help laboring mothers bring new (9 month old) life into this world. What a sacred and holy job of joy, except for the sorrow that came with those rare instances when complications leave grief and loss instead of sweet new breath. But now Pharaoh was commanding them. With their own hands they were to be responsible for the killing of all of the baby boys that emerged – because these babies were Hebrew – and because these babies were males.
I have felt like I have been in some tough situations – but nothing anything like this! What would Shiphrah and Puah do? I am guessing they didn’t send a loud “NO” as soon as they heard the command – or else they likely wouldn’t have lived long themselves. They also didn’t run away or put in for early retirement. The Scriptures tell us they feared God and did not do as the king had commanded them. They went to work, just like before, and helped Hebrew moms deliver their babies, both boys and girls, just like before. Fearing God can take a lot of courage! And they certainly needed that courage when questioned by Pharaoh as to why the baby boys weren’t dying. They said the Hebrew women gave birth before the midwives came. “And God dealt well with the midwives…And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that he provided households for them” (Exodus 1:20-21). Well done, Shiphrah and Puah! You feared God and were rewarded.
Perhaps one or both of these courageous women came to help Jochebed (the “daughter of Levi” in Exodus 2, who is named in Exodus 6) when the time came for her to deliver her baby. Pharaoh had now changed the rules. Since the two midwives had not done his dastardly deed, now it was up to everyone to follow his new order – all Hebrew boys were to be thrown into the river! Can you imagine the scene when a Hebrew boy was born now? The emotions of the room when it was announced that this little bundle of new breath and life was a beautiful boy? The prayers said? The fears? The tears?
I find it interesting we don’t know anything about what the father (also named in Exodus 6:20 – as Amram) did. But we learn Jochebed keeps her boy hidden for 3 months, and then when that becomes impossible – she sets to work preparing a waterproof basket. She will follow the king’s order and put her child in the river – inside of a basket. She has done all she can, she leaves her child in the hands of God. She is our third wise, courageous, and compassionate woman in these passages. She sends her daughter Miriam, our fourth wise, courageous and compassionate woman, to watch over the precious bundle in the basket. I wonder if in all the scenarios (drowning, wild animals, Egyptians) that must have run through their heads if this mother and daughter had envisioned that perhaps it would be Pharaoh’s daughter who would find the basket? And if she were to find the basket – what would her reaction be?
Enter the daughter of Pharaoh. While likely not a believer of the One True God, we can learn a valuable lesson from her as well. Her extremely powerful father had made the decree that ALL HIS PEOPLE (which certainly would include his own flesh and blood offspring) would be responsible to cast Hebrew baby boys into the river. What would she do when she found the crying Hebrew baby boy in the basket in the river? She had compassion on him! She saved him from the river instead of casting him into the river. And thanks to Miriam’s quick-thinking (wisdom from God) and courage she approaches the princess and offers to get a Hebrew nurse to feed the baby. Re-enter Jochebed who not only gets to nurse, cuddle, love on, care for her baby boy (likely for a couple/few years) but is paid to do so by Pharaoh’s own daughter! Wouldn’t you love to have heard the conversations between Pharaoh and his daughter as she explains to him that she has saved a Hebrew baby from the river and she will raise him in the palace! Perhaps this is the first recorded “Daddy’s Girl” in the Bible, able to melt even her dad’s hard heart of stone.
There are so many times in this account when it would have been easy for God’s people (and even the daughter of Pharaoh) to give up. Evil was so real and oppressive. There seemed no safe way out. But, for those courageous people who feared God (rather than fearing men) – who trusted God in all circumstances, and wisely proceeded with a strong and active compassion for life, God had a reward. God saw their needs and provided exactly what they needed when they needed it. And the princess named the boy Moses, and God would use him in mighty ways to free His people.
Reflection Questions
Give some more examples of people who have feared God. What did they do? What did they not do? Do you fear God? If so, how can you show that you fear God? In your case, fearing God well means not being afraid of what?
On whom is God calling you to have compassion?
In what ways was God preparing Moses, and Moses family, for what was coming? Can you think of something in your past that has prepared you for something you have done for God? How might something you are going through now be preparing you for something God wants you to do in your future?
Prayer
Dear God Almighty and Heavenly Father – thank You for both Your power and Your love! Thank you for providing everything we need and so much more. Help us see You at work even when we are in scary situations or evil looms large. Give us the wisdom to fear YOU. Show us what You want us to do and say. I pray for a heart of compassion, even when it requires great courage as well. As these women, and your precious Son demonstrated, help me stand strong with a heart of love and compassion and forever devoted to You. In his name we pray, Amen.
Acts 27:1-2(NLT) When the time came, we set sail for Italy. Paul and several other prisoners were placed in the custody of a Roman officer named Julius, a captain of the Imperial Regiment. 2 Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was also with us. We left on a ship whose home port was Adramyttium on the northwest coast of the province of Asia; it was scheduled to make several stops at ports along the coast of the province.
Notice the “we” in the first sentence. Luke is the writer of Acts and appears to accompany Paul on his journey to Rome by ship. Many difficulties of sailing at that time are shown in this record. They go with the wind in directions that are not necessarily to Rome but used because of the wind direction for sailing. Ultimately they are caught up in what appears to be a northeaster blow that lasts for many days, finally driving the ship ashore on the island of Malta. This is a miracle of its own as this is the only land anywhere in that part of the Mediterranean Sea. Further God shows Paul that no one on the ship will perish but all will be alive but shipwrecked.
Acts 27:10-11(NLT) “Men,” he said, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.” 11 But the officer in charge of the prisoners listened more to the ship’s captain and the owner than to Paul
Acts 27:22-26(NLT) But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. 23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, 24 and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’ 25 So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. 26 But we will be shipwrecked on an island.”
How does Paul get such a good understanding from God when he has disobeyed God about going to Jerusalem?
Why does Paul not get depressed and morose about all that happens?
Ultimately, they get to Rome where Paul goes into house imprisonment. This took money and support from some source in order for him to be in a house and not some dungeon somewhere. How do you think he was supported there? God gives him opportunity to speak, teach and write letters of which are many of the ones we read today. God truly does make lemonade out of the lemons that Paul finds himself in the middle of. He even preaches to the Jews at Rome the message of Christ to try to persuade them to become believers also.
Acts 28:23-24(NLT) So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul’s lodging. He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Scriptures. Using the law of Moses and the books of the prophets, he spoke to them from morning until evening. 24 Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe.
Paul openly teaches and preaches the message of the kingdom of God to all that are Rome. He strengthens the Roman church and also talks to all that come to see him at his house. He is still imprisoned and eventually put to death, but God works mightily in his life and witness to change the whole world of that time.
Acts 28:28-31 So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it.” 30 For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, 31 boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.
God also directs Paul in writing these letters from Rome while imprisoned there. Ephesians , Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, and 2 Timothy are those epistles that scholars believe Paul wrote while in Rome. A large body of our present scripture was written while he was imprisoned which to me is amazing and thoughtful. Paul also fellowships with the believers in Rome and directs Timothy, Titus, Epaphra and others in the work of the ministry to the Gentiles.
Acts 23:11(NKJV) But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.”
How does Paul stay in fellowship with God when his life is so constrained by his circumstances?
What is the lesson we can learn from this record of trust in God?
Abraham Lincoln (president), Charles Dickens (author), Steve Jobs (Apple creator), Dave Thomas (founder of Wendy’s), and Ingvar Kamprad (IKEA originator) seem like an unlikely bunch to be grouped into a similar category, but they all have this in common: each one either had little formal training or dropped out of school early, and yet became very successful. Our protagonists in Acts 4, Peter and John, also fit among this list.
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13, ESV) Though Peter and John lacked formal training, their time of hands-on learning with Jesus probably equated to an advanced doctorate degree! Their accusers probably recognized that they had been taught by Jesus because their teaching styles and tones so closely matched that of their Rabbi.
We, too, are disciples! We are called to share the gospel to a hurting world, following closely to the way of our Rabbi, Jesus. So remember your mission! Here are some tips from this text to help us be more like the early church.
Share Jesus Boldly and Without Shame
Word about Jesus’ resurrection power spread, people were healed in Jesus’ name, and the number of followers was growing exponentially. The jealous religious leaders, however, did not appreciate this threat to their authority. So the council – likely the same one that condemned Jesus to death – tried to silence the ragtag bunch and ordered them to keep quiet. The disciples’ bold response? “We can’t keep quiet about what we have seen and heard!” (Acts 4:20). Their lives had been totally changed, and they just had to spread the word!
Humans haven’t changed much – we still can’t keep quiet about the good stuff! If you compliment a woman’s new dress, she will tell you three things about it: where she purchased it, how inexpensive it was, and that it has pockets! She is just so excited that she can’t keep it to herself! Likewise, if you visit a fantastic new restaurant and they’re offering a ton of great deals, you’ll probably tell all your friends so that they can get in on it, too. We love to spread good news to other people, so why do we shy away from sharing Jesus with the same zeal? (I’m preaching to myself here. I long to have that kind of boldness that I just can’t keep quiet about all things Jesus, don’t you?) Pray for boldness to share with others how Jesus has changed your life.
Obey Only God
When the religious leaders tried to shut them up again, the disciples replied, “We must obey God, not men.” (Acts 5:29) It’s always been so easy for us to slowly assimilate to the culture around us and begin to obey the gods of this world or match the expectations of the people around us. The Israelites did this chapter after chapter in the Old Testament, and we still stray today. Romans 12:2 warns us about getting too conformed with the world. Though it would eventually cost many of them their very lives, the disciples in Acts were compelled to continue sharing the hope of Jesus with everyone. Jesus had cautioned: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) Pray that we – the global Church – would stay faithful until the end.
Maybe you’re like me – never been to Bible college, don’t know an ounce of Greek or Hebrew, just living an uneventful, mundane life. God can use us still! Even without special training, we can be bold lights in a dark world. God can, and will, use you right where you are to make a difference for Him!
Reflections:
Your prayer prompts are within the text. Take a moment to pray over those.
How do you spend time with Jesus? Can others tell that you do? What can you do to spend more quality time with Jesus?
How can you lovingly, humbly, courageously show the world (including, but not limited to your family, your church, your neighbors, your “enemies”, the disadvantaged, the other side of the world, etc…) what you have seen and heard and learned from Jesus?
When/how have you fallen into the trap of obeying men rather than God? What can that look like? What can you do to strengthen your resolve to Obey Only God?
What courageous task will you do today to obey God?
Devotion by Kaitlyn Hamilton (Michigan – and Indiana)
One of my close friends in high school, while dealing with the loss of someone she knew, asked me the question, “Is it a bad thing that I’m concerned about his soul for eternity?” This question, this concern, about a soul’s place in eternity is something that many people often consider when faced with the loss of someone they know. This is great and all, but there’s one big problem with this – for many people, this is the only time they seriously consider what is going to happen to people in the grand scheme of eternity. Do you spend significant time considering the number of people around you who you know aren’t part of the church? But, it’s not enough just to consider it; once we realize the large quantity of people that we care about who are currently on the path of destruction for eternity, we should be ready to do something about it.
In reading Acts 2, we see that Peter recognized what was at stake. The same person, who earlier, was too afraid to be associated with Jesus for fear of his life, takes a stand before a large crowd of people, including a group who were mocking them saying, “They are full of sweet wine.” (Acts 2:13) Peter chose to shift his perspective away from the thoughts of the world, of what this crowd could do to him if they disliked his message, of what these same people did to Jesus only 53 days earlier. Instead, he shifted his perspective towards that of God’s will, focused on the message these people needed to hear. In Acts 2:22-24, instead of focusing on how to keep peace with all the men who Peter knew, instead of trying to remain on agreeable terms as friends, Peter was willing to stand up for his faith, was willing to tell the Jews gathered in Jerusalem the truth of what their actions did. The Messiah that they had been watching for all their lives and the lives of all their parents and grandparents and all their ancestors before them, they had put to death, they had crucified. Can you imagine having the courage to stand before just one person and telling them that their actions, their sins, were the reason that an innocent man was put to death? But, Peter didn’t just tell one person, he told a huge crowd – a crowd that should they be angry enough could easily turn into a mob and kill him. This choice to tell everyone the truth about Jesus, the Messiah, and what they had done to him, took courage that comes only from shifting your perspective away from the worries of this world to that of the hope and peace that come from God.
What would happen if we all shifted our perspective like Peter did? If we all chose to focus on God’s will for our life instead of the fears that try to stop us from seeking him?
What would happen if we were willing to all stand up for our faith to everyone we know?
What would happen if we let everyone know that we were Christians and weren’t willing to budge on any of our morals?
What type of revival would we see if we did all this?
Peter saw a revival that day of 3,000 people. Imagine just how big of a revival we would see if we all chose to stand up together and proclaim our faith. It’s not going to be easy. It means going against your human nature. It’s not going to be automatic. It won’t be a switch being flipped overnight. But, it will change you and the world. So, I encourage you to start shifting your perspective today, to start recognizing what is at stake, and to start standing up for your faith today!
Reflection Questions
What could it look like for you to stand up for your faith today, and the rest of this week, month, year, life?
What fears do you think Peter might have had to overcome that day? What fears do you currently have about boldly proclaiming your faith? How might Peter respond to you if you could discuss with him about your fears? How do you think Jesus, or Jesus’ Father, would respond if you were to tell them about these fears? Go ahead, tell them and pray about it.
What “Helper” was assisting Peter? (Hint: it wasn’t wine.) What benefits does this Helper provide? Do you use the same Helper?
Have you ever been ridiculed, called embarrassing names, laughed at, or pretty much just made to feel like you just wanted to crawl in a hole? Suppose you were doing something important and putting your whole heart into it. Did you want to throw your arms up in the air and give up? If this has happened to you, you are in good company. The weapon of ridicule has been around for a long time. Remember the Day of Pentecost when the disciples were called “drunks” (Acts 2:13), and later when Paul the Apostle was called a “babbler” (Acts 17:18). Those doing good and important things may feel ashamed or discouraged and thus abandon their work. Sadly, many times ridicule does work, but not in the case of the Apostles, Paul, or even Nehemiah.
You might ask, why do people resort to such hurtful behavior? The answer is simple: They have no other weapons. They may “sling trash” simply to be mean or hurtful, or they may be trying to discourage you from your good work. Such was the case of Nehemiah. Let’s look at how he responded to the ridicule he experienced.
Nehemiah had given up a lot to go to Jerusalem, but he was on a sacred mission. He was going to do the impossible and rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and rebuild the gates. If he had submitted a resume for this job, he probably would not have gotten the job. After all, he was a cupbearer. A cupbearer, for goodness sake! He was not someone who was handy with building tools and blueprints. He was the perfect candidate to receive ridicule and fail. If Paul was a “babbler” and the other apostles were “drunks”, then Nehemiah was a “babbling drunk” — except for the fact that he was getting the job done.
Sometimes seeing someone accomplish a task, especially a huge task, makes people angry, fearful, and jealous. Enter Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem. (Neh. 2) These three musketeers had a mission also, and it was in direct conflict with the mission of Nehemiah. If this was a play, they were the discouragers and naysayers. They heard about the mission to restore Jerusalem and were determined to oppose the work. And they began immediately. Nehemiah had just given the peptalk to his workers when these three discouragers showed up. Nehemiah reports, “they jeered at us and despised us”, then they asked, “What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the King?” (2:19) Their tactic was ridicule and then tossing in seeds of doubt and false accusation for good measure. How would Nehemiah respond? How should he respond?
Nehemiah’s choices were: One: ignore the ridicule or, Two: Debate with the men and try to convince them that they were wrong. Nehemiah chose neither. He simply told them like it was. He told them (1) The God of Heaven will make usprosper. (2) His servants will ariseand build. (3) You have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem. (2:20). For a while Nehemiah’s words to them seemed to work. The Jews were able to accomplish much and build back the gates of Jerusalem. (chpt 3). But do you really think that the three musketeers were done? If so, think again.
Sanballat and his foolish friends found it necessary to somehow end the work of the Jews in Jerusalem because they feared them and what they might do to them. If Jerusalem was made strong, they would be weak (and less wealthy). Seeing the gates of Jerusalem being rebuilt caused them fear and anxiety.
So, once again, Sanballat and his sidekicks took out their childish games playbook and began calling the Jerusalem builders names. They attempted to taunt them by calling the workers “feeble” implying they were miserably weak old people. They continued their name calling by implying they were also stupid people because they were building a weak and worthless city wall. Tobiah undoubtedly thought he was funny and clever when he suggested that the wall was so weak that if a fox walked on it, the wall would tumble to the ground. (4:1-3) Truthfully, many of the builders were discouraged, but they persevered.
Nevertheless, Nehemiah prayed, “Turn back their taunt on their own heads.” (4:4) Eventually, their taunts will come back to haunt them, just as Nehemiah prayed.
“So, they built the wall…” (4:6)
Sanballat and his buddies continued to attempt to hinder Nehemiah’s work on the wall by various means, but at each turn their attempts were met with defeat. Nehemiah continued to lead the work, and he ignored the childish mischief. The insults, the rude name calling, the ridicule—the trash slinging failed to work!
“So, the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul, in fifty-two days!” (6:15)
The next time you feel you are being pursued by troublemakers as you do the work that God has given you to do, remember Nehemiah.
And remember 52 days.
Reflection Questions
Have you ever been the victim of someone’s unkind words? How did those words make you feel?
How did you respond? Did you throw unkind words right back at them? What is the best way to respond?
Do you think Nehemiah responded properly? If he had responded by returning insult for insult, arguing, debating, or giving up the work, how would the builders have felt and responded? How would the trash slingers feel?
“You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22).
In chapter 26, Jeremiah experienced hate on account of obedience to God. He was obedient to telling the people God’s message and they wanted to kill him for it. In our current day, the world is trying very hard to normalize certain sins and they spew a lot of vitriol toward Christians for not supporting it and promoting it. We see in certain areas of the world where Christians are even being killed for their beliefs.
Did Jeremiah crumble under the threat of death? He absolutely did not. In the face of the threat of death, he stood his ground and continued to be obedient to God’s call to warn the people. God wants us to not have a spirit of fear and timidity but to be bold—even in the face of danger. Thankfully, we don’t need to rely on our own limited power, because we have a far greater source of strength. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”
If we are practicing obedience to God’s word, we can be sure that we will receive push back from the world. We need to be resolute like Jeremiah and not conform to the wickedness of the world, but instead call it out so that we can help bring as many people as possible into God’s kingdom.
-Kristy Cisneros
Reflection Questions
What might you be thinking and feeling and doing if you were in Jeremiah’s shoes? Is there anything you find particularly admirable about Jeremiah?
What is the purpose behind speaking up (not omitting a word) even when it is not positively received?
Have you ever faced a potentially fearful situation because of your faith? How do you think you (with help from the Spirit of God) might handle it today if you ran into persecution for believing in and speaking for God?
What might you be able to do today to strengthen your faith in order to speak every word from God AND perhaps handle persecution better in the future?
Seek Grow Love 