Tag: daily Bible devotion

Called, Changed, Qualified

1 Samuel 9-12

Have you ever found yourself in a position totally unprepared or unqualified? When I was in college for my bachelor’s degree, I took Cellular & Molecular Biology as part of my program to become a secondary science teacher. It just so happened that this was the same course that was required for pre-med students. Somehow, I ended up getting an invitation to join a study group with these pre-med students. After 5 minutes with these people, I realized that they were a completely different caliber of student – I was so out of my depth.

There have been other times in my life when my own inexperience and inadequacies seemed to cast a blinding glare onto the responsibilities that I had to carry out. Even now, after 23 years of experience in education, there are times when I have no clue on how to handle a given situation.

This is how I relate to Saul being approached by Samuel to become king of Israel. His response is that he’s a nobody, from the smallest tribe and his clan is the least of all. How is it that he has been selected to rule over an entire nation?

But isn’t that just like God to do something like that? God seems to select those who are the most unlikely to be successful. Why does He do this? What I have learned, is that it makes me more dependent on God and less likely to take the credit.

Being part of the FUEL leadership team for many years, I have seen time and time again when a situation developed that was bigger than our resources and everything ended up working out because we depended on God. Anyone out there remember the year that we stopped going to Taylor University and started going to Manchester University? Yeah, we weren’t sure if FUEL was going to happen that year. But with a lot of prayer (and hard work by the directors) we were able to gather again because God pointed us in the direction we needed to go. God provided us with exactly the right site, to work with the best conference staff, to continue to return for many years.

I recently read a phrase that I think is appropriate here: “God doesn’t call the qualified; God qualifies the called.” If you’re willing to be used by God, you will find yourself in circumstances that seem way out of your league. While you may not be so confident in your abilities, know that God is more than able to see you through. After all, it’s His reputation on the line and God never fails.

Bethany Ligon

(originally posted for SeekGrowLove on April 9. 2020)

Reflection Questions

  1. How did God prepare and qualify Saul? What do you think was included in God’s “heart change” for Saul (10:9) and the role of the Spirit of the Lord?
  2. From above: “God seems to select those who are the most unlikely to be successful. Why does He do this?”
  3. When have you felt unqualified for a job God sent you to? Did you do it? Did you have a “Samuel” who spoke God’s word to you? How did God change/prepare/qualify you for the job?
  4. How can you be a Samuel for someone else?
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Evidence

Exodus 34-37

After Moses destroys the idol he gets another opportunity to be in the presence of God (another 40 days on Mount Sinai). He actually was able to see the glory of God pass by.

And we see God’s description by his own account.

“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6,7)

But what stuck out to me is how Moses changed after being in the presence of God. His face was so radiant it scared the others.

It’s easier than we might think for people to know where we’ve been or what we’ve been doing.

Many can tell you of my interest in chocolate. It started at a young age. My parents tell me a story of when I was little and I snuck a piece of cake. My face was full of chocolate icing. I was approached about if I took a piece of cake and I straight faced lied – “I did not take the cake”. Despite my insistence, my parents knew where I had been and what I was up to.

Maybe it’s the icing on your face, the ticket-stub that falls out of your pocket, maybe it’s your extensive knowledge of a certain sport, or your church name printed on your shirt, but there are clues that tell others where you have been, who you were with, or what you’ve been up to.

Over time people notice deeper things as well. Because the truth is, whether we are aware of it or not, what and who we spend our time with changes us. Whatever you spend your time looking at, meditating on, and thinking about is what you will slowly, but surely, become. And people pick up on it.

So let me ask the question, “What have you been doing?”

“Who or what has left a mark on you?”

“What do you reflect in your character?”

And more specifically, if it is easier than we might think for people to tell where we’ve been, would anyone think you’ve been with God?

Do you show signs of having been in contact with him and his Word?

John Wincapaw

(originally posted for SeekGrowLove on February 10, 2020)

Reflection Questions

  1. Go back and spend a little more time with John’s 5 questions at the end of his devotion. Which question is hardest to answer?
  2. What evidence have you seen in others that they have been with God? Do you think others see this same thing – or something else – in you?
  3. God tells Moses He will do wonderful things with His covenant people but warns them of making covenants with the people of the land they are going to (Exodus 34:10-16). Does this still apply today? What would it look like today? What are the signs you have seen in yourself when you get too close to the world?
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A Proverb a Day Keeps the Folly at Bay #3

Old Testament: Jeremiah 29 & 30

Poetry: Proverbs 18

New Testament: 1 John 1

Today is the final day we’re digging deep into a single Proverb. One of the wonderful things about Proverbs is that each verse can get us thinking about things that are nowhere to be found in the text–it pushes our attention beyond what is written. This one (Proverbs 18:11, ESV) says that “[a] rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his imagination.” On the surface, Solomon seems to suggest that a person who has gained wealth has put themselves in a good position–setting themselves up for a life free from worry. But is this what Solomon was getting at and is this how we should view wealth?  

What is often overlooked about money is why it is valuable. The currency we hold on paper, plastic, or even digitally gives us power–the ability to buy things we need to survive and things we want to have for a more pleasing life. If money didn’t give us this power, we wouldn’t want it. There are still societies today that do not use money as we know it, where people use other means to exchange things for survival. But if you are reading this, you are likely in the wealthy half of the world and money is an important part of how your life runs–so, you need to know how to use this thing that gives you the power to live in the 21st century.  

We seem to take it for granted that having money allows us to live without worrying about where our food and water will come from. This speaks to the vast difference between our day and Solomon’s. Back then, when there was a famine, almost everyone had to deal with it. Now, if you are lucky enough to live in a country like the US, you may not even notice or care how crops do from one year to the next–it doesn’t really affect you. Our money offers a sort of protection against the worry that has absorbed most of human history and still does in many parts of the world today. Perhaps this is what Solomon meant about wealth being a strong city: its protection. 

But as one can see throughout history, strong cities often fall (however surprising their downfalls seem in the heights of their power). This brings us to consider Solomon’s words from another angle. No matter how much comfort and security our money may give us, it could be gone in a moment–our grasp on our wealth is weak. But this doesn’t have to be a scary thing for us. It could be liberating. It could be the catalyst to pursue that which isn’t fragile–something strong, enduring, made to last. Where do we find such a thing?  

There are several of Jesus’ teachings on money recorded in the Gospels that reflect the disadvantages of trusting in wealth. The most important teachings, I think, are about what we should value instead of money. In the sixth chapter of Matthew, Jesus tells his disciples not to store up treasures here on earth, that they can only serve one master (or become double-minded), and that they shouldn’t be worried about all the things they need money to buy. Instead, he tells them that they should have treasure in Heaven, and that they should seek after the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. If they do, they won’t have to worry about other things (the things people usually worry about).   

When we take the words of Jesus and Solomon together, a clearer picture of wealth begins to develop. Sure, money can do a lot of things for us–it can generally grant security and peace of mind for a moment–but it is still fragile. It can be compared to a magnificent city. In our imagination, we can envision it as a high wall. But walls crumble and cities fall–often rapidly and without much warning. We may think our money can keep us safe, but without warning that could change. We must find something else to put our trust in, we must find something else that isn’t prone to the same weaknesses as cash. Inflation may affect the purchasing power of a dollar, but it cannot affect the power of the kingdom of God. Nothing can and nothing will shake the kingdom of God—if we trust in it and not our money, fear won’t shake us either.   

-Joel Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1. What gives you security? What do you put your trust in?
  2. What are the dangers of putting your trust in your money?
  3. What other Proverbs and Biblical teachings come to mind regarding what view we should take towards money and how we should use it?
  4. What do you know about God and His Kingdom that you can trust in?
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