Who Is Leading And Lost

 April 18
 Daily Reading – Judges 16-18 / Luke 13:18-35

GOD SAID:

Judges 18:3 When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?

GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

     I’m a guy. Sounds simple enough, but it’s just a disclaimer. Guys do not always follow directions very well. I know a few times before GPS systems were installed in cars, I kind of, sort of, got a little bit off track. OK! Don’t tell anyone I said this, but I got lost. Even worse than that, I was not alone in the car. I not only got lost myself, but everyone in the car with me was lost, and didn’t even realize it. (Or at least they were kind enough not to say anything.)

      In today’s reading we find a Levite who was lost. How did he find himself lost? Well He was not where he was supposed to be. In Joshua 21 we’re told that the Levites were given cities to dwell in. Yet this Levite was not satisfied with what he had and decided to find something else. Levites were taken care of by God. However this young man becomes Micah’s personal hired priest. Micah was an idol worshiper. This is contrary to everything this Levite knew to be right. Still, the money was good, the living conditions were comfortable, and so he moved in and makes himself at home among a religion he knows is wrong. In Judges 18:3 he’s asked questions that should have made him think. What led you to this place? Why would you live in this? What do you have here? Truth was, God had not led him there, nor would God bless him there. He had no purpose in this place. He’s leading, and lost. Later we find he follows after fame with a larger group. Lost and confused.

GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

    Sadly today many young believers are like this young Levite. Comfortable in the wrong place. Following a crowd and missing God’s blessings. Satan is a grand deceiver, leading people away from what is right. God is calling, “COME HOME!”

Is where you are, where you should be?

     
Living In His Word Ministries
    “Getting people into the Word of God…
                               … and the Word of God into people.”

Dr. Franklin J. Senters Th.D.
Founder and Executive Director
Hebrews 2:12

Who Will Learn

 April 17
 Daily Reading – Judges 12-15 / Luke 13:1-17

GOD SAID:

Judges 13:1 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

     Some of you need to stop thinking so loud. I can almost hear your thoughts as you read, Judges 13:1 and it says once again; ”And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD;” You’re asking yourself, will these Israelites ever learn? We’ve have read the same statement, about the same people, doing the same thing, over, and over again. They do evil in the sight of the Lord, and then cry out to God. God sends a judge to help get them get out of the mess they’ve found themselves in again, then the judge dies, and the children of Israel go right back to the same old nonsense that got them in trouble in the first place. Won’t they ever learn?

    Even as I write this and begin to think on this pattern of behavior, it becomes convicting to me in my life, as I’m sure if your honest, it does you as well. The children of Israel are not so much different than we are. We sin, we pray and cry out to God for forgiveness, God restores our fellowship, and in just a short time we find ourselves having to cry out to Him again. Sometimes for the same thing we had to ask for forgiveness for before, other times for something different. However, every time for doing something we know is offensive to God. It is so easy to read about the children of Israel and think, will they ever learn. I wonder if a real to life book was written about us, if someone a few hundred years from today would say, Will they ever learn?

GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

  How blessed are we that God’s mercy is everlasting. Psalm 103:17 says; “But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;”

Have you thanked God for His mercy lately?

     
Living In His Word Ministries
    “Getting people into the Word of God…
                               … and the Word of God into people.”

Dr. Franklin J. Senters Th.D.
Founder and Executive Director
Hebrews 2:12

Who Owns The Land

 April 16
 Daily Reading – Judges 10-11 / Luke 12:35-59

GOD SAID:

Judges 11:21 And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.

GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

     Let me begin today by asking a few simple questions. For example, if you go to a friend’s home and ask to stay a few days, and your friend says ok, does the bed you’re sleeping on suddenly become yours? What if you ask someone if you can borrow a tool to do a job around your house and they loan it to you. When you get the tool home, does it somehow become your tool? I’ve heard the statement, “possession is nine-tenths the law.” The problem is, the last tenth is the real law. The nine-tenths is a practical reality, as it may be hard to regain what you own if someone else has possession of it. However, in most places it’s really not a law. The owner is the owner.

    God had given to Israel the land of the Amorites when they first came into the land. Israel did not drive out all the inhabitants off the land, and those who were still there felt that it belonged to them. It just seemed logical. Most of them had lived there all their lives. They grew up there. They planted crops there. It has always been considered their land. Therein was their problem. It’s the same problem most people face today. We somehow think because we possess something it’s ours. When in reality, everything we possess belongs to God. Our homes, our cars, our jobs and our very life are all a gift from God. God is always the one who decides what we may keep and what we must release. It’s wise to hold on to God’s stuff loosely.

GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

  We’re all stewards of this planet, and the things on it. When we leave this earth, all those things will go to someone else to be a steward of. We should be good caretakers of these things remembering always, they all belong to God.

What might you be holding onto too tightly?

     
Living In His Word Ministries
    “Getting people into the Word of God…
                               … and the Word of God into people.”

Dr. Franklin J. Senters Th.D.
Founder and Executive Director
Hebrews 2:12

Who Will Lead

 April 15
 Daily Reading – Judges 8-9 / Luke 12:1-34

GOD SAID:

Judges 8:22-23 Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian. And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.

GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

     Whenever there was an activity in school where there were team competitions, you always had some kids jumping up and down, hands waiving in the air, yelling to the top of their lungs, “PICK ME, PICK ME!” Some children, who were not as enthusiastic, would stand in the back of the pack of jumping beans and just wait to see if they were going to be the last to be chosen… again. Then there were the captains. The shinning stars who, it seemed, were good at everything. The ones who were always elected to do the choosing. Why were they chosen to be the pickers and grinners? It was normally because they were good at the activity we were preparing to do. Now let me ask you a question. Does the ability to do something well automatically make you a good leader, or just a good player?

      In today’s passages, Gideon was asked to be the ruler of Israel. Possibly their King. Sure, God had chosen him to lead the battle against the Midianites. However, we need to remember, Gideon did not win that battle. Gideon simply followed God’s directions to the letter and God won the battle. Gideon even reminded them of that fact in Judges 8:3 when He said “God hath delivered into your hands…” Nonetheless, the children of Israel could not see God, but they could see Gideon. They wanted a flesh and blood leader that they could see. Gideon wisely said, NO, “the LORD shall rule over you.”

GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

     Respect for others is one thing. God’s word even says we are to respect those He has placed in authority over us. The trick for us however, is to never lose sight of who is really doing the leading. God must be leading our life.

Who is leading your life?
You, God, or someone else?

     
Living In His Word Ministries
    “Getting people into the Word of God…
                               … and the Word of God into people.”

Dr. Franklin J. Senters Th.D.
Founder and Executive Director
Hebrews 2:12

LIHW  |   DEVOTIONS  |   SALE ITEMS

Picking a Few

 April 13 & 14
 April 13 – Daily Reading – Judges 6-7 / Luke 11:29-54
 April 14 – NO Daily Reading

GOD SAID:

Judges 7:2 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.

GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

       What gets all the attention? The tiny little church in the middle of what may be considered obscurity, or the Mega Church with thousands of members and high-profile preacher? We all know the answer is the Mega church. I’m in no way slamming large churches, their pastors, nor the congregations. I do want to shine a light on the fact that God can, and does use less recognized groups of believers with their faithful God-fearing pastor as well. While larger congregations may have more resources devoted to ministries they take part in, it still comes down to this. Each soul is saved individually. A soul saved in a small town church that gets little or no attention globally, is just as important to God as someone saved at a well-attended crusade.

     In our scripture reading today, God has called Gideon to lead His over through of the Midianites. Gideon was not the bravest man, not a warrior, not a preacher. God found him hiding from the Midianites in Judges 6:11 threshing wheat. Yet God calls Gideon a “mighty man of valour” in vs 12. Not what Gideon was, but what God would use him to be. Gideon repeatedly tests God to be sure it was God. Then in chapter seven when Gideon is ready to follow God and has gathered an army of 32,000 men, God whittles that number down to 300 to defeat the Midianites, with no swords in Israels hands. God does not need a multitude to do His work. All He needs is a faithful few.

GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

      If you feel as if no one’s paying attention to all you do with a pure heart for the Lord, let me reassure you, God is watching. Matt. 6:4 says; “…thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.” God is doing great things.

Are you one of God’s Faithful Few?

THE WEEK IN REVIEW:

    In all that we do, God never forgets. He remembers to bless our obedience, and to correct our disobedience. This week we saw this in:

● Putting Others First
● Promised Our Fathers
● Portrait Of Fear
● Playing With Fire
● Pacified By Freedom
● Picking A Few

    When God has to correct us, it’s to point us toward His blessings. It’s always a good thing that God Never Forgets.

SUNDAY’S:

        Today we suggest you read and study whatever the Lord has laid on your Pastors heart. Whatever scripture he uses for today’s messages were given to him by God for your specific needs

God never forgets…

1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord,
forasmuch as ye know that your labour
is not in vain in the Lord.

Living In His Word Ministries
“Getting people into the Word of God…
                               … and the Word of God into people.”

Dr. Franklin J. Senters Th.D.
Founder and Executive Director
Hebrews 2:12