GOD’S WORD:

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 am 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 today’s verse, God calls Gideon to lead Israel over through the land 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. It was 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 few faithful obedient souls. 

 

 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 must correct us, it is to point us toward His blessings. It is always a good thing that God Never Forgets.

 

      Enjoy today with your church and hear what God has prepared in the heart of His man for you this week.

   See you tomorrow.  

 

 SUNDAYS:

 

    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.

 

April 17, 2023	Judges 8-9	Luke 12:1-35
April 18, 2023	Judges 10-11	Luke 12:36-59
April 19, 2023	Judges 12-15	Luke 13:1-17
April 20, 2023	Judges 16-18	Luke 13:18-35
April 21, 2023	Judges 19-20	Luke 14
April 22, 2023	Judges 21-Ruth 2	Luke 15
April 23, 2023	No Passages Assigned

God Never Forgets

  April 14, 2023
  Daily Reading – Judges 3-5 / Luke 11:1-28

 

 GOD’S WORD:

Judges 3:30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

       Binky, Nuggie, Woo-Woo, Silencer, are a few of the many names used for a pacifier. That wonderful invention that causes the baby to stop crying for a while when it is placed in their mouth. It will not work long if a baby is really hungry, or needs their diaper changed. However, there are many times a baby does not know what it wants, it just wants something. The pacifier seems to fit that need. Many times, giving the baby a pacifier will even allow them to be lulled into sleep. 

 

       The Children of Israel, who really acted more like the babies of Israel, were pacified with rest. God had handed Israel’s freedom over to several opposing nations. He did this, it says in Judges 3:4, to see if Israel would listen and obey the commands He had given their nations years before. In Judges 3:9 it says the children of Israel cried out to the Lord because of this oppression. This happens several times throughout the book of Judges. Each time God raises up a Judge to deliver them from their plight. Whenever they would regain their freedom it says something like; “and the land had rest,” and it tells the number of years. During this time of rest, Israel had the freedom to make a choice. Follow and obey God and be blessed or repeat this ridiculous trial yet another time. Over, and over again we see the years of peace and quiet lull Israel into going back and repeating their evil ways against the Lord. How soon we forget, freedom is never free, and sin is always sin. 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

       As Christians, we are free to live however we WANT TO. That freedom was purchased by Christ at Calvary. However, if we are really saved, our “WANT TO” should have changed. The bible says we are New Creatures and old things have passed away.

 

Has freedom lulled you into old sins?

 

 

  April 13, 2023
  Daily Reading – Judges 1-2 / Luke 10:25-42

 

 GOD’S WORD:

Judges 2:2 And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

       Every major forest fire begins with a spark. On occasion they have been started by what are called natural causes such as lightning. Very few ignite by spontaneous combustion. Man causes the majority of fires. Most of which are not set ablaze on purpose. What is considered to be the number one cause is carelessness. A cigarette tossed near dry vegetation. Campfires that are not extinguished completely. Someone burns debris and it gets out of control. Once a blaze has begun, it is often near impossible to stop. Many times firefighters will create an area around the fire where there are no trees or grass to burn called a firebreak to allow the fire burn itself out.

 

       In Deut. 7:1-6 the children of Israel were told to go through the land, destroy all the idols, and drive all the inhabitants off the land. They were also warned by God what would happen if they did not. Yet, when faced with the task of obeying God, they chose what seemed easy over what was right. In Judges 1 we read over and again how they allowed many of the nations to stay. It says they made them tributaries. In other words they collected taxes from them. They thought if they took some of that money and gave it to God, it would be ok. However, it was not ok with God. By the time of New Testament, Israel finds themselves in the same situation only reversed with Rome. Not obeying God is like playing with fire. Someone is going to get burned. 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

       Nothing has changed with obeying God. Many today play in the world feeling there is no problem. Yet in 2 Cor. 6:17 God says; “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate..” What we feel we get by with may one day enslave our children.

 

Is playing with sin worth it?

 

 

  April 12, 2023
  Daily Reading – Joshua 23-24 / Luke 10:1-24

 

 GOD’S WORD:

Joshua 24:14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

       What would be a good portrait of fear? I guess that depends on how you describe that fear. When I worked in the warehouse, we had storage racks with skids of boxes on them. Once while working on one side of the racks, I saw another guy reaching into the area that I was already in from the other side of that rack. When he bent down and reached in, I made a growling sound like a mad dog. He jumped back and let out a high-pitched scream. That might be what many picture as fear. However, many times at church, I will see people bending a knee in prayer to the Lord, or lifting their voices in praise to Him in song. This is also a picture of fear.

 

       In Joshua 24:14 Joshua tells the people; “Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.” This verse tells us how to fear the Lord. We should not live afraid of a loving God. However, we should have a reverent respect of who He is and His authority. I am not afraid of walking near a semi-truck, but I do not stand in front of one going 60 MPH. Joshua says, serve God with sincerity and truth. That means willingly. Because you want to, not have to. He also said put away all other gods. You cannot serve the world and God. The portrait becomes clear with; “Serve ye the LORD.” 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

       The portrait of fear that the world needs to see is an undivided Holy respect for this awesome loving God. Respect for His Word by living it out. Respect for our worship with adoration for His love through Christ.

 

What portrait of love for a Holy God
does the world see through you?

 

 

  April 11, 2023
  Daily Reading – Joshua 21-22 / Luke 9:28-62

 

 GOD’S WORD:

Joshua 21:43 And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

       Over the years I have had people say things to me about my dad. They have told me about his fairness, about his work ethic, and about him being an honest man who kept his word. People for the most part seemed to like my dad. My dad’s good name opened several doors for me in life. Who he was, is who people assumed I would be as well. I have tried to live up to that and leave a good name for my children also. However, that has not always been true. For a time in my younger years, I did not value the heritage of a good family name. I, like many others, thought that I was going to do it all on my own. Be my own man. Carve my own path. While it is true that my dad and I are different in many ways, it is also true that I am blessed because of who he was. A good family heritage is of great value.

 

       As we move toward the end of the book of Joshua we see that the land God had promised to Israel is now theirs. God has kept His Word, as we all know, He always does. However, this did not begin with Joshua. It did not begin with Moses. It began with a promise that God had made to their fathers. It was the faith of Abraham in God’s Word that earned them this heritage. This heritage was promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. There was a delay in receiving that land because of their sinfulness. Yet, even the sins of an entire nation of people could not stop God from fulfilling His promise to their fathers. He promised! 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

      God always completes what He sets out to do. What a blessed assurance we have in His promises of old. Phil. 1:6 says; “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” 

 

Has God began a work in you?