Week 4, JSB

Well hello again, friends.

Yet another Wednesday is here. I hope you enjoyed this past week's reading. It covered some of my favorite parts of the Bible. If you ever want some page-turning reading, just start into the book of Exodus.

Being a captive is not an idea we like to entertain. But until we ask Jesus to take charge of our lives and forgive us for our mistakes, we are held in the clutches of sin. Even when we are walking with the Lord, sin and our enemy can try to bind us up in bad habits, bad relationships, bad thought patterns, and on the list goes. Freedom is one huge gift God offers us, and the moment we have it, it is the one thing Satan is hell bent on stealing.

So this week, did you get a better understanding of what the holiday Passover celebrates? I should say "remembers" as opposed to "celebrates" because the tradition is held with much reverence by the Jewish community. Every year, I'm itching to find a place to attend a Passover celebration, but have not been able to attend one yet. Regardless, I simply LOVE how much God loves symbolism and foreshadowing. He is truly THE best storyteller. The Israelites' exodus from Egypt after being passed over at the expense of a spotless lamb perfectly parallels the exodus of sorts that we can experience when we receive Jesus' death on the cross as the expense by which we can walk in freedom.

And if I may point out, Jesus' forgiveness:

• is once and for all eternity
• is enough to cover your past, present, and future sin
• means your sins are forgotten by God
• means as a promise of heaven, you then receive the Holy Spirit to be your ever present comfort and counselor

Who wouldn't want that?? And for free! You can't do anything good enough to earn those things, just like you can't do anything bad enough to lose them after you accept them and commit your life to Jesus. Even if you're just like those stubborn Israelites who messed up again and again and again (and yeah, same here), Jesus will never give up on you. Oh, the enemy will certainly try to suggest that you deserve abandonment, punishment, condemnation. But those are lies, meant to draw you away from Jesus' arms.

My question #4 answers were these. 3 unpleasant trials that grew my faith:

1. a conflict with a friend which required confrontation, communication, and love
2. the season when it took us 12 months to get pregnant with baby #2.
3. past seasons of financial strain and uncertainty

I look back with all three feeling that same pit in my stomach. None of those seasons were fun or enjoyable. But would I trade them at the expense of the lessons learned? Nope. God knew what I needed. He got me through every one.

Here is James 1:1-4 that you looked up this week. It is just so good.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 

Isn't that exactly what I want? To be mature and not lack anything?? Well then, guess what. I need to expect trails. Those times are where I am tested and stretched and matured the most. But when you are safe in the arms of Jesus, every trial comes with a promise: This all has a POINT. And perseverance will finish its work. Amen to that.

Love you all. Hope you're persevering today.

Week 4

Chapters 14-16, to p. 135

This week, we'll look at the person of King David. He is the only person in the Bible to earn the description "a man after God's own heart." He was loved by the Lord, used by the Lord, and stood as a forerunner of Jesus in many ways. Yet, at times, David's life was a total mess. He was a man of great faith and great failures.

 

1. Our first story is about how he was chosen by God to be King. Look up 1 Samuel 16 in your Bible. The prophet Samuel was supposed to find the king among many brothers in one family. Naturally, he went to the oldest, strongest brother and asked the Lord if this was to be he. Read verses 6-7. What does it say God uses as his criteria? What about man's criteria? How do you observe this same truth at work in our world today?

 

2. It is a surprise that David is chosen because he is only a boy and the youngest in a long line of brothers. The next glimpse we see of David is on the battlefield with Goliath. He was not a soldier, and the Philistines were Israel's greatest enemy. Look up 1 Samuel chapter 17 in your Bible to find the whole story. Read verses 45-49. In verse 48, what was David's reaction when Goliath started to advance at him? Now think about the giants in your life. What is your typical response to them? What would that kind of courageous faith look like for you?

 

3. Finally, the JSB takes us to the Psalms, which is another word for songs. David was a prolific songwriter and a great musician, did you know that? Go to your Bible and flip through the Psalms. You'll notice that many Psalms have the words "A Psalm of David" at the start of it. Find one that particularly speaks to your heart and write it out (or the portion that means most to you) in your notebook. Briefly share why you chose the one that you did.

 

4. If you want to learn more about David and his biggest failures, read 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12 in your Bible. Among being an unbelievable warrior, leader, loving king, and man of faith, he was also an adulterer, murderer, and liar. Because of his great sin, God took the life of his child born through his adultery. But in amazing grace, God brought redemption to David's mistakes by blessing his later marriage to the same woman, Bathsheba (he had killed her husband, after all), and giving them Solomon for a son. Solomon came to be known as the wisest man who ever lived, and succeeded David on the throne. If you look in your Bible's table of contents, you'll see that after the Psalms comes Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. All three of these books were written by King Solomon. What does this legacy tell you about what God can do with, and in spite of, a person's shameful past?