Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Defending God....As If He Needs It
This week’s devo is written by Jake Schenk who will be speaking Sunday, June 29.
I have found out that in my life when I have to justify myself, it usually means that I was wrong. Even though my stubbornness and pride kicks in and tells me that I am not. Most of the time, when I justify things, it means that I did something I wasn’t suppose to do or that I was just flat wrong.
Read Job 32: 1-5
Why was Elihu upset at Job?
In Job’s offense, from the attacks of his “friends”, he spent most of the time justifying why these bad things shouldn’t have happened to him. Job, as we read in chapter 1, was a righteous and upright man. We find out later on in the book that he was a man that cared for the widows, orphans, and the alien. He was revered in town and people listened to him because he was wise. Because of this, Job felt that he had a right to justify himself before his friends and before God.
How many times do we do this?
How tough is it to give up our right to be heard or even understood when we are wronged instead of trusting that God is going to handle the situation?
For me this is one of the toughest things. I want to be heard and feel that I have a right to justify myself when I am attacked. Learning from the reading of Job, I believe that at those times I should let God be my justification and realize that he allows situations to grow and mature me. Instead of always justifying my side, I should trust God and realize that sometimes “such knowledge is too wonderful for me, to lofty for me to attain.” (Ps 139:6)
“You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be the like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘He did not make me’? Can’t the pot say to the potter, ‘He knows nothing’?” (Isaiah 29:16)
Is God not God and the creator of all? Who are we to question and not trust why He does what He does?
I have found out that in my life when I have to justify myself, it usually means that I was wrong. Even though my stubbornness and pride kicks in and tells me that I am not. Most of the time, when I justify things, it means that I did something I wasn’t suppose to do or that I was just flat wrong.
Read Job 32: 1-5
Why was Elihu upset at Job?
In Job’s offense, from the attacks of his “friends”, he spent most of the time justifying why these bad things shouldn’t have happened to him. Job, as we read in chapter 1, was a righteous and upright man. We find out later on in the book that he was a man that cared for the widows, orphans, and the alien. He was revered in town and people listened to him because he was wise. Because of this, Job felt that he had a right to justify himself before his friends and before God.
How many times do we do this?
How tough is it to give up our right to be heard or even understood when we are wronged instead of trusting that God is going to handle the situation?
For me this is one of the toughest things. I want to be heard and feel that I have a right to justify myself when I am attacked. Learning from the reading of Job, I believe that at those times I should let God be my justification and realize that he allows situations to grow and mature me. Instead of always justifying my side, I should trust God and realize that sometimes “such knowledge is too wonderful for me, to lofty for me to attain.” (Ps 139:6)
“You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be the like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘He did not make me’? Can’t the pot say to the potter, ‘He knows nothing’?” (Isaiah 29:16)
Is God not God and the creator of all? Who are we to question and not trust why He does what He does?
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Finding Positive in Everything
This week’s devo is written by Jake Schenk who will be speaking Sunday, June 29.
Coming from a small farming community, it is tough to have a conversation with someone from my town and for the conversation to not mention the weather. Most of the time, it leads to complaining about the weather. I see this as a reoccurring theme in society today. Its seems that most conversations usually have some type of negative statement in them. I feel that because we are always looking for the bad, we don’t have time to look for the good.
What does the news show on T.V.? Is it good or usually negative stuff?
How can we change our mindset about things and start looking for the good in everything and not the bad?
Read Philippians 4:4-8
What does this passage say about we should be thinking about?
How often should we rejoice in the Lord? (v.4)
Does this mean even when times are bad?
As Job states in 2:10, “Shall we accept the good from God, and not trouble?”
I believe that our attitude is the number one thing that changes a situation. It shouldn’t matter what it is. If we can find something positive in every situation and then we should rejoice because it could have been worse, then life would seem more pleasant and also to those around us. Even though Job didn’t understand why he went though hard times, he never once cursed God and tried his best to accept the good as well as the bad.
“Though he slay me, yet I will hope in him;” –Job 13:15
Coming from a small farming community, it is tough to have a conversation with someone from my town and for the conversation to not mention the weather. Most of the time, it leads to complaining about the weather. I see this as a reoccurring theme in society today. Its seems that most conversations usually have some type of negative statement in them. I feel that because we are always looking for the bad, we don’t have time to look for the good.
What does the news show on T.V.? Is it good or usually negative stuff?
How can we change our mindset about things and start looking for the good in everything and not the bad?
Read Philippians 4:4-8
What does this passage say about we should be thinking about?
How often should we rejoice in the Lord? (v.4)
Does this mean even when times are bad?
As Job states in 2:10, “Shall we accept the good from God, and not trouble?”
I believe that our attitude is the number one thing that changes a situation. It shouldn’t matter what it is. If we can find something positive in every situation and then we should rejoice because it could have been worse, then life would seem more pleasant and also to those around us. Even though Job didn’t understand why he went though hard times, he never once cursed God and tried his best to accept the good as well as the bad.
“Though he slay me, yet I will hope in him;” –Job 13:15
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Wrongly Accused
This week’s devo is written by Jake Schenk who will be speaking Sunday, June 29.
I remember a time when I was in 6th Grade that my teacher got in front of the class and reprimanded us, because someone had taken the yellow pad that was used to write our names on when we got in trouble. I don’t remember it all, but I believe that there was going to be punishment for everyone if it didn’t turn up. So we talked it over amongst ourselves and we had come to the brilliant conclusion that since Aaron, the trouble maker in the class had already done it once, we should blame him. So I, being a leader, stood up and told him to tell the truth and turn himself in so the rest of us wouldn’t have to suffer. I felt pretty good about myself because I had stood up for what I thought was right and for the betterment of my 6th Grade class. Aaron, the one I accused, swore he didn’t do it, but no one believed him because he was always getting in trouble. So I told him, in a stern and leading voice, “Everyone knows you did it, just turn yourself in so we don’t get in trouble.” Once again he denied it to my face. Oh the audacity! Then it happened, if my memory serves me correct, another classmate comes into the room holding the pad and said that he saw another boy, Justin, throw it in the trash can in the bathroom. “Oh no,” I thought, and set back down and basked in my shame. I later humbly went and apologized to Aaron.
How does it feel to be wrongfully accused?
When no one else believes you, how tough is it to stand alone?
This happened to Job and his friends. Three of Job’s closest friends came to him and told him that he had to have done so something wrong or God wouldn’t be punishing him. They accused him of many things and questioned his integrity, but Job stood firm to his belief. Instead of encouraging Job during this time, what he needed them most, they accused him of what they had no idea about. They used only their limited vision, like I did in the 6th grade.
Read Job 42:7-9
What does God say about Job’s three friends?
Let us be careful of when we accuse because you might be the one that needs to apologize in the end.
I remember a time when I was in 6th Grade that my teacher got in front of the class and reprimanded us, because someone had taken the yellow pad that was used to write our names on when we got in trouble. I don’t remember it all, but I believe that there was going to be punishment for everyone if it didn’t turn up. So we talked it over amongst ourselves and we had come to the brilliant conclusion that since Aaron, the trouble maker in the class had already done it once, we should blame him. So I, being a leader, stood up and told him to tell the truth and turn himself in so the rest of us wouldn’t have to suffer. I felt pretty good about myself because I had stood up for what I thought was right and for the betterment of my 6th Grade class. Aaron, the one I accused, swore he didn’t do it, but no one believed him because he was always getting in trouble. So I told him, in a stern and leading voice, “Everyone knows you did it, just turn yourself in so we don’t get in trouble.” Once again he denied it to my face. Oh the audacity! Then it happened, if my memory serves me correct, another classmate comes into the room holding the pad and said that he saw another boy, Justin, throw it in the trash can in the bathroom. “Oh no,” I thought, and set back down and basked in my shame. I later humbly went and apologized to Aaron.
How does it feel to be wrongfully accused?
When no one else believes you, how tough is it to stand alone?
This happened to Job and his friends. Three of Job’s closest friends came to him and told him that he had to have done so something wrong or God wouldn’t be punishing him. They accused him of many things and questioned his integrity, but Job stood firm to his belief. Instead of encouraging Job during this time, what he needed them most, they accused him of what they had no idea about. They used only their limited vision, like I did in the 6th grade.
Read Job 42:7-9
What does God say about Job’s three friends?
Let us be careful of when we accuse because you might be the one that needs to apologize in the end.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Suffering for Doing Good
This week’s devo is written by Jake Schenk who will be speaking Sunday, June 29.
In Rome, 64 A.D., during the time of Nero, there was a great fire that burned throughout the city. No one knew how it started, but many people blamed it on Nero and said that he started it for his own amusement. So Nero, being the man in charge, looked for a scapegoat and decided to blame it on this new religious sect that had already been stirring up trouble in the Roman society. Nero blamed these people and decided that they should pay for what they did. He thought this would be a brilliant opportunity to get rid of them because these people already challenged the Roman belief systems.
To settle these matters, Nero had these people fed to lions and burned at the stake, while still alive. He used this small community of people as human torches to light the city at night for his parties. At times, Nero did give them chances to live and all they had to do was renounce their belief in the man that was called Jesus. Many Christians died at the hands of Nero and the Romans. It is believe that Peter was one of these who died during this time. But Nero forgot about one thing, and that is that the gospel of Jesus cannot be stopped. He thought that killing them and mocking them in the eyes of the community would deter anyone from joining them. It did just the opposite; for the many that died, many more were saved because of the willingness of some to die for following Jesus. Instead of eradicating the Christians from Rome, Christianity grew and spread throughout the entire kingdom.
Sometimes God allows bad things to happen and for good people to suffer. Why? I believe so that the name of Jesus Christ might be glorified.
When we suffer or are facing trials, do we look for opportunities to glorify His Name? The world is watching us. They see us in the good and the bad. Do we bring glory to God’s Name when we acknowledge the good as well as the bad? We are not yet facing death for the sake of Jesus in our society, but we do have opportunities through the situations we face to bring him glory.
Read I Peter 4:12-19
"The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians." -Tertullian
In Rome, 64 A.D., during the time of Nero, there was a great fire that burned throughout the city. No one knew how it started, but many people blamed it on Nero and said that he started it for his own amusement. So Nero, being the man in charge, looked for a scapegoat and decided to blame it on this new religious sect that had already been stirring up trouble in the Roman society. Nero blamed these people and decided that they should pay for what they did. He thought this would be a brilliant opportunity to get rid of them because these people already challenged the Roman belief systems.
To settle these matters, Nero had these people fed to lions and burned at the stake, while still alive. He used this small community of people as human torches to light the city at night for his parties. At times, Nero did give them chances to live and all they had to do was renounce their belief in the man that was called Jesus. Many Christians died at the hands of Nero and the Romans. It is believe that Peter was one of these who died during this time. But Nero forgot about one thing, and that is that the gospel of Jesus cannot be stopped. He thought that killing them and mocking them in the eyes of the community would deter anyone from joining them. It did just the opposite; for the many that died, many more were saved because of the willingness of some to die for following Jesus. Instead of eradicating the Christians from Rome, Christianity grew and spread throughout the entire kingdom.
Sometimes God allows bad things to happen and for good people to suffer. Why? I believe so that the name of Jesus Christ might be glorified.
When we suffer or are facing trials, do we look for opportunities to glorify His Name? The world is watching us. They see us in the good and the bad. Do we bring glory to God’s Name when we acknowledge the good as well as the bad? We are not yet facing death for the sake of Jesus in our society, but we do have opportunities through the situations we face to bring him glory.
Read I Peter 4:12-19
"The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians." -Tertullian
Monday, June 23, 2008
Bad Things Happen to Good People
The devotions this week were prepared by Jake Schenk who will be delivering the message this Sunday, June 29 at 10:30am.
Have you ever wondered why this happens? Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? Have you ever seen this happen? Do you believe this has ever happened to you? All of us, at one time or another, have been affected or have question why this happens. Let’s look at a story of this happening in the Bible.
Read Job 1-2
What does it say about Job? Was he a good man?
Why does God allow this to happen?
How does Job respond when this happens to him? (1:20, 2:10)
How should we respond when this happens to us?
When bad things happen to us, what is a better way for us to be a witness to this dark world and bring the light and glory of God to a lost and dark world?
Read Matthew 5:14-16
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14
Have you ever wondered why this happens? Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? Have you ever seen this happen? Do you believe this has ever happened to you? All of us, at one time or another, have been affected or have question why this happens. Let’s look at a story of this happening in the Bible.
Read Job 1-2
What does it say about Job? Was he a good man?
Why does God allow this to happen?
How does Job respond when this happens to him? (1:20, 2:10)
How should we respond when this happens to us?
When bad things happen to us, what is a better way for us to be a witness to this dark world and bring the light and glory of God to a lost and dark world?
Read Matthew 5:14-16
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14
Friday, June 13, 2008
Archery
The devotions this week were prepared by Chuck Andrews who will be delivering the message this Sunday, June 15 at 10:30am.
Like many other things in life, skill is acquired. Becoming a good archer is no different. The skill is acquired over time and experience. The more you bend the bow and string the arrows the better you get at shooting. Even those with some natural tendencies to shoot must learn techniques, touch, and timing in order to get good at hitting their mark consistently.
The same is true when learning to sense the word of God. There are different techniques for grasping its understanding. The one who accurately handles the Word learns the touch of the Spirit and His timing for life. Yet, no one is born with this technique, touch, and timing. They must be born again in order to acquire them. Then they are developed over a life time.
Can you see the hand of God in your life?
Like many other things in life, skill is acquired. Becoming a good archer is no different. The skill is acquired over time and experience. The more you bend the bow and string the arrows the better you get at shooting. Even those with some natural tendencies to shoot must learn techniques, touch, and timing in order to get good at hitting their mark consistently.
The same is true when learning to sense the word of God. There are different techniques for grasping its understanding. The one who accurately handles the Word learns the touch of the Spirit and His timing for life. Yet, no one is born with this technique, touch, and timing. They must be born again in order to acquire them. Then they are developed over a life time.
Can you see the hand of God in your life?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
