“Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel: “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my just claim is passed over by my God”?” ~ Isaiah 40:27 Reference Isaiah 40:27-31 Life can get so tough with troubles coming back-to-back that you wonder if God sees or cares about you. The pressures of life can overwhelm the mind so that it completely shuts out the possibility that there is a God who cares, sees, and gets personally involved in our lives. Israel’s captivity lasted so long that they began to murmur against God. They wondered if...
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” ~ John 10:27 REFERENCE: John 10:26-30 Sheep are experts at discerning the voice of their shepherd. During World War I, some Turkish soldiers tried to steal a flock of sheep from a hillside near Jerusalem. The shepherd, who had been sleeping, awoke to find his sheep being led away by strangers. He couldn’t recapture them by force, so he called out to his flock with his distinctive call. The sheep listened and returned to their rightful owner. The soldiers couldn’t stop them from returning to their...
“But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.” – Galatians 6:4 REFERENCE: Galatians 6:1-5 William Shakespeare said, “To thine own self be true.” Self-deception is the worst plague that can befall a man, when he sees himself as different than he is, has an opinion about himself that does not correlate with his reality, and scores himself high in virtue when really, he is wicked. If we fail to assess ourselves often, we can become victims of self-deception. Paul, in our text, warned the Galatians against...
“So, David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.” – I Samuel 30:8 REFERENCE: I Samuel 30:1-8 There is hardly a successful man that never went through a season of failure or setback. It is their response that determines their outcomes in life. When we see people at the top of the ladder, we never think that they may have fallen back several times on the rung before getting to the top. David was and still is a...
“I was a father to the poor, and I searched out the case that I did not know.” – Job 29:16 REFERENCE: JOB 29:12-17 Job lived in the land of Uz, a blameless and upright man who loved God and shunned evil. The Bible says He was the greatest of all in the East, for he had great possessions. However, his greatness in wealth was dwarfed by his unmatched generosity; Job had a kind heart. Our text chronicles Job’s extraordinary dexterity in showing kindness without discrimination. He was fair to his servants, regarded the poor, wiped the tears...
“For the leaders of this people cause them to err, and those who are led by them are destroyed.” ~ Isaiah 9:16 REFERENCE: Isaiah 9:13-17 Many crave to be in positions of authority and influence, but most are not ready for such. They are attracted to the benefits of office but blinded to its burden. John Maxwell said, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” If someone aspires to be a leader, Maxwell implies that he will ultimately bring everything (people or resources) to his level; either they rise or fall. Samaria would come under severe judgment because of...