Obedience or Convenience

 

Daily Reading:  Judges 2

                    “ye have not obeyed my voice:  why have ye done this?”

                                                         Judges 2:2

            What a statement!  What a question!  What an indictment!  God’s Word to Israel had been clear and simple.  They were to drive out ALL the inhabitants of the land.  He even promised them that He had delivered the land into their hand.  The promise was not enough. 

How often could that exact statement and question be God’s message to you?  Is God’s Word sufficient for you?  Do you submit to His authority, or do you openly defy the King of kings and Lord of lords?  And for what?  Israel’s defiance was because the enemy was well equipped or even better equipped (Judges 1:19).  They did it because they saw a benefit to having these people as forced labor (Judges 1:30, 33, 35).  What they saw as choices of convenience turned them from simple obedience.  Do we ever defy the simple commands of God’s Word because of personal convenience.

In life we will all face ups and downs.  Many of those peaks and valleys are through no fault of our own.  We live in a corrupt and fallen world where our lives are impacted.  We experience loss and hardship.  However, how often are difficulties the consequences of personally not obeying God’s Word?  Titus 2:14 tells us God desires a, “peculiar people zealous of good works.”  For us to be that people, we must individually make God’s Word the authority.  His Word must be completely sufficient for every decision.  May it never be said of us, “Ye have not obeyed my voice.  Why have ye done this?”

A Blessed Man

Daily Reading:  Psalm 1

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,”

                                                    Psalm 1:1

Leadership is about choices.  One of the most important choices you can make is to allow God to lead you.  The only one who can decide whether you walk in the counsel of the ungodly is the person you see in the mirror every morning.  Too often, men decide to allow ungodly counsel to be their guide.  

Look at the first word of this Psalm.  It is, “blessed”.  Now look at the last word.  It is, “perish”.  The choice could not be more stark.  The man who walks in the counsel of the godly and avoids taking counsel from the ungodly scoffers and sinners will find the direction of his life contrasting those who heed the ungodly counsel.  

Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…”.  Psalm 1:1 speaks of the way we should go, or maybe the way we should not go.  Psalm 1:2 brings, “the truth” into the equation.  The man who avoids the wrong “way” and in turn seeks the truth will find the life God intended for each of us to live as believers.  That man will have deep roots in God and His Word.  That man will be like the tree planted by the water.  That man will bear fruit.  That man certainly will not whither.  The end result will be a leader among men.  Others will follow your lead because you made a choice to follow God.

Jephthah, the Unwanted but Needed Man

 

Daily Reading:  Judges 11:1 – 40

“So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”

                            Romans 14:12

            We live in a world that is broken by sin’s curse. Every life is touched by its unseen hand. Tragedy and heartache are common occurrences that affect every life and every home. We have all been victimized by the tentacles of sin, but that does not mean we have to allow victimization to define us!

Jephthah was born to a prostitute. His stepbrothers threw him out when they were old enough. Their reasoning was absolute selfishness. They simply wanted to keep him away from their inheritance. For unknown reasons, possibly embarrassment, Jephthah’s father did not even defend his son of a prostitute. Jephthah was forced to live in the land of Tob.

Despite his broken childhood and being forced to leave, Jephthah still thinks of that place as, “home” (Judges 11:9).  While away from home, he becomes a mighty man of valor whom God uses to set Israel free from the rule of the Ammonites and then ultimately, he becomes judge over Israel for six years.  

We all have experiences in our lives that we could use as excuses to do nothing. Jephthah chose to be used of God despite his circumstances.  In fact, the argument could be made that those very experiences are what God used in Jephthah’s life to prepare him as the mighty man of valor and judge over Israel.

1.   What experiences and circumstances in your life has God used to prepare you for                          the work He has for you today?

2.   Considering the truth of II Corinthians 1:4, are you willing to share your experiences                          with others who need comforted because they are now where you once were?

Trusting God's Direction Over Financial Gain

 

Daily Reading:  I Timothy 6:6 – 9

“Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.  A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps."

                                                                      Proverbs 16:8-9

The verses above highlight a crucial truth for men today: in our pursuit of financial stability and success, we can easily lose sight of what truly matters—our walk with God.

In this world where we are not citizens, success is often measured by wealth, status, and achievement. As men, we can feel the pressure to provide for our families and secure our futures. While it our biblical responsibility to work hard or strive to meet our needs, we must not allow financial pursuits to overshadow our call to righteousness. These verses remind us that it is better to have little while walking in righteousness than to gain much while compromising our identity in Christ and the integrity of our ambassadorship.

God desires to guide our steps, not just in our careers and finances but in every aspect of life. The Holy Spirit convicts us through the Word of God, revealing areas where we need to align our hearts with His will. We might have plans, but it is God who ultimately directs our path. Submitting to His guidance requires humility and trust. It means surrendering our desire for control and acknowledging that God's plan is always better, even when it doesn't make sense to us.

As we seek to provide for our families, let’s also pursue the wisdom of God, walking in righteousness and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our steps. Our success is not defined by our bank account but by the integrity of our hearts and our obedience to God.

Follow-up Questions:

1. In what areas of your life have you been prioritizing financial success over spiritual integrity?
2. How can you be more intentional about seeking God’s direction in your decision-making through prayer and reading His Word?

Distracted by Discouragement

 

Daily Reading:  II Samuel 16:1 – 12

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

                                                Joshua 1:9

            Do not be discouraged.  In this world you will have trouble.  For our light affliction.  For which cause we faint not.  Scripture says things like this throughout its pages which cross the span of time from beginning to end. 

There are a lot of things that happen in our daily life that can discourage us.  We should expect trouble to come because we live in a broken world.  In different seasons of life that trouble may look different.  The things that trouble children are generally not the same things that trouble the elderly.  A young man in his teenage years is troubled by school work, first jobs, and friendships.  A man in his twenties is troubled by adjusting to marriage or getting a better paying job.  The things that trouble us are generally the things that matter to us at that time.

            II Samuel 16 tells of David’s encounter with trouble and possible discouragement.  David had been faithful to the Lord but Shimei, a descendant of Saul was troubled by David.  Shimei comes out cursing David, calling names, and throwing stones.  The natural response of most men is to defend ourselves.  In fact, Abishai offers to, “take off his head.”  We have probably desired to figuratively do that a time or two when trouble comes our way. 

David’s response is a life lesson for us all.  “So let him curse.”  He doesn’t defend or correct the man.  In fact, David seems to indicate, by recognizing this man as a Benjamite, that he understands why this man sees it the way he does.  David finishes in verse 12 by considering the possibility that God will reward him for this affliction he is enduring this day. 

When trouble and afflictions come our way for simply following God, maybe it would do us well to not worry about what others are saying or doing, but realize people may see things from a different perspective.  Never allow those possible discouragements to distract you from the work God has placed before you.