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Good Morning Guys Resources {Luke 11-15}

Welcome back to the Good Morning Guys Study through Luke! I pray your past week of study was beneficial to your growth in your relationship with Christ.

If you’re new, feel free to jump right in and follow along. Everything you need for this week is below, including this week’s Bible Reading Plan, Reflection Questions, and Verses of the Day.  Don’t forget to check back on Wednesday for my weekly blog post.

Here’s This Week’s Bible Reading Plan

Monday: Luke 11

Tuesday: Luke 12

Wednesday: Luke 13

Thursday: Luke 14

Friday: Luke 15

The Reflection Questions for the Week

Chapter 11-Monday

Learning to pray is of utmost importance! Jesus did not teach his disciples how to preach, but He did teach them how to pray. The prayer in Luke 11 is not meant to be recited as a ritual, but rather as a pattern for our prayer life. After Jesus gave the pattern, he then gave an example of the boldness and persistence He wants us to have in our prayers.

Pause and pray though the Lord’s Prayer today, then consider if there is something you have given up praying for that you need to boldly and persistently begin praying for again.

 

Chapter 12-Tuesday

 

The world system tells us that success and possessions deserve a high five, but at the end of the parable in Luke 12, God calls the rich man a fool! The only way to conquer a greedy heart is to believe that life does not consist in the abundance of our possessions.

Do you struggle with this? Jesus tells us to “be on guard.” How can you guard and protect yourself from falling into the temptation of desiring an abundance of possessions?

Chapter 13-Wednesday

 

To God, it does not matter what our standing in this world is. Money, titles, status, beauty, lineage, and good works are not what God looks at. Salvation is based on Jesus’s grace alone.

Do you at times feel jealous of others whose standing in this world is higher than yours? One of the great mysteries of the gospel is how those who are first in this world are last in the next. How does this truth bring you comfort today?

Chapter 14 -Thursday

 

Jesus was the ultimate example of one who deserved the highest exaltation, but He was humble. True humility does not have too high an opinion of oneself, and is others-centered rather than self-centered.

We are promised that those who humble themselves will one day-in eternity-be exalted. In what area of your life do you need to work on humility?

Chapter 15-Friday

 

The parables in Luke 15 show us that God goes after the lost, and heaven celebrates when they are found. Nothing is more precious to us as something that is lost. Think of your car keys. If they were lost, you would search for them until they were found. And when they were found, you would rejoice. In the same way, the angels rejoice when a sinner repents.

Who have you recently shared the love of Jesus or the gospel with? If you haven’t had this opportunity, write a prayer for someone who is lost and ask God for boldness.

 

The Verses of the Day

Monday: Lord, teach us to pray-Luke 11:1

Tuesday:  Be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. -Luke 12:15

 Wednesday: Behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last. -Luke 13:30

Thursday:  For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. -Luke 14:11

Friday: There is joy before the angels over one sinner who repents. -Luke 15:10

Don’t forget to join me out on Instagram every day for the verse of the day at GuysInTheWord, as well as on our new Facebook page!

I’ll see you back here on Wednesday for our weekly blog post.

Johnathan

We Are Called to Offend People

Tough love, as it could be called, is not popular today, both in Christianity and the secular world. 

The tough love I’ m talking about is being told you’re wrong.

No one likes to be told of their sin. Society today is riddled with politically correct rules. If we so much as call anyone’s lifestyle wrong according to the Bible, we are labelled a hater and a bigot.

Sadly, this trend has carried over to the church in many instances. 

I was at a local Christian youth conference a couple years ago, and, to my disappointment, this trend pervaded it.

The speaker bombarded the pliable audience of young adults with the false teaching that has so sadly influenced many churches today. “Don’t tell people they’re sinful and need to repent,” they said, “that’s unloving and just turns people away. Instead of telling people about their sin, just tell them God loves them!” The speaker went on to give examples of people who had been offended by Christians telling them they needed to repent of their sin to know God, and were forever disgusted with Christianity.

The truth is that those who only preach God’s love and neglect to preach repentance are being the most unloving people anyone could ever imagine. 

In essence, they have the life-saving drug, and are removing one of the key ingredients before administering it to people, rendering it useless and ineffective. “That ingredient causes stomach aches,” they say, “we don’t want to cause these people any pain.”

So, to avoid a stomach-ache, they unknowingly send these patients straight to their deathbeds. 

Guess what, brothers: The Gospel of Jesus Christ is offensive.

It was offensive when Jesus preached it, it was offensive when the apostles preached it, and it is and will be when we preach it today.

The passage that is a basis for this post, Luke 7:23, shows that Jesus expected people to be offended by Him. He says, “Blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

Those who are not offended by Him, and are therefore blessed according to Jesus, are those who have accepted Jesus’s message. They are believers.

Every person who is not a believer will inevitably find Jesus offensive unless they turn to Him as savior and get a new heart.  Jesus drives this point home in John 15:18-25, where He says, ““If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

The world is going to hate us.

People are going to be offended by our message.

Jesus explains why just two verses later in John 15:22-24, where He explains “ If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.  Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.”

People are offended by the Gospel because it makes them guilty of their sin. They can’t continue in their sin that they love so much if they accept the true Gospel, and they hate that. Jesus makes this very clear.

Here is the true Gospel.

The true, saving Gospel calls men to repent of their sinful lives, turning from their sin to Christ as their only hope of being forgiven of their offenses against God, believing He is God.  Adam and Eve sinned, and through that we all have sin. Christ, the son of God, came into the world as a man, lived a perfect life, died for our sin, rose again, and is alive today. Once they repent and believe all this, they are free to make Christ their Lord and begin a relationship with Him. They are free to fight their sin and repent of it daily, instead of being enslaved to it and hating the message of repentance.

Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean you stop sinning, and it doesn’t mean you have to be perfect to become a Christian. But you do have to confess you are a sinner and vow to continuously reject sin in your life, asking forgiveness when you fail. Anyone who repents, no matter how bad you have sinned, can be made right with God.

Here are some verses that talk about the need for repentance of sins for salvation: Matthew 4:17, Isaiah 30:15, Luke 5:32, Acts 3:19, Acts 17:30, Romans 2:4.

If you are a Christian, it is of utmost importance that you are communicating the whole Gospel, not a gospel that just communicates the love of God. 

We must call people to the only way that they can be saved from death.

While it is true that God loves sinners, this knowledge alone can save no one. There must be repentance, and to do that, we must tell people that they have a sin problem and they need to repent.

Please don’t leave this out, or else you are calling someone to a false Gospel and leading people astray. 

We must do this lovingly and graciously, with the knowledge that we are just as sinful as them, which completely levels the playing field and gets rid of all the “Holier-than-thou” attitudes.

Lastly, if you are not a Christian, I call you to repentance of your sins now. You cannot have a relationship with God and an eternity in heaven without it. Cry out to God for forgiveness, accept that Jesus is God and died for your sins, and turn to live for Him.

Johnathan

Reflect on these questions and feel free to comment your answers below.

  1. Have you repented of your sins and given your life to Christ?
  2. Are you preaching the whole gospel in your life currently? If not, begin today.

Good Morning Guys Resources {Luke 6-10}

Welcome back to the Good Morning Guys Study through Luke! I pray your past week of study was beneficial to your growth in your relationship with Christ.

If you’re new, feel free to jump right in and follow along. Everything you need for this week is below, including this week’s Bible Reading Plan, Reflection Questions, and Verses of the Day.  Don’t forget to check back on Wednesday for my weekly blog post.

Here’s This Week’s Bible Reading Plan

Monday: Luke 6

Tuesday: Luke 7

Wednesday: Luke 8

Thursday: Luke 9

Friday: Luke 10

The Reflection Questions for the Week

Chapter 6-Monday

Jesus doesn’t just tell us to love our enemies, he tells us how to do it. He tells us to do good to them, bless them, and pray for them. We may not feel a warm feeling of love towards them, but there are no loopholes here. We are to love our enemies through visible actions.

Do you have an enemy? How can you show them love this week?

 

Chapter 7-Tuesday

The woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and hair had sinned greatly in the past. But her humility and her deep emotional love for Jesus showed that she understood how great God’s forgiveness is.

Pause for a moment and think back over your past and all of the sins you have committed in your lifetime.

Now take a moment and write a personal prayer of thanksgiving to Jesus for His great love and forgiveness of your sins.

 

Chapter 8-Wednesday

When Jairus heard his daughter was dead, he may have lost hope. Perhaps he felt that God would not come through and he was too late. But God’s timing is always right. He can make what is dead come alive!

God was stretching Jairus’ faith. All Jairus had to do was simply believe Jesus’ words to be true.

Jesus said, “Do not fear, only believe.” Is there an area in your life where fear has crept in and God is stretching your faith?

 

Chapter 9 -Thursday

Jesus told His disciples that if they were willing to follow him, they were going to have to take up their cross daily. This was not easy to hear since the disciples knew that the cross was a way to execute people.

The life of a Christian is a life of self-denial, sacrifice, and dying to our own wants and desires daily. In what area of your life has selfishness creeped in? How can you live a surrendered life daily.

 

Chapter 10-Friday

There is a common mantra in our world that encourages us to love ourselves. Jesus knows the heart of man. We already naturally love ourselves and so we are commanded to love others like we love ourselves.

Just like we care about our own concerns and interests, we should care about the concerns and interests of others. Who in your life needs more of your love and care today?

 

The Verses of the Day

Monday:

 But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,  bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.-Luke 6:27-28

 

Tuesday:  Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown.-Luke 7:47a

 

 Wednesday:  Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”-Luke 8:50

 

Thursday:  Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”-Luke 9:23

 

Friday: He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”-Luke 10:27

 

Don’t forget to join me out on Instagram every day for the verse of the day at GuysInTheWord, as well as on our new Facebook page!

I’ll see you back here on Wednesday for our weekly blog post.

Johnathan

How Jesus Grew Up

Most of us have experienced or are experiencing right now the process every human must go through.

This process is not always fun or easy.

Many times it is painful. There are good times and bad times.

This process is the process of growing up.

All the fun memories as well as the pain and hard times that come along with growing up teach us and form us into who we are as grown people.

We tend to forget that Jesus grew up too.

The Bible has very little to say about it. So little, in fact, that the book of Luke sums it all up in one sentence. 

Luke 2 covers the whole story of the birth of Jesus. After this, we see Jesus being dedicated in the temple, and then we jump to Jesus at age 12. His parents lose Him in the craziness of the Passover in Jerusalem, and eventually find Him in the temple having deep theological discussions with the teachers there. His parents take Him home, where Verse 50 says He was “submissive to them.” After that comes Luke 2:52.

Luke 2:52 is the verse we will study today, and it says, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”

This one sentence covers 18 years of Jesus’s life. These 18 years are a mystery to us, but we do know one thing-these 18 years prepared Jesus for the most intense, important 3 years lived by any human on earth.  

These 18 years prepared God in human form for His rescue mission to save the World! 

Many of us are growing up right now. All of us are still growing up spiritually, and no Christian ever stops growing and changing as a person until they pass on to Heaven.

Since all of us are still “growing up” in one way or another, what can we learn from the only sentence we have that shows how Jesus grew up?

There are 2 take-aways we can apply to our lives from Verse 52.

  1. We are to increase in wisdom

    This verse tells us that while growing up, Jesus got more wisdom. Proverbs 4:7 says, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” I could write a whole blog post on the importance of wisdom and how we should go about getting it, but it can all be summed up by two things: (1.  Talk to older men, be discipled by them, and listen to their advice, and (2. Read the Word of God and obey it.

  2. We are to learn to love both God and others

    Luke 2:52 tells us that Jesus increased “in favor with God and man.” These two areas of favor are inseparable. Jesus affirmed that we are to “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” (Luke 10:26) We cannot love God fully without learning to love others fully, and we cannot love others fully without learning to love God fully. Let us follow Jesus in this way and grow in both areas.

 

All of us are growing up in different ways, whether physically, spiritually, or both.

We can all learn something from this one single verse that so perfectly sums up the only perfect man’s process of growing up.

I pray we can imitate Jesus’s pursuit for wisdom and His love for God and others as we all grow up in our spiritual journeys.

Johnathan

Reflect on these questions and feel free to comment your answers below.

  1. Where are you in the process of growing up-either physically or spiritually?
  2. How are you growing today in your wisdom and love for God and others?

 

 

It’s Time to Begin! {Intro and Resources for Luke 1-5}

Welcome!

Today we begin our study in the book of Luke.  If you don’t have your optional Journal yet, I want to encourage you to pull out a notebook and use it to write out your thoughts and reflections on this week’s study.

Inside the journal it teaches you how to use the SOAK method to study the Bible.  This is how the method works:

  • S – The S stands for Scripture – Read the chapter for the day.   Then choose 1-2 verses and write them out word for word. (There is no right or wrong choice – just let the Holy Spirit guide you.)
  • O – The O stands for Observation – Look at the verse or verses you wrote out. Write 1 or 2 observations. What stands out to you? What do you learn about the character of God from these verses? Is there a promise, command or teaching?
  • A – The A stands for Application – Personalize the verses. What is God saying to you?   How can you apply them to your life?   Are there any changes you need to make or an action to take?
  • K – The K stands for Kneeling in Prayer – Pause, kneel and pray. Confess any sin God has revealed to you today. Praise God for His word. Pray the passage over your own life or someone you love. Ask God to help you live out your applications.

The goal is to SOAK God’s word into your heart everyday and let it transform your life, renew your mind and create a deeper intimacy with God.

Let’s take a look at the book of the Bible we are about to study.

The Book of Luke Overview

The book of Luke is a vivid account of the life of Jesus. Luke takes us on an exciting journey from Jesus’ birth, to his public ministry, death, resurrection and ascension into heaven. Salvation is clearly found in no one else but Jesus!

Luke was a doctor and he took special care to record everything accurately. Of all the gospels, Luke gives us the most detailed account of Jesus’ birth. Luke shows the humanity of Jesus through showcasing his genealogy, his birth story, his growth as a boy, his prayer life and the betrayal and denial from some of his closest friends.

Jesus’ many miracles and parables, written in this book, along with his compassion for the outcasts and sinners, and his love for women and children, draw us in deeper to understanding our Savior. The climax is when Jesus rises from the dead and ascends into heaven!

Luke not only penned this book but he also wrote the book of Acts. These two books combined, make up one-fourth of the New Testament!

Author: Luke the physician (the only Gentile author in the New Testament)

Date: 63 AD

Key Verse: Luke 2:11
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Outline:
1.) The introduction (1:1-4)
2.) Jesus is born (1:5-2:52)
3.) Jesus’ preparation for public ministry (3:1-4:13)
4.) Jesus’ ministry in Galilee (4:14-9:50)
5.) Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem (9:51-19:27)
6.) Jesus’ teaching ministry in Jerusalem (19:28-21:38)
7.) Jesus’ death (22:1-23:56)
8.) Jesus’ resurrection (24:1-53)

Here’s This Week’s Bible Reading Plan

Monday – Luke 1

Tuesday – Luke 2

Wednesday – Luke 3

Thursday – Luke 4

Friday -Luke 5

The Reflection Questions for the Week

{These questions are included inside the journal .  If you do not have the journal, I encourage you to reflect on these questions and answer them in your notebook.}

Monday:

The world says believe and you will receive. If you can dream it, you can achieve it. But that is not what Luke 1:37 says. It says nothing is impossible “with God.” It is God who is the source of all power and possibilities.

Tell of a time when you saw God do something impossible in your own life or the life of someone you know.

Tuesday:

The King of Kings, the Messiah, Emmanuel-God with us, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, our glorious Savior was born! Oh what good news this is!!!

Have you placed your faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins? If you haven’t, do it today! If you have, share your testimony. When did Jesus become your personal savior?

Wednesday:

At Jesus’ baptism, we see the Trinity-God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit-3 in 1. It boggles my mind to try to grasp the awe of the Trinity. I am so thankful that we have eternity in heaven to explore this mystery.

How does pondering how awesome our triune God is encourage you today?

Thursday:

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He used scripture to fight temptation. He di not use His supernatural power but rather He fought by simply wielding the sword of God’s word.

When we are tempted, we have the same resource available to us that Jesus used-God’s Word. In what areas of your life do you need to be better armed with God’s WOrd to help you fight your temptations?

Friday:

Jesus came for those who were not just sick WITH sin but also sick OF their sin. He did not come for the self-righteous but for those humble enough to admit they are a sinner in need of a savior.

Physicians fix broken bones and give healing to wounds. Jesus is the great Physician. What is one area where you need spiritual healing in your life, or have experienced spiritual healing?

 

 The Verses of the Day

Monday: Luke 1:37 “For nothing is impossible with God.”

Tuesday: Luke 2:11 “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord.”

Wednesday: Luke 3:21,22 “When Jesus had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Thursday: Luke 4:8 “It is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.””

Friday: Luke 5:31,32: “Jesus answered, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Don’t forget to join me out on Instagram every morning at GuysInTheWord and on Facebook at Good Morning Guys.

Please share in the comments:

Are you joining us?  Tell a little about yourself.  What is your name, where are you from and anything else you would like to share.

If you have any questions – ask below. 

I’ll see you back here this Wednesday as we go deeper into God’s Word together.

Johnathan

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Introducing the Book of Luke

Welcome!  It’s time to introduce the spring study.

Our next study will begin on Monday, March 13th in the Gospel of Luke.

We have a Luke Journal available if you’d like to have a guide to assist you in your study.

This journal includes:

*An Introduction to the Book of Luke
*An explanation of how to use the signature S.O.A.K. method of the GMG’s
*The GMG Coloring Chart
* The Verse of the Day each day
*A Reflection Question for each day
* Blank space for SOAKing each chapter of the Book of Luke

This companion Journal is NOT required to join us. 

It’s available now exclusively on Amazon.  Check it out there!

Every Monday, I’ll kick off the week with free resources and accountability here on the blog and then on Wednesdays, I’ll be here to discuss our reading from the Word, with a devotional.

You can also find Good Morning Guys on Instagram —-> HERE.

And on Facebook ——> HERE.

I’ll be back soon, with some free resources to assist you with your Bible Study.  Until then, I encourage you to subscribe in the sidebar so you don’t miss a post and follow me out on Instagram and Facebook.

I hope you’ll join us as we grow in Christ!

Johnathan

If you have any questions about our upcoming Bible Study, ask them in the comment section below.

This post contains an affiliate link.

3 Tips for Getting Out of a Spiritual Desert

We have all had them; periods in our lives when God seems so far away.

Our souls are hungry for Him yet we can’t seem to find Him.

We are discouraged.

It’s like walking through a spiritual desert.

I know how this feels. I’ve been there, and if you’re there today, be encouraged that every single Christian has been there.

But what do we do when God is silent in our lives, and we are in a spiritual desert?

In our passage today, 1 Samuel 28:6-19, we find an example, but sadly, it’s an example of what not to do when we are in a spiritual desert. King Saul is being threatened by a huge army of Philistines and is extremely scared. Because of his own sinful worry and distrust of God’s sovereignty, he decides to treat God like his own personal genie and ask Him how this battle against the Philistines will go. 

These wrong motives in asking God, and Saul’s already broken relationship with God because of prior unrepentant sin (trying to kill David), ultimately led to silence from God.

This is the darkest place a person can be, but it was a consequence of Saul’s own sin.

Instead of realizing why God was silent and repenting of his sin, Saul makes things ten times worse and ends up going to a witch, who he asks to call up Samuel from the dead.

This is extremely dark stuff, but a reminder that there are very powerful, very real forces of evil out there opposing God. (1 Peter 5:8) Thankfully we know we are on the winning team!

God allows Samuel to appear to Saul, and as a consequence for all Saul’s sin, Samuel ends up telling Saul that there will be a huge defeat and Saul is going to die in the battle.

So what can we take away today from this story?

1. When you feel far from God, don’t turn to worldly things for satisfaction, comfort, or answers.

There’s an old song from the Christian artist Plumb that says this: “There’s a God-shaped hole in all of us, and the restless soul is searching. There’s a God-shaped hole in all of us, and it’s a void only He can fill.”

These words perfectly communicate the fact that the only thing that can satisfy our hungry, discouraged, empty souls when we feel far away from God is God Himself, not anything else in this world. Turn only to Him when you’re discouraged.

2. When you’re in a spiritual desert, look for unrepentant sin.

Often times, but not always, the reason you feel far from God is your own sin. This is clearly illustrated in the life of Saul, who continued in unrepentant sin and because of this was not answered by God.

When there is sin in our lives, it draws us away from God and makes having an honest relationship with Him difficult.

This is just like if you were to break something that belonged to your mom, and decided not to tell her about it and just hide it. It would be pretty hard to act normal and have a loving relationship with your mom with that bugging you in the back of your mind, wouldn’t it?

It’s the same way with God.

If you are feeling far from God and realize that you have been sinning without telling God and asking Him for forgiveness, repent and ask Him for forgiveness, then your close relationship with Him will be restored.

3. When God is silent, cry out to Him and trust in His promises.

Maybe there isn’t any major unrepentant sin in your life, but you still feel far from God.

This could be because of a difficulty in your life, or maybe you’re just discouraged and you’re not sure why.

When you are in this situation, that is the time to get on your knees and really cry out to God.

1 John 5:14 says, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” Psalm 102:19-20 says, “For He looked down from His holy height; From heaven the LORD gazed upon the earth, to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to set free those who were doomed to death.” 

God guarantees us that He hears us and that He is there.

He cares and even when it feels like He isn’t there, He is.

This is when you must trust in that truth and find comfort in it. 

Johnathan

Let’s talk in the comments below:

  1. When is a time when you have felt far from God?
  2. How did you get out of your spiritual desert?

 

Final Week! Good Morning Guys Resources {1 Samuel 26-31}

Welcome back to the Good Morning Guys Study through 1 Samuel! I pray your past week of study was beneficial to your growth in your relationship with Christ. This is our last week of our study through 1 Samuel! It has been a blessing to study God’s word alongside of you all.

Our next study will begin on Monday, March 13th in the Gospel of Luke.

We have a Luke Journal available if you’d like to have a guide to assist you in your study.

It’s available now exclusively on Amazon.

I’ll post more details about this study soon.

Now back to 1 Samuel.  If you’re new, feel free to jump right in and follow along. Everything you need for this week is below, including this week’s Bible Reading Plan, Reflection Questions, and Verses of the Day.  Don’t forget to check back on Wednesday for my weekly blog post.

Here’s This Week’s Bible Reading Plan

Monday: 1 Samuel 26

Tuesday: 1 Samuel 27

Wednesday: 1 Samuel 28

Thursday: 1 Samuel 29

Friday: 1 Samuel 30-31

The Reflection Questions for the Week

Chapter 26-Monday

David trusted that God would reward his righteousness and faithfulness.

Do you trust that God will honor your faithfulness and how have you seen this in your life?

 

Chapter 27-Tuesday

David was discouraged and said in his heart, he was about to die – even though God had promised deliverance.

What we say in our hearts has incredible power to influence our choices. In what ways has your heart discouraged you in the past?

 

Chapter 28-Wednesday

God was silent when Saul called on him because he had not been following God’s revealed will for him.

Have you gone through a time of silence from God when you were living disobediently?

 

Chapter 29 -Thursday

David was in a bad place.  He had no home and was trying to live in both worlds.

Have you ever been in a place where you had too much of the world in you to be at peace with God and too much of God in you, to be at peace with the world?  What helped you to stop straddling the fence?

 

Chapter 30-31-Friday

Chapter 30

God, rich in mercy and grace, heard David’s cries for help and strengthened him.

God hears the cries of His people.  Do you need more strength for today?  Call out to God now. Write your prayer below.

Chapter 31

The account of Saul dying is sad, but sadder yet is the fact that Saul knew the previous day he would die and yet he did not repent or cry out to God.

Many tend to think that they will live as they want now and get right with God later in life.  Later never comes. Is there something you need to make right with God? Don’t wait – do it now.

 

The Verses of the Day

Monday:

The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness.

1 Samuel 26:23

 

Tuesday: 

Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish.

1 Samuel 27:1

  Wednesday: 

When Saul inquired of the Lordthe Lord did not answer him.

1 Samuel 28:6

 

Thursday:

So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines.

1 Samuel 29:11

 

 

Friday:

David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

1 Samuel 30:6

 

Thus Saul died.

1 Samuel 31:6

 

 

Don’t forget to join me out on Instagram every day for the verse of the day at GuysInTheWord, as well as on our new Facebook page!

I’ll see you back here on Wednesday for our weekly blog post.

Johnathan

There are Consequences to Obedience

Consequences.

The word sends chills down the spine of any young child being disciplined. It means there will be unpleasant results of whatever transgression they committed.

When we sin and disobey God, there are always consequences as a result, and they are never pleasant.

But did you know that the Bible says there will be consequences when we choose to obey as well?

You are probably wondering how there could be anything but good results when we choose to obey God. In 1 Samuel 22:6-19, however, we see a horrible tragedy as a result of obeying God.

1 Samuel 22:6-19 tells the story of a tyrannical king Saul. King Saul is very jealous of David, who he knows is going to succeed him as king and wants to stop. Saul has his heart set on killing David.

In Chapter 21, David had gotten help from a priest named Ahimelech. David was short on food and had no weapon as he was running away from Saul, so he had asked Ahimelech for help. Ahimelech had helped David graciously by giving him bread and a sword.

While the bread was holy bread designated for priests, and Ahimelech had therefore broken the law by giving it to David, it likely saved David’s life. Regardless of whether or not it’s ok to break God’s law to save someone’s life, mercy and compassion were shown here by Ahimelech.

In today’s verses, King Saul finds out that Ahimelech had shown compassion to David and provided him with supplies from a member of his army who happened to witness it.

This does not sit well with Saul, and he calls Ahimelech and all the other priests from his town and after a quick questioning, orders all 85 of them to be murdered. After this, the whole town is ordered to be killed.

This is a horrible tragedy resulting from one kind act of a priest and the evil selfishness of  a tyrannical king.

The compassionate action taken on Ahimelech’s part, albeit one that broke God’s law, was a kind action that resulted in his death and the death of all those around him.

This sad story can still teach us something today.

Many Christians face danger and even death daily as a result of their obedience to Christ.

According to Open Doors USA, “Christians in more than 60 countries face persecution from their governments or surrounding neighbors simply because of their belief in Jesus Christ.”

322 Christians worldwide lose their lives for their obedience to Christ every single month, not counting the hundreds more who endure violence for their faith.

According to 2 Timothy 3:12, these statistics should not surprise us.

It says, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

Life as a Christian is not guaranteed to be easy, contrary to many who misunderstand the gospel.

We are not guaranteed health, possessions, or any other worldly blessings.
Instead, we are guaranteed to have difficult times in our lives; times of sickness, times of financial disaster, times of broken relationships.
Most of all, we are guaranteed to be, at some point in our Christian lives, persecuted on some level for our faith.

This is not a popular message today.

We don’t want to hear these things.

But these things are necessary, and in fact, are very good for us in our faith.

God grows us through our sufferings and persecutions.

There are countless verses in the New Testament admonishing us to look to Christ in our sufferings and rejoice in them, because when we respond in this way, we are bringing more glory to God than any material or relational blessing in our lives ever could.

So today, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.”  (1 Peter 4:12-14)

 

Let’s talk in the comments below:

  1. Describe a time in your life when you were persecuted for your obedience to Christ.
  2. How have the sufferings and persecutions in your life brought you closer to God?

 

Good Morning Guys Resources {1 Samuel 21-25}

Welcome back to the Good Morning Guys Study through 1 Samuel! I pray your past week of study was beneficial to your growth in your relationship with Christ.

If you’re new, feel free to jump right in and follow along. Everything you need for this week is below, including this week’s Bible Reading Plan, Reflection Questions, and Verses of the Day.  Don’t forget to check back on Wednesday for my weekly blog post.

Here’s This Week’s Bible Reading Plan

Monday: 1 Samuel 21

Tuesday: 1 Samuel 22

Wednesday: 1 Samuel 23

Thursday: 1 Samuel 24

Friday: 1 Samuel 25

The Reflection Questions for the Week

Chapter 21-Monday

Just because we are following the Lord, it does not mean we will not have difficult times.

In Psalm 56:3, David said: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”  What are you afraid of today and how can you trust God more?

 

Chapter 22-Tuesday

David couldn’t go home, or go see Samuel or Jonathan, and he couldn’t go to the house of the Lord.  In a humble cave he found refuge.

How is God your refuge and safe place, in times of discouragement

 

Chapter 23-Wednesday

Jonathan could not rescue David, but he could strengthen him.

Is there someone in your life who is in an inescapable trial?  You may not be able to rescue them, but how can you strengthen them today?

 

Chapter 24 -Thursday

Rather than taking matters into his own hands, David trusted God to judge and avenge him against Saul.

What situation in your life, do you need to trust yourself less and trust God more?

 

Chapter 25-Friday

There is a great contrast between Abigail and her husband Nabal.  Abigail was god-fearing, gentle and humble despite being stuck in a mismatched marriage.

Are you stuck in a relationship that is mismatched perhaps with a boss, co-worker, family member or spouse?  How can you remain gentle and humble in this difficult situation?

The Verses of the Day

Monday:

David took these words to heart and was much afraid.

1 Samuel 21:12

Tuesday:  

David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam.

1 Samuel 22:1

 Wednesday: 

Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God.

1 Samuel 23:16

Thursday:  

May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you.

1 Samuel 24:12

Friday:

The name of the man was Nabal,and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved.

1 Samuel 25:3

 

Don’t forget to join me out on Instagram every day for the verse of the day at GuysInTheWord, as well as on our new Facebook page!

I’ll see you back here on Wednesday for our weekly blog post.

Johnathan

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