Month: January 2017

The Secret to Successful Friendships

 

In the words of musical artist Bill Withers in his hit song Lean on Me, “We all need somebody to lean on.”

Friendship is one of the greatest blessings God has given us to enjoy in this life here on earth.

However, friendships among men are in dire shape.

Alan Loy McGinnis, an expert researcher and psychologist, estimates that only 10% of men have any real friendships in their lifetime.

Frankly, this is a heartbreaking and inexcusable statistic. What are some steps we as men can take to build the real, lasting friendships that are so vital yet so neglected today?

The answer to our question comes in 1 Samuel 18, where we will be focusing on Verses 1-5. These verses show the start of a friendship between David and King Saul’s son, Jonathan, that has served as the poster child of friendships countless times.

In Verse 1, Jonathan first meets David immediately after David has just killed Goliath. Jonathan is obviously amazed at what David had to say about his victory, because Verse 1 says “As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” That’s some pretty crazy stuff right there!

Later we see in Verse 4 that Jonathan gave David his royal robe, armor, sword, bow, and belt. In giving these royal possessions to David, Jonathan is showing his great loyalty to their friendship.

 More importantly, he is showing great humility by acknowledging David as the next king, instead of himself.

Being the king’s son, he was expected to be the next king after Saul, but Jonathan had enough humility to know that David was chosen by God to be the next king.

Most of us would have a hard time giving up our future kingship to someone else at all, much less becoming best friends with them and voluntarily giving them all your royal garments as an act of loyalty!

This is a picture of true, radical, God-glorifying, soul-building friendship!

 

How can we as Christian men today implement what we see here in 1 Samuel 18:1-5? I see two main things we can work at.

  1. Humility: Jonathan showed humility in acknowledging David as the future king. Today you can show humility in a number of ways in your friendships.
    1. Acknowledging when you’re wrong: When you realize that you have wronged a friend and sinned against them, have humility and confess it to them, asking for them to forgive you. (Matthew 5:23-24)
    2. Confessing your sin and asking for help: We can’t fight sin on our own, and it’s prideful to think that we can. First of all we need God’s help, but secondly we need the humility to ask our friends for help too. Find a brother in Christ and keep each other accountable on the sins you most struggle with. (Galatians 6:1-2)
  2. Sacrifice: Jonathan showed great sacrifice in giving up his royal garments to David and loving him as his own soul! There are so many ways you can sacrifice for your friends. Here are a few.
    1. Sacrifice your time: Giving valuable, quality time to just talk and support your friends is a huge act of sacrifice.
    2. Sacrifice your resources: Maybe your friend is in need. Sacrifice your resources to help them out. Or maybe you just want to bless them in a special way. Show them you care by giving gifts to them.
    3. Sacrifice your own interests: Put what your friends want over what you want. Maybe they want to go to a movie and you don’t. Go with them anyway. That’s sacrifice!

If you seek to have humility and try to sacrifice of your time, resources, and interests for your friends, you will be well on your way to glorifying God and building more lasting, meaningful, helpful friendships that challenge you to be more like Christ!

 

Johnathan

Let’s talk in the comments below:

  1. How have friendships impacted you personally?
  2. In what ways specifically in your life can you demonstrate humility and sacrifice in your friendships?

 

Good Morning Guys Resources {1 Samuel 16-20}

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 16

Tuesday: 1 Samuel 17

Wednesday: 1 Samuel 18

Thursday: 1 Samuel 19

Friday: 1 Samuel 20

The Reflection Questions for the Week

Chapter 16-Monday

Even Samuel, a godly man, was judging who should be king based on outward appearances.

God does not see what man sees. God sees everyone’s hearts. Tell of a time when you wrongly judged someone based on their outward appearance.  What did you learn from this experience?

 

Chapter 17-Tuesday

David contrasted Goliath’s weapons with the name of the Lord God.  David was bold, not in his own strength but in God’s.

In what area of your life do you need to be reminded that the battle belongs to the Lord?

 

Chapter 18-Wednesday

As the firstborn son of Saul, Jonathan would have been the heir to the throne, yet he had no jealousy of David.

Jealousy divides.  Do you struggle with jealousy in any of your friendships?   Confess this sin today.

 

Chapter 19 -Thursday 

From this point until the day Saul died, David was a fugitive on the run for 20 years. What Saul meant for evil, God meant for good.  God was making David into a man of God.

How has God used a difficult situation in your life for good?

 

Chapter 20-Friday

God took David on his journey alone, to teach him a greater dependence on Him.

When have you gone through a time of learning greater dependence on God? How did it prepare you for your future trials?

 

The Verses of the Day

Monday:

For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

1 Samuel 16:7

Tuesday:  

You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 

1 Samuel 17:45

 Wednesday:

The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

1 Samuel 18:1

Thursday:  

Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.

1 Samuel 19:10

Friday:

Go in peace.

1 Samuel 20:42

 

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

Our Battle Plan

How are we supposed to truly live as Christians?

Many times we find ourselves asking this question. Is there one rule we can really focus on, and if we do, everything else will fall into place?

I know that I sometimes ask that exact question. As believers, our hearts should be so full of love for God that we are always asking what the best way to live for Him is.

1 Samuel 12:20-24 gives us the answer to that question.

1 Samuel 12:20-24 comes at the end of Samuel’s farewell address to Israel, as Saul is now taking over the kingdom and Samuel will be taking a backseat in the leadership of the country.

Samuel’s farewell speech rebuked the people for their sin of asking for a king, and to prove how horrible their sin was, Samuel called down thunder and rain.

The people were convicted for their sin and felt extremely guilty.

They were afraid that they were going to die because God was so angry with them.

However, in Verse 20, Samuel shows the great love and mercy of our God despite the Israelites’ sin.

“Do not be afraid.”

Those are the great words of grace from Samuel to the people. Samuel tells the people that while they have surely sinned, they should not dwell in their fear of punishment, but instead “serve the Lord with all your heart.”

 

As sinners, we can all relate to the words of the famous hymn, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, when it says “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.”

We so often “turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty.” (Verse 21)

So often our attention is turned to worthless things that distract us from God, but there is good news for every distracted Christian.

The greatest news of all is that, as Verse 22 says, “the Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself.”

What a comforting truth for us today. We may continually wander into worthless sin, but God is always there to rescue us and set us back on the right course.

“What is the right course?” you may ask.

Samuel gives the answer in Verse 24. “Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart.”

This is our battle plan. Every day we should wake up and say, “How can I serve God today?”

The most practical way to serve God is to serve others and put them before yourself, for in this way, you show God’s love.

God’s kingdom is backwards compared to the world, because in Matthew 20:26 it says, “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant.”

Even more importantly, when we serve others with the gifts God has given us, we are actually serving God. Matthew 25:40 confirms this when it says, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”

In the end, the best answer to the question we all ask, “How are we supposed to truly live as Christians?” is to serve God faithfully with all our hearts.

The best way to do that is to put others before yourself every day, and use your gifts to serve them. This is what Samuel told Israel to do, what Jesus did for us on the cross, and what we should be doing each and every day.

Johnathan

Let’s talk in the comments below:

  1. What is distracting you from God’s path for your life? It could be a sin or something good that you have made into an idol.
  2. What is one way you can put others first today?

Good Morning Guys Resources {1 Samuel 11-15}

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 11

Tuesday: 1 Samuel 12

Wednesday: 1 Samuel 13

Thursday: 1 Samuel 14

Friday: 1 Samuel 15

The Reflection Questions for the Week

 

 

Chapter 11-Monday

Though Israel was scared, they feared disobeying God more than they feared their enemies.

Who do you tend to fear more, God or man? Why?

Chapter 12-Tuesday

Samuel reminded Israel to serve God faithfully because God had done great things for them.

What great things has God done for you and how does that motivate you to serve God more?

Chapter 13-Wednesday

Saul had a heart that reflected Israel’s heart rather than God’s. A man after God’s own heart, honors God above all.

God is still looking for men and women who honor him first.  How is your heart today?

Chapter 14 -Thursday

Jonathan knew the odds were against him but he believed with the help of God, he could have victory.

The only thing that hinders God is unbelief.  Have you made God too small in your life? In what area do you need to trust God more?

Chapter 15-Friday

Saul’s sacrifices meant little because he had a disobedient heart.

Have you ever been tempted to give money or serve God rather than obey Him?  How is this type of relationship with God empty?

 

The Verses of the Day

Monday: Then the dread of the Lord fell upon the people.

1 Samuel 11:7

Tuesday:  Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things He has done for you.

1 Samuel 12:24

 Wednesday: The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart.

1 Samuel 13:14

Thursday:  Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.

1 Samuel 14:6

Friday: To obey is better than sacrifice.

1 Samuel 15:22

 

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

Are You Being Defiant Towards God?

Have you ever rejected instruction from your parents, pastor, or from reading the Word of God itself?

Maybe you were told that your friends were a bad influence on you, or that the movies or music you were filling your mind with weren’t God honoring. Instead of listening to your parents, pastor, or the Word of God, you probably just ignored them and kept choosing what you knew in the back of your mind was sinful.

This has happened to all of us, but it shouldn’t, especially we who claim to know Christ.

The passage of 1 Samuel we are looking at today shows us a whole nation of people who ignored first their own leader’s instruction, and then the instruction of God himself!

1 Samuel 8 tells the story of Israel demanding their first king.

Before this time, Israel had been ruled by God himself through Judges like we saw in our last study through the book of Judges. In this chapter, Samuel, the current judge of Israel, was getting old and had set his sons as judges over Israel. His sons were not obedient to God, however, so the elders of Israel came up with a plan.

They wanted a king!

At first, it seems like a reasonable request. I mean, Samuel’s sons were very evil and there would be no one to judge and lead Israel without Samuel.

But the key here is in verse 5, where at the end they say they want a king to “judge us like all the nations.”

They are directly rejecting God as their leader, desiring to conform to the ways of the pagan nations around them. Understandably, both Samuel and God are very angry with this decision.

God tells Samuel to tell the people all the consequences of having a king.

When Samuel tells them in verses 10-18, the people are defiant to God and Samuel, saying, “No! But there shall be a king over us, that we may also be like all the nations…” (Verse 19b-20a.)

When I read this, I picture a defiant toddler throwing a temper-tantrum when their parent disciplines them. Israel is honesty acting very pitifully in this passage of scripture.

The sad truth is that many of us are being just as defiant towards God in our lives today as the Israelites were in Chapter 8.

Many of us are holding onto sins in our lives that God wants us to get rid of, but we, like bratty little toddlers, refuse to let go.

Maybe you know your music isn’t honoring to God.

Maybe that movie you’re planning on seeing with your friends is less than holy.

Maybe you are making sports or relationships an idol in your life, elevating them above God in importance.

When we let these things happen without ever addressing them, we are being just like the Israelites here in Chapter 8.

We are demanding that God does it our way and ignoring His commands.

We are putting ourselves in place of God, and who could imagine a more disgusting sin than that?

So what are you holding onto today? What are you trying to force to work your way instead of God’s? Let it go, give it to God, and repent of your pride and selfishness today.

Johnathan

Let’s talk in the comments below:

  1. Has there ever been a time in your life when you ignored God and did things your way?
  2. What were the results of ignoring God?
  3. What is there in your life that you aren’t giving to God today?

Good Morning Guys Resources {1 Samuel 6-10}

Welcome back to the Good Morning Guys Study through 1 Samuel! I pray your first week 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 6

Tuesday: 1 Samuel 7

Wednesday: 1 Samuel 8

Thursday: 1 Samuel 9

Friday: 1 Samuel 10

The Reflection Questions for the Week

Chapter 6-Monday

We live in a culture that tends to treat God casually rather than holy.  At times, we lean more towards grace than obedience or towards our feelings rather than letting God’s Word have the final say.

How have you seen this around you?  How can we live differently?

Chapter 7-Tuesday

Israel had strayed from serving God and needed a change of heart.

Are there any areas where your heart has secretly gone astray?  How can you redirect your heart today?

Chapter 8-Wednesday

Israel wanted a king so they could be like the other nations.  When we take our eyes off of God’s Word, we too can be influenced by the world’s trends.

In what ways have you seen the church tempted to follow the world’s ways over God’s?

Chapter 9-Thursday

God chose someone that the world would have overlooked to become the king of Israel.  

How does this encourage you to see that God does not choose those he uses based on status, wealth or background?

Chapter 10-Friday

The rejection of the Lord made no sense.  Why would anyone reject the one who had saved them?

Sometimes we act like the Israelites and we try to solve our problems on our own.  Tell of a time when you have struggled with this.

The Verses of the Day

Monday: Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?

1 Samuel 6:20

Tuesday: Direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only.

1 Samuel 7:3

Wednesday: And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.

1 Samuel 8:7

Thursday: Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin?

1 Samuel 9:21

Friday: You have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’

1 Samuel 10:19

 

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

When God Calls

God speaks. He speaks everyday.

 Do you hear Him?

 “How does God speak?” you may ask, “I’ve never heard God’s voice.”

 The answer is not as simple as just one way that God communicates with His people.

He uses His word to speak to us, as well as the Holy Spirit’s prompting inside of us during prayer, worship, and daily life, and the words of our pastors, teachers, and even parents.

God can and does use all of these ways to communicate to us, but we have to be willing to respond.

Jesus talks about hearing and responding to Him in John 10:27-28, where He says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

In our reading today we will be looking at 1 Samuel 3:1-14. Samuel had been dedicated to the Lord to live at the temple while he grew up by his mother who hadn’t been able to have children. She had promised God that if He helped her have children, she would give her firstborn to God’s service. When Samuel was old enough to be separated from his mom, she brought him to the temple to serve there with Eli, the head priest.

Eli had three very evil sons who did not honor God, so God decided to make Samuel the next high priest instead of Eli’s sons.

In this amazing passage of scripture, God calls to Samuel 3 times, and Samuel finally answers the third time after thinking it was Eli who had been calling him.

God told Samuel that He was going to punish Eli’s family forever, and that their family would no longer be the priests. It isn’t recorded that Samuel would be the next priest of Israel, but this is the first time God really takes away the blessing from Eli’s family and puts it on Samuel.

What is very important to see in this passage is how Samuel responds to God’s call. In verse 10, Samuel responds to God’s call with “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

The question is, are we listening to God with a servant’s heart today?

When we hear God’s word in church or read it on our own, are we humble enough to let it change us and to follow where God has just told us to go?

When the Holy Spirit inside of you prompts you to do or say something, are you brave enough to listen?

Or do you just let sermon after sermon, bible verse after bible verse pass you by, never changing or truly following after what God is speaking to you everyday?

It’s time for you to pray and really speak to God, and then read His word or listen to your pastor’s sermon and let His spirit speak to you through it.

God will show you what you need to change in your life.

When He shows you, respond in humbleness, asking for His help to accomplish the changes in your life, and then go out and live for God!

Trust me, I am nowhere near perfect and I don’t listen to God enough either, but this is truly something we all must work on if we want to grow to be more Christ-like.

So today, let God speak to you, and then go out and do something about it!

Johnathan

Let’s talk in the comments below:

  1. How is God speaking to you today?
  2. Tell about a time when you felt led to do something by God, and took a step of faith and listened.

 

 

It’s Time to Begin {Intro & Resources for 1 Samuel 1-5}

Welcome!

Today we begin our study in the book of 1 Samuel.  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 1 Samuel Overview

The book of 1 Samuel is about the lives of Samuel, Saul and David. As the book of Judges ends, we find there was no king in Israel and everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes. Israel was at a spiritual low point, as their priesthood and judges were corrupt.

Israel desired to be like the other nations and so they demanded to have a King. So God gave Israel what they wanted and Samuel anointed Saul as King. Through a series of bad choices and disobedience of God’s will, Saul ended up rejected by God. A new king was chosen, David, a man after God’s own heart. After David defeated a giant named Goliath, Saul grew jealous of David and sought to kill him.

While David was on the run from Saul, twice he had the opportunity to take Saul’s life but instead he honored the king. In the end, Saul tragically died while on the battlefield fighting the Philistines.

Author: Unknown; some possible writers are Nathan and Gad

Date: about 930 BC

Key Verse: 1 Samuel 16:7

Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

Outline:

  • The days of Samuel before the monarchy (1-7)
  • Israel demands a king and the Monarchy begins (8-12)
  • The reign and rejection of King Saul (13-15)
  • The fall of Saul and the rise of David (16-31)

Here’s This Week’s Bible Reading Plan

Monday – 1 Samuel 1

Tuesday – 1 Samuel  2

Wednesday – 1 Samuel 3

Thursday – 1 Samuel 4

Friday – 1 Samuel 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.}

Chapter 1:

Hannah poured her soul out before the Lord passionately, in silent prayer.

Who or what is on your heart today that needs your fervent prayers?  Pause now and silently lay your requests before the Lord.

 

Chapter 2:

After God answered Hannah’s prayers for a son, she praised God and was full of thanksgiving.

Take a moment and share a praise.  What prayer request has God answered for you?  

Chapter 3:

God called Samuel three times before Samuel recognized God’s voice.

 We must be listening to God, as we read His Word.  Share a verse or passage of scripture that means a lot to you because God has clearly spoken to you through it.

 

Chapter 4:

Israel expected a victory because the ark was with them but their disobedience led to defeat.

God is always with you and wants to give you victory but sin holds us back.  Confess here below, any sin that is holding you back today.

 

Chapter 5:

False gods will always fail before the One True God!  One day every knee will bow to Him.

How does this bring you comfort to see the power of your God displayed in 1 Samuel 5?

 

The Verses of the Day

Monday:

Go in peace.

1 Samuel 1:17

 

Tuesday:

There is none holy like the Lord:
for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.

1 Samuel 2:2

 

Wednesday:

Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.
1 Samuel 3:9

 

Thursday: 

As soon as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded.

1 Samuel 4:5

 

Friday:

Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. 

 And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord.
1 Samuel 5:2,3

 

Don’t forget to join me out on Instagram every morning at GuysInTheWord.

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

This post contains affiliate links.

© 2024 Good Morning Guys

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑