Make No Deals

Sunday, March 31, 2024

Good morning, Lord

Verse of the Day:    [The Lord] will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:8–9)

Memory verse: Romans 8:32 ►He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?  

Today's reading: JUDGES 13-15 LUKE 6:27-49

Make No Deals

One of the saddest stories in the Old Testament is in Judges, chapter 11.

Jepthah (Yiftak) made a deal with God he did not have to make. "God if you do this for me...I will do this...

It cost him his daughter, his only child.

The  first point is that making deals with God is pointless and shows how weak our faith can be in times of challenge.

From 2 Corinthians 12, verse 10, Paul says,"For when I am weak, then I am strong"; and from verse 9, "Christ's power rests on me".

Put them together and it says, "Because Christ's power rests on me when I am weak, I am strong".

Yiftak lost his only child because he did not humbly ask God what to do.

Why is it so hard to ask God what He wants? Because we see what needs to obviously be done and think we can say to God "If you get me out of this, I will do whatver needs to be done".

Does this sound familiar to anyone but me?

Now, the second point: Christ's power rests on us if we are born again in Christ Jesus and we are now the Temple of the Holy Spirit-so-God does not just meet us in the middle of our need, He is in the middle of our need waiting for us to ask His will be done.

He is in the middle of our lives and will never leave us. There are times when things happen beyond our control and that is why it is paramount to be God-conscious-walking in the Spirit(Galatians 5:16).

However, many times we find ourselves in the middle of conflict that is a result of our own bad decisions(sin) and we start making deals with God. Over and over it happens.

Take responsibility-life does not have to be as hard as we make it...so let the Holy Spirit make it-let the Holy Spirit make your joy complete...

...obey...

...because He loves us...

Father in Heaven,

Forgive me for not being focused and listening to You. I want every minute to be aware of your focus on me-Your power on me-Your heart in me.

Patient redeemer and Mighty God,

In the name of Christ Jesus,

Amen