Blessing God at ALL times!

Read the Scripture: Job 2:9-13

His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"
He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" 
In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
When Job's three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. ¹² When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. ¹³ Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.

 

(New International Version)

He replied, You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? In all this, Job did not sin in what he said (Job 2:10).

Job's rebuke is a very gentle one. He did not say, You foolish woman! He said, You are talking like a foolish woman. He is not attacking her; rather, he is suggesting that this is a temporary lapse of faith on her part and that, for the moment, she has begun to repeat the words of stupid, foolish women who have no knowledge of the grace and glory of God. In that gentle rebuke you can see something of the sturdiness and tenderness of Job's faith. In this great sentence, he again reasserts the sovereignty of God: Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? Job's wife had the philosophy that life ought to be pleasant, and if it were not, there was no use living it.

That philosophy is widespread in our own day, and a mounting suicide rate testifies to the universal acceptance of it. But this book is given to show us that life is not to be lived on those terms. The reason we are here is not necessarily to have a good time. There are meaningful objectives to be attained in life, even when it all turns sour. When the pressure comes, when living is no longer fun, life is still worth living. A philosophy that wants to abandon everything as soon as things become unpleasant is a shallow, mistaken, distorted view of life. Job reaffirms that. Shall we not take both good and evil from the hand of God? We take His joy and His pleasure, the pleasant things of life, with gladness and gratitude. If God chooses to send something that is difficult, shall we then abandon that gratitude and begin to curse Him in protest because life is suddenly different than we thought it would be? The reason we are here is not merely that we might have a good time, and this is taught everywhere in the Scriptures. God, in His grace and glory, does give us many hours of joy and gladness and pleasure and delight, and it is right for us to give thanks. But do not abandon that when the time of pressure comes, because that is what Satan wants us to do. He wants us to begin to complain and protest to God; to get upset and angry and resentful; to stop going to church or to reading the Bible. That is what Satan's whole attack on our lives is aimed at doing.

Father, strengthen my faith in You, that I can accept from Your hand both good and evil. Thank You that Your purposes for me, though sometimes painful, are always good.

Life Application: Sometimes meaning and purpose for our lives gets out of focus. Do we then give in to despair? When we choose to trust God, then we can offer His comfort to others.

Text to Memorize: I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalms 34:1
 

Source: 
http://www.raystedman.org/daily-devotions/job/accepting-what-god-gives--

 

Posted by: Keturah

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Adopting a Berean State of Mind

Be Like the Bereans
by Anna Kuta, ReligionToday.com Editor

“Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” Acts 17:10

 

The first part of Acts 17 tells the story of Paul and Silas’ missionary journey through the cities of Thessalonica and Berea. The chapter begins with Paul and Silas arriving in Thessalonica to preach and share the gospel in the synagogue of the Jews, as was Paul’s typical approach: “Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ’” (Acts 17:2-3). Paul and Silas’ teachings converted many, but some Jews who weren’t persuaded became angry and caused an uproar in the city, gathering a mob to attack the house of the Christian man named Jason who was hosting Paul and Silas. With the help of some believers, they escaped at nighttime to Berea.

 

Upon their arrival in Berea, Paul and Silas again went to the Jewish synagogue, but here they had a warmer reception. The Bereans proved much more eager to hear their message than the Jews in Thessalonica. As Acts 17:11 says, the Bereans “were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that 1) theyreceived the word in all readiness, and 2) searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” Acts 17:12 goes on to say that 3) many Bereans then believed, including many prominent Greek men and women.

 

What a lesson we can all learn from the Bereans. When Paul and Silas preached, the Bereans didn’t merely take them at their word – they searched through the Jewish scriptures to test and ascertain that what they were hearing lined up with God’s word. Then, when they discovered that the doctrine of Christ affirmed the Jewish scriptures, they received the message gladly. Acts 17:11 also makes a point to mention that they searched the scriptures every day – not just on the Sabbath.

 

The importance of constantly searching the Scriptures cannot be overstated. All preaching of man should be weighed against the inerrant word of God, and it is imperative that we know what the Bible says in order to avoid being deceived by wrong doctrines. In a world where there are innumerable false religions and false takes on Christianity, the most important thing we can do is become like the Bereans. The doctrine of Christ not only stands up to the toughest scrutiny, it stands strong as the beacon of truth and the divine standard by which everything else should be measured.

 

Intersecting Faith & Life: We should all strive to follow the excellent example of the Bereans by searching the Scriptures constantly and by receiving the truth of God’s word readily. Determine to examine all preaching and doctrine against the Word of God – making the Bible your ultimate gauge by which you test everything you read or hear.

 

Kindgom Life Application: This week we will be starting our Back-To-The-Bible Regeneration Study series with John!  The curriculum includes dailystudy guidelines and opportunities for personal and community growth as we meet to share, study, and serve together through our small groups.  Let's pray that the Holy Spirit will fill each of us with the Berean-state of mind which includes a sincere desire to 1) receive the Word; 2) search the Word and 3) believe and respond to the Word in a life-changing, community-transforming, Kingdom building way!    And If you haven't joined a small group yet.... perhaps now would be a good time to commit to a small group, so that you can be part of the exciting God-approved journey that He is about to take us on!

 

Be Blessed!

 
Source: http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/be-like-the-bereans-crosswalk-the-devotional-march-21-2012.html

Posted by: Keturah

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Are you a V.I.P.?

Welcome to September Kingdom Life Family!

Commit your works to the LORD And your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:3

Michael led us in a study about  the amazing life of Joseph (Genesis 27 - 41).  We were reminded of Joseph's commitment to his God-given dream, his spirit of excellence and his clarity about his identity - in spite of his circumstances.  As we each move into a new season - with school, work, relationships and our walk with God -  it may be helpful to think of Joseph as a V. I. P. (and I don't mean just a Very Important Person though he definitely was!)  I recently read about a minister* summing up the qualities of Joseph in the acronym V.I. P. as he was a young man who exhibited uncommon  Vision, Integrity and Perseverance even during very difficult and discouraging situations when the odds were clearly stacked against him (e.g. prison!). Yet, the life of Joseph teaches us that we too can be V.I.P.s if we also maintain the attributes of:

Vision - for without it, we coast, compromise and eventually perish.  Proverbs 29:18
Integrity -  in a world where this quality is increasingly difficult to find.    Proverbs 22:29
Perseverance - because too often we give up right on the edge of our breakthrough.  Ecclesiastes 9:11 (study the cartoon below!)

 



As you enter this NEW SEASON, prayerfully determine like Joseph to be a V.I.P.  Then be assured that your latter will BE greater as you commit your plans and your trust completely to the Lord.  I do declare, Your Latter WILL be Greater!

Be encouraged & be blessed!

Posted by: Keturah  *(Book referenced "When Good is Not Enough")

 

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T.R.U.S.T. Try Resting Under Steady Testing Psalm 5:11,12 11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. 12 For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. As you trust(lean on, depend on) the Lord today, know that He will surround you with Favour!(grace,power) Blessings Fam Michael

Try Resting Under Steady Testing

Psalm 5:11,12

11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

12 For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

As you trust(lean on, depend on)  the Lord today, know that He will surround you with Favour!(grace,power)

Blessings Fam

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Even Kings Die!

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.

(Isaiah 6:1 ESV). 

This was a momentous day for Judah, the southern kingdom. King Uzziah had prospered them greatly during his fifty-two year reign. He assumed leadership at the young age of sixteen after his father, Amaziah, was killed. Uzziah successfully led military campaigns, fortified Jerusalem, built cities, brilliantly equipped an army of over 300,000 men, and even employed skillful inventors who crafted defense machines (2 Chronicles 26:5-15). In short, he oversaw wonderful years in Judah. But, unfortunately for both King Uzziah and his people, he did not head the “fear of God” in which he had been instructed (2 Chronicles 26:5; 2 Chronicles 26:16).

Uzziah seemed able to accomplish anything he set his hand to, but “when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the Lord his God and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense” (2 Chronicles 26:16). While this may not seem a crime, it was exactly contrary to God’s command that Aaron and the priests after him would be set aside to worship God in that way (Exodus 30:7,8). But Uzziah, he was a builder of cities and the master of a great army, and he believed himself to be above God’s Word. Uzziah entered arrogantly into the Temple and was struck with leprosy until the day he died. He lived in an infirmary alone and couldn’t even be buried with his lineage and family, only near them.

No matter how great we perceive men to be, they are never above the Word of God. Though he ruled an entire nation for half a century, his throne was much smaller than God’s, and he forgot that. This day, in the “year that King Uzziah died, Isaiah “saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up”. Even though the people of Judah would mourn the loss of their renowned king, and leadership passed to his son Jotham, there was One who remained on an everlasting throne. And ultimately, King Jesus’ reign is the one that we should find our security and direction in. Remember, even kings die, don’t put your stock entirely in men.

Prayer for Meditation

 

Heavenly Father - Teach us to recognize the brief and seasonal nature of all of our pursuits.  Help us to grasp that no matter how great our ambitions, or our attachments to people, possessions or positions, these too will eventually fade away because "even kings die".  Help us to, like Isaiah, really SEE you, so that we can really SEE our need for you, and the priority-setting, life-transforming wisdom that comes from you. Thank you for reminding us that you are the only King who is Eternal. Forgive us for forgetting that ultimately and always, it is ALL about YOU!  May you REIGN as KING of KINGS in our lives today. AMEN

 

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.  Eccclesiastes 3:1

 

The grass withers, the flower fades, When the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.  Isaiah 40:7,8.

 

Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. Psalms 90:12

 

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10

Further Reading:  Isaiah 6:1 - 8

Source: http://shortdailydevotions.com/devotions/isaiah-61-the-throne-even-kings-die

Posted by: Keturah

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