Monday, January 20, 2014

Day 20: The Forks in the Road



Reading: Proverbs 2:12-22

Staying on course with the wisdom from God's Word can sure save us from some awful life decisions. When we stay in His Word and remember His will in our lives, we can follow close to His path. In life, there will be many temptations and worldly things that will try and sway us from the path. If we give into these things, our lives can get quite complicated. God wants us on a path of wisdom, so we can carry those morals and knowledge through life. Maybe we hear a great teaching in church one Sunday, and years down the road, we find ourselves suddenly remembering the premise of that teaching because we are suddenly faced with a life decision that pertains to that teaching. Maybe we face a temptation and remember what to do to hold strong against it because of something someone told us.
We can go through life, hearing all sorts of wonderful sermons and teachings in church or Bible study, but when we really dive into the Word and apply it to our lives, that's where true wisdom comes out and our paths are straighter to walk.

Have you heard a teaching or sermon at some point that you found yourself remembering when faced with a struggle that pertained to it?




When have you fallen off course? How did it work out?





Reading: Matthew 14:1-21





Life can lead us to many forks in the road, and here we see an example of what it's like to take an evil path and a good path. King Herod did evil by indulging his every want. At his birthday party, he gave into temptation again, but giving a girl who danced for him anything she wanted. Because of this, John the Baptist was killed. Herod also feared people. He wanted to be accepted by everyone. He didn't have John killed at first because he didn't want people to riot against him, but once the dancing girl asked him for John's head, he had to please his dinner guests and her. Our fear of other can throw us off course. We then start pleasing others instead of God, the only One we should be pleasing.
Another fork in the road we can see here is when Jesus retreats after hearing the news of John the Baptist's death. Even though He craves the alone time, we read that multitudes of people find Him and follow Him. Though we ourselves might be annoyed by this when we're seeking our alone time, especially after hearing such horrible news, Jesus has a different reaction. He has compassion on the people. He heals them, and feeds 5000 of them! We can take this example and use it when those forks in our lives come. We may have our own plans, but sometimes God has other plans that will grow us and help us heal even better.

When have your reached a fork in the road of life? How did it turn out?




When you have your own plans, what do you do when God suddenly changes them?




Reading: Genesis 40:1-41:40

Joseph has sure seen a lot of downs in life. After being sold by his brothers, he ends up getting thrown in jail unfairly. We see this incredible gift God has given to Joseph in interpreting dreams, however. When Joseph helps out the chief cup-bearer for Pharaoh, he asks for him to mention this gift to Pharaoh, but the chief forgets, and Joseph has to spend 2 more years in the prison. Once Pharaoh has a weird dream about the upcoming famine though, Joseph is the only one who can interpret it, and suddenly he is promoted to supervise the land and the rations.
It's quite amazing how God can move in a life. One minute you feel hopeless, and the next you are on top of the world (and Joseph was literally on top). Life can throw us curve balls and sometimes they really mess with us, and sometimes they really help us out. God always has a plan. It took Joseph years to see that plan God had for him. As you see Joseph's story continue to unfold, you'll see how God moves in his life.

When have you felt like life threw you a sudden curve ball?



How did it work out eventually for you? If you're still waiting, what do you do while you wait for God's plan to unfold?




Life is full of many twists and turns. Some we choose to take and others come rather unexpectedly. We can decide what to do with those turns though. We can take them, grow from them and serve others through them. Or, we can do things the world's way and find ourselves even more lost. Remember God's timing is perfect timing, even if it doesn't feel that way to us. 

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