Reading: Psalm 5:1-12
Everyday should be started with directions from God. This Psalm is a wonderful example of starting out the day, requesting God's direction for the day. David even mentions God hearing his voice in the morning. And even though we are more than welcome to pray anytime of the day, there is something that just starts out a day right when you spend it in prayer and having a quiet time with God. I personally try to start the day off on the right foot in keeping an ear out for what God wants me to accomplish that day. And when the days come that I don't even think about God's will until later usually turn into a train wreck. I'm scattered, overwhelmed, and usually crying by the end of it all. But every morning I open the Word and go to Him in prayer and requesting His will and help in my day, I find it to be a bit more bearable. David sought protection from his enemies. What if we turned the last verse of this reading into a daily, morning prayer? "Bless me, oh Lord, and surround me with your shield of love." (vs. 12, NLT)
How do mornings usually start for you? How does that feed into the rest of your day?
What happens when you take the pressure of making all the decisions yourself, and allowing God to take over your day?
Reading: Matthew 5:21-42
Jesus sure lays out some ground rules here that aren't even glanced at in today's world. In a society that watches shows called "Revenge", "Betrayal" and "Scandal" and listens to music that endorses these things, we can see that Jesus sure had something to say about each of these. When it comes to holding grudges, Jesus says to settle these quickly. If someone takes something that's yours, give them more. If you are married, you go to radical measures to stay faithful and keep it alive. Looking lustfully at someone is adultery. Jesus even goes to the extreme to say that if your eyes are causing you to sin, get rid of them. But we have watered down the rules today. We watch shows about it. We live it. Yet we don't look twice at it because the rest of society finds it acceptable. The new normal is not God's way of life. The question that remains from these very blunt passages is which direction will you take?
What have you seen lately in our society that clearly doesn't match God's will in our society?
What do you need to cut out of your life to have a closer relationship and stronger faith in Christ?
Reading: Genesis 11:10-13:18
I couldn't imagine being Abram and being told by God to pick up everything I own and my family and go in the direction He tells me to. That must have taken great faith indeed to trust God to protect and bless him as he took God's directions one step at a time. How many times does God ask us to do something even less and we refuse because we are content with where we are at? I'm sure Abram felt comfortable as a 75 year old man where he was at, but he trusted God enough to do what he was asked.
Later we see how Lot and Abram have a falling out about land, but Abram resolves it by letting Lot take the better land and he settled for the less than perfect land. Abram was blessed in the long run though. And later we read how Abram had to save Lot from the land in which he chose. More on that tomorrow.
When you are looking for direction and trying to pick out the world's way vs. God's way, we can learn from Abram in this case. Though we may feel disappointed and jipped by what we have, in the end, we may end up being the ones blessed. God knows the path you're taking and when we trust Him to guide us along, we will find ourselves blessed and completely content in what He gives us. Don't fall for the "shininess" of what the world tries to offer you, when you know what God would intend.
Has there been a time in your life when God called you to do something? What happened?
Has there been a time you felt you were getting the short end of the stick, and then you found it to be a blessing instead?
There are so many things in this life that we can choose over God. We may try to get the best stuff and the best treatment, but in the end, humility may have been the biggest blessing. How are you focusing your day? In a society that lives to watch shows called "Revenge", "Scandal" and "Betrayal", we can learn something major from how Jesus said it should be. The question is, which map will you follow in this life?
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