Day 13 - Timing is Everything

Day 13
Genesis 27-28, John 11

There is great evidence in relying on God's timing as we read our sections today. Rebekah obviously didn't trust in God's timing and manipulated the situation so Jacob would be blessed before his brother, even though God had already told her that Jacob would rule over him. Because of her plan, hostility builds up between the brothers and family drama breaks out. 

But we read that God still works despite Rebecca and Jacob taking matters into their own hands. The Lord speaks to him in a dream, sharing the covenant and promise that was shared with Abraham and Isaac. Jacob had to own it, though. Just because he happens to be apart of a family that is blessed and was raised in the faith doesn't mean it comes to him automatically. Jacob realizes God's presence and respects His timing, building a memorial with the rock he rested his head on. We see how his confidence changes after his interaction with God. Jacob went from manipulation with his mother to trusting in God's provision and timing, making a vow that if God provides him with everything he needs and protects him, he will give his tenth of what he has been given. 

How can you be sure that you are trusting in His provision and timing, rather than taking matters into your own hands?

In John, we read of Jesus raising Kazaus from the dead. The question that arises is why didn't Jesus come before Lazarus passed away? Jesus points out that God's glory would be revealed. 

Sometimes we have to endure the rough parts of life for God to reveal Himself. Great things happen when God works in impossible situations. Our suffering will be made whole when His glory is revealed through it. How awesome is it to be able to be that light for Christ? He can shine through you in His timing! 

As you look at where you are at in life today, and see the work God has done in it, do you truly trust that His timing is the best? Maybe right now you feel like taking matters into your own hands, or you feel spiritually dead. God has a plan and He has the perfect timing in mind! Pursue Him and wait. Let His glory be revealed through the circumstance He pulls you through.

Day 12 - Rivalry

Day 12
Genesis 25-26, John 10

Since the beginning, rivalry has been a very present element to the world. Cain and Abel were the first examples, and now we read about Esau and Jacob. Since they were in the womb together, we read that they "struggled" with each other, and as boys Esau ends up giving his birthright to Jacob.
Isaac himself faces rivalry in the water wells his father had set up. Ironically enough, Isaac falls into the same situation with Rebekah, as his father once had with his mother, in telling her to tell the people of Gerar that she was his sister, rather than his wife. Abimelech has Isaac leave eventually, because he can feel the rivalry building as Isaac becomes more and more wealthy and powerful.

Isaac is reminded, however of the blessing and covenant that God has made with his family. Because of Isaac's faithfulness and way with the Lord, we see that Abimelech approaches him and forms and oath with him. Rather than giving into rivalry, we see them pact together.

In John, we see the analogy of Jesus being our Shepherd and us learning what our Shepherd's voice is like. There are many things in this world that rival Jesus and His voice. We can choose to be under the protection of our true Savior or follow the ways and the deceptions of what the world wants to offer us. As Jesus says about the thief who want so seek and destroy, the world has a similar tactic. It doesn't have our best interest in mind like a shepherd does for his sheep, or like Jesus has for us.

We see how Jesus makes the people uncomfortable - to the point of them wanting to kill Him, and that is certainly true today, as the world continues to pull Jesus out of things because it doesn't want to face what is "uncomfortable" in causing the conflict.

What is rivaling in your life? Is there something trying to take the place that only Jesus can fill? We were never promised lack of conflict in life. But we were promised that if we stand strong and rely on Him, He will make a way for us. Hold tight to Him over anything else in this world and in your life. He has your best interest in mind and wants you to thrive!

Day 11 - Hope in Hardship

Day 11
Psalms 6-9

Have you ever cried so hard that your head hurt, your pillow was drenched and you felt like your face was going to explode? Then you can probably relate with David in these passages. Take heart, because David shows us hope that comes for crying out to God. He was surrounded constantly by enemies. They pursued him to kill him. He hid out in caves and in the wilderness, trying to avoid them. Can you even imagine the terror of that?
But we read that David cried out and had faith that the Lord would come through for him. He asks Him to protect him and take down his enemies. Yet David also praises the Lord for all He has done for him.

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers-

the moon and the stars you set in place - 

what are people that you should think about them, 

mere mortals that you should care for them?

Yet you made them only a little lower than God

and crowned them with glory and honor. 

~Psalm 8:3-5

How can we deny that God cares for us when reading something like that? He has been on the side of His followers since time began, and we read that He is for David too. David knows he has screwed up like we all do, but he brings it to God and asks for a pure heart in His eyes. This is a big part of handing it all over to God, and allowing Him to take control of your situation. 

Whether you are facing people as enemies or situations that cause you to lose hope in what is coming, remember David and how He cried out to God. Remember God's faithfulness and how important He thinks you are. Praise Him for what He has done and what He will do in your life. Remember that trials and hardships draw us nearer to Him if we let them. Allow God to refine you and strengthen you as you face another day.

Day 10- All in the Heart

Day 10

Genesis 23-24, John 9

 Abraham says goodbye to Sarah when she passes on, insisting on buying the best place for her burial and for the family. It is evident how much he loved her and cherishes the promise she helped carry out for their generations to come. To Abraham, we can see that family is important.
Once Isaac is old enough, Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for him. We see how the servant looks at the inner beauty of Rebekah once he meets her. Not only does she have apparent outward beauty, but the servant sees her servant heart and her initiative to meet a need. Do you only pay attention to someone's looks, or do you look beyond that to what is more important - their heart? The story of how Isaac marries Rebekah is truly a love story that we should take example from. We see the heart Isaac has for her, and the heart Rebekah has for others.

Jesus heals a blind man in John, as we continue through the gospel. This becomes a huge deal to the Pharisees as they continue to question the man, his parents and Jesus about the ordeal. But one thing we see here is that Jesus had a heart enough for this man to deal with the repercussions of His miracle. Jesus payed attention to this man and healed him. The analogy that comes in here is though this man could now see with his eyes, we read that he could also now see with his heart as we read the end of this chapter. Jesus points out how blind the Pharisees are compared the the man who was healed and just proclaimed that he believed in the Son of Man.

Is your heart open? Do you see with your heart what you can't see with your eyes? So many times when we look at people, we judge the outside, when what is inside that matters most. When we are "spouse hunting" so many people get caught up in their looks, that they forget that the heart is more important. Assess what a person's heart is like before you judge them. Is it for God or is it for something else? Jesus wants us to see Him, and claim that we need to see Him. Look for Him and keep your heart open to His leading.

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord

Open the eyes of my heart.

I want to see You. I want to see You.

Day 9 - God Provides

Day 9
Genesis 20-22, John 8

The Lord provided a son for Abraham and Sarah. We also read that He provided a well and rescue for Hagar and Ishmael. Furthermore, we read that He provided a sacrifice for Abraham instead of Isaac being the sacrifice.
Abraham proved his heart was fully trusting in God when he followed orders to sacrifice his son. But after seeing how obedient and willing Abraham was to follow Him, the Lord sends a ram to be sacrificed instead.
Are you hanging onto something too tight because you don't trust in the Lord's provision? He provides us with everything we'll ever need. Mercy, grace, love...All we need to do is follow Him and listen for Him.

In John, Jesus provides mercy for the woman caught in adultery. As stated in yesterday's study, we are so quick to judge before looking at the person beyond their situation. Jesus did that. He saw this woman and He knew that everyone condemning her deserves punishment as much as she did. But He provides and out for all of us. By dying on the cross, Jesus takes our punishment and His Father's wrath, rather than us. This is the ultimate provision if we accept it.

There is more questioning of Jesus as He continues to teach. He is providing us Light and direction each day, as we read in His teaching. Jesus talks about His Father's provision in sending the message with Him to the people. But traditionalists can't let go of what they know and what they have, claiming that Abraham is better than Jesus, and that He is full of it. I think traditions and clinging to the comfort of what we know hinders us many times through life. We don't trust in God's provision, so we hoard, we leech, we try everything to look good and keep a good reputation. But this isn't what God's plan is.

What do you need to let go of in trusting in God's provision? Have you given Him your kids, your job, your relationship status, your traditions, your sins? He proves Himself to us over and over, yet we hold on to what we know, rather than what we can't see. Have faith that the Lord will provide for you in the perfect ways and in the exact moment you need it. He knows your heart and what you need. He will provide.

Day 8 - Your Judgement

Day 8
Genesis 18-19, John 7

 We see a definite pattern of judgement pan out as we read through today's passages. God's judgement, our judgement, "religious" peoples' judgement..
In the world of Sodom and Gomorrah, there is evil indeed, as we read about the conversation between Abraham and God. Abraham asking God to spare the land for 10 righteous people shows us that it was a corrupt land, as it was destroyed. However, God showed good judgement towards Lot and his family and sent angels to rescue them.
There is reward in doing what is right and following in God's footsteps, but to stand strong is a hard thing indeed. Lot fails to be a light to this community he is abiding in, and starts to blend in with the rest. When have you ever resorted to "blending in" to avoid conflict or embarrassment? Have you ever just gone with the crowd so you could get by easier? I know I have.
Poor judgement continues for Lot's family as his wife looks back, as the angels warned against, and later his daughters decide to "carry on the family" using their father.

In John, we continue to read about the comments made about Jesus. His own brothers are concerned about His fame, over what His message is. Jesus faces accusation from the people at the temple as they call Him possessed and false. Others who do agree with Jesus' words say nothing out of fear of the Jewish leaders. Jesus flat out tells the leaders to look beneath the surface of the law of Moses so they discern correctly what is right.
The talk continues to happen among the people of the city. They are divided and many don't believe.
The most important thing to remember is to stay in the scriptures and know what is right! We live in a world that blurs lines and twists words for their gain. Knowing the Word well is what will carry us through. Jesus tells us this in this passage to look beyond the surface and dig deep into His Word.

We are not the ones to ever judge. We all come with a list of our own flaws, problems, pasts, messes, and guilts. We have no right to judge others, as God makes this very clear that this is His job. We aren't to hate, but to love. We aren't to conform to the ways of this world, but be transformed by Him. He directed with humility and love. Truth and Grace. Stand strong, but don't be a lame Christian. 

Day 7- Questioning God's Will

Day 7
Genesis 16-17, John 6

 I think we all hit a point in life where we question God. Perhaps after a hardship or after a situation occurs that is less than ideal, or like Abraham and Sarah, perhaps after waiting for God to come through, you take matters into your own hands.
Even after we read about Sarah giving Hagar to Abraham to have a child for them, we read that God still promises blessing on Abraham and Sarah. It had been 10 years since they settled in Canaan, and they were still waiting for God's promises to come through. Getting older and watching life pass them by probably sparked a little questioning and pro-activeness in "making" God's promise happen.
I think we can be guilty of this as well. We make plans, set agendas and wait for God to get on board with what we have planned, rather than waiting for God to set the plan in motion for us. It is important to remember that His timing is the best timing.

In John, we read about more questioning in the people and followers of Jesus. After feeding five-thousand and showing the amazing abilities He possessed, Jesus is still asked to show the people miraculous things. He gives them the message of being complete in only His Father, but the people, and followers, find this far-fetched and many walk away.

Do you ever think that God is far-fetched? I think it is a totally human thing to question God and use it to grow in Him, but when you question Him to the point of not displaying true faith in Him, it is easy to fall away.
It is important to remember what God has done for you already. He has done so many amazing things for you and He is working in you. When we can hang on to the times He has come through for us, in the little and big ways, we can begin to see the perfection behind His timing and will.

What is happening in your life right now that might cause you to question? What is something you've experienced in the past that can serve as a reminder to you that God is faithful? Faith comes into play when we don't see the whole picture. It is believing in what we cannot see. If we knew what was going to happen, faith would not exist. Trust in His timing and trust in His promises. He has you covered in the most amazing ways!