Tag Archives: discernment

Pray for Wisdom, July 27, 2020

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

As many of you who have listened to my podcasts for a while know, I often use a scripture from the lectionary for the focus of my thoughts. I’m amazed how often the scriptures seem to point to the very things I need to hear. And as I hear from others of you, it seems the scripture often relates to something going on in your life at the time as well. It is uncanny the way God works, but he is God after all.

Well, this week’s Old Testament focus was no different. It comes to us from 1 Kings 3 as Solomon takes the throne succeeding his father David. You’ll remember David became the model against whom every other king was measured. He wasn’t perfect by any means. We know about his adultery, his attempts to hide it, and ultimately his plot to murder his mistress’ husband to cover his sin. David’s life wasn’t one spent in dark, hooded robes mumbling prayers in the sanctuary. He was king. A battle-hardened warrior. He expanded Israel’s territory and rooted out it’s enemies from its cities. But God called David a man after his own heart.

Now Solomon has gained the crown. God comes to him and we pick up the story from there as Eugene Peterson describes it in The Message:

4-5 The king went to Gibeon, the most prestigious of the local shrines, to worship. He sacrificed a thousand Whole-Burnt-Offerings on that altar. That night, there in Gibeon, God appeared to Solomon in a dream: God said, “What can I give you? Ask.”

6 Solomon said, “You were extravagantly generous in love with David my father, and he lived faithfully in your presence, his relationships were just and his heart right. And you have persisted in this great and generous love by giving him—and this very day!—a son to sit on his throne.

7-8 “And now here I am: God, my God, you have made me, your servant, ruler of the kingdom in place of David my father. I’m too young for this, a mere child! I don’t know the ropes, hardly know the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of this job. And here I am, set down in the middle of the people you’ve chosen, a great people—far too many to ever count.

9 “Here’s what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people?”

10-14 God, the Master, was delighted with Solomon’s response. And God said to him, “Because you have asked for this and haven’t grasped after a long life, or riches, or the doom of your enemies, but you have asked for the ability to lead and govern well, I’ll give you what you’ve asked for—I’m giving you a wise and mature heart. There’s never been one like you before; and there’ll be no one after. As a bonus, I’m giving you both the wealth and glory you didn’t ask for—there’s not a king anywhere who will come up to your mark. And if you stay on course, keeping your eye on the life-map and the God-signs as your father David did, I’ll also give you a long life.” (1 Kings 3:4-14 TM)

What maturity Solomon showed as he expressed his wish. Give me wisdom to judge these people. Help me to know the difference between good and evil. If you want me to lead, then give me a listening heart.

Don’t you wish more of our leaders would pray for a listening heart to know the difference between good and evil? It seems we live in a time more like the beginning of the book of Judges when everyone did what was right in their own eyes. This “cancel culture” that sprang up from somewhere that decided if I don’t like what you say or what you do, you become invisible. We make you disappear from the world. What you stand for doesn’t count. What you believe doesn’t matter. You are hereby cancelled. 

How does that fit into what God wants for us? Do we think we can add him to part of the “cancel culture?” I know there are those trying – pulling down statues of Jesus, desecrating churches, synagogues, temples, and other houses of worship. We see an “I believe in me” culture rising. But God cannot be cancelled. Nations tried before to their destruction. We can try to rewrite the past. We can try to remake a belief system. We can declare we will rise on our own strength. Many tried. Many failed. 

A relatively small group decided they want a different government here. I’ve heard too many times, “We’ll burn it down if we don’t get what we want.” How does that help anyone? If everything has been burnt to down, who will rebuild? Who will expend the energy to watch it come tumbling down again? Who wants to risk the threat of careless vandals destroying a life’s work again? And who will have the funds to do so? When the government changes, so does the money. The meaningless coins and paper that we pass to one another in exchange for something. We think money has value, but it doesn’t. 

If you think money has value, ask the Argentinians who went through month after month of triple digit inflation when prices became so high the last three zeros on every price tag were removed. But salaries didn’t change. Income didn’t rise with the same inflation. Ask the Venezuelans who experienced triple digit inflation not so long ago. Money didn’t mean anything anymore. Did the government help? No. Did the change in leadership make things better? No. 

It seems to me we have an awful lot of people trying to get into this country for it to be such a terrible place to live, work, and raise a family. I see millions trying to come in every year, but I don’t see millions trying to leave to go to some other country. Why is that? Maybe it’s because in the past we thought about more than ourselves. Maybe in the past our elected officials remembered their office wasn’t about making money or becoming popular or even getting reelected. Their office was to pray Solomon’s prayer and ask for discernment so they might have a listening heart. 

As I watch most votes in the House and Senate, it seems no one has a listening heart anymore. Most votes split across party lines. Why? Because no one listens. Is every Democrat good? No. Is every Republican bad? No. We will find good and evil among every party, every race, every economic stratum. We will find racism in the same places. No section is exempt. I will say, or write, or do something that I’m sure someone will think is racist. So will you. Why? Because we are. We think in the culture in which we live and work and play. And whenever we come in contact with another culture, it doesn’t matter what color their skin or what language they speak, we will do something someone in that culture could take as offensive. 

But when do we act like Solomon and stop and listen with a discerning heart? When do ask the question, “What do I have to think about the person I know to believe he or she said or did whatever it was to intentionally hurt me?” 

When we ask that question before we blurt out a response, most of the time, we know the answer will be they didn’t intend harm. I took something wrong. I didn’t understand. There is miscommunication between us. How can we learn from each other so we can avoid bitter feelings? Then talk to each other and listen to each other – but not on Facebook. Pick up the phone. Go to lunch. Really communicate. Don’t scream that you know what the other person thinks. You don’t. 

Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived knew he needed a listening heart to discern the good from the bad. How much more do we need to pray for such a thing in this day? How much different would the streets of our city be tomorrow if all of us sincerely asked for a discerning, listening heart, then sat down with those not like us and heard their story. Maybe we would learn something. Maybe we would care. Maybe we would find some directions to take that would ease the growing tension in a country where millions come to find freedom from oppressive governments. 

Is our nation perfect? Not by any means. Is it terrible? Talk to those who escape from those nations led by dictators and politburos. Can we make improvements? Not until we stop and listen to each other and decide we want to do what is right, not what is politically advantageous. As we begin to approach elections in the fall, I encourage you to get information about the candidates. Don’t listen to the news or social media or the campaign adds. Find out about their character. How did they vote on critical issues and why? What do they say they believe and do their actions support it? 

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible-based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day. 

Scriptures marked TM are taken from the THE MESSAGE: THE BIBLE IN CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH (TM): Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE: THE BIBLE IN CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH, copyright©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group

Beware the yeast and leaven (Mark 8:15-21) August 6, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – John 3-4

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 8:15-19
Jesus: Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.
The disciples didn’t understand what Jesus was talking about and discussed it among themselves.
Some Disciples: What?
Other Disciples: He’s saying this because we have run out of bread.
Jesus (overhearing them): Why are you focusing on bread? Don’t you see yet? Don’t you understand? You have eyes—why don’t you see? You have ears—why don’t you hear? Are you so hard-hearted?
Don’t you remember when I broke the five rounds of flatbread among the 5,000? Tell Me, how many baskets of scraps were left over?
Disciples: Twelve.
Jesus: And how many were left when I fed the 4,000 with seven rounds?
Disciples: Seven.
Jesus: And still you don’t understand?

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Yeast and leaven. It spreads through the dough so quickly and thoroughly. In baking, it is such wonderful stuff. It makes tiny little air pockets in the dough so it makes it puff up and makes bread and cakes light and fluffy. Whoever discovered you could use leavening agents in baking did a great service for the world because it makes baked goods taste so good. But then again, maybe it was also part of our downfall since we have a tendency to eat too much of those tasty treats and it adds to the obesity of our generation. I digress, back to the story.

The disciples thought Jesus was talking about bread. He wasn’t. He was thinking about His recent encounter with those snakes, the Pharisees. He was thinking about they way they refused to listen and believe God even when they saw the evidence right in front of them of His hand at work. They wanted one more sign, one more proof, one more miracle, one more something. They were never satisfied because they wanted to be the center of attention, not God.

That’s want Jesus was talking about with the disciples that day. The Pharisees’ brand of religion put this selfish thought upper most in everyone’s mind. Put my way first. Put my rules first. Put my thoughts above everything else. It doesn’t matter what God wants. My way is more important. Self takes precedence. So when the Pharisees encountered Jesus and He challenged their structure and their way of life. They couldn’t handle it. When He disagreed with their emphasis on the petty things of life that they held as most important, they called Him an instrument of Satan.

The biggest problem, though, is Jesus saw their philosophy and their influence had the same influence in the world as yeast or leaven in bread. Once it gets into action, it is so difficult to stop it. It spreads and is hard to stop. People pick p on it and spread it and share it because Satan pulls this veil over our eyes. We like Adam and all of his offspring after him have this selfish seed in us that wants to believe Satan instead of God. We want to satisfy this selfish drive instead of giving ourselves to the God who made us.

And Herod was just as bad. His problem was not just hiding behind a religious veil saying he was a Jewish king, but then living the life of a Roman. He indulged in all the vices of the pagan world around him, but said he lived as one of God’s chosen people. The duel citizenship he thought he could live only showed how far away from God he really was. Yet many followed him thinking it was okay to live his same lifestyle since he was king.

Do we do the same thing today? Does the story fit us in this generation? I’m afraid so. Whether we want to talk about the Hollywood celebrities so many emulate, or the sports figures that pocket millions in salary but find themselves on the wrong side of the law, or politicians that think themselves above the law, or any number of other segments that we tend to focus on, there are those that spread leaven in our society. They plant seeds of evil, lifestyles that run contrary to the life God wants us to live. Yet we flock to them thinking it’s okay to follow their pattern of life. It’s not.

Look around, though, and you’ll find people wearing the same style clothes, styling their hair the same, using their same speech patterns. We fall into the trap of letting these leavening agents of sin slip into our lives, sometimes without even thinking about it. Jesus warns us, “Beware of the yeast, the leaven.” I don’t think He would use the terms Pharisee or Herod today. But instead He would point to those figures of authority we tend to blindly follow that will lead us to our destruction if we are not carefully discerning whether they are following God or self.

How can we tell? Know God’s word. If they act in a way that is not in concert with His word, beware. God does not contradict Himself. Beware the yeast and leaven. It spreads before you know it.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Harsh words I don’t want to hear (Matthew 25:41-46) June 15, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 69-71

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 25:41-46
Jesus: At that He will turn to those on His left hand.
King: Get away from Me, you despised people whom My Father has cursed. Claim your inheritance—the pits of flaming hell where the devil and his minions suffer. For I was starving, and you left Me with no food. When I was dry and thirsty, you left Me to struggle with nothing to drink. When I was alone as a stranger, you turned away from Me. When I was pitifully naked, you left Me unclothed. When I was sick, you gave Me no care. When I was in prison, you did not comfort Me.
Unrighteous: Master, when did we see You hungry and thirsty? When did we see You friendless or homeless or excluded? When did we see You without clothes? When did we see You sick or in jail? When did we see You in distress and fail to respond?
King: I tell you this: whenever you saw a brother hungry or cold, when you saw a sister weak and without friends, when you saw the least of these and ignored their suffering, so you ignored Me.
So these, the goats, will go off to everlasting punishment. But the beloved, the sheep (the righteous), will go into everlasting life.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Wow! Harsh words from the Master. Eternal punishment for those who fail to show compassion to those around them. What are we supposed to do with that? Does Jesus expect us to give up everything to feed the hungry? Does He want us to sell our homes or open the doors to every hobo that walks down the road? Does Jesus want us to spend all our free time at the prison talking to inmates? Will He list us as part of the herd of goats if we don’t?

I have to tell you, I think we have gotten pretty hard-hearted and dispassionate in our country in some respects. Oh, we pour billions of dollars into disaster relief when catastrophes happen like the tsunami in Japan or the earthquakes in Pakistan or the hurricanes in Gulf of Mexico. We find it easy to throw money at problems and ease our conscience and say we are compassionate and care for people. But do we?

I think one of the problems in our society comes from the fact that a small percentage of evil people figured out how to take advantage of compassionate people and make a pretty extravagant living from it. Seven figure salaries from charitable organizations or journalists with hidden cameras following the panhandler on the street corner change from his rags into his khaki pants and polo shirt before climbing into his new Cadillac and driving to the golf course and on to his half million dollar house.

The few crooks that make it into the news sour us against those that legitimately need our help. But then we look at the taxes that come out of our paycheck and think, “Isn’t that what the government is supposed to do? Don’t they have programs to help the down and out? Haven’t I paid enough?” So we pass them by thinking we’ve done our part in the supporting the social programs the government lays out for all those who should receive help. Surely, the government will take care of anyone that needs help. All they need to do is apply and if they don’t get help, they probably don’t deserve it, right?

Well, I have a question for you. When is the last time you sat down at one of the tables in a homeless shelter and listened to the story of one of the mothers there? How did she happen to end up on the street with her two or three children? Or the guy with the Masters Degree in economics? What happened to him that caused him to live on the street under a bridge? Or the veteran that should be able to get help through the Veterans Affairs for the nightmares that plague his sleep and make it impossible for him to function during the day? When is the last time actually talked to one of them? Would that make a difference in how you feel about “those” people?

Yes, there are some crooks out in the world who would take advantage of us. Yes, there are some people who make a living by deceiving others and weaving sad-song stories to get handouts so they don’t have to work and pay taxes. Yes, our government is creating a welfare society in which we are quickly relying on the government instead of ourselves for support. But the vast majority of those in real need are not among that number. And I really think God’s Spirit in us can help us sort those out if we truly listen to Him. He can help us discern the sheep from the goats, even among that crowd.

So if we can have compassion for the animals the humane society shows on their commercials with “Amazing Grace” playing in the background, can’t we begin to have some compassion for the people around us that need a little lift in their world? The price for walking by could be pretty high. Remember Jesus’ words, “whenever you saw a brother hungry or cold, when you saw a sister weak and without friends, when you saw the least of these and ignored their suffering, so you ignored Me.”

Those are harsh words I don’t want to hear. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Do you follow or pretend? (Matthew 18:18-20) April 27, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 48-50

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 18:18-20
Jesus: Remember this: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. And this: if two or three of you come together as a community and discern clearly about anything, My Father in heaven will bless that discernment. For when two or three gather together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We quote the last sentence of this paragraph often. “When two or three gather together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” We talk about it when there are small numbers gathered for prayer. We use it when small numbers gather to worship. We use it to motivate small numbers that come together for a task that needs larger numbers. We use these words to remind us that when God is with us we always have a majority. Using these words in this way does motivate us and they are true, but…

Look again at these words in context. Jesus just talked about the way we should approach a brother or sister who wronged us. He just talked about how we should first go to that person in private and if that doesn’t work, go to the person with one or two others, and if that fails to remedy the situation, then take the matter to the congregation. If the sinner remains unrepentant, then Jesus says remove the person from the fellowship in hopes the harsh punishment will wake them up and bring them to their knees in repentance at some point. But in the meantime, their actions will not pollute the church, the bride of Christ.

So, just after giving the instructions on how to deal with the wrongs of a fellow member in our congregation, He gives these words. “What you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and what you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” He refers back to the resolution of issues in the church he’s just been discussing. He hasn’t broken His chain of thought. He’s still in the middle of this fourth sermon and continuing to expound on His instructions to His bride, the church.

He tells us two or three or four heads are better than one in discerning the right course of action to take when issues come up in the church. And He says we should pray and talk with each other when He says, “if two or three of you come together as a community and discern clearly about anything…” It’s important that we get the perspective of others when issues pop up in the church, and they will, before we damage the reputation or character of another member. When we deal with relationship issues with brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, they get messy. Discerning the right path, the right actions, often takes two or three heads.

When those two or three people earnestly seek God’s counsel, His will, and find consensus in the right path to take in a particular issue with their brother or sister who has strayed and needs correction from the body of Christ. When those two or three find agreement in God’s presence. Jesus says, “the Father in heaven will bless that discernment.” What does that mean? Does it mean they will be happy with the decision and no tears will be shed when they mete out some punishment on a friend? No. Does it mean everything will go back to the way it was before the incident? No. Does it mean God will be present as you carry out His will and ensure the results work for the good of His church? Absolutely!

Why is this true? Because Jesus gave us the promise we quote so often. “When two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” What a powerful promise. We can know the actions to take when difficult issues arise in the church. We can take the appropriate actions to keep the name of Christ clean and pure. But today, there is a difference between being the member of Christ’s body, His church, and being the member of an earthly denomination.

My daughter told me recently of a young woman who sincerely announced that she was a Christian, but followed the ways of Buddha because he was such an enlightened teacher. I would invite her to attend my church, the building where I worship and teach, but I would not let her become a member of my church. At least not until she stopped following anything or anyone but Jesus. But that’s the problem in many of our congregations today. We fail to confront the false teaching and wayward living that exists within the four walls of the institutions we call the church and let outsiders think we are Christian when we clearly are not. When we allow individuals like this young woman to come into our institutions and truly believe they are right with God, there is something wrong with our teaching.

There is but one way to heaven and that is through Jesus, the Son of God. There is but one Savior, Jesus. There is but one Redeemer, Jesus. There is but one perfect sacrifice for our sins, Jesus. There is only One capable of forgiving our sins, Jesus. There is only One who will plead for us at the final judgment, Jesus, the Son of the living God. Following after, worshiping, obeying, focusing your devotion on anything or anyone other than Him is idolatry and violates His commands. If you violate His commands, you cannot call yourself a Christian. Well, you can call yourself a Christian, but I can call myself a martian, too, but that doesn’t make me one.

Do you do more than just believe in Jesus? Remember, He said even the demons do that. You must truly follow Him if you desire to carry His name.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Beware false prophets (Matthew 7:15-20) February 3, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 12-18

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 7:15-20
Jesus: Along the way, watch out for false prophets. They will come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath that quaint and innocent wool, they are hungry wolves. But you will recognize them by their fruits. You don’t find sweet, delicious grapes growing on thorny bushes, do you? You don’t find delectable figs growing in the midst of prickly thistles. People and their lives are like trees. Good trees bear beautiful, tasty fruit, but bad trees bear ugly, bitter fruit. A good tree cannot bear ugly, bitter fruit; nor can a bad tree bear fruit that is beautiful and tasty. And what happens to the rotten trees? They are cut down. They are used for firewood. When a prophet comes to you and preaches this or that, look for his fruits: sweet or sour? rotten or ripe?

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

There are a lot of false prophets out there now days. They were around in Jesus’ time, thrived during the days of the early church, and keep on truckin’ today. In fact, if I read my Bible right, they will be around until Jesus comes again. And guess where they do their best work. If you guessed in the church, you’d be right. It’s sad, but true.

They come in with all the right words. They look religious. They quote long passages of scripture to prove their point. But when you look at their lives, they are empty shells with nothing inside. No real life. Nothing to show on the inside that would point anyone to Christ and His truth. Yet many will fall for their flattering words and mystic sounding phrases and follow them anywhere. Just look at the number of people that followed Jimmie Jones and David Koresh. Those two made national headlines because of the scores of people who died because of their false teaching, but there are dozens like them that don’t get the mass attention but are just as dangerous.

The false teachers typically pick a verse or two and blow it out of proportion to the rest of scriptures. They hang their hat on those few scriptures and build a religion around them. Then work to convince the ignorant that everyone else is wrong. I did say ignorant and it has nothing to do with IQ. It has to do with whether or not you study God’s word. Not the flavor of the month the false teachers give, but God’s word. Dare the false prophets to use any other translation than their own and see what happens. See, the beautiful thing about God’s Spirit working in the lives of His servants is that all the legitimate translations I’ve every read, and I’ve read about 30 of them through from cover to cover at this point, all say the same thing about God, Jesus, His Son, salvation by faith, good works as a demonstration of faith, a final judgment for all people who ever lived, an accountability for our actions, eternal destinations for those who believe in Jesus as the way of salvation and those who do not.

Every single translation I’ve read says the same things about those essential elements of the Christian faith. Without exception. So when someone tries to introduce something that contradicts the greater voice of all those translations that survived through centuries of scholarly criticism, I question the single voice. Those false prophets will try to twist scripture the same way Satan tried to twist scripture in his temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. The issue is, how do we discover the false teacher from the real thing?

The answer is simple. First, know the scriptures. Read God’s word and test what your teachers tell you. Go look it up for yourself. Put those thoughts and instructions back into the context of the whole Bible and the whole story or passage from which it came. Don’t let your teacher take a phrase or verse or two out of context and twist it around. Jeremiah 29:11 is one of my favorites for pointing out how we can twist scripture. It’s a great verse. Jeremiah gives the exiles a great promise from God: For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Eternal, “plans for peace, not evil, to give you a future and hope—never forget that.

What we seldom remember, is that God’s plans included continued exile for another 70 years, then only a small remnant of those who departed would return. Jeremiah wrote these words in around 570 BC. Israel didn’t have sovereign reign of their land again until the peace accords after World War II. That’s 2500 years before their future and hope of a sovereign nation came to fruition. So be careful what those prophets tell you. Go look it up! See what’s right! Listen to God more than you listen to man!

Second, look at the fruit of the teacher. Does he or she produce good fruit? Do you see the fruit of the spirit evident in his or her life? Do he have to fake it? Do his children tell you he’s the same person at home that he is at church? How does she treat those who work for her? Do you see good fruit there? How about at the grocery store and other places in public? Is he short with waitresses or does he treat them with the same gentle spirit you would expect from Jesus? What fruit do you see? It doesn’t take long for tree to show the kind of fruit it bears. Just look around and you’ll see it. Follow the good fruit bearer. You’ll be glad you did. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Don’t jump to conclusions (I Samuel 1:1-18), Apr 7, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 1 Samuel 1:1-18
Set – 1 Samuel 1; Psalms 66
Go! – 1 Samuel 1-2; Psalms 66; 2 Corinthians 7

1 Samuel 1:1-18
1 When the judges ruled over Israel, there was a man from Ramathaim-zophim, from the hill country of Ephraim. He was Elkanah, who descended from Jeroham, Elihu, Tohu, and Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives: Peninnah, who bore him sons and daughters, and Hannah, who remained childless.

3 Elkanah used to go up every year from his city to worship and offer sacrifices at the altar of the Eternal One, Commander of heavenly armies, at Shiloh, where the priests of the Eternal were Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. 4 On the days he made a sacrifice, Elkanah would share a portion of his offering with his wife Peninnah and all her children, 5 but he offered a double portion of sacrificial meat for Hannah because he loved her even though the Eternal One had not given her children. 6 Peninnah used to infuriate Hannah until Hannah trembled with irritation because the Eternal had not given Hannah children. 7 This went on year after year; and every time Hannah went up to the house of the Eternal, Peninnah would infuriate her. So, as she often did, Hannah wept and refused to eat.

Elkanah (seeing Hannah’s despair): 8 Why are you crying and not eating? Why are you so sad, Hannah? Don’t I love you more than any 10 sons could?

9-10 One day after they ate and drank at Shiloh, Hannah got up and presented herself before the Lord. It so happened that the priest Eli was sitting in a place of honor beside the doorpost of the Eternal’s congregation tent as Hannah entered. She was heartbroken, and she began to pray to the Eternal One, weeping uncontrollably as she did.

Hannah: 11 Eternal One, Commander of heavenly armies, if only You will look down at the misery of Your servant and remember me—oh, don’t forget me!—and give Your servant a son, then I promise I will devote the boy to Your service as a Nazirite all the days of his life. [He will never touch wine or other strong drink,][a] and no razor will ever cut his hair.

12 As she prayed silently before the Eternal One, the priest Eli watched her mouth: 13 Hannah’s lips were moving, but since she was praying silently, he could not hear her words. So Eli thought she was drunk.

Eli: 14 How long are you going to continue drinking, making a spectacle of yourself? Stop drinking wine, and sober up!

Hannah: 15 My lord, I am not drunk on wine or any strong drink; I am just a woman with a wounded spirit. I have been pouring out the pain in my soul before the Eternal One. 16 Please don’t consider your servant some worthless woman just because I have been speaking for so long out of worry and exasperation.

Eli: 17 Go, don’t worry about this anymore, and may the True God of Israel fulfill the petition you have made to Him.

Hannah: 18 May your servant be favored in your sight.

Then Hannah rose and went back to where she was staying. The sadness lifted from her, so she was able to eat.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

The story of Hannah and her prayer in the congregation tent at Shiloh provides an example of the ease with which people jump to conclusions about the behavior of others. Eli assumed Hannah came the altar drunk because of her behavior in front of Me. He couldn’t distinguish between the external signs of deep despair and a woman who approached a with a little too much wine as she kneeled at the altar.

Both stagger under the load the carry, one with a heavy emotional burden, the other with the extra ethanol. He thought one a sad drunk when really she was crying with the burden of her childlessness. Eli though Hannah mumbled to herself unable to articulate words in her drunken state when if he could know her heart, he would know she was crying out to Me in her soundless state.

Humankind often misreads the behavior of others around them. Discernment is a gift I give to very few of My children. You cannot know the heart of those you see. And sometimes the behavior is not what you think. Sometimes it is, but only I really know the truth about a person’s heart. Just like Eli, it’s easy to make snap decisions about people and come out with wrong opinions.

Stop to find out the real story. Wait to hear the whole truth before taking actions you might regret later. Understand that unless I have given you the gift of discernment, and few have it, you cannot know the reason behind the behavior of others until they tell you. Even with the gift of discernment, you may be wrong. Only I really know the hearts of My children.

Think about Eli and Hannah the next time you are about to jump to conclusions about someone’s behavior – what they said or what they did you thought out of bounds. Perhaps, like Hannah, they are silently pleading in their way for My help or to bring glory to Me.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Know God’s voice (Joshua 9/3-25), Mar 21, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:
Ready – Joshua 9:3-25
Set – Joshua 9; 1 Corinthians 6
Go! – Joshua 9-11; 1 Corinthians 6

Joshua 9:3-25
3 But the people of Gibeon, who were Hivites, had a different idea when they heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai. 4 Knowing that Joshua might turn his attention to them next, they decided to use their wits, not their military might. They formed a delegation to serve as envoys and gathered the most worn-out sacks for their donkeys and worn-out, patched-up wineskins they could find. 5 They took some ragged sandals and patched them. They dressed in thread-bare clothes—all so it would look as though they had come from far away. Even the food they carried was dry and moldy, as though it had been carried a long distance.

6 These envoys went to Gilgal to meet with Joshua and the men of Israel.

Gibeonite Envoys (to Joshua and the men of Israel): We have traveled from a far country and beg you to make a treaty of peace with us.

Israelites: 7 How can we make a treaty with you? How do we know you aren’t from around here?

Gibeonite Envoys (to Joshua): 8 We are your servants.

Joshua: Who are you? Where do you come from?

Gibeonite Envoys: 9 Your servants have made the journey from a distant country because even there the name of the Eternal One your God is in the air. We have heard of what He did for you in Egypt 10 and what He did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan (King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan who lived in Ashtaroth). 11 So our elders gathered us together and directed us to take provisions for a long journey so we could tell you we are your servants. Please, we beg you, make a treaty with us.

12 Look. Here is all that remains of our bread. It was fresh, warm from the oven, when we set out, but now it is nothing but mold and crumbs. 13 And these patched-up wineskins were new and full when we left home. And our clothes, our sandals are worn—you can see that we have traveled a very long way.

14 The leaders did not consult the Eternal. They broke bread with the messengers, 15 and Joshua offered them a treaty of peace, with the leaders of Israel swearing an oath to bind it.

16 Three days after they had sworn peace with these deceptive messengers, they discovered the visitors were Gibeonites from the land of Canaan, their neighbors, who, in fact, were living in part of the land God had promised the Israelites. 17 So the Israelites went to their cities: Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim on the third day, 18 but they did not attack them. Even though they had been tricked into making a treaty, an oath made in the name of the Eternal was sacred. The people of Israel grumbled and complained against their leaders, 19 but they replied to the entire congregation.

Leaders: Look, we have sworn an oath in the name of the Eternal God of Israel, and we must not touch them. 20 If we attack them now and break our word, God’s anger will fall on us. Let them live and serve us.

21 So the leaders kept their promise to the Gibeonites who became servants of the entire congregation, cutting their wood and drawing their water.

22 Joshua summoned the Gibeonite leaders.

Joshua (to the Gibeonite leaders): Why did you lie to us? Why did you claim to be from far away when really you lived right here among us? 23 Your lie comes with a curse. You will live, but you will always be our slaves, carrying our water and chopping wood for the sanctuary of my True God from now on.

Gibeonite Leaders (to Joshua): 24 We knew for a fact that the Eternal One, your True God, had told His servant Moses that He would give you all of this land and that you would destroy all of the people in it. We were so afraid of you that this seemed the best thing to do. 25 But now we are in your hands. Do to us what seems fair and just to you, and we will accept it.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

You see what can happen when you don’t include Me in your decisions? Joshua and the rest of the Israelite elders didn’t ask Me about the Gibeonites when they came into the camp. They didn’t inquire about the treaty this “far-away” people wanted to make with them. They just looked at the outward appearance of the entourage, believed what they saw, and made a foolish judgment. But that’s the way with humankind.

Men and women can only see what’s on the outside. You can only judge what you can see. You can’t look inside the hearts and minds of the people you see and talk to every day. Consequently, unless you ask Me, your judgments can and often will be flawed. Until you learn to lean on Me for your decisions you’ll continue to find yourself in the same situation Joshua and the Israelites were, making bad choices and consequently suffering for them.

I can help you with that discernment. I can help you with your choices. I can help you understand the right paths to take and when you steer down the wrong one. I can help you stay clear of the dangerous connections. But you have to listen to Me. You have to begin to incorporate Me into your thought process for all those decisions. You have to recognize your inability to look into the hearts of men.

It’s not always easy to make the transition I’m asking you to make. It’s simple to say, but not always easy to execute. I’m asking you to give up ownership of you. Let Me take charge of your life…every part of it. From the most complex to the simplest decisions, include Me in the process. That’s the only way to know you’re on solid ground. But that’s okay. I want to become that involved in your life. I want to be there as your advisor. I want to so permeate your life that turning to Me for those decisions becomes a common, ordinary act for you.

How does it start? Get to know Me. Spend time with Me. I know all about you, but you need to know Me. You need to know My voice. Be able to recognize Me in the chatter of voices the world throws at you to pull you away from Me. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.