Magically #Blessed
“Having put him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him. Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake […]
God’s Crowbar
“(His parents did not know that this [Samson marrying a Philistine] was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)” (Judges 14:4) Samson, Samson, Samson, smh. This guy is a real piece of work. Still, God used him. The author of Judges […]
Finish the Race
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:24) Super Bowl XXVII and the Dallas Cowboy are beating the Buffalo Bills as the game winds down. Buffalo fumbles the ball on the Dallas […]
Slaves to Sin
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do (Romans 7:14–15). The Bible ties together the ideas of sin and slavery throughout its pages […]
God’s Team
“…But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength.” Then the land had peace forty years. (Judges 5:31).” That’s the “happily ever after” ending of our message this week from Judges 4-5. But don’t let that little happy ending fool you. It was a hard-fought peace. I always […]
10 Shekels and a Shirt
“In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.“ (Judges 17:6, NIV) It is a refrain that is repeated over and over in the book of Judges. As we study it together in church, several of you are reading ahead and have mentioned how frustrating it is…things keep spiraling downward and […]
Forgetting God
“The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs (Judges 3:7, NIV).” Sounds like a familiar problem, doesn’t it? We might not serve Baals and Asherahs anymore. We have different, more modern idols we serve. But, like Israel, we do tend […]
Talkin’ ’bout My Generation
“After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel.” (Judges 2:10, NLT) Funny that this topic of “generations” comes up this week with so much talk about this topic lately. The “Boomers” didn’t have much respect for my generation, “Generation […]
Partial Obedience, Partial Victory
“In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” (Judges 21:25, NLT) Looking for something light and fun to read by the pool this summer? Check out the Food and Drug Administration’s “Defect Levels Handbook.” It outlines allowances for problems (defects) in 100 different foods (Read […]
God’s Love and Boll Weevils
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28, NLT) We all face challenges in life. Arnold Toynbee, the famous historian, said that people will react to these in one of four ways: Some retreat […]
Empowering Others
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32, NIV) You might remember this moment: Simon promised Jesus that, though others might abandon him in his hour of need, Simon […]
I Believe in You
“Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.“ (Philemon 21, NIV) Paul wrote that line to a friend named Philemon. Philemon was a new Christian…but he was still working things out. There were some major issues in Philemon’s life that he hadn’t yet handed over […]
