Then Shall I Know God Will Save

Scripture: Judges 6: 36-38

And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,  Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.  And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.

Scripture Commentary:  Trust and know that God has your back

Are you like Gideon in that when God tells you to do something, you question it? Are you constantly asking God for a sign?  Gideon asked God three times to give him a sign so that he would believe God.  Gideon believed when he saw the miracles of the fire from the rock, the fleece being wet, and then the ground wet and the fleece dry.

Was Gideon testing God or was he simply asking God for more encouragement?  Was Gideon’s motives right or was his methods less than ideal?  Are you trusting God or do you need more signs?

When you go to God and ask for His help, don’t always look for a sign before believing.  Although you may not get the answer you were looking for, God will always guide you in the right direction.

Visible signs aren’t necessary if it only confirms what you already know is true.  The greatest means of God’s guidance is His Word, The Bible.  If you want more of God’s guidance, put your life in His hands, and study The Bible.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Judges Chapter 6

Being Saved Is Being Under Grace

Scripture: Romans 6: 1, 14-18

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?(1)  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.  What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?  But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

Scripture Commentary:  God places us under grace and mercy when we chose to be saved

We are under grace, and this grace has removed us from legalistic religion.  Romans 10:4 says, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”

Jesus said that he came not to change the law, but to fulfill it.  Matthew 5:17-18 says, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”

Jesus was crucified and on the third day was raised from the grave and ascended into heaven to sit by His Father.  When Jesus ascended, He sent the Holy Spirit to us.  Because of God’s love, grace and mercy, we are saved.

If it wasn’t for God’s grace, we would still be lost in the wilderness.  When we become saved, our old self dies, and our new self, through His grace, is raised up in His spirit to begin a new life in Jesus Christ.

When we become saved, we move out of darkness into His light.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Romans Chapter 6

Additional Reading:
Romans Chapter 10
Matthew Chapter 5

The Son of Man Came to Serve

Scripture: Mark 8:31-35

And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.

Scripture commentary: Jesus as the Son of Man is the human agent of God

Jesus refers to himself as the ” Son of Man.”  The expression comes from Daniel 7:13.  Also, it refers to Jesus as the Messiah, the human agent of God who is vindicated by God.

In Mark 8, Jesus begins to speak plainly and directly to His disciples about His death and resurrection. As a result, He began to prepare them for what was coming, telling them three times that He would soon die.

Peter wanted Christ to be king, not the suffering servant. In addition, he was ready to receive the glory of following the Messiah, but not the persecution. He saw only part of the picture, not seeing God’s plan for Jesus’ life, and he was thinking of his own natural human desires and feelings.

Like Peter, we often do not see the plans that God has for our life because we are focusing only the things that we want, here and now. Do not hold on to the things of this world. Now is the time to deny the the things of this world and follow Jesus.

Note: The expression “the Son of man” occurs 81 times in the Greek text of the four Canonical gospels.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Mark Chapter 8

Come Unto Me, All Ye That Labour

Scripture: Matthew 11: 28- 30

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Scripture Commentary: Accept the invitation to come unto Jesus

Jesus invites us to rely on Him when He says, “Come unto me…”  Accept him as  Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is God’s only begotten son and He will free us from the earthly burdens that we carry. When we put ourselves in Jesus’ care, the problems we thought we had are no longer important.

God gives us a peace that is so relaxing that it gives us the answers we need. Jesus mentions two kinds of people in his prayer: the “wise” who are arrogant in their own knowledge, and the “little children” who humbly open themselves to receive the truth of God’s Word.

Are you wise in your own eyes, or do you seek the truth in childlike faith, realizing that only God holds all the answers?

Christ’s death and resurrection gave us direct access to God the father.  We are so fortunate that Jesus has clearly revealed God to us.  He gives us His truth and tells us how we can know The Father.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Matthew Chapter 11