Why Do We Disobey and Neglect God?

Scripture: Judges 6: 12-13

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Mid’-i-an-ites.

Scripture Commentary: Why look on God as a last resort?

How much suffering could the Israelites have avoided if they had trusted God? How much suffering can you avoid if you trust God? Why does so much strife befall us?

Turning to God shouldn’t be a last resort; we should look to Him everyday. This isn’t to say life will always be easy, but God will give you strength to take you through anything.

Gideon questioned God about the problems he and his nation faced, and about God’s apparent lack of help. What he didn’t acknowledge was the fact that the people had brought calamity upon themselves when they decided to disobey and neglect God.

Are you disobeying and neglecting Our Lord?

It’s so easy to overlook personal accountability and blame our problems on others, even God. Unfortunately this does not solve our problems. It brings us no closer to God, and it escorts us to the very edge of rebellion and backsliding.

When problems come, the first place to look is within. Our first action should be one of personal accountability – confessing to God our sins that created the problem. God will lift you up, if you believe in Him.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Judges Chapter 6

Gideon Continued to Question God; Trust That What God Tells You Is True

Scripture: Judges 6: 36-39

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. And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.

Scripture Commentary: Why are we like Gideon, always testing God?

Are you like Gideon? When God tells you to do something, do you question Him? Furthermore, are you always asking Him for signs? Because Gideon asked God three times to give him a sign so that he might believe God. And He believed only after seeing the miracles.

Was Gideon testing God, or was he simply asking God for more encouragement? Are you trusting God, or do you need more signs?

Was Gideon’s motives and methods correct? What about you – do you ask for a sign when you go to God and pray for help?

God will always guide you the right way. Visible signs are unnecessary if they only confirm what you already know is true. The greatest means to God’s guidance is his Word, The Bible. If you want to have more of God’s guidance, put your life in His hands and study the Bible.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Judges Chapter 6

God Will Not Fail or Forsake You

Scripture: Deuteronomy 4: 29-31

But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

Scripture Commentary: God will neither forsake, destroy, nor forget you

Before Moses led the people into the promised land, God had him deliver a message, and that message is still viable today. God will not forsake us; He loves and protects us.

God promised the Israelites – and He promises us- that we will find Him when we search for him with all our heart and soul. God teaches us who He is. He wants us to know Him, but we have to want to know Him.

We learn in Hebrews 11:6 that, “he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

In 1 John 4: 8, we learn that “God is love.” In Hebrews 13: 8, we learn that God is constant. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

And there’s the ultimate evidence of God’s love laid out for us in John 3:16, which says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

We are not to be tempted to look everywhere for guidance. Our God is a jealous God, the kind of jealousy that is appropriate and good. His love requires our love. We must treat the Lord our God with respect and have no other before Him at anytime in our life.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Deuteronomy Chapter 4

Open Your Heart and Be Blessed By God

Scripture: Psalms 117: 1-2

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Scripture Commentary: God has blessed you in every way

This psalm says a lot, using few words; however the message is to praise the Lord, let the world hear your praise, and lift up the Lord, your God. Be blessed!

Not only is Psalms 117 the shortest chapter in the Bible, it is also the middle chapter. Are you at the mid-point in your life? If so, ask yourself the following questions:

Have I accepted God?
Have I, at any time, given God the praise?

Have you ever said , “I can’t think of anything that God has done for me.”

If you are reading this, then God has given you another day. You aren’t in the grave. If you have a place to stay, if you’ve had a meal today, then give God the praise.

God has given you His love, and His faithfulness endures forever. You probably cannot say that you have been faithful to God all of your life but God has been faithful to you always.

If God did nothing else for you, He would still be worthy of your highest praise. Praise the Lord!

Read the Entire Chapter:
Psalms Chapter 117

God Shows Us Great Mercy

Scripture: Psalms 6: 1-5

(To the chief Musician on Neginoth upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David.) O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed. My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long? Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies’ sake. For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?

Scripture Commentary:

David accepted God’s punishment but he begged God not to discipline him in anger. He implored God to have mercy on him. He poured out his heart to God, being completely honest with Him.

Be honest with God (He knows when we are not) even when filled with anger or despair. God knows us thoroughly and wants the very best for us.

God would wipe us out with His wrath if He treated us with justice alone and no mercy. Instead, God is kind to us and forgives us instead of giving us what we deserve.

God searches our minds and hearts. He knows our motives. There is no place to hide and no way to pretend that we can get away with sin.

We don’t have to impress God. Communicate with Him in prayer. Talk to Him and talk about Him to others while able because the day will come when we will not talk or praise His name.

Even after others have forgotten us, He will call us His good and faithful servant.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Psalms Chapter 6

God Says To “Ask of Me, and I Shall Give”

Scripture: Psalms 2: 7-12

I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Scripture Commentary: When God says, “Ask of me, and I shall give,” He means for us to be fully His first.

God is all powerful. God said to David, “Ask of me, and I shall give thee …” Because David had totally surrendered himself to God, he could ask. If we truly place ourselves in God’s hands, He will provide.

To “kiss the Son,” means to surrender fully and submit to Him. Christ is not only God’s chosen king, but also He is the rightful king of our hearts and lives.

Our world has many leaders who boast of their power, who rant and rave against God and His people, and who promise to take over and form their own empires.

God has the only power. He is our creator; we are in His hands. To be ready for His coming, we must submit to His leadership every day.

Jesus Christ is the light; He is the way.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Psalms Chapter 2

Do Not Break the Vow You Make to God

Scripture: Numbers 30: 1-3

And Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded. If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth. If a woman also vow a vow unto the LORD, and bind herself by a bond, being in her father’s house in her youth;

Scripture Commentary: Don’t make a vow to God that you won’t keep

Does this sound familiar … O Lord, if you get me out of this mess, I’ll never do this or anything wrong again! We ask God for help and we promise Him something in return when He gets us of the situation that we’re in. Invariably we will break the promise we make to God.

Our promise is our bond! Would you trust someone who doesn’t keep his word to you? I would think not!

What we promise God is binding. He doesn’t ask for your signature; He doesn’t ask you to make a vow if/when you’re in trouble. The vow He asks of us is to love, obey, and carry out His Word.

Once you make a promise to God, you are to fulfill it. To break it is to break the trust God has given you. God has never broken His promise. He will never forsake you, so why should you forsake Him?

Think the next time you make a promise to God. The only thing you truly have is your word. Our God is a loving God who will forgive seven times seven … times seven, times seven. Why? Because He loves you!

Read the Entire Chapter:
Numbers Chapter 30

Here I Am, Lord; Send Me

Scripture: Isaiah 6: 8-10

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here I am; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

Scripture Commentary: Will you say “here I am, Lord,” when He is looking for a spokesman?

The more clearly Isaiah saw God, the more aware he became of his powerlessness and inadequacy to do anything of lasting value without God; however, he was willing to be God’s spokesman.

God told Isaiah that the people would listen but not learn from his message because their hearts had become calloused beyond repentance .

How is your heart? Are you so into yourself that when God calls you, you can’t hear Him?

God’s patience with the people’s chronic rebellion was finally exhausted. His judgment was to abandon them to their rebellion and hardness of heart.

Why did God send Isaiah if He knew the people wouldn’t listen?

Although the nation would not repent, some individuals did listen. God is merciful even when He judges. We can gain encouragement from God’s promise to preserve His people. If we are faithful to Him, we can be sure of His mercy.

Consider what God may be telling you, and obey Him before time runs out.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Isaiah Chapter 6

Praise the Greatness of Our God

Scripture: Psalms 150: 6

Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

Scripture Commentary: Let me live that I may praise you

How could the message be more clear? In a way, the book of Psalms parallels our spiritual journey through life. It begins by presenting us with two roads, the way to life and the way to death. The road to eternal life is with Jesus Christ.

Which road are you on? If you choose God’s way to life, you will still face both blessings and hardships, joy and grief, successes and obstacles. However, God is at your side, guiding, encouraging, comforting, are caring.

The writer tells us to give thanks to God for He truly loves you. As the wise and faithful person’s life draws to an end, he or she realizes clearly that God’s road is the right road, but don’t wait until the end of your life to accept Christ. Do it now!

Go and tell everyone how He has loved you despite yourself. Knowing and accepting God for leading you in the right direction and for assuring your place in His Kingdom will put praise for Him on your lips. Let your voice tell the world how He loves you.

What a fitting way to end Psalms with encouragement for you to praise God.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Psalms Chapter 150

Two Additional Readings on Praise:
Deuteronomy Chapter 32
Psalms Chapter 119

God Will Not Leave You

Scripture: Ruth 1: 16-17

And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

Scripture Commentary: Allow God’s plan for your life to unfold

These two verses in the Book of Ruth show us Ruth’s character. She was caring and respectful her mother-in-law, Naomi, even after her mother-in-law encouraged her to return to her own people. Ruth made a resolution to never forsake her mother-in-law when she said, “Intreat me not to leave thee …”

Naomi felt that God was punishing her when she was forced from her homeland by famine, and when both her husband and two sons died. But God had blessed her with Ruth, a good hearted woman who decided not to return to her people. She put aside her own needs and desires to work and care for Naomi.

Ruth gave up the gods of her people for the God that Naomi worshiped, and God accepted Ruth as she was. Ruth may not have been able to recognize God’s guidance but He was directing her path.

God led the women to Boaz, a prosperous man. Ruth married Boaz. She gave birth to Obed who was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David. It is through this bloodline that Jesus, the Messiah, was born.

As God was with Ruth, He is also with you in your life. Talk to Him and He will answer you. God has a plan for your life.

Now ask yourself, “If I follow God, what wonderful purpose does God have for me?”

Read the Entire Chapter:
Ruth Chapter 1