It's Day 43 and we're in Judges 8.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 33 - Two things here: a. It's worth realizing how big a difference one person can make in the life of a nation, a town, a family, or a church; b. It's pathetic how quickly people can revert back to their godless ways.
Help:
- Verses 1-3 - Gideon gives a gentle answer, which causes their anger to subside. Verse 2 compliments them by saying that their newest grapes are better than the vintage grapes of other places.
- Verse 17 - This is harsh. Gideon apparently felt it justified because of the war situation.
- Verse 27 - My presumption is that Gideon did not intend it to become a source of pagan worship, but the people twisted what he did.
If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.
If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.
Your Comments:
- '15: " . . . he bowed in worship." LOVE it! We don't do it nearly often enough.'
Monday, December 14, 2015
Sunday, December 13, 2015
60IN60 Day 42 - Sun Dec 13
It's Day 42 and we're in Judges 7.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 9 - God goes ahead of us to fight for us.
Help:
- Verses 4-6 - It's not entirely clear what was superior about that method of getting water. Some speculate that it's because they were on their feet, as opposed to kneeling. Others think it's just because it was the method used by fewer soldiers and God wanted to whittle the number down so it would be clear that He brought the victory. I tend toward the latter.
If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.
If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 9 - God goes ahead of us to fight for us.
Help:
- Verses 4-6 - It's not entirely clear what was superior about that method of getting water. Some speculate that it's because they were on their feet, as opposed to kneeling. Others think it's just because it was the method used by fewer soldiers and God wanted to whittle the number down so it would be clear that He brought the victory. I tend toward the latter.
If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.
If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.
Saturday, December 12, 2015
60IN60 Day 41 - Sat Dec 12
It's Day 41 and we're in Judges 6.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 11-12 - Gideon is hiding in a wine press to thresh the wheat and yet the angel calls him "valiant warrior." God sees who we could be, not merely who we are.
Help:
- Verses 36-40 - God is merciful to Gideon in answering these prayers, but this is not anything we can count on God to do. He will not usually answer prayers like that.
If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.
If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.
Your Questions:
- "I've always wondered how the story ended and why Jesus didn't finish it. Is it actually an invitation for the Pharisees and others who opposed Jesus to join Him in not only welcoming but actually inviting sinners and other outsiders into the Kingdom?" - I tend to think He left the story's ending a little open to leave us asking how we will respond to the situation.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 11-12 - Gideon is hiding in a wine press to thresh the wheat and yet the angel calls him "valiant warrior." God sees who we could be, not merely who we are.
Help:
- Verses 36-40 - God is merciful to Gideon in answering these prayers, but this is not anything we can count on God to do. He will not usually answer prayers like that.
If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.
If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.
Your Questions:
- "I've always wondered how the story ended and why Jesus didn't finish it. Is it actually an invitation for the Pharisees and others who opposed Jesus to join Him in not only welcoming but actually inviting sinners and other outsiders into the Kingdom?" - I tend to think He left the story's ending a little open to leave us asking how we will respond to the situation.
Friday, December 11, 2015
60IN60 Day 40 - Fri Dec 11
It's Day 40 and we're in Luke 16.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 10 - Be faithful with what you've got now if you want Him to trust you with more.
Help:
- Verses 1-8 - This is an unusual parable. The point is this: use what you control to accomplish your goal. The manager used what he controlled (his master's wealth) to accomplish his goal (finding a job). We are to use what we control (our money) to accomplish our goal (bringing people to Christ). See verse 9.
- Verse 9 - This is the point of verses 1-8: use your money not on empty consumer purchases, but rather use as much of it as you can to point people to Christ so that you're heavenly homecoming will be joyous.
- Verse 16 - "forcing his way in" - The meaning is uncertain. It likely just means that people were responding with enthusiasm to what had happened since John.
- Verse 18 - This is the basic teaching on divorce. Jesus goes into more detail in other passages.
- Verse 23 - "in his bosom" - That's just a way to say "with Abraham."
If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.
If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 10 - Be faithful with what you've got now if you want Him to trust you with more.
Help:
- Verses 1-8 - This is an unusual parable. The point is this: use what you control to accomplish your goal. The manager used what he controlled (his master's wealth) to accomplish his goal (finding a job). We are to use what we control (our money) to accomplish our goal (bringing people to Christ). See verse 9.
- Verse 9 - This is the point of verses 1-8: use your money not on empty consumer purchases, but rather use as much of it as you can to point people to Christ so that you're heavenly homecoming will be joyous.
- Verse 16 - "forcing his way in" - The meaning is uncertain. It likely just means that people were responding with enthusiasm to what had happened since John.
- Verse 18 - This is the basic teaching on divorce. Jesus goes into more detail in other passages.
- Verse 23 - "in his bosom" - That's just a way to say "with Abraham."
If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.
If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.
Thursday, December 10, 2015
60IN60 Day 39 - Thurs Dec 10
It's Day 39 and we're in Luke 15.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 20 - I love how much he loved his son.
If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.
If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 20 - I love how much he loved his son.
If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.
If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
60IN60 Day 38 - Wed Dec 9
It's Day 38 and we're in Luke 14.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 11 - Stay humble, do God's will, and He will lift you up.
Help:
- Verse 26 - "Hate" by comparison to our love for God. Obviously if the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself, it can't mean despise them.
- Verse 27 - To "carry your cross" means to be willing to make sacrifices for Christ.
- Verse 33 - This is something we have to willing to do. If He asks material sacrifices of us, we need to be willing to do that. It doesn't mean that we should become homeless.
- Verse 34 - This seems to mean that our faith has to have the "flavor" of all that He's asking us to do, not be a bland, generic "faith."
If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.
If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 11 - Stay humble, do God's will, and He will lift you up.
Help:
- Verse 26 - "Hate" by comparison to our love for God. Obviously if the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself, it can't mean despise them.
- Verse 27 - To "carry your cross" means to be willing to make sacrifices for Christ.
- Verse 33 - This is something we have to willing to do. If He asks material sacrifices of us, we need to be willing to do that. It doesn't mean that we should become homeless.
- Verse 34 - This seems to mean that our faith has to have the "flavor" of all that He's asking us to do, not be a bland, generic "faith."
If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.
If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
60IN60 Day 37 - Tues Dec 8
It's Day 37 and we're in Luke 13.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 9 - He expects fruit. And if not, then we weren't a real disciple.
Help:
- Verses 1-5 - The main idea here is that evil happening in our lives in not always a direct result of something sinful we've done. (Sometimes it is.) He directs us to use those moments of seeing bad things happen as reminders that we need to be right with God ("repent").
- Verses 6-9 - The point of this parable is that God is looking for fruit from our lives. He is patient, but eventually if we don't produce fruit our time runs out.
- Verse 24 - This doesn't mean that people genuinely wanted to be saved by the right means but God rejected them. It means that many want to claim a relationship with God without doing what He's said is necessary.
- Verses 25-27 - At Final Judgment, many will claim to have some connection with God, but Jesus will tell them that it wasn't a genuine one, but rather one they made up for their comfort.
If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.
If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 9 - He expects fruit. And if not, then we weren't a real disciple.
Help:
- Verses 1-5 - The main idea here is that evil happening in our lives in not always a direct result of something sinful we've done. (Sometimes it is.) He directs us to use those moments of seeing bad things happen as reminders that we need to be right with God ("repent").
- Verses 6-9 - The point of this parable is that God is looking for fruit from our lives. He is patient, but eventually if we don't produce fruit our time runs out.
- Verse 24 - This doesn't mean that people genuinely wanted to be saved by the right means but God rejected them. It means that many want to claim a relationship with God without doing what He's said is necessary.
- Verses 25-27 - At Final Judgment, many will claim to have some connection with God, but Jesus will tell them that it wasn't a genuine one, but rather one they made up for their comfort.
If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.
If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.
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