When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” - John 8:12
A lesson from “Light of the World“is the need to study experiences from characters of the Bible. To note the results of decisions made to help learn more about the crucial skill of decision making and give suggestions for the best plans of action.
Take inspiration from the song The Way by Jeremy Camp for your journey today because Jesus is the Way. Do not follow plans from man but follow God’s plan as you step ahead.
God has given us a plan or a road map for our journey. From a recent sermon, was a lesson to make sure we discover the Truth by having a relationship with God through Jesus who is the Light of the World! He is the Truth that liberates the heart, mind, body, and soul to set us free. The Truth provides fulfillment and a cohesive plan for us in concert with the world because the Spirit prompts us to step ahead to victory. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.*
Jeroboam had departed from God’s ways by setting up idols for worship. He even instituted a festival to offer sacrifices to the golden calves he had made. In 1 Kings 13, God sought to change Jeroboam by sending a man to speak out and warn about his detestable practices. When Jeroboam stretched out his hand to command that the man be seized, his hand shriveled up. Then the altar was split apart and its ashes were poured out (verses 4-5).
We note two men that were told by God what to do but they didn’t do it. Jeroboam was not changed even when the man of God interceded for him so his hand was restored. He didn’t change his idol worship. Then, we get the account of the man of God who explicitly disobeyed a command from the word of the Lord. We find out from this passage that the man of God was punished because of his disobedience. He was mauled by a Lion and killed (v. 26).
We can study within the Bible experiences others have gone through like the ones from today’s passage and learn from the choices made. This teaches us about the crucial skill of decision making and gives suggestions for the best plans of action as we step ahead along the journey.
This day with You Lord, we are thankful for Your Word that provides us with the experiences that others have gone through. These experiences help us with our own decisions. Our assessment is always to choose the path of Jesus because He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. It is in His name we pray today … Amen.
Show me Your ways, Lord, teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long. - Psalm 25:4-5
A main point brought out in “Godly Leaders Needed” is how the nation of Israel began to decline when the leaders did not follow God’s way. The people were led astray by leaders that manipulated the people with their own selfish motives.
Government can do very little for our success. It’s up to you and me to follow the right path. As the song Truth Be Told by Matthew West brings out, let the truth be told. Admit that it is God’s hand we need to hold because He’s the only one that can fix it.
Dire consequences will occur if a nation is led by leaders who do not follow God’s ways. There is a need to followleaders of honor and truth rather than those who manipulate with ulterior motives, hidden meanings, and political games.
Reading today in 1 Kings 12:25-33, we are given a warning for current times. A nation whose leaders depart from God’s ways becomes divided and led astray. They make decision for selfish reasons. We note in today’s passage that Jeroboam departs from God’s ways by setting up idols for worship. He even instituted a festival to offer sacrifices to the golden calves he had made.
Remember that Jeroboam was one of Solomon’s officials who had been put in charge of the labor force. God wanted him to take over Israel after Solomon’s death in order to punish the nation for Solomon’s lack of faithfulness to Him.
Leaders who want to put God aside and worship idols create a nation that is weak allowing adversaries to be raised up against them and their friends. In the words of Paul Harvey, a nation controlled by leaders that want to evict God from the courthouse and schoolhouse becomes a nation controlled by the enemy who is fine with people doing as they please. The people are then consumed with alcohol, drugs, and gambling. The cities are riddled with crime.
Making decisions for selfish reasons will not bring success to a nation but making decisions for what God wants and that help people brings victory for all. As we walk along the path, we have the source of power to push us forward, the Holy Spirit to guide, and grace needed if we get out of alignment. These spiritual resources will create integrity that will lead us to a winning future with blessings beyond what can be imagined.
Lord, You have high standards and that’s a good thing. The first step to meeting these high standards is to know Your Word and to live out each day being guided by the Holy Spirit. Your grace and power will push us forward because of our Savior. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Across the world, there are great sermons. If you were blessed with a sermon that moved you at a local church or one that you viewed on-line, share in the comments.
Here is a thought I received from a sermon at my local church at First Methodist Church, Waco Texas.
The origin of all sin handed down from generation to generation makes us want to defy God, hide from Him, and shift the blame. This only makes things worse as we get out of alignment with what God wants, but there is a way to get it fixed and to get aligned again. To fix a vehicle, we go to the mechanic, but to fix our soul, we go to Jesus who saves by grace. – Thoughts from sermon of Ryan Barnett, 07-02-2023
This Day With God - A Spiritual Journey 