Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans. – Proverbs 16:3
Within the post “Be Led by Love From Above”, highlighted is the fact that Israel had no leader at the time and it was an era of decline. A nation that is not led by God is cut off from the love from above and is not fit for greatness. The people tend to get off track doing their own thing and there’s no way they can work together for the good of the whole.
There is a need for God’s love from above to enter into our heart. We need to focus on the things of God, be dedicated to His way, and be disciplined to daily go to Him for direction. This day with God, take inspiration from the song Build My Life by Pat Barrett (ft. Cory Asbury) and live for the Lord. Build your life upon the firm foundation of His love from above.
This day with God will be amazing because we are led by love from above. Day by day, little things become big things and lead to amazing things with Gods help. Each day, we read His word, document lessons learned, pray, and listen for the steps to take as we set out on our day.
Today, we are reading Judges 17. The recurring phrase in this passage is “shekels of silver”. Micah’s mother had silver in which she told a silversmith to overlay an image with in order to make an idol to worship. An idol is anything that comes between us and God and cuts off this love from above. In current times, idols may include things like luxury items, money, or even another person.
As written in today’s passage, Israel had no leader at this time and it was an era of decline. A nation that is not under God is cut off from the love from above and people tend to get off track doing their own thing. Then there’s no way they can work together for the good of the whole.
We are told that a Levite from Bethlehem was traveling through looking for a place to stay. We will later find out that the Levite is the grandson of Moses (See Judges 18:30) named Jonathan who needed a job during this time of moral decay in Israel.
So we know that Micah was an idol worshiper who knew he needed to get right with God. His idea was to pay for a priest thinking this would conveniently get him right with God so he offers the Levite the opportunity to stay at his house. Sometimes the main reason for our relationships with others is in gaining success from a worldly point of view.
Micah told the Levite he could live at his house and be his father and priest. He would pay him, give him clothes, and food in exchange for becoming his priest (vv. 10-12). What Micah did not understand was the need for God’s love from above to enter into his heart. He needed to focus on the things of God, be dedicated to His way, and be disciplined to daily go to Him for direction.
We come to You Lord this day and seek ways to fine-tune our daily routine. Ways to not live with fear, worry or doubt but to live by faith. By accepting Your love from above, You set us free to make choices. By being disciplined to make the choice to meet with You daily, released to us is the power known as the Holy Spirit that takes us new heights far beyond what we could imagine. We accept today the love from about that You offer in the name of Jesus … Amen.
But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you and that My name may be declared in all the earth. – Exodus 9:16
The take away from the post “Focused on the Purpose of the Journey” my friend is to pray each day for the understanding of God’s purpose in your life. To Ask for patience and discipline to set out to achieve that purpose. Then as the song Lead Me On by Amy Grant points out, listen for directions as God leads you on.
As we step ahead today, we are totally focused on the purpose of this journey by being organized, documenting our thoughts, and affirming our faith each day. Reading today in Judges 16, the people of Gaza wanted to kill Samson but he escaped by pulling up the posts to the city gate and escaping during the middle of the night.
Sometime later, Samson fell in love with Delilah. This set the stage for Delilah enticing Samson to reveal the source of his great strength. After several attempts, Delilah finally found out that it was Samson’s dedication to God as a Nazirite and if his head was shaved, his strength would leave him (v. 17).
The Philistines had been defeated by Samson many times so they paid Delilah for her information on the source of his great strength. After Delilah shaved his head, Samson lost his strength and was subdued by the Philistines. They gouged out his eyes and took him captive.
While in prison, Samson’s hair began to grow again. On one occasion, the rulers of the Philistines all assembled at their temple to worship their god. They had Samson perform for them and Samson used this occasion to fulfill his mission in life. He prayed that God would use his strength for a great purpose as he pushed down the two pillars that supported the temple. Down came the temple and this one event killed more Philistines than Samson had killed in all previous occasions.
In today’s passage, we get another example of a pattern we’ve seen before in which the people would follow God for a while but then forget who had given them success. As the people reverted back to their old habits and turned away from the Lord, enemies would overtake them. To get the people back on track, God provide another judge or person to lead them.
I have some good news for you my friend! We have a permanent judge in Jesus Christ who has delivered us. Here is a link to God’s Plan for Us that leads to eternal victory. The take away from today’s lesson my friends is to pray each day for the understanding of God’s purpose in our life. To Ask for patience and discipline as we set out to achieve that purpose. Then to listen for directions as God leads us on.
This day with You Lord, lead us on. Your purpose for us is a big one and many times we do not feel ready or capable. But since we’ve said “yes” to Jesus, we are never alone and have a power greater than Samson’s great strength. With the power of the Holy Spirit, we will fulfill Your purposes here on earth and beyond. Amen.
This Day With God - A Spiritual Journey 