Giving All To God

January 10, 2013            Gen 23–24, Matt 7:21–8:13, Ps 7:5–9, Prov 1:22–24

Caussade spoke of those who truly have given all to God when he said they would, “Even when required to swallow poison, walk the plank, be the slave of a tyrant, finding it in abundance, not just drop by drop, but in a torrent, flooding and engulfing the soul.  An army of such soldiers would be invincible.”

To live a life of faith and obedience sounds good, but it is not as easy as it sounds. God requires our all and that his very difficult to do for most all of us. The not so brilliant Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” I pray that we as the people of God can be an army of spiritual soldiers that is invincible because we are lead and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Genesis 23-24

Chapter 23 is about a funeral and Chapter 24 is about a wedding. Life is full of happiness and sadness, but God is there with us through it all if only we will realize His presence.

While there is always mourning when a loved one dies we do not mourn like those that do not have hope (1 Thess. 4:13). How does it change the way we mourn as a Christian?

What makes this funeral special in relation to other funerals in the Bible?

In Chapter 24 Abraham is 140 years old. He has lived a full life and has been blessed so very much. Now he is concerned that his son marries the right wife. He knows what a blessing a good wife could be for a man. What should a young man or woman look for in a prospective spouse?

Why was Abraham so concerned about the nationality of the bride?

Why should we care about the belief system of a prospective spouse?

The example of Rebekah here is worthy of consideration. She shows hospitality and goes beyond normal courtesy by giving the camels water as well. We never know what an act of kindness or hospitality will lead to. We need to live every moment to the fullest realizing we are always being watched by those around us.

The chapter ends with the marriage and it says that Isaac loved Rebekah. This is the first time in the Bible that it is specifically said that a man loved his wife. That is not to say he was the first to love his wife, but God wants us to know this was a special relationship. The love between a husband and wife is a beautiful thing. This marriage was beautiful because God was at the center of it.

Matthew 7:21–8:13

These verses are chilling. To consider a life in which one believed they were serving God and were not is awful. In context this is talking about false teachers. We must be very careful to follow the truth and not be deceived by the devil. How can we know if what believe is true? How can we know if a teacher is true?

Notice that true believers stand the test of time.

The sermon ends with an admonition to put His words into practice. Are you doing that?

Chapter 8 begins with the cleaning of a leper. In Jesus’ day leprosy was feared greatly and those who had it were considered shunned from society and unclean. Notice that when Jesus touched the man He defiled Himself ceremonially. The norm for us is when we come into contact with sin we are infected by it, but Jesus casts out all sin. While there were great crowds that followed Him, he over and over again cares about the individual. We too must care about people no matter how busy we become.

Why did Jesus tell the man not to tell anyone about the healing? Do you think this was possible for the man?

Why is Jesus so impressed with the faith of this gentile? Do you have that kind of faith?

Psalm 7:5–9

David prays for God to judge the accusations against him. He was convinced that he was innocent of the charges against him. He calls on God to bring about the triumph of righteousness over evil universally. This plea is centered on these facts: (1) that God is righteous; (2) God is a discerner of hearts, and (3) therefore He can give an impartial judgment. This is very true no man could say the same. Do you pray for righteousness to overcome evil? What in the world today shows us we need to pray for this?

Proverbs 1:22–24

Too often we refuse the voice of wisdom? Why is that?

Fools hate knowledge, are you a fool?

God promises that those that seek Him will find him and will find wisdom. Are you seeking His wisdom?

Pray that God will lead you today to see His will in the ordinary daily events.

Pray that God will give you wisdom to know what is the truth, as examined through the lens of the Word of God.

Pray for the Kingdom of God to come fully upon this world of sin today. Ask God what your role is in His plans.

I have many things I am praying about today. One of these is that God will keep our eyes on what is important. Too often we can get distracted from our calling because of the apparent urgent. Please pray I can get done what is most important to God today.