Go To The Throne Before The Phone

Bible Versus & Reflection

By Petra Vaughn

Proverbs 2:1-8 NIV

My son, If you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Before you call friends, family or go to social media for advice, counsel or agreed retaliation, go to God in prayer and ask his for direction.  His voice could lead you to the right person, place or direction, too many times we ask and take the advice of the unequipped and are much worse off.

God knows what you need and who He wants to assist you. Learn to trust Him to provide for you in all ways.

Lord, I’m in Trouble, Again!

 Judges 10:10-16

Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, “We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving Baals.”

The Lord replied, “When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their hands?  But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you.  Go cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!”

 

But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now.”  Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And He could bear Israel’s misery no longer.

Does it seem to you that you’re always in-and-out of trouble? Before one problem can be solved and you can experience peace for awhile, some other problem “crops up.” Is it possible that we are in trouble with God, our Father, because we don’t really know what He expects of us as His children? You may argue that God just requires us to “be good” and “do good.” To pull that off effectively, we really need God’s help. Learning what God expects is a process that begins with having a personal relationship with Him as Father and friend.

To get God’s help when we’re in trouble, we need to explain to Him that we really want to be a better person, but we’ve been selfish and self-centered for so long that we don’t really know any other way to live. Ask Him to help us to change into what He would have us to be.

As we talk with God we need to acknowledge our remorse over the things we’ve done that we know now, were wrong and probably the base cause of the trouble we’re in. Ask Him for forgiveness to go forward as a better person.

We then need to ask God to bring us into a right-relationship with Him that we want to nurture for the rest of our lives. This relationship grows deeper as we learn about God and how to obey His rules for living. We can start each day by asking Him how He wants to use us, and do what we sense He is telling us.

We also nurture this growing relationship through the study of the Bible, God’s holy word (New International Study Bible). Start by reading the Gospel of John, where you’ll experience his eye-witness account of Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection. As you read and continue to daily talk with God, you’ll find tremendous corrections, peace, and understanding for your life as you grow spiritually.

(Previously in Homewords Small Group Bible Study Ministry, August, 2011)

Summary of Ruth – “God Grants the Wishes of a Prostitute”

Rahab:

• Joshua 2, 6:22-28, Hebrews 11:31, James 2:25, Matthew 1:5

As we conclude our study of the book of Ruth, we now realize that the wishes of the prostitute, Rahab were finally granted. What’s the connection, you might ask? Rahab, the prostitute, was the mother of Boaz (Matthew 1:5), who is the kinsman-redeemer in the book of Ruth.

If we travel back in time to after Moses’ death, we find, a newly commissioned Joshua (Joshua 1:1-5), and Moses’ army. God prepares this army to fight to conquer the city of Jericho (Joshua 1:6-11), which was their entrance to the Promised Land. Jericho is where Rahab and her family lived. We’d long ago forgotten about her, we certainly had no idea that she’d have any other significance in Bible history other than helping Joshua’s spies. However, God uses Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz to grant the wishes of Rahab, for the protection of her family. While it’s true that Rahab was a prostitute, did we discount the fact that she was a business woman. Though we may not agree with the product she was marketing, it helps to remind us that God can and does use anybody He sees fit to use. After all He’s using us to spread His message of His unconditional love and acceptance of all who believe in Him.

Rahab knew men, and she instantly knew the difference between the desires of the King of Jericho and his men, and this God she’d heard about and His men (Joshua’s spies). She was probably intrigued that the spies only wanted safe shelter, a place to sleep, and an escape route from her. They were not like most of the men who came to her house.

Being a business woman, she saw the opportunity to get something from these spies, after all she was risking her life to save them.

She’d heard that the spies’ God had caused the Israelites to escape Pharaoh by making a dry highway just for them through the Red Sea, and not one Israelite soul was lost by drowning. Yet, when Pharaoh’s army pursued them onto that dry seabed they and their horses drowned when God released the water (Exodus 14:26). She had encountered lots of men in her business dealings, becoming rich enough to support herself and her family. These men, however, were obedient to their God, who protected His people in a way that Rahab was unaccustomed to. She felt that she could help these men and trust their God to save her family in the destruction that would surely come. The spies enter into a contract with Rahab to save all who were in her house (Joshua 2:17-24).

We see God’s hand as He rescues Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz to make them into a family. We see Rahab honored in the lineage of Jesus (Matthew 1:5). Ruth and Boaz are honored as the great-grandparents of David.

Let’s take a fresh look at how God has salvaged our families today. Encourage each member by your example, to love God with their heart, soul, and mind.

Reverend Glenda Brunson