Obedient Faith

Scriptural Guide for this lesson is Genesis 12:1-20

God promised Abram that many nations would come from his descendants. Abram believed God and obediently moved to an unknown land. Although old, Abram left his comfortable life in Ur with only the Lord's word as a guide. The life changes that he experienced were undoubtedly difficult, but he persevered through the difficult times. 

A man once found a cocoon of an Emperor moth and kept it with the purpose of watching the beautiful creature emerge. Finally the day came and it began to struggle through the small opening at one end of the cocoon. The struggle continued for hours, but the moth could never force its body beyond a certain point. Finally believing that something was wrong and that the opening should have been larger, the man took a pair of scissors and carefully clipped the restraining threads. The moth emerged easily, and crawled out onto the windowsill. Its body was large and swollen, its wings small and shriveled. He supposed that in a few hours the wings would develop into the beautiful objects that he had expected. But it did not happen. The moth that should have been a thing of great beauty free to float and fly, spent its short life dragging around the swollen body and shriveled wings. The constricting threads and the struggle necessary to pass through the tiny opening had been God's method of forcing fluids from the body into the wings. The "merciful" snip of the threads was the most cruel thing possible. Often God lets us struggle rather than stepping in like a big brother to do our fighting for us. No doubt that he could make it all so easy and every moment of life so pleasant. But as we struggle, becoming exhausted almost beyond endurance, changes occur in us which could not happen otherwise: the "fluids" expand our wings, and in time we can fly. Cut the struggles short at some crucial point and we are crippled forever... or until God gives another opportunity for struggle that will do what the first aborted struggle should have been allowed to do. 

Are you experiencing a painful restriction on your lifestyle right now: a broken relationship, a betrayal of trust, a budget squeeze, some debilitating illness, jail time or some other discipline from the Lord? Can you see the plan God may have for you, turning evil into good- as he did for Abraham? Face your struggle courageously and patiently; God may be using it to prepare you for his promised land. 

Exploration: Genesis 22:2-3; Deuteronomy 26:16; Joshua 1:8; 11:15; 1 Samuel 15:22; John 14:31; Acts 5:29 

Trouble Is a Stepping-Stone to Growth

Trouble is something

no one can escape,

Everyone has it in

some form or shape-

Some people hide it

way down deep inside,

Some people bear it

with gallant-like pride,

Some people worry

and complain of their lot,

Some people covet

what they haven't got,

While others rebel and 

become bitter and old

With hopes that are dead 

and hearts that are cold...

But the wise man accepts

whatever God sends,

Willing to yield like

a storm-tossed tree bends,

Knowing that God never

makes a mistake,

So whatever He sends

they are willing to take-

For trouble is part

and parcel of life

And no man can grow

without trouble and strife,

And the steep hills ahead

and high mountain peaks

Afford man at last

the peace that he seeks-

So blessed are the people

who learn to accept

The trouble men try

to escape and reject,

For in our acceptance

we're given great grace

And courage and faith

and the strength to face

The daily troubles

that come to us all

So we may learn to stand

straight and tall-

For the grandeur of life

is born of defeat

For in overcoming

we make life complete.

(Helen Steiner Rice)

Daily Prayers Dissolve Your Cares

I meet God in the morning

And go with Him through the day,

Then in the stillness of the night

Before sleep comes I pray

That God will just take over

All the problems I could not solve

And in the peacefulness of sleep

My cares will all dissolve,

So when I open up my eyes

To greet another day

I will find myself renewed in strength

And there will open up a way

To meet what seemed impossible

For me to solve alone

And once again I will be assured

I am never on my own...

For if we try to stand alone

We are weak and we will fall,

For God is always greatest

When we are helpless, lost, and small,

And no day is unmeetable

If on rising our first thought

Is to thank God for the blessings

That His loving care has brought...

For there can be no failures

Or hopeless, unsaved sinners

If we enlist the help of God

Who makes all losers winners...

So meet Him in the morning

And go with Him through the day

And thank Him for His guidance

Each evening when you pray,

And if you follow faithfully

This daily way to pray

You will never in your lifetime

Face another hopeless day. 

(Helen Steiner Rice)

Wear the Full Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-20

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his great power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can fight against the devil's evil tricks. Our fight is not against people on earth but against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world's darkness, against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly world. That is why you need to put on God's full armor. Then on the day of evil you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing. So stand strong, with the belt of truth tied around your waist and the protection of right living on your chest. On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong. And also use the shield of faith with which you can stop all the burning arrows of the Evil One. Accept God's salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers, asking for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready and never give up. Always pray for all God's people. Also pray for me that when I speak, God will give me words so that I can tell the secret of the Good News without fear. I have been sent to preach this Good News, and I am doing that now, here in prison. Pray that when I preach the Good News I will speak without fear, as I should.

Living in the Light

Ephesians 5:1-20

You are God's children whom he loves, so try to be like him. Live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave himself for us as a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice to God. But there must be no sexual sin among you, or any kind of evil or greed. Those things are not right for God's holy people. Also, there must be no evil talk among you, and you must not speak foolishly or tell evil jokes. These things are not right for you. Instead, you should be giving thanks to God. You can be sure of this: No one will have a place in the kingdom of Christ and of God who sins sexually, or does evil things, or is greedy. Anyone who is greedy is serving a false god. Do not let anyone fool you by telling you things that are not true, because these things will bring God's anger on those who do not obey him. So have nothing to do with them. In the past you were full of of darkness, but now you are full of light in the Lord. So live like children who belong to the light. Light brings every kind of goodness, right living, and truth. Try to learn what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the things done in darkness, which are not worth anything. But show that they are wrong. It is shameful even to talk about what those people do in secret. But the light makes all things easy to see, and everything that is made easy to see can become light. This is why it is said: "Wake up, sleeper! Rise from death, and Christ will shine on you." So be very careful how you live. Do not live like those who are not wise, but live wisely. Use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times. So do not be foolish but learn what the Lord wants you to do. Do not be drunk with wine, which will ruin you, but be filled with the Spirit. Speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord. Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

The Way You Should Live

Ephesians 4:17-32

In the Lord's name, I tell you this. Do not continue living like those who do not believe. Their thoughts are worth nothing. They do not understand, and they know nothing, because they refuse to listen. So they cannot have the life that God gives.They have lost all feeling of shame, and they use their lives for doing evil. They continually want to do all kinds of evil. But what you learned in Christ was not like this. I know that you heard about him, and you are in him, so you were taught the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught to leave your old self- to stop living the evil way you lived before. That old self becomes worse, because people are fooled by the evil things they want to do. But you were taught to be made new in your hearts, to become a new person. That new person is made to be like God- made to be truly good and holy. So you must stop telling lies. Tell each other the truth, because we all belong to each other in the same body. When you are angry, do not sin, and be sure to stop being angry before the end of the day. Do not give the devil a way to defeat you. Those who are stealing must stop stealing and start working. They should earn an honest living for themselves. Then they will have something to share with those who are poor. When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what need- words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will do good to those who listen to you. And do not make the Holy Spirit sad. The Spirit is God's proof that you belong to him. God gave you the Spirit to show that God will make you free when the final day comes. Do not be bitter or angry or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil. Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ.

Pride

Scriptural Guide for this lesson is Genesis 11:1-32

People built a tower and a city called Babel as a monument to their own greatness. God thwarted this arrogant behavior by causing all the people to speak in different languages. This caused confusion and the people to scatter all over the world. God will not permit us to replace him as supreme in the universe. We belong to him and are responsible for our actions. The scene is almost spooky: a tall, unfinished tower looming solitarily on a dusty plain. Its base is wide and strong but covered with weeds. Large stones originally intended for use in the tower lie forsaken on the ground. Buckets, hammers, and pulleys-all lie abandoned. The silhouette cast by the structure is lean and lonely. Not too long ago, this tower was buzzing with activity. A bystander would have been impressed with the smooth-running construction of the world's first sky scraper. One group of workers stirred freshly made mortar. Another team pulled bricks out of the oven. A third group carried bricks to the construction site while a fourth shouldered the load up a winding path to the top of the tower where it was firmly set in place. Their dream was a tower. A tower that would be taller than anyone had ever dreamed. A tower that would punch through the clouds and reach the heavens. And what was the purpose of this tower? T glorify God? No. To try and find God? No. To call people to look upward to God? No. Try again. To provide a heavenly haven for prayer? Still wrong. The purpose of the work caused its eventual destruction. The method was right. The plan was effective. But the motive was wrong. Dead wrong. Why was the tower being built? For selfish reasons. The bricks were made of inflated egos and the mortar was made of pride. Men were giving sweat and blood for a pillar. Why? So that somebody's name could be remembered. We have a name for that: blind ambition. We make heroes out of people who are ambitious. And rightly so. This world would be in an even sadder state without people who dream of touching the heavens. Ambition is that grit in the soul which creates disenchantment with the ordinary and puts the dare  into dreams. But left unchecked it becomes an insatiable addition to power and prestige; a roaring hunger for achievement that devours people as a lion devours an animal, leaving behind only the skeletal remains of relationships. Blind ambition. Distorted values. God won't tolerate it. He did not then and he will not now. He took the "Climb to Heaven Campaign" into his hands. With one sweep he painted the tower gray with confusion and sent workers babbling in all directions. He took man's greatest achievement and blew it into the wind like a child blows a bubble. Are you building any towers? Examine your motives. And remember the statement imprinted on the base of the windswept Tower of Babel: Blind ambition is a giant step away from God and one step closer to catastrophe. What towers have you been building? Wealth? Success? Recognition? Focus on what God wants you to build. Simplify your life. Surrender your desires to him! Let him guide your efforts.

Exploration: (Judges 8:1-3); (Judges 15:14-17); (Luke 1:48); (Psalm 10:11)