Today’s Reading Judges 8-9
Focal Scripture: Judges 8:34 “The Israelites did not remember the Lord their God who had rescued them from the hand of the enemies around them.”
People are fickle. The Israelites continually forget what the Lord has done for them in the past. Every time they forget they find themselves in trouble and it costs them dearly. Was this a failure on the Israelites for not teaching their children the commands of the Lord? Did the next generation decide we are not going to follow in our parents footsteps? Or was it that people are inherently wicked and have a sin nature that must be corrected?
We see through Israel’s history that they get rescued, see God move in a might way, then forget what God has done for them. Even from families that should know better. Gideon’s son, Abimelech did evil. He killed his own family members to rule as King. He was ruthless and paid a heavy price because of his sin. He saw how his father served, lived, and fought for the people. He heard how God meet with him and changed his life. However, he missed it.
The application of this reading comes down to not forgetting what God has done for us in our lives. When we forget we get complacent. When we get complacent we begin to compromise. When we compromise sin becomes a major issue that can bring us down.
How can believers make it a priority to remember what the Lord has done in their life?
- Journal and write down what God has done
- Brag on God. (Remember that God gets the priority, not you.)
- Creatively find a way to tell God stories.
- When you pray, lift up God and thank him for his goodness.
If we keep God in the forefront of our minds it will be a lot harder to fall back into a sinful place. We must teach our kids and our grandkids. God is faithful even when we are not. I challenge everyone today to look at what God has done in your life and reflect on it for a while. Once you have done that know that he will be with you in whatever you will face in the future!
Tomorrow I plan on reading Judges 10-12
