Monday, May 25, 2015
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Memorial Day, May 25th 2015
Middletown Memorial Day Parade starts at 10:00 am at Bayshore Middle School. Leonardville Rd.
Parade Route: Leonardville Rd. to Appleton Ave. to Center Ave. to Brevent Ave. Turn right onto Highland Ave.; left on Leonard Avenue and right on Viola Ave. to the Post Home on Route 36. Parade scheduled to end about 11:30 a.m.
The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation will hold a Memorial Day Ceremony Monday, May 25 at 11 a.m. The Vietnam Era Museum and Educational Center will be open to the public free of charge from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
The Gospel According to Judges (Judges 6) Questions for Reflection
Dig Deeper
The Lord did not address Gideon according to
his disposition of courage but rather the
Lord’s call for him to be
courageous. This is an important truth
for every Christian to grasp. The Christian’s position in Christ is based on Christ’s performance. 2 Corintians 3:4-6 explains, “Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are
adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our
adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant…”
What do the following
Scriptures reveal about your position in Christ?
John 6:37--
John 15:3--
Romans 8:29; Ephesians 1:11;
& 1 Peter 1:2--
1 Corinthians 6:11--
Colossians 1:22--
Colossians 3:1 and Romans
6:4--
Ephesians 2:4 and 1 John
3:1--
Philippians 3:20; Ephesians
2:19 and Hebrews 12:22--
2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians
6:15 and Ephesians 2:10--
In light of your position in
Christ, how do you sense the Holy Spirit calling you to respond?
Memorize This
2 Timothy 1:7-- For the Spirit God gave
us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
If the LORD with with us, then WHY...?
Every one of us has asked a variation of the question asked of the Lord by Gideon in Judges 6:13, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?'" (NAS) God is continually at work all around us all the time. Sometimes we recognize His hand at work, other times we don't.
I came across this video by Moving Works telling the story of Walt and Annie's struggle with infertility, and God's hand at work writing a beautiful story for them that was over 20 years in the making. Enjoy!
I came across this video by Moving Works telling the story of Walt and Annie's struggle with infertility, and God's hand at work writing a beautiful story for them that was over 20 years in the making. Enjoy!
Sunday, May 17, 2015
The Gospel According to Judges (Judges 3:12-31) Questions for Reflection
Dig Deeper
In
Deuteronomy 28:7, Moses sought to prepare the Israelites for life in the
promised land promising that if they fully obeyed the Lord their God and carefully followed His commands, “The Lord
will grant that the enemies who rise against you will be defeated before you.
They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.” Moses
also warned the Israelites that if they did not obey the Lord their God “The Lord
will cause you to be defeated before your enemies” (Deuteronomy 28:25). Judges
3:12 records that once again “the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and because they did this evil the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power over
Israel.”
When Israel
“cried out to the Lord” , the Lord raised up another deliverer
(judge)-- Ehud, a “left-handed man” (Judges 3:15). The Hebrew phrase used here
means literally, “hindered in the right hand” and likely reveals that in this
case left-handedness was viewed as a defect (Holman Study Bible notes, Judges 3:15-17). This further explains
why King Eglon would be willing to grant an audience with Ehud alone without
his guards as Ehud was certainly not viewed as a threat.
God’s use
of Ehud inspite of his physical limitations one example of a pattern echoed
throughout the Bible as 1 Corinthians 1:27 declares, “But God hath chosen the
foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak
things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” (KJV). What
additonal insights do you glean about God’s pattern of using the weak or
seaminly insignificant for His glory? What weakness(es) of your do you sense
the Holy Spirit desiring to use for God’s glory in your life?
Deuteronomy 7:6-8--
Judges 4:9 & 7:4--
1 Samuel 16:6-12--
Jeremiah 9:23-24--
Zechariah 4:6--
Mark 6:38 & Luke 9:13
Luke 21:1-4--
2 Corinthians 11:30-12:10--
Memorize This
2 Corinthians 12:10-- That is why,
for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in
persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Monday, May 11, 2015
Sunday, May 10, 2015
The Gospel According to Judges (Judges 4-5) Questions for Reflection
Judges 4
and 5 covers the judgeship of Deborah. Deborah was both a prophetess and judge,
“And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that
time” (Judges 4:4, KJV). The Hebrew word for prophetess can refer to a woman prophecies,
the wife of a prophet (as in Isaiah’s wife) or poetess. Deborah fulfills both
the first and last of this description, prophesying (forthtelling) in Judges
4:6, “Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded…” and her “song” (hymn) in
Judges 5.
Read Judges
4:1-10. What observations do you make about Deborah’s life and character?
What do you observe about
the significance of the role of the prophetess from the following Scriptures?
Miriam (Exodus 15:19-21)--
Huldah (2 Kings 22:14-20
& 2 Chronicles 34:22-33)--
Noadiah (Nehemiah 6:13-15)--
Anna (Luke 2:35-37)--
Philip’s daughters (Acts
21:9)--
Read Deborah’s Song in
Judges 5:1-31. In what area of your life do you sense the Holy Spirit leading
you to be courageous?
Memorize This
Judges 5:2-- "When the princes in
Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves-- praise the Lord! NIV
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Sunday, May 3, 2015
The Gospel According to Judges, Part 4 (Judges 3:1-11) Questions for Reflection
Dig Deeper
Judges 3
introduces the first three judges of Israel: Othniel (3:7-11), Ehud (3:12-30), and
Shamgar (3:31). Othniel was introduced in Judges 1 as the couragious warrior
who won Caleb’s daughter in marriate (Judges 1:12-13). (Note: the Hebrew term
“brother” can also mean kindred or
simply of the same tribe. )
Read Judges
2:22 to Judges 3:4. Why is it significant that Israel’s first judge was a man whose faithfulness was tested and
proved genuine?
There are
fourteen judges in total. Twelve appear in Judges and two in 1 Samuel (Eli and
Samuel). Major judges refer those of whom we’re given an account of their
judgeship while minor judges are those whose judgeship is summed up in one
verse. Read the introduction of each judge. What impression does this lead you
to make about these men and women?
Othniel
(Judges 3:9)-- Jair (Judges 10:3-4)--
Ehud
(Judges 3:15)-- Jephthah (Judges
11:1)--
Shamgar
(Judge 3:31)-- Ibzan
(Judges 12:8-9)--
Deborah
(Judges 4:4)--
Samson (Judges 13:24-25)--
Gideon
(Judges 6:12)-- Eli (1 Samuel 4:18)--
Tola
(Judges 10:1)--
Samuel (1 Samuel 7:15)--
Read Hebrews 11:32-33. What judges are listed?
What does this reveal about their faith?
What do you observe about
the relationship of the Spirit of the Lord
and the judges from the following Scriptures?
Judges 3:10--
Judges 6:34--
Judges 11:29--
Judges 14:6; 19; and 15:14--
Memorize This
James 1:2-3-- Consider it pure joy, my
brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your
faith produces perseverance. NIV
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)