Quiet Times Search

Go and marry a prostitute so that some of her children will be conceived in the prostitution - Hosea 1:2

God commanded Hosea to marry a prostitute named Gomer as an object lesson of God's love for the wayward nation of Israel

Gomer left Hosea and returned to her old ways but Hosea obeyed God even when it meant agonizing self-sacrifice

Hosea sacrificed himself to love someone completely unworthly of his love

God calls us to be vessels of his self-sacrificing love to "unlovable" people

Surely you wouldn't do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked - Genesis 18:25

Abraham's heart sank when God announced he would destroy Sodom:

• Lot and his family lived there
• Possiblity have friends there

He couldn't just stand there without trying to intercede on their behalf

Abramham trusted God's assessment of Sodom and he to be just and righteous

God said he would not destory the city if there were 50, 30, 20, 10 righteous left - Genesis 18:32

Are you a man of persistent, passionate prayer?

For days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to God of heaven - Nehemiah 1:4

Nehemiah learned the dilapidated walls around Jerusalem had left the Jewish residents vulnerable to attack

What did he do? Nothing but talk to God about the crisis

He offered the kind of prayer that GOd delights in answering:

1. He praised and worshiped God
2. Confessed his sins and the sins of his people
3. He thanked God for all things
4. He made his requests know

Nehemiah didn't rush into the task before first pleading for God's favor - Nehemiah 1:5-11

Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daugther and instead to share the oppression of God's people - Hebrews 11:24-25

He left his life of ease under Pharaoh and indentified himself with the suffering of his own people

Mose was born to a poor Hebrew mother, but he was raised in a world of privilege

He left Pharaoh's family and inheritance for being a descendant of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob

When you identify yourself with Christ you leave your old ways and thinking.

When they heard the words of the prophet Haggai the people feared the Lord- Haggai 1:12

Setting priorities is a key to doing anything well

Haggai believed strongly in setting the right priorities and enourging others to do the same

The people of Jerusalem had a problem with priorities

They had settled nicely into their homes with the Temple was left unfinished after 16 years

Why are living in luxurious houses while God's house lies in ruins? - Haggai 1:4

The people of Jerusalem hadn't finished the Temple because it wasn't at the top of their to-do list

Haggai preached the right message at the right time

Their sense of priorities got straighten out and they got busy

Do you give to a ministry that God has put on your heart? If not, it is time to rearrange your priorities

Jonathon's father had shown flashes of faith but his overall lack of spiritual focus led to his ouster as king and a strained relationship with his son

He took a different approach with his relationship with the Lord:

• Left his father and 600 men at the encampment at Gibeah to launch an overwhelmingly successful attack on the Philistines
• His dependence on God won the confidence of the armor bearer - 1 Samuel 14:7
• Left a legacy of faith and commitment to the Lord

You may not have spiriutal roots as a Christian but you can begin a legacy of faith and obedience

May the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful - Psalms 90:1

The formula for failure is trying to please everyone

Lasting blessing comes when you make pleasing God and seeking his approval your focus

In Psalms 90, Moses wrote while in the wilderness, plainly about the consequences of their stubbornness and disobedience

Most of those who left Egypt would never see the Promise Land but still found hope understanding the connection between willing obedience and divine blessing

Life is far too short and God's blessing to wonderful to miss anything he wants to give you

Jesus returned to Galilee filled with the Holy Spirit - Luke 4:14

Any man who has accomplished something for the Lord owes his sucess to the empowerment of the Holy Spirit

Jesus left us an example on how to depend on the Spirit for power, guidance, and encouragement

Every wise word he spoke and every miraculous deed he performed grew out of the Spirt's prompting

Jesus didn't began his public ministry until "the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove - Luke 3:22

If Jesus, as the perfect Son of God, needed the empowerment of God's Spirit, how much more do you need his power today?

Now Samuel died and all Israel gathered for his funeral - 1 Samuel 25:1

Samuel made a nig impression on everyone who knew him - the entire nation mourned his passing

Samuel left behind a legacy of faith, obedience, and courage:

1. Faithfully and consistantly took God at his word
2. Acted on what he knew God wanted
3. Refused to worry about personal consequences

Our primary goal in life should always be to make a positive mark for the Kingdom of God

Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he lived in Mahaneh-dan - Judges 13:24-25

The man who learns to put himself aside is the one who makes a difference for God's kingdom

From the time Samson was a boy, the Spirit began to stir within him

That is when self got in the way

Something went wrong between God's Spirit and Samson

Samson didn't use the gifts of God had given him as a leader and deliever God called him to be

He used his gifts for his own agenda:

• Consistantly proud
• Often immoral
• Arrogantly disregarded the counsel of others
• Used strength for revenge and settle scores

God gave Samson all the strength he needed to succeed

Samson squandered an opportunity for greatness and left a legacy of pride

Will you use your gifts for his benefit or just for yourself?

Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child. Herod is going to search for the child to kill him - Matthew 2:13

After Jesus' birth, Joesph probably thought he and Mary would be typical parents

After the wise men left, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to get up immediately and take Mary and Jesus to Egypt

Though questions swirled in Joseph's mind, he didn't hesitate and took his family and left

Joseph played a huge part in Jesus' birth and childhood because he listened when God spoke 

My nourishment comes from doing the will of God - John 4:34

Willingness to obey is one thing, developing a passion for obedience is another level completely

Jesus lived to obey his heavenly Father

He left paradise to take a form of a man and remained passionately and single-mindedly devoted to accomplishing his Father's will

Nothing could stand in the way of his accomplishing his goal - even dead of the cross

The smallest deviation from what God had plan would have meant disaster for mankind

Jesus' plan was never in jepardy because of the passion he had to obey everything his Father directed

Do you feel eager to obey God?

Summary

Isaac and Rebekah had twins: Esau and Jacob. Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a meal.

Observations

Genesis 25:22 - the two children struggled with each other in the womb
Sibiling rivaly starts early - even before they born in this case. Our thoughts and personalities are formed before we leave the womb. Sure, we can learn and further be formed afterwards but in some sense their parents did not help smooth the relationship. Their parents practiced favoritsm: Issac's love for Esau was conditional based off performance and Rebekah's love for Jacob was consistant and uncondtional [Genesis 25:28].

Genesis 25:32 - I'm dying of starvation... what good is my birthright to me now?
Short term pleasure can lead to long term consequences and lose of sight of the future. Was Esau really going to die of starvation? It does not seem so from his actions after he ate as he just got up and left quickly [Genesis 25:34]. Esau resorted to exaggeration to prove his point. The issue was nothing else mattered at the time except for food and Esau lost perpective of what was most important. Jacob, ironically, was the hunter in this case by patiently laying a trap for his brother's arrival. 

Application

Getting through the short-term pressure-filled moment is often the most difficult part of overcoming tempation. I need to have God's long term perpective when confronted with a short sided want.

Prayer

Praying for God's strength in my weaknesses

John the Baptist was a mighty man but he said there was one coming who is mighter than he

He baptized great and small but when Jesus arrives, John falters and draws back at thought of baptizing Jesus

Fisherman left all and followed him - such was the impression he made upon them

Jesus goes into the synagogue and begins to teach, they are amazed how he teaches with such authority

He heals and the people are surprised because God given such power to a man

Jesus drew men to him:

• Seashore: crowd so great, he pushed into the water
• Hilltop: hillside is alive with people
• Desert: great crowd surrounds him
• City: he sometimes dares not go into a city because the turmoil he would cause

In each place Jesus arrived, he turned it upside down by his presence

Only a man of strength draws to him great masses of men