Week 14 Devotions

April 2 - - Great crowds were following Jesus. He made sure they knew that he was not simply wanting thousands of people following him so much as he wanted committed disciples who were totally sold out to him (Luke 14:25-27). He then said, “don’t begin until you count the cost. What king would ever dream of going to war without first sitting down with his counselors and discussing whether his army of ten thousand is strong enough to defeat the twenty thousand soldiers who are marching against him......So no one can become my disciple without giving up everything for me” (14:28,31,33). Count the cost before making a decision. Wise advice. So, it is that God sends an army of 300 Israelites (Judges 7:2-8) against a Midianite army numbering 135,000 soldiers (8:10). Now, if we were counting the cost as Jesus said we should, how many of us would be willing to fight against those odds? Those are nearly impossible odds and it would be stupid to go into battle. When the ten spies told the Israelites that the people of Canaan were like mighty giants, their advice to the Israelites was to retreat. The odds were not in favor of the Israelites. But, Joshua and Caleb factored the One on their side who tipped the scales in their favor whatever the size of the other army. “If the Lord is pleased with us, He will bring us safely into that land and give it to us......Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!” (Numbers 14:8&9). Remember, this is the same God who scattered the entire Aramean army without any help from the Israelites (II Kings 7). Whatever the odds may be against you, never forget the God factor. Not only does His presence and His power tip the odds in our favor, but in truth, His presence and His power makes us the overwhelming favorite, regardless of the human odds against us. “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?.......Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death?......No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us” (Romans 8:31b, 35b, 37). No matter what the Devil or life throws your way, you are more than a conqueror because of the power and strength of Jesus Christ. Go claim your destiny. April 5 - - As Jesus was sending his disciples out to get a little experience, using the teachings and tools he had given them, he reminded them, “I am sending you out among wolves. Be as wary as snakes and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16; see also Luke 10:3). The world we live in is selfish and cruel. There are many who think nothing of taking advantage of, or even stealing from, the most helpless in our society. Jesus warned his disciples ahead of time to watch out for just such people. While we are not to pay back evil for evil (Romans 12:17), we need to be as wise as those we are dealing with or they will surely take advantage of us. One wonders what Samson was thinking of when he succumbed to Delilah’s pleas to tell her the secret of his strength. Yes, he was in love. Yes, he probably trusted her because, “love believes all things” (I Corinthians 13:7). And yes, the Bible does say, “day after day she nagged him until he couldn’t stand it any longer” (Judges 16:16). But, at some point wouldn’t Samson be a little suspicious as to why she kept asking the same question? Our wisdom cannot come from ourselves. It must come from God (James 1:5; I Kings 3:5-15; 4:29-34), for even in our most intelligent moments, the scope of our knowledge is insignifi-cant compared to God’s (I Corinthians 1:20-24). We need to call upon God to lead and guide us. When we depend upon our own knowledge, we get in trouble. Consider the Israelites after they entered the Promised Land. God gave them victory over their enemies and one day the Gibeonites devised a deceitful plan to spare their lives. They would send a delegation to Joshua, looking like they had traveled from a very long distance. The delegation would say they had been sent by their people far away to make peace with the Israelites because they had heard of the reputation and the power of the Israelites, even in their homeland (Joshua 9:7-13). The Israelites made a treaty with the Gibeonites, only to learn that the Gibeonites actually lived in the Promised Land. The reason given for why the Israelites were deceived is very revealing; “the Israelite leaders examined their bread, but they did not consult the Lord” (vs.14). We all get in trouble when we do not consult the Lord, for whatever reason; whether we think we are too busy, whether we don’t want to bother Him with something so trivial, or whether we just don’t think we need His wisdom. Maybe, we’re a lot more like Samson than we think. Maybe, we’re more comfortable with our capabilities and our knowledge than we should be. A truly wise person, is one who depends upon the wisdom of God, and not themselves. How wise are you?