Week 18 Devotions

April 30 - - It is amazing the things some people become upset about. David was forced to leave Jerusalem because of the uprising of his son, Absalom. After Absalom had been defeated and David is returning to Jerusalem, a dispute broke out between the men of Israel and the men of Judah. Apparently, the men of Judah were more involved in David’s return to Jerusalem than were the men in the other ten tribes (the Levites were priests and would have been excluded from this dispute). “There are ten tribes in Israel, so we have ten times as much right to the king as you do. Why did you treat us with such contempt? Remember, we were the first to speak of bringing him (David) back to be our king” (II Samuel 19:43). Sounds almost like little children. “Mommy, tell Johnny to give me back my toy!” We see other similar stories in scripture. Jephthah was an outcast. Because his mother was a prostitute, his half-brothers chased him from their land. But, when the Ammonites began to war against Israel, the leaders of Gilead sent for Jephthah, requesting his help (Judges 11:4-6). After Jephthah successfully led an army composed of men from the tribes of Gilead and Manasseh and defeated the Ammonites, the tribe of Ephraim voiced their anger. They felt they had been slighted because they were not asked to also fight against the Ammonites (12:1). In truth, they really despised the tribe of Gilead, and Jephthah ended up having to defeat them in battle also. Why is it that people fight over some of the most petty of things? James says it’s because of “the whole army of evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous for what others have, and you can’t possess it, so you fight and quarrel to take it away from them” (4:1&2). Consequently, even brothers and sisters will fight with one another, friends will fight with one another, and Christians will fight with one another over what one wants but doesn’t have. The people of God should be smarter than that. As Solomon said, “there is a time for war and there is a time for peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:8). May God grant us the wisdom to know the difference between the two. May 3 - - Writing to the church at Corinth, the apostle Paul said, “There are different kinds of service in the church, but it is the same Lord we are serving. There are different ways God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work through all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church” (I Corinthians 12:5-7). He also reminds them in the same letter: “God is not a God of disorder but of peace....” (14:33). God has always been a God of order, a God who has a plan and a place for each and everyone of us (Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:5; 29:11-14). We see that in the Old Testament as God had specific functions for those who served Him as priests. The descendants of Aaron were given the responsibility of performing the sacrifices in the Tabernacle and the Temple, praying, and speaking on God’s behalf (I Chronicles 23:13). The descendants of Levi were to take care of the physical property of the Tabernacle and the Temple. Each was given their specific assignment. Others were to serve as judges. Some were to praise the Lord with musical instruments, while others were to serve as gatekeepers (I Chronicles 23:2-6, 27-32). They were basically assigned the responsibility of assisting the descendants of Aaron. Even the times they were to serve, were designated by the Lord. God doesn’t change. He is as He has always been, and He will always be as He now is (Hebrews 13:8; James 1:17). We, too, have been called by God to be priests (I Peter 2:5,9; Revelation 1:6). As such, we have also been assigned duties within God’s kingdom work, His church. God has a plan for all of our lives. He empowers each of us with supernatural gifts and then He places opportunities before us so that we can fulfill His plans. Our greatest satisfaction in life will come not when we do what we want, but when we do what God has gifted and assigned us to do. As Jesus said, “my nourishment in life, that which brings me the greatest pleasure is doing the will of God, who sent me. I delight in finishing His work” (John 4:34; 17:4). Can the same be said of us?