Samson went to visit his wife                                        verse 1 

But it came to pass within a while after – in the time of wheat harvest

            that Samson visited his wife with a kid

and he said

I will go in to my wife into the chamber

But her father would not suffer him to go in 

Father of bride explains and offers younger daughter verse 2 

And here father said

            I verily thought that you had utterly hated her

                        THEREFORE I gave her to your companion

            Is not her younger sister fairer than she?

                        take her- I pray you – instead of her 

Samson destroys crops of Philistines                             verse 3- 5 

And Samson said concerning them

Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines

      though I do them a displeasure

And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes

and took firebrands – and turned tail to tail

      and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails

And when he had set the brands on fire

he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines

      and burnt up both the shocks

and also the standing corn

                  with the vineyards and olives 

Philistines burn Samson’s wife and her father             verse 6 

Then the Philistines said

Who hath done this?

And they answered

            Samson – the son-in-law of the Timnite

      BECAUSE he had taken his wife

                  and given her to his companion

And the Philistines came up – and burnt her

 and her father with fire 

Samson avenges deaths                                                 verse 7- 8 

And Samson said to them

Though you have done this

yet will I be avenged of you

                  and after that I will cease

And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter

and he went down and dwelt

in the top of the rock Etam 

Men of Lehi bring Samson to Philistines                    verse 9- 13 

Then the Philistines went up – and pitched in Judah

and spread themselves in Lehi

And the men of Judah said

Why are you come up against us?

And they answered

            To bind Samson are we come up

      to do to him as he has done to us

Then three thousand men of Judah

went to the top of the rock Etam

and said to Samson

Know you not that the Philistines are rulers over us?

What is this that you have done to us?

And he said to them

As they did to me – so have I done to them

And they said to him

We are come down to bind you

that we may deliver you into

the hand of the Philistines

And Samson said to them

            Swear unto me

that you will not fall on me yourselves

And they spoke to him

saying

No – but we will bind you fast – and deliver you into their hand

            but surely we will not kill you

And they bound him with two new cords

and brought him up from the rock 

Spirit of the LORD came upon Samson                       verse 14- 17

 And when he came to Lehi – the Philistines shouted against him

and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily on him

      and the cords that were on his arms

became as flax that was burnt with fire

      and his bands loosed from off his hands

and he found a new jawbone of an ass – and put forth his hand

      and took it – and slew a thousand men therewith

And Samson said

With the jawbone of an ass – heaps on heaps

      with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men

And it came to pass – when he had made an end of speaking

that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand

                        and called that place Ramath-lehi           

Samson asks God for water                                           verse 18- 19

 And he was sore athirst and called on the LORD

and said

You have given this great deliverance into the hand of your servant

and now shall I die for thirst

      and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?

BUT God clave a hollow place that was in the jaw

and there came water there out

And when he had drunk – his spirit came again – and he revived

wherefore he called the name thereof En-hakkore

      which is in Lehi to this day 

Samson judged Israel for twenty years                         verse 20 

And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years 

COMMENTARY:              

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers 

: 3        And Samson said concerning them, Now, shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure. (7451 “displeasure” [ra] evil, adversity, affliction, bad, or calamity)  

DEVOTION: Samson left the town of Ashkelon after killing thirty men under the power of the Holy Spirit. His wife was given to a companion whom he had used as a friend. Remember that the LORD was going to deliver the Israelites from the Philistines with this man.

He was a man who didn’t honor his vows as a Nazarite. He didn’t honor his parents by marrying someone from his own tribe in Israel. This was all according to a plan of God.

Now we find him going back to see his wife who was given to another man. He appears at the door and the father told him that he had given away his wife and offered her younger sister.

Samson is mad again and takes three hundred foxes and attached brands to their tails and burns down the Philistines crops. It upset the Philistines and they burned the father of the woman that Samson married as well as her. Now Samson is angry again and kills more Philistines and goes to live in the top of the rock Etam.

The Philistines come after him and confront the men of Lehi. They go with three thousand men to get Samson and deliver him to the Philistines. The men of Lehi deliver him to the Philistines but they didn’t realize that the Holy Spirit was going to give him power to overcome a thousand men.

The LORD set up the events in Israel regarding the Philistines. The parents of Samson didn’t understand why he asked them for a wife in the Philistine camp.

This event set up this chapter. Samson went to see the wife he had never known. This gave Samson an excuse in the eyes of man to fight with the Philistines. Samson was going to cause a calamity to happen to the Philistines because of his mistreatment by the family of his wife.

The Philistines were mistreating Israel and this gave him opportunity to rectify that situation.. This was the LORD’S doing. Samson used foxes and the jawbone of a donkey to judge the Philistines. Unusual tools but available.

When he defeated the Philistines, they left and gave Samson an opportunity to judge Israel for twenty years.

We need to be available for HIS use and use the tools HE makes available to us. HE is still fighting for us as HE promised. We are never alone in our battles. We are never alone when we are going through hard times. Even when it seems that those around us are fighting with the enemy, the LORD is with us. Praise HIS name!!!

Samson stated that he was blameless in this situation. It was a matter of honor. The honor of the LORD is more important than even our honor. Are we honoring the LORD with our actions?

CHALLENGE: Is the Holy Spirit filling you to do battle with the enemies of the LORD? Are we seeking the filling of the Holy Spirit in our lives? Are we asking for “fresh oil” from the LORD daily. 

 

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers 

: 6        Then the Philistines said, Who has done this? And they answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire. (4828 “companion” [merea] means best man, friend, intimate, not a friend,  or a person who is frequently in the company of another) 

DEVOTION:  Not sure if Samson brought anyone else to the wedding but he had men assigned to him when he came. They were the same ones who used his wife to find out the meaning of the riddle. He left the wedding on the wedding night.

Now he came to visit his wife to find out that her father had given her to the best man or another man that attended the wedding. This made Samson mad and he reacted. Remember this was all part of God’s plan to cause Samson to defeat the Philistines. So now he had a excuse that he used to burn their crops with fire attached to jackals. Foxes don’t run in packs but jackals do and they were common in the Promised Land.

Now the Philistines were angry that their crops were ruined and wanted to get to the bottom of the reason for the loss of their crops. They found out the reason and killed both the father and his oldest daughter. It might have even been the rest of the family.

Remember the reason the oldest daughter gave the friends the answer to the riddle was that they promised to burn her if she didn’t give them the answer and now here she was being burned because she did give the answer.

CHALLENGE: When we think that we can get away with something that is wrong we need to realize that what we sow is what we are going to reap. Her father and she did.

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: 14      And when he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily on him, and the cords that were on his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands. (6743 “mightily” [tsalach] means to force entry, to cut through, to rush to, to succeed, to attack, grant prosperity, to move hurriedly, or to advance.)

DEVOTION:  The LORD continues to use Samson to fight with the Philistines. His own people came to him with ropes to capture him alive and give him to the Philistines. He had them promise that they wouldn’t kill him themselves.

Now he is bound by two new robes that others could never break in their own strength but after the Philistines shouted in triumph the Holy Spirit gave him the power to break the ropes.

The enemy thought they had the man they wanted to kill but they didn’t count on the word of the LORD. They didn’t understand the plan of the LORD and how HE was going to use Samson. They thought because the children of Judah gave him to them they would be able to kill him easily. They were wrong.

One man with the LORD can defeat a whole army. Here we are told that he killed a large number of men with the jawbone of an ass. He took this jawbone from a dead animal and defeated those who were alive. They had to run away to save their own lives.

Remember that one individual totally dedicated to the LORD can defeat any enemy in the power of the Holy Spirit. We have nothing to fear when we are in tune with the LORD. HE will give us a victory we never expected.

CHALLENGE:  Trust in the LORD with your whole heart and HE will direct your path. How is your trust measuring up to Samson’s so far????

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 18      And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, YOU have given this great deliverance into the hand of YOUR servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised? (8668 “deliverance” [tashuw’ah] means help, salvation, victory, the act of delivering from sin or saving from evil, or rescue)

DEVOTION:  After great spiritual victories there can be great physical needs that need to be met. Here we have Samson killing a large number of men with a jawbone which had to use a lot of strength even with the power of the Holy Spirit behind him.

So, he comes away from the battle with a great thirst. What does he do about the thirst? He calls on the name of the LORD to provide him water. He knew where even his water came from. It was a gift from the LORD. He expected the LORD to answer his prayer right away.

The LORD did provide water right away through the jawbone. It is amazing that the LORD used this same article to provide the means to kill a thousand men and at the same time provide needed water for Samson.

Also read the prayer again. He called himself a servant of the LORD. He knew who was giving him the ability to do all that he was doing.  He knew that the LORD was leading his life in the direction it should be going. He was a willing servant.

We need to let the LORD lead us in the direction HE wants us to go. Sometimes it is not the direction we think we should be going but HE is in control. Allow HIM to direct your steps each day.

Again this should be done with an active prayer life that is surrounded by a life that is full of the Word of God. With these two parts of our Christian life, we are open to the leading of the Holy Spirit in everything we do.

CHALLENGE:  Our devotional life is key to a productive spiritual life.

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: 19      But God clave a hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water there out; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof En-hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day. (5875 “En-hakkore” [‘Eyn, haq-Qowre’] means spring of One calling, probably of Judah, a spring from which Samson drank, or fountain of One calling)

DEVOTION:   The men of Judah didn’t want to fight the Philistines but they were also willing to give Samson to them to appease them. It is sad that those who claim to know the LORD are so weak at times.

Samson asked his fellow Israelites if they would fight against him and they said no but they were willing to bind him and turn him over to their enemy without a fight.

There are many people who claim to be believers in Jesus Christ who are not willing to fight the enemy but are willing to allow true believers to fight without their help.

Here we have Samson literally dying of thirst and those around him were not willing to come to his aid.

He cried out to God and HE provided the refreshment that allowed him to continue to live. The LORD is our salvation not only for eternity but for every day needs. We have to turn to him when others are not willing to help.

HE is willing to come to our aid each time we cry out to HIM as we are genuine servants of HIM. HE knows the difference. HE knows HIS children and if they genuinely cry out to HIM, HE will provide a way to escape.

CHALLENGE: Are you facing a battle today? Have you asked others to help? Have they given you nothing? Turn to the LORD and HE will provide your every need during every battle you face. HE is the answer!!

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY 

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone) 

SOUL 

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God) 

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level) 

Samson prays for water                                           verse 18

LORD provided water                                             verse 19 

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group) 

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead) 

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)   verse 14, 18

God (Creator) split rock and provided water

            for Samson                                                     verse 19 

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

        Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon Samson  verse 14 

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)     

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation) 

Philistines                                                                   verse 3- 20

            Rulers of Judah

Uncircumcised                                                           verse 18 

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels) 

Hate                                                                            verse 2

Burnt humans                                                           verse 6

Kill                                                                              verse 13 

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins) 

Blameless                                                                    verse 3

Deliverance                                                                verse 18

Servant                                                                       verse 18

Human spirit                                                             verse 19

Revived                                                                       verse 19 

Israel (Old Testament people of God) 

Samson                                                                       verse 1- 20

            Visited his Philistine wife

            Wife’s father told him he gave her to another

                        Offered him a younger sister

            Three hundred foxes used to burn crop

            Avenge Philistines

            Bound by men of Judah

            Used jawbone of donkey

                        to kill a thousand Philistines

            Thirsty after battle and called on LORD

            LORD provided water

            En-hakkore

            Judged Israel 20 years           

Men of Judah                                                            verse 9, 10

            To bind Samson

            Three thousand men bound Samson 

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

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DONATIONS:

Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org  Also if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method.  Thank you.

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QUOTES regarding passage 

15:18–19. The next incident in Samson’s life was God’s provision of water for him. Samson was extremely thirsty after his difficult effort in the hot, dry climate. His cry to the Lord was miraculously answered as God opened up the hollow place (maḵtēš, lit., “mortar,” i.e., basin) and water came out. This place where Samson’s strength was restored was still called En Hakkore (“spring of the caller”) when the Book of Judges was completed (it is still there). (Lindsey, F. D. (1985). Judges. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 406). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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15:19, 20 En Hakkore means “Spring of the Caller,” a reference to Samson “calling out” to the Lord in v. 18 (“cried out” in v. 18 is literally “called out,” and is the same word as is used in the name here). (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 329). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)

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Ver. 19. And God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout, &c.] A socket in which was fastened one of the teeth, and was in the form of a mortar; so Jarchi and Ben Melech, as the word for an hollow place signifies; one of the grinders was knocked out, and so the place where it had been was left hollow, and out of that sprung a stream or flow of water; which was very wonderful, since out of such a place rather blood, or purulent matter, would naturally have issued; the Targum is, “the Lord clave the rock which was in the jaw;” which Kimchi interprets thus, the rock was under the jaw, and the rock was made as a hollow place, and therefore they call it mactes, a mortar: the sense seems to be this, that the place on which Samson cast the jaw-bone was a rock, and there God clave an hollow place, out of which water sprung, and which perhaps was under the jaw-bone, and sprung under it, and through it; and so Josephus says, that God at his prayer brought a sweet and large fountain out of a certain rock; and the words of the text will bear to be rendered, and God clave an hollow place, which is in Lehi; that is, in the place called Lehi, ver. 9, 14 and not in the jaw-bone itself: and when he had drank, his spirit came again, and he revived; his spirit was sunk and gone, as it were, but upon drinking a draught of this water he was refreshed and cheered, recovered his spirits, and became brisk and lively: wherefore he called the name thereof En-hakkore; that is, “the fountain of him that was calling;” of Samson that called upon God in prayer, and was heard, in memory of which he gave it this name; so the Targum, “therefore its name was called the fountain that was given through the prayer of Samson:” which is in Lehi unto this day; or in the jaw-bone: not that the jawbone continued unto the time of the writer of this book, but the name of the place where this miracle was wrought, which was in Lehi, continued to be called En-hakkore unto that time, and it may be the fountain itself continued also; nay, Glycas says, who lived but about 600 years ago, that the fountain continued unto his time, and was to be seen in the suburbs of Eleutheropolis, and was called the fountain of the jaw-bone. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, pp. 359–360). London: Mathews and Leigh)

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19 But God clave an hollow place that was in ║the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, ^hhis spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof ║En-hakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day.

Clave an hollow place, i. e. by cleaving a place, made it hollow; an expression like that Isa. 47:2, grind meal, i. e. grind corn into meal; and that Psal. 74:15, thou didst cleave the fountain, i. e. cleave the rock so as to make a fountain in it. In the jaw; in the jawbone which he had used, which God could easily effect, either by causing the jawbone to send forth water, as the rock formerly did, the miracle being in effect the same, though in a differing subject, causing a spring to break forth in Lehi: or, in that Lehi mentioned before, ver. 14; for Lehi is both the name of a place, and signifies a jawbone. En-hakkore, i. e. the fountain of him that cried for thirst; or, that called upon God for deliverance; i. e. the fountain or well which was given in answer to my prayer. Which is in Lehi unto this day. According to this translation, Lehi is the name of a place, and not a jawbone, because it seems improbable that a jawbone should continue there so long, which every traveller might take away, and would be forward enough to carry a fountain with them in those hot countries; although it is not incredible that passengers would generally forbear to meddle with or remove so great a monument of God’s power and goodness; or that the same God who made it instrumental to so great a wonder, should add one circumstance more, to wit, fix it in the earth, as a testimony to posterity of the truth of this glorious work. But these words may be otherwise rendered thus, which fountain was in that jawbone; and for the following words, unto this day, they may not be joined with the words next and immediately foregoing, as if the fountain was there to this day; but with the former words, he called, &c., and so the sense may be this, that it was so called unto this day; and the place may be thus read, he called the name thereof, or, the name thereof was called, (such active verbs being frequently put passively and impersonally,) The well or fountain of him that called or cried (which was in Lehi) unto this day. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 1, pp. 491–492). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers.)

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15:19, 20 En Hakkore means “Spring of the Caller,” a reference to Samson “calling out” to the Lord in v. 18 (“cried out” in v. 18 is literally “called out,” and is the same word as is used in the name here). (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 329). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)

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FROM MY READING: 

A couple of weeks ago, the British left-leaning magazine The Guardian breathlessly proclaimed, “[E]xperts are warning the US is facing a wave of rightwing ‘Christian nationalist’ legislation in 2021, as the religious right aims to thrust Christianity into everyday American life.” 

And what nefarious legislation will “thrust Christianity in everyday life”? Prolife laws designed to protect the unborn, religious liberty protections for Christian organizations, and other things advocated by Christians long before anyone had ever heard of Christian Nationalism. 

That this term, “Christian Nationalism,” has become a one-size-fits-all label for whole swaths of the country, especially since the violence in the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, shouldn’t surprise anyone. As images from that day reveal, there were plenty of Christians flags and symbols flying alongside Old Glory and pro-Trump banners. The “symbology” was heavy and indicative, as Andrew Walker told me on a recent BreakPoint Podcast, of a fusion of Christianity and the nation. 

For many on the right, the connection seems obvious, especially those who think of America as God’s primary agent in the world. And, for many on the left, it seems just as obvious: Christianity is bigoted, dangerous, and outdated in modern society.

In a sense, this kind of conflict isn’t unusual. Throughout history, nations have tied their faith, secular or religious, to their flag. Ancient kings draped their wars in divine sanction, medieval monarchs cried “God wills it!” and 20^th century dictators claimed that an overarching “History” or “Science” was on their side. America isn’t even the only Western nation whose founding documents and hymns are full of Biblical references and appeals to God for protection.

Even so, much of the American story makes our own experience distinctive. From the “City on a Hill” language of the first Puritan colonists (an idea often misunderstood by both Christians and antagonists), to the revolutionary fervor of 1776, to the religious revivals in both camps during the Civil War, to the world wars of the 20th century and our overtly atheistic foe of the Cold War, to American Christianity’s focus on the End Times, to the strong sense of Divine destiny, America’s history is very religious.

All together, this history has left America with a civil religion, something profoundly helpful for social cohesion but not always good for theological orthodoxy. Whenever the truth of the gospel is watered down for the sake of political or national unity, it isn’t long before politics and nationality are all that matters. 

Let’s be clear: no nation, no party, and no politician is indispensable for the advance or well-being of Kingdom of God. God works through individuals and nations, but His plans endure regardless of the success of nations and worldly kingdoms.

This leaves Christians with a two-fold problem. First is the often well-meaning but always-misguided tendency to conflate our nation and our faith. Any time the good of our country is the ends and the Kingdom of God is the means, we are guilty of idolatry. Especially in an age such as ours, Christians must check and recheck (and re-recheck) our hearts and words to make sure we only render to Caesar what belongs to him, and always reserve for God what is His.

Our second problem is when the scare label “Christian Nationalism,” is used to dismiss any policy or person more conservative than whoever is using the term. As seen in the The Guardian, we’re all but guaranteed for the near future that anything vaguely traditional or moral, and any appeal to anything higher than the latest cultural fad, will be smeared with this label. It’s silly. Even more, it’s dangerous. 

Even so, Christians must not abandon the public square just because people say mean things about us. Our God-given call to be faithful to Him above our nation also means He’s called us to be faithful to Him in our nation, at this time and in this place. Neither the excesses in the name of Christ or those who attempt to ban His people from public life remove this calling from us.

Also, and this will be tougher, we mustn’t let the animosity leave us embittered or in despair. As Richard John Neuhaus said, Christians “have not the right to despair, for despair is a sin. And we have not the reason to despair, quite simply because Christ is risen.”  (Break Point)

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Genesis 50

Jacob dies; then Joseph lives to be 110 years old.

INSIGHT

God’s will is often fulfilled in strange ways. Joseph was given childhood dreams indicating he would rule over his brothers. Little could Joseph have imagined it would include their trying to kill him, his spending time in prison, and his ruling over the nation of Egypt.

That time and those experiences were needed to build into Joseph the character qualities and the wisdom needed to rule successfully. Never doubt in the dark what God shows you in the light. (Quiet Walk)

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THE PROOFS OF ADOPTION

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:26
What are the proofs that any one of us can have that we have been adopted? Well, you can find the scriptural proof. “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” Also in 1 Peter 1:3-6 you find it again: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations.” We are the inheritance—that is, the children of God. This is for all of us who believe in Christ.
The second way of assurance is that we are given “the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15); “we receive the adoption of sons” (Galatians 4:5). You can be assured of the fact that you have received adoption because you know that the Holy Spirit is dwelling within you. We have His testimony to our spirits that we are the children of God. And then last of all I would offer the fact that we are led by the Spirit. This is Paul’s argument: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14). Paul does not say, “As many as are actively acting as peacemakers or who are loving their enemies . . .” No! “As many as are led by the Spirit of God”; those who subject themselves to His leading and who rejoice in being led by Him—they are the sons of God.
A Thought to Ponder: You can be assured of the fact that you have received adoption
because you know that the Holy Spirit is dwelling within you.
             (From God the Holy Spirit, p. 187, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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Ripple Effect

Because the hand of the Lord my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me.

Ezra 7:28

The little Bible college in northern Ghana didn’t look impressive—just a tin-roofed cinder-block building and a handful of students. Yet Bob Hayes poured his life into those students. He gave them leadership roles and encouraged them to preach and teach, despite their occasional reluctance. Bob passed away years ago, but dozens of thriving churches, schools, and two additional Bible institutes have sprung up across Ghana—all started by graduates of that humble school.

During the reign of King Artaxerxes (465-424 bc), Ezra the scribe assembled a band of Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem. But Ezra found no Levites among them (Ezra 8:15). He needed Levites to serve as priests. So he commissioned leaders to “bring attendants to us for the house of our God” (v. 17). They did so (vv. 18-20), and Ezra led them all in fasting and prayer (v. 21).

Ezra’s name means “helper,” a characteristic that resides at the heart of good leadership. Under Ezra’s prayerful guidance, he and his protégés would lead a spiritual awakening in Jerusalem (see chapters 9-10). All they had needed was a little encouragement and wise direction.

That’s how God’s church works too. As good mentors encourage and build us up, we learn to do the same for others. Such an influence will reach far beyond our lifetime. Work done faithfully for God stretches into eternity.

By Tim Gustafson  (Our Daily Bread)

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Teachers and Soldiers “And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” (2 Timothy 2:26) We are in a great battle for the minds of young people today. The battlefield may be the classroom, or the home, or the church, or the family television, or any place else where teaching—good or bad—takes place. It is significant that one of the greatest verses on teaching and one of the greatest on soldiering occur together. “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:2-3). Thus, it seems clear that a faithful teacher is a good soldier in the battle of Jesus Christ against the devil for the minds of those we are trying to teach. The battle is not to be fought with bullets, however, or even with ballots, but with “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). Furthermore, our battlefield strategy is not to strike down our enemy with a sharpened tongue or to bludgeon him with a superior intellect. “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4:6). Our text for the day gives us reason to continue, for it promises that those whose minds have been ensnared by the devil may yet be recovered. The words just preceding this verse describe our tactics: “The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:24-25). Not even Satan can stand before the mighty sword of the Spirit, wielded by an apt soldier-teacher.                        (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)

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