Tag: bsf lesson 19

19.2 Moses 19, Day 2

Be

Hardships are real.  But in the same way that cataracts can cloud our vision to the point of blindness, hardships can cloud of perspective of God’s purpose for our lives.

I’ve been in situations where people treated hardships as a competition.  This will sound horrible, but I was in a bible study where people were sharing some of their struggles so the group could pray for them.  One man opened up that he had lost his wife to cancer 2 years prior and had just found out that his daughter had leukemia.  The next person started their comments with “well, I can’t beat that.”

There is nothing wrong with facing our hardships and confronting them, but they are situations, not what defines us.  We should name them, not as badges of honor, but as things to be turned over to God for prayer and support.

The challenge is that we, all too often, look to outside influences to make us something.  To make us happy.  To make us content.  To make us fulfilled.  But outside influences whether given (money, food, clothing) or taken away (fear, pain, hardship) do not “make us.”  Case in point, their are incredibly wealthy people, who lack financial security.  There are very well fed individuals, who crave certain foods.

The point is that the only way to “be” something else is from the inside out, not the outside in. Nothing pushing on the outside of a balloon is going to fill it up.  Ful-fill-ment starts on the inside.  That is where God comes in, by, literally coming in to your life.  God is not an influence, He is a “be”ing.  He says, you will “be” my people and I will “be” your God.  He fills us with the Love of Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  He writes His name on us and claims us as His home, a place to fill with Himself.

When your focus turns to struggles, worries and hardships, as the song says, turn your eyes upon Jesus.  In so doing you can “be” delighted in your inheritance, “be” patient and not fret, “be” still, and most rewardingly, you can “be” content.  Content is an interesting word.  The origin of the word is the past participle of the Latin word continere, meaning: to contain.

 

My Answers:

3.
a.
grumbling

b.
fire burned among them and consumed the edges of the camp, that is how He chose to reveal His wrath so they could see what they truly deserved.

4.
a.
Cried to Moses

b.
grumble, worry, pray

c.
16:6 – boundary lines, delightful inheritance
37:7 wait patiently, do not fret about others
4:11-12 be content

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BSF Genesis: Week 19, Day 3

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

6.
a.
lengthy travel, did not know anyone, no references, no recommendations, short time, personal risk

b.
went, prayed, waited, chose to rely only on God (not his own preconditions)

c.
Hiring and work. Relying on God to bring the right people and the right work.

7.
a.
It was a sign of having a servants heart that revealed the character of Isaac’s betrothed. It fit the scenario, task and situation.  Not outlandish or absurd.

b.
That she had a servant’s heart and was generous and thoughtful and a hard worker

8.
a.
Asked God for specific scene and it was exactly presented

b.
From Abraham’s household, from his hometown – not a canaanite

c.
When he met her he did not know any of this

My Daily Journal:

Trusting in God allows us to trust in others.

I was moved by the relationship between Abraham and his servant.  Last week we saw Abraham demonstrate his trust of God through his willingness to obey even in a situation that did not make sense and tugged at his very heart: sacrificing his only son.  While the characters are different this week, the core of the lesson is the same – trusting in God.

We saw that Abraham trusted and relied on the Lord but also did the hard work to make provisions to fulfill his responsibilities as an obedient servant to the Lord and as a father of a son and of many nations to come.  When he was commanded to take Isaac to the mountain he embarked quickly, but not before he cut the wood, secured the fire, loaded the donkey, employed the servants.  This week we see those same qualities.

Abraham knew the promise God had made and knew that required a wife for Isaac.  Abraham sought to do the work to be a part of that promise, not to interfere with God, but neither to sit idle.  He wanted a great wife for his son because he knew the special plan God had communicated that would come through his son and thus his bride.  He wanted someone not only physically able, but, more importantly, spiritually strong.  He looked around and knew that person could not come from his neighbors.  Sin permeates and Abraham knew first hand the difficulties of growing up in a household that did not worship God and God alone.  He wanted better for his son.  He also wanted his son to stay in the promise God had made.  The promise was tied to land, Abraham was planting seeds in that land and it takes time and care for those seeds to take root.

But Abraham was old.  He had trusted in God and now he had to trust in another man.  He turned to his servant, someone who had been directed “to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just.”  He equipped him with gold, jewelry, riches, camels and, most importantly, the spirit of God and the prayer for angels to watch over his journey.  He put the future of his descendents in his hands.  There was no plan B – he said if you do not find the right person then you are free.

What this shows to me is that, yes, Abraham trusted this servant.  But more importantly and even greater, he trusted God.