When You’re Feeling Down, Let God's Love Lift You Up!

2 Samuel 10:1-11:27
‘May the Lord do what seems good to Him’(10:12). This is the attitude we ought to have. This is the ideal: ‘Your will be done in earth as it is in heaven’; ‘Not as I will, but as You will’(Matthew 6:10; 26:39). Often, we do not live up to the ideal - ‘the thing that David had done displeased the Lord’(11:27). Throughout life, there are choices between our own will and the will of the Lord. Sometimes, we make wrong choices. We choose our own way rather than the Lord’s way. Throughout life, God is speaking to us. He is trying to get our attention. He wants it to be less of self and more of Him. He is leading us to say from the heart, ‘As for God, His way is perfect’(22:31; Psalm 18:30). May we have this testimony: ‘I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not done evil by turning from my God’(Psalm 18:21).

2 Samuel 12:1-31
Here, we learn much about God’s dealings with sinners. In verse 7, there is conviction of sin - ‘You are the man’. In verse 13, we have confession of sin - ‘I have sinned against the Lord’- and forgiveness of sin - ‘The Lord has taken away your sin’. In verse 20, there is the restoration of the sinner - ‘washed... anointed… changed… he went into the house of the Lord, and worshipped’. These were not easy times for David - ‘the child died’(18). Later on, ‘a son’ was born (24). Sometimes, good things are happening to us. Sometimes, bad things are happening. ‘The Lord loved him’(24): ‘Through all the changing scenes of life, in trouble and in joy', never forget ‘His love’(Mission Praise, 702). Our circumstances change. His love never changes. When you’re feeling down, let His love lift you up!

2 Samuel 13:1-39
Lust is very different from love. What appeared to be ‘love’ turned into ‘very great hatred’- ‘The heart is deceitful… and desperately wicked’(14-15; Jeremiah 17:9). Things went from bad to worse. The ‘one-off’ event became a consistent and continuing rejection (16). Things continued to get worse. ‘Absalom hated Amnon’. He refused to speak to him (22). Could things get any worse? - Yes. Absalom and Amnon were murdered (28-29). Where is God in all this? His Name does not appear in this whole chapter. Is He absent? - No. He is there. He is warning us. This is what can happen if you forget about God! He is the God of holiness: ‘the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men…’(Romans 1:18). He is the God of love. He call us to confess our sins and be forgiven (1 John 1:9).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

God Is Holy, He Calls His People To Be Holy.

1 Samuel 5:1-6:16
In 5:3-4, we read of God’s superiority over Dagon - ‘The Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King’(Jeremiah 10:10). ‘The hand of the Lord was heavy’ on those who set themselves against Him (5:6-7,9,11). Let ‘the Lord alone be exalted’. He is our only ‘Saviour’(Isaiah 2:17-18; 43:10-11). Through His victory over Dagon, the Lord calls us to be completely devoted to Him: ‘Down went Dagon, smashed in pieces when the ark of God came in. So shall God destroy those idols that defile our hearts within. Come, Lord, and destroy them’. The return of the ark brought joy (6:13). When the Lord is restored to His rightful place among His people, there is joy. ‘Heaven came down and glory filled my soul’. When the Lord comes to us, we ‘rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory’(1 Peter 1:8).

1 Samuel 6:17-7:17
God is ‘holy’(20). He calls His people to be holy. With His call to holiness, there is His promise of blessing (3). Committed to serving the Lord only and calling on the Lord for His help, Israel wins a great victory over the Philistines (4-11). God’s people give thanks to Him - ‘Until now the Lord has helped us’(12). The victory over the Philistines was spectacular. There were, however, many ‘ordinary’ days. Here, we may learn from Samuel. He served the Lord ‘all the days of his life’(15). The spectacular triumphs were few and far between. The ‘ordinary’ days were many - ‘he went on a circuit year by year...’(16). In all his journeys, he did not forget to ‘come home’(7:17). Other places and other people seem to be so interesting. Don’t forget - There is much work to be done at ‘home’.
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com