Daily Encouragement

April 23 – Judges Starts Well But Not for Long

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
Judges 1:1-2:9
Luke 21:29-22:13
Psalm 90:1-91:16
Proverbs 13:24-25

Judges 1:1 — The Book of Judges starts on a high note! “The children of Israel asked the LORD.” Unfortunately, it ends on a bad note (Judges 21:25).

Judges 2:2 — “… ye have not obeyed my voice.” The pre-incarnate LORD spoke, not a messenger who said “Thus saith the LORD.” And it was a rebuke. Obedience is what God desires.

Judas sells Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Lippo Memmi, 14th Century.

Luke 22:5 — “… and they were glad.” 2 Corinthians 9:7 says that the Lord loveth a cheerful giver, but these givers (although cheerful) were not giving to the Lord but to a man possessed by Satan who would help them kill the Lord.

Psalm 90:12 — There are “Death Clock” websites that allow you to enter your date of birth, sex, smoking habit, body mass index, personality, alcohol consumption, and country you live in, and it will tell you how much time you have left on earth, statistically speaking. When we number our days, we stop and think about where we are putting our most valuable resource (not our talent, not our treasure, not our tools, but our time).

Psalm 91:2 – “My God; in him will I trust”

Proverbs 13:24 — A goal of parenting is to set the appetite of your children. You want them to love good and be repulsed by evil. Obedience brings blessing, and disobedience brings consequences. A danger is when we overemphasize the behavior of our children; the child may be tempted to lie about their improper actions just to please you (or perhaps not to infuriate you). While we are pleased with his/her words, he/she may ultimately feel rewarded for lying about doing wrong and punished for admitting when he/she did wrong. Make sure that you’re not just encouraging verbal conformity but truth telling as well!

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

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