Pastor Gary's OYB Devotion Archive for May 10

SUFFERING OFTEN COMES FROM GETTING WHAT WE WANT

From: May 10, 2024

‘And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them”‘ (1 Samuel 8:7 ESV).

Samuel had led Israel well his whole life, but now he was old and his sons weren’t men of integrity like him. So, the Israelites went to Samuel asking him to give them a king. Of course, he felt rejected. He had served them well. It’s hard for the messenger not to feel rejection when the message is rejected. When he lifted it up to the Lord in prayer, the Lord comforted him saying, “They are rejecting me, not you.” And the Lord told him to warn them about having a king, and if they still asked for it, to give them one.

Samuel obeyed the Lord. He warned them about asking for a human king, but they refused to listen. So, he gave them what they asked for. And in time, all of God’s warnings came to pass.

This is often how we find ourselves in a season of suffering. The Lord warns us through His Word or wise counsel, but we are determined to have our own way. Then, when suffering comes, we blame God. When in reality, we have gotten what we asked for. Some have called this God’s judicial abandonment, wherein He allows sinners to reap what they have sown. As the apostle Paul wrote, “God abandoned them to their shameful desires” (Rom. 1:26). He let them have what they asked for and with it came suffering.

PRAYER: Dear Father, we confess that we often ask for things that are not according to Your will. We pray today as Jesus did, not my will but yours be done. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We bow our knees to King Jesus and declare Him Lord over all of our wants and desires. We want what He wants for us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

JESUS IS THE BREAD OF LIFE

From: May 10, 2023

‘Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty”‘ (John 6:35 NLT).

After Jesus miraculously fed the multitude, the crowd looked for Him the next day. When they found Him, Jesus told them that they weren’t really looking for Him, but they were looking for more bread. He said they should stop looking for food that perishes but for food that gives eternal life. They replied, “Sir, give us this bread always!” (John 6:34). And Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life.”

This was the first of the seven great “I am” statements made by Jesus as recorded in the gospel of John. Each of these statements begins with the Greek words “Ego eimi” (Literally, “I, I am”). The emphatic use of “ego” (“I”), serves to emphasize the “I am,” which is the covenantal name of God as revealed to Moses (See Ex. 3:14 “I AM THAT I AM”). In making these statements in this way, Jesus was claiming the Name of God as His own, claiming to be the Son of God.

And not only that, by saying that He was the “bread of life,” He was saying that He was the only true source of eternal life given by the Father. As He said, “No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry.” Hungry for what? Physical food? No. Food for the soul. And for what does the soul hunger? Eternal life. For God has “put eternity into man’s heart” (Eccl. 3:11). Therefore, the human soul longs for eternal life with God. Yet only Christ, the bread of life, can satisfy this longing. Jesus Christ is the only true food for our souls.

PRAYER: Dear Father, we believe in Jesus. For just as a grain of wheat must die and be crushed to make bread, so Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that He might be the Bread of Life for us. We are thankful for so great a salvation. He is our life. And we count our old lives dead that we might truly live in Him. In Christ’s name we pray, amen.

‘But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. “We want to be like the nations around us”‘ (1 Samuel 8:19-20 NLT).

From: May 10, 2022

BEWARE VIEWING HUMAN GOVERNMENT AS THE ANSWER

When Samuel was getting old, the people of Israel came to him, asking for a king. The request displeased Samuel, so he went to the Lord with it. The Lord told him to give them what they want, for they had not rejected Samuel, but they had rejected God as their king. The people wanted to be like the other nations and have a human king over them to care for them and to fight their battles. Of course, like children, they didn’t know what they were asking for. Samuel tried to warn them, saying the king would take their wealth and lands and make their daughters slaves, and draft their sons for war, but they would not listen.

We must take heed to Samuel’s warning today. For this generation looks more to the government, than to God for its answers. But the government cannot take care of us and fight our battles for us without first taking our wealth, our homes, our sons and daughters, and our freedom from us. We must beware looking to any human government as our god.

PRAYER: Dear Father, we look to You as our King and our Judge. You are the One who fights our battles and provides for us and protects us. Forgive us when we look to another for help. At the same time, we want to obey Your Word which teaches us to pray for our human kings and governors and to make it easy for those who oversee us. Guide us in this O Lord. For we need Your wisdom. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again” (John 6:35 HCSB).

From: May 10, 2021

JESUS, THE TRUE FOOD FOR OUR SOULS

After Jesus miraculously fed the multitude, the crowd looked for Him the next day. When they found Him, Jesus told them that they weren’t really looking for Him, but they were looking for more bread. He said they should stop looking for food that perishes but for food that gives eternal life. They replied, “Sir, give us this bread always!” (John 6:34). And Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life.”

This was the first of the seven great “I am” statements made by Jesus as recorded in the gospel of John. Each of these statements begins with the Greek words “Ego eimi” (Literally, “I, I am”). The emphatic use of “ego” (“I”), serves to emphasize the “I am,” which is the covenantal name of God as revealed to Moses (See Ex. 3:14 “I AM THAT I AM”). In making these statements in this way, Jesus was claiming the Name of God as His own, claiming to be the Son of God.

And not only that, by saying that He was the “bread of life,” He was saying that He was the only true source of eternal life given by the Father. As He said, “No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry.” Hungry for what? Physical food? No. Food for the soul. And for what does the soul hunger? Eternal life. For God has “put eternity into man’s heart” (Eccl. 3:11). Therefore, the human soul longs for eternal life with God. Yet only Christ, the bread of life, can satisfy this longing. Jesus Christ is the only true food for our souls.

PRAYER: Dear Father, we believe in Jesus. For just as a grain of wheat must die and be crushed to make bread, so Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that He might be the Bread of Life for us. We are thankful for so great a salvation. He is our life. And we count our old lives dead that we might truly live in Him. In Christ’s name we pray, amen.

“No, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” (1 Samuel 8:19-20 NKJV).

From: May 10, 2020

BEWARE WANTING A GOVERNMENT THAT FIGHTS YOUR BATTLES

When Samuel was getting old, the people of Israel came to him, asking for a king. The request displeased Samuel, so he went to the Lord with it. The Lord told him to give them what they want, for they had not rejected Samuel, but they had rejected God as their king. The people wanted to be like the other nations and have a human king over them to care for them and to fight their battles. Of course, like children, they didn’t know what they were asking for. Samuel tried to warn them, saying the king would take their wealth and lands and make their daughters slaves, and draft their sons for war, but they would not listen.

We must take heed to Samuel’s warning today. For we also look to the government as our king, rather than looking to God. For the government cannot take care of us and fight our battles for us without first taking our wealth, our homes, our sons and daughters, and our freedom from us. Beware looking to the government as your god.

PRAYER: Dear Father, we look to You as our King and our Judge. You are the One who fights our battles and provides for us and protects us. Forgive us when we look to another for help. At the same time, we want to obey Your Word which teaches us to pray for our human kings and governors and to make it easy for those who oversee us. Guide us in this O Lord. For we need Your wisdom. In Jesus’ name, amen.

‘“Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer.”‘ (1 Samuel 8:7 NLT).

From: May 10, 2019

SUFFERING OFTEN COMES FROM GETTING WHAT WE ASK FOR

Samuel had led Israel well his whole life, but now he was old and his sons weren’t men of integrity like him. So, the Israelites went to Samuel asking him to give them a king like the other nations had. Of course, he felt rejected. He had served them well. It’s hard for the messenger not to feel rejection when the message is rejected. When he lifted it up to the Lord in prayer, the Lord comforted him saying, “They are rejecting me, not you.” And the Lord told him to warn them about having a king, and if they still asked for it, to give them one. Samuel obeyed the Lord. He warned them about asking for a human king, but they refused to listen. So, he gave them what they asked for. And all of God’s warnings came to pass.

This is often how we find ourselves in a season of suffering. As the cliche goes, “Be careful what you wish for, you may just get it.” The Lord sends his servants to warn us about the dangers of rejecting Him as King, but we are determined to have our own way. Then, when suffering comes, we blame God. When in reality, we have gotten what we asked for. Some have called this God’s judicial abandonment, wherein He allows sinners to reap what they have sown. As the apostle Paul wrote, “God abandoned them to their shameful desires” (Rom. 1:26). He let them have what they asked for and with it came suffering.

PRAYER: Dear Father, we confess that we often ask for things that are not according to Your will. We pray today as Jesus did, not my will but yours be done. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We bow our knees to King Jesus and declare Him Lord over all of our wants and desires. We want what He wants for us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

‘Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”’ (John 6:29 NLT).

From: May 10, 2018

ONLY ONE WORK, NOT WORKS.

Jesus told those who wanted to know what “works” they needed to do in order to please God, that only one “worK” was needed. What was that work? It is the work of faith. It is the “only work God wants,” that we might “believe” in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

“Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel, that he may save My people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me.” (1 Samuel 9:16 NKJV).

From: May 10, 2017

The way God spoke to Samuel concerning the anointing of Saul was both relational and revealing. The instruction included what time, what family, for what purpose and even what moved God to do it. When Saul arrived the next day, God whispered in Samuel’s ear, “There he is, the man of whom I spoke to you.” Oh, what a wonderful relationship Samuel had with the Lord, that God would speak to him in such a way!

Not only did God speak, but notice what motived Him to anoint Saul–– it was the people’s “cry” that had come up to God. Not only does God speak, God hears. His relationship with Samuel was so close that He even revealed how what He heard from the people’s prayers moved Him.

Does God still reveal Himself as He did to Samuel? Is such a relationship with God possible today? Yes! And even more for those who are in Christ and seek His face.

‘Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves”‘ (John 6:26 ESV)

From: May 10, 2016

The crowd that sought Jesus had been present when he miraculously fed the 5,000. Jesus accused them of seeking him, not for Himself, but for more bread. What is your reason for seeking Jesus? Have you come with your laundry list hoping He will do your bidding? Would you prefer He offered a “drive-thru” for your fast food order? What do you seek of Jesus, His face or His hand?

‘And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst”‘ (John 6:35 NKJV)

From: May 10, 2015

This is one of the seven “I AM” statements of Jesus in the gospel of John. John loved sevens (the number of completion). In the Greek, Jesus used the emphatic “ἐγώ εἰμι” (ego eimi), which might be translated “I, I am.” To Jewish ears, this was a clear reference to God’s name, “Yahweh” (I AM). As for calling Himself bread, the Jews considered bread the main sustenance of life and the major symbol of both their release from Egypt (Passover bread) and survival in the wilderness (manna). Jesus is the fulfillment of both the manna and the Passover bread. For God gave Jesus to us, so that those who believed and received Him would have eternal life.