Notes from my Bible Study for February 10, 2010

Psalm 40, Genesis 37, 2 Chronicles 14, Acts 8

Psalm 40 - Our God loves to take people from the pit and lift them up. The psalmist knew this. He had experienced the truth of God's work of restoration in his life.

When we are depressed and feeling discouraged, it does us good to remember back to when God has delivered us in the past. That is essentially what David is doing here. He is recognizing the active role that God has taken in his life to bring joy back in situations where he had felt hopeless.

Genesis 37 - Genesis 37 lays the foundation for the story of Joseph's rise to power in Egypt. Who would have thought, just reading Genesis 37, that a boy, hated by his brothers, a bit arrogant, and a dreamer would accomplish the things that he would accomplish over the years to come?

Joseph's story teaches us the sovereignty of Christ. God had a plan for Joseph that involved his being sold into slavery. The young arrogant boy would not have understood that plan. Neither would the brothers. What the brothers meant for evil, God turned to good.

I wonder how many of life's circumstances that we find ourselves complaining about are truly blessings of God in disguise. We need to be a people who trust in the sovereignty of God, no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in.

2 Chronicles 14 - Asa is the new king in Israel, and his reign starts out well. 2 Chronicles 14:11 gives us the reason for such a good start, "11 And Asa cried to the Lord his God, “O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you"

God answered Asa's prayer, and helped Asa's armies defeat the enemies. We will find out in our further reading of Asa's story that his reign does not end well. The king began to trust in his own power and strength instead of the Lord.

We must always be a people who walk in God's power and strength.

Acts 8 - Acts 8 is an important chapter in the history of the early church. It is in this chapter that we see the Gospel proclaimed in Samaria. There were some believers who were shocked to see that the Samaritans had received the Gospel and the gift of the Holy Spirit and dispatched Peter and John to see if it was true.

It certainly was true. Jesus had told the disciples to make disciples of all nations, and that they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth.

Jerusalem and Judea had already begun to respond to the Gospel. Now Samaria was.

Remember, Samaritans and Jews did not get along. One of the markers of the church of Jesus Christ is that the world will know we are Christians because we love one another. Praise God for this truth! We can rejoice that the Gospel has spread, and continue to pray for the Gospel to reach every culture.

May we as a church always be known for our love for one another.