King James Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: Suffering For Well Doing
Date: Wednesday March 14, 2012
Today's Chapters: Judges 6-8

Hello My Friend,

As Christians we have one thing going for us that no one in the world can ever understand and that is our faith and trust in our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, the strength of our faith and trust in Him go up and down like a roller coaster, mostly upon the circumstances in our lives. I sing in my church choir, we sing a song titled, “Lord I need you” it's about times that we unintentionally forget that God is with us when things are going well, only to fall into tribulation because of it. 90% of the time tribulation by those who follow God religiously comes from forgetting to acknowledge God when things are going well in our lives. God does not bring upon tribulation to punish us, but to keep us from falling away from Him all together. “For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:” -1 Peter 3:17,18.

Have you ever been praying and praying and praying, doing what seems right, yet wonder where is God? Asking why He has not answered you, or will you ever get through this? This is the same response that Gideon had when his people were forced to live in caves in fear of the Midianites and God came to him. “That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land; And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice...And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.” - Judges 6:8-10,12,13.

Even if we are not living in sin, forgetting to acknowledge God when things are going well is like turning your back on Him. Sooner or later, if we do not acknowledge God during the good times, one sin will creep in, turning into another and before you know it tribulation comes, just as it did time and time again in Israel. Then the first thing people do is question why God is doing it to them. You know, even when serving God, we can lose sight of Him? That is why it is important to pay attention to the warn signs before things really start to fall apart. God does not want to see us suffer, but sometimes it's the sufferings that are needed to bring us closer to Him. “For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.” - 2 Corinthians 1:5,6.

God truly wants us to succeed, He just wants it to be known that He is the one who made the success happen, that is why quite often He waits until it looks impossible before He shows Himself. God assured Gideon that He was with him and He would lead them to victory over the Midianites, and after a couple of tests to prove God, Gideon was ready to do the work God called him to do. Little did he know that God would only give him three hundred men to go up to battle.

“And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.” - Judges 7:2-7.

Why did God choose the men that brought the water to their mouths with their hand? The did not allow themselves time to kneel down and satisfy their thirst in the most convenient manner, but simply took up some water with their hands as they stood in their military gear, to strengthen themselves for the battle, and then proceeded without delay against the foe. Had they got down on their knees like the others they would not have been ready had they been attacked. It's not what we do for God that counts, it's the manner in which we do it that counts. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” - Philippians 2:13-16.

The battle was won with three hundred men, proving that God was and still is the Almighty and only living God. Had Israel used the thirty-two thousand men they started out with they would have been boasting about their victory. If God was going to prove Himself mighty than it would have to be with less people. God wants prepared men to fight God’s battles with God’s weapons in God’s way. Why? This would inspire Israel to serve Him with confidence and the Midianites would fear Him as well. The whole purpose for trials and tribulations that come even though we have not committed sin is to remind us that God is still around, that we are His, that He is the Almighty, and that everything comes from Him. “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” - 1 Peter 5:10.

Today's Psalm: 52:1 - “Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.”

Today's Proverb: 10:3 - “The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.”

Today's Prayer: God, Time and time again You have proved Yourself mighty in my life, yet time and time again I have failed in acknowledging You when successes come. Forgive me, God, and thank You for the trials that You place before me that show me You are still around. Sometimes, I feel like I will never get out of the circumstances You have placed before me, but I know that I will because Your mercy and grace endures. As You make me perfect, establish me, strengthen me, and settle me in the love of Christ, I know that all things will work together for good and You will truly get the glory. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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