Between the Lines

Daily Bible study excerpts from my book: “Looking for Contentment in All the Wrong Places”

THING 1 – WE CREATE OUR OWN CONFUSION

It’s hard to admit when we are wrong.  Blaming other people, other things or circumstances for our problems takes “the heat” off of us and let’s us be a victim instead of realizing that

Even if circumstances are out of our control, ultimately we control our reactions to and our emotions from the circumstances we find ourselves in.

Consider Eve, in Genesis 3.  She had a simple life with simple instructions from God.  Tend the garden and don’t eat of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  It should have been simple for her to “say no” to Satan.  She had so many good things to eat, a personal relationship with God and a pleasant place to live.  Obeying God, there was no confusion in her life.  BUT, she listened to Satan, who filled her with discontentment with the things she had, wanting something more.  All of the wonderful things she had and yet, she might have thought, “why would God withhold this one good thing?”  Stepping away from the faith she had in God’s plan, she believed the lie, thus creating her own confusion.  She tried to blame the serpent, but in the end, it was her actions that changed her whole world.  What if she had obeyed God and just said no?!

If your life seems like it is in a “state of confusion,” Solomon tells you why.

Proverbs 16:5

• Circle “seems right”
• Underline “end is the way of death”

I am sure we have all experienced a time when we thought we were on the “right path” but it did not turn out well.  Solomon tells us that the end of going our own way is death.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Hi-lite the verbs:

• :5 “trust”, “lean not”
• :6 “acknowledge”

Underline:

• :6 “He shall direct your paths”

Circle

• :6 “He shall”

We are to trust the Lord and not ourselves.  He directs our paths when we acknowledge Him.

1 Corinthians 14:33

• Circle the contrasting word “but”
• Hi-lite “not”, “confusion”, “peace”

If we follow God’s path, God will fill our life with peace, not confusion.

THING 2 – WE RUN BEFORE GOD

Read the words from a beloved hymn:

We are not the shepherds, we are the sheep.  Sheep don’t lead, they follow.

God’s guidance and correction as our shepherd should give us joy and comfort.  He’s got the plan, we don’t have to figure it out.

The true test of one’s faith, one’s discipleship is trusting and following when we don’t know the way and can’t see where we are going.  God leads us through the valleys in our lives if we will trust and follow Him.

Psalm 23:4

Why does David “fear no evil”?

• Circle the reason word: “for” (because)
• Double -Underline: “You are with me”
• Hi-lite the emphatic statement: “I will fear no evil”
• Underline: “rod”, “staff”, “comfort”

David was very secure in His faith of God’s leading.  When he faced Golilath, he knew the Lord was in charge but he did his part to slay the enemy of Israel (1 Samuel 17:40-49).  David was not running ahead of God, but was carrying out His commander’s will.

Deuteronomy 31:8

Hi-lite the four promises the Lord makes to Joshua:

• “goes before you”, “be with you”, “will not leave you nor forsake you”

• Circle the command words “do not”
• Underline the phrase “Do not fear nor be dismayed”

God goes before us even  today.  Are we busy trying to run past Him with our own plans and intentions?  There is safety in following close to the Shepherd, running in front of Him leaves us open to the dangers of this world.

Like Children, we walk with our Heavenly Father and like a good parent, He knows the dangers and the path that leads to the light.  We must hold his hand in Faith.  He sees the bumps in the road (after all, He made the road!) and will lead us through, over or around them, whatever is His will.  Letting go of Him, we are left to manage these bumps alone, without a guide.

Isaiah 48:17-18

Hi-lite what the Lord does for us:

• :17 “teaches you to profit”, “leads you by the way you should go”

• Put a box around “teaches you” and “leads you”

Circle the Descriptions of God:

• :17 “Lord”, “Redeemer”, “Holy One”, “Lord”

There is an if-then statement in verse 18.

• Circle “then”

• Underline “Peace”, “like a river”, “righteousness”, “like the waves”

The Lord leads us through His commandments.  When we “heed” those commandments we have peace and righteousness.  God promises Abraham a son in Genesis 15:4-5, but because God did not “act” as soon as she thought He should, Sarai runs before God and Ishmael is born (Genesis 16:1-2).

God fulfilled His promise, in His own time, not Abraham’s and Sarai’s.  Because they “ran before God,” generations have suffered.  The offspring of Ishmael and Isaac are fighting each other to this very day.

THING 3 – WE TRY TO FOLLOW TOO MANY PATHS

James 1:8

• Circle “double-minded” and “unstable” then draw an arrow from double-minded to unstable

James is talking here about someone who asks of God but doubts the ability of God to give what they ask.  A double-minded person is one who does not have confidence in God or themselves.  They move from one idea to another without ever taking a firm stand in what they believe.

We hear the word “multi-tasking” and in our society’s context it is considered a good thing.  But in our spiritual lives, Jesus said it is not good to be trying to follow different “paths”.  We should be walking with Him on the one path that leads to the Father!

Matthew 6:24

Underline the two emphatic statements:

• “No one can serve two masters”, “You cannot serve God and mammon” – make a note in your margin that mammon means wealth.

Jesus makes a contrast here.

• Put a box around “hate” and “despise”
• Put a circle around “love” and “loyal”

If we truly love and are loyal to Christ, then we will despise and hate what the world has to offer us.  Loving “mammon” (our stuff) and the world’s ideas does not bring us joy.  It only brings stress to our lives.

Genesis 19:23-26

Hi-Lite

• :26 “his wife looked back” and “became a pillar of salt”

In the Pulpit commentary, Lot’s wife is compared to those who hear the gospel, obey it, but then turn back. 

“Many are awakened to flee, yet look back (Luke_9:62). Lot’s wife not deaf to the call; did not think it fancy; really believed; felt the danger, and fled (2Co_6:17; Rev_18:4). But the sun rose; the valley beautiful; home attractive; no signs of danger. Must she leave all; and at once? She paused. That pause was death. (E-Sword, Pulpit Commentary; Homilies by J.F. Montgomery (Gen. 19:26).

She wanted to obey the Lord, because she went with Lot and the angels, but she also wished for the world she left behind, which could have included some of her children.  She wanted to hold onto her old life and also have the new.  Jesus said that we can’t do that.

Philippians 3:13-16

Double underline:

• :13 “one thing I do”

What was the one thing?  Underline

• :13 “forgetting”, “reaching forward”
• :14 “I press toward the goal”

Circle the reason word

• :15 “therefore” – what is it there for? It refers back to verse 14 “the upward call of God”

Circle the conclusion word:

• :16 “nevertheless”

Notice the 3 “let us” phrases and Hi-lite them:

• :15 “let us”, “have this mind”
• :16 “let us walk by the same rule”, “let us be of the same mind”

Paul had one goal, the “prize” of the upward call of God.  He was single-minded and therefore could be content and find joy in his journey.  It is hard to remain single-minded in our world full of distraction.  List some ways that you could help yourself remain single-minded. 

We will continue our list of things that steal our joy in the Day 10 study.