5. 5.15-God’s people are tempted to want the things the worldly centered people have without realizing what it will cost them.15-
5.15-
Old
people suffer as their body breaks down, but Satan uses suffering to be a trail
to some of God’s servants.
Prophets
such and Jesus and others have suffering as a part of their calling in life.
God’s
people are tempted to want the things the worldly centered people have without
realizing what it will cost them.
1
Samuel 8.
8 In his old age, Samuel
retired and appointed his sons as judges in his place. 2 Joel
and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba; 3 but
they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted
bribes and were very corrupt in the administration of justice. 4 Finally
the leaders of Israel met in Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. 5 They
told him that since his retirement things hadn’t been the same, for his sons
were not good men.
“Give us a king like all the other
nations have,” they pleaded. 6 Samuel was terribly upset and
went to the Lord for advice.
7 “Do as they say,” the Lord replied, “for I am the one they
are rejecting, not you—they don’t want me to be their king any longer. 8 Ever
since I brought them from Egypt they have continually forsaken me and followed
other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. 9 Do
as they ask, but warn them about what it will be like to have a king!”
10 So Samuel told the people what the Lord had said:
11 “If you insist on having a king, he will conscript your sons
and make them run before his chariots; 12 some will be made to
lead his troops into battle, while others will be slave laborers; they will be
forced to plow in the royal fields and harvest his crops without pay, and make
his weapons and chariot equipment. 13 He will take your
daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. 14 He
will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give
them to his friends. 15 He will take a tenth of your harvest
and distribute it to his favorites. 16 He will demand your
slaves and the finest of your youth and will use your animals for his personal
gain. 17 He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you shall
be his slaves. 18 You will shed bitter tears because of this
king you are demanding, but the Lord will not help you.”
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning.
“Even so, we still want a king,”
they said, 20 “for we want to be like the nations around us. He
will govern us and lead us to battle.”
21 So Samuel told the Lord what the people had said, 22 and
the Lord replied again, “Then do as they say and give them a king.”
So Samuel agreed and sent the men
home again.
Mark
9.
30-32 Then
they left that district and went straight through Galilee. Jesus kept this
journey secret for he was teaching his disciples that the Son of Man would be
betrayed into the power of men, that they would kill him and that three days
after his death he would rise again. But they were completely mystified by this
saying, and were afraid to question him about it.
Acts 9.
16 And I will show him how much he must suffer for me.”
Acts 9.
He stayed with the believers in Damascus
for a few days 20 and went at once to the synagogue to tell
everyone there the Good News about Jesus—that he is indeed the Son of God!
21 All who heard him were amazed. “Isn’t this the same man who
persecuted Jesus’ followers so bitterly in Jerusalem?” they asked. “And we
understand that he came here to arrest them all and take them in chains to the
chief priests.”
Acts 9.
22 Paul became more and more fervent in his preaching, and the
Damascus Jews couldn’t withstand his proofs that Jesus was indeed the Christ.
23 After a while the Jewish leaders determined to kill him. 24 But
Paul was told about their plans, that they were watching the gates of the city
day and night prepared to murder him. 25 So during the night
some of his converts let him down in a basket through an opening in the city
wall!
26 Upon arrival in Jerusalem he tried to meet with the
believers, but they were all afraid of him. They thought he was faking! 27 Then
Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Paul had seen the Lord
on the way to Damascus, what the Lord had said to him, and all about his
powerful preaching in the name of Jesus. 28 Then they accepted
him, and after that he was constantly with the believers 29 and
preached boldly in the name of the Lord. But then some Greek-speaking Jews with
whom he had argued plotted to murder him. 30 However, when the
other believers heard about his danger, they took him to Caesarea and then sent
him to his home in Tarsus.
31 Meanwhile, the church had peace throughout Judea, Galilee
and Samaria, and grew in strength and numbers. The believers learned how to
walk in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
Comments