Alive and Active

In Luke 22, the disciples disputed who would be the greatest, but Jesus said those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. The definition of greatness is turned upside down and we can't live in both the kingdom of man and the Kingdom of God. Contentment in Christ and a servant's heart is what we can strive for. In this world, we are decreasing, but in God's kingdom, we are climbing always remember John 3:30 - He (Jesus) must increase & we must decrease.

In 1st Samuel 30, David displayed an attitude of gratitude toward his fellow soldiers since the Lord had rescued the women and children that the Amalekites had taken. David realized how much he could be grateful for and he extended that to others who needed it as well. In Luke 17 when Jesus healed the 10 lepers, only one of them, a Samaritan, went back and praised the Lord. Faithfulness leads to thankfulness that leads to humility so we can see clearly.

We can be great in this world and full of pride or we can be humble and great in the Kingdom of God. In Christ, we are called to live under control with whatever we've been given and we have to dethrone ourselves daily and take the lowly humble position. In Matthew 18 Jesus tells the disciples to take the lowly position and then they would be greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. We too can take the lowly position and we can also be like the poor widow in Luke 21 who put in everything that she had for the Kingdom of God.
Download Study Guide Here

In 1 Samuel 30, David was in great danger as his men were very bitter about losing their wives and daughters and they talked about stoning him. David found strength in the Lord and after 400 of the 600 men attacked the Amalekites and brought back the children and women, the 400 men didn't want the 200 men to receive the plunder. But David intercepted the nonsense, and he told the men not to be selfish with what the Lord had given them. Great leaders change the wickedness of the culture and David's solution helped bring together the 600 men so they could be back on mission.

1 Samuel 30, David and his men came to Ziklag where they found that the Amalekites had burned the city and carried off the women and children. David was greatly distressed for the people spoke of stoning him, but David found strength in the Lord and he acted strategically. The Lord guided David and his men to rescuing all the women and children along with provisions. When we are in dire straights do we run and hide when it looks like all is falling apart or do we connect with the Lord like David did? We too can go to the foot of the cross and let the Lord Jesus Christ resurrect any situation.

In 1st Samuel 25 David was on the run from Saul, and he sent his men to the town of Carmel to visit with an acquaintance named Nabal. Nabal refused to help David’s men with provisions (after David & his men protected Nabal’s land / livestock). Abigail, (Nabal’s wife), quickly realized the gravity of the situation. She slyly intercepted David's man with an abundance of provisions and fell at David's feet and put Naball's iniquity on herself. Abigail recognized that the Lord and His authority was over the situation and instead of being a fool, David acted as a wise King.
Download Study Guide Here

In John 21, The Resurrected Jesus appears again to the disciples as they fished. Peter thought he had hit rock bottom since he denied Jesus three times, but Jesus forgave him, restored him and told him to feed His sheep. Jesus told Peter that he would die a brutal death for his faith, but Peter grew into a courageous follower of Christ and he was restored and gave his life for the Gospel.

Peter was adamant at the Last Supper that he would stay by Jesus’ side and not leave Him or forsake Him. However, Peter denied Jesus three times, and he wept bitterly before returning to being a fisherman once again. However, Jesus showed up on the shore, restored Peter and emboldened him to strengthen his brothers and get back in the game to be used mightily for The Lords Kingdom!
Download Study Guide Here

David's lies caused 85 priests and their families to die in the town of Nob. In Gods sovereignty, He allowed Abiathar to escape Nob and then convict David of his sins. When we sin we lose fellowship with God but we get it back when we confess our sins.  David got off the bench and back into the game for The Lord! Will you do the same?
Download Study Guide Here

How fast do we recover from difficulties in life? In 1 Samuel 21 David was afraid and on the run from King Saul and fear led David to bad decisions. When things spiral out of control, we can simply confess to the Lord and “own it” or fear will “kick our tail”. Eventually David confessed and his fear was turned to confidence in the Lord.
Download Study Guide Here