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The Work of Hope
Hope is a force of God that enlivens us to life. We can easily miss the Read More
Allen Huff | Read 1 Samuel 8:4-20 , Read 1 Samuel 11:14-15
In ancient cultures, it was customary for children to follow in the vocational footsteps of their parents. As the call stories of people from Joshua to Jeremiah to Jesus demonstrate, though, “spiritual leader of Israel” was an office too important to make hereditary. As with Eli’s sons a generation earlier,...
God, grant us ever-deepening courage to follow and serve you and the wisdom to recognize when we forsake you for lesser gods. Amen.
We sometimes struggle to believe in the power of a God we cannot see. The psalmist declares that God is greater than any earthly king and will preserve us in the face of our enemies. However, in the time of Samuel, the Israelites demanded a human king to lead them into battle. God was not enough for them. Paul admonishes the Corinthians not to repeat this mistake. We should not think that what we see is the ultimate reality. What we see is temporary; what cannot be seen is eternal. Perhaps Jesus is teaching a similar idea in this somewhat troubling passage in Mark. Jesus is not against family, but he is emphasizing that human families are temporary; spiritual family is eternal.
Read 1 Samuel 8:4-20. How are you influenced by the culture around you? What helps you align your priorities with God’s?
Read Psalm 138. When you “walk in the midst of trouble,” how do you remember God’s presence with you?
Read 2 Corinthians 4:13–5:1. How do you find yourself being renewed today in spite of parts of your “outer nature” that may be “wasting away”?
Read Mark 3:20-35. Who is your spiritual family? Who do you identify as your brothers, sisters, mother, and father?
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