Week of 2/10-2/16: Scattered - The Rise and Fall of the Northern Kingdom

Day One: I Kings 18:20-24 So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel. Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow Him. But if Baal, follow him.” But the people didn’t answer him a word.Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the LORD, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. Let two bulls be given to us. They are to choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Yahweh. The God who answers with fire, He is God.” All the people answered, “That [sounds] good.”

Read the rest of the story, I Kings 18:25-39 in your Bible.

WHEN MY WIFE AND I WERE DATING, prior to marriage, we faced some big decisions about the future of our relationship. I was in the Army and was stationed nearly eight hours away from where she was going to college. She had the desire to finish college and become a counselor. She was working her way through school and had a game plan. I was fresh out of boot camp and airborne school and I too had plans. I wanted to be either career military or use the military as good experience to go into the U.S. Marshals or Secret Service. The longer we dated, the more I realized that one of us was probably going to have to abandon a portion or aspect of our plan.

In order to embrace a relationship with my girlfriend (now wife), I was going to have to abandon my predetermined plan in my mind. To embrace something is always a saying “no” to or an abandoning of something else.

The Bible teaches clearly that we are to embrace a relationship with God, through His Son Jesus. We do this by embracing His Word, trusting it, and abandoning every other thing that competes with our commitment to His Word, namely idols. In order to embrace the Word of God, we have to abandon the idols in our life. We cannot have both. Just like my wife and I could not embrace a relationship with one another without abandoning our treasured plans, we are called to embrace God’s Word and abandon our idols.

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷▷Why is it important to embrace God’s word?

▷▷What does it look like to embrace God’s word?

▷▷What things do you need to abandon in your life in order to embrace God’s word?