“Love and serve Him and always put our faith in Him”

 

: 

     Visualize this: the time is April 1945.  The place is the Pacific Ocean around the island of Okinawa.  A small navy ship, the USS Cross, a destroyer escort, is participating in support of an invasion of the island.  The crew of the ship is at battle stations.  Suddenly, numerous sailors see the terrifying sight of a torpedo coming straight for their ship. Unexplainably, there is no explosion. Whether the torpedo was too deep, or whether the small ship rode up on a large wave at just the right time, nobody knows.  But the men of the USS Cross say a silent prayer of thankfulness that their ship and their lives have been spared.  I know this story because my father was one of the sailors on that ship.

     I think about this story from time to time and am always left wondering “what if”.  If the torpedo had hit the USS Cross, in all likelihood it would have been destroyed with the loss of most, if not all of the men on it.  I would never have been born.  My children would never have been born.  My grandchildren would never have been born. Who would my wife be married to instead of me?   I can’t begin to understand things like this.  But I know, love, and worship an almighty God who, not only understands this, but also controls things beyond the ability of any man to control.

    The Bible has many stories in it about people being known by God, before they were ever born. Jeremiah 1: 5 says that God knew Jeremiah before he was born and God ordained him a prophet.  John the Baptist has a similar story.  And of course the birth of Jesus, our savior, is the fulfillment of prophecy from as early as Genesis.  I know that my life is as nothing compared to Jesus, Jeremiah, John the Baptist and others.  But I also believe that it is God’s will that I am alive, and that it is my purpose in life to serve God and keep His commandments.

APPLICATION: Discuss how a trusting faith in God, not only is part of our duty and service to Him, but that it also makes our lives better.

PRAYER REQUESTS:___________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday - October 4, 2016

Woodlawn Family Bible Study TUESDAY BIBLE READING:    Genesis 32:22-32 Do you want to be blessed? That sounds like a rhetorical question, doesn’t it? Who doesn’t want to be blessed? I guess it really depends on your definition of “blessed.” Many people desire blessings that will make them wealthy or, perhaps, material goods. However, being blessed is not limited to those physical things. In fact, sometimes we can be blessed in the most unusual ways. For instance, in Genesis 32:26, we find Jacob wrestling with what we often call an angel. Within the story, Jacob is overtaking the angel and holding him down; refusing to let go until the angel gives him a blessing. The angel obliges Jacob, but not in the way he might have imagined. The angel changed his name from “Jacob” to “Israel,” but he also did something else. He put Jacob’s hip joint out of socket, causing him much pain and difficulty walking. In part, his blessing had to do with him walking with a limp. How is tha...
Read more

Resolutions: Draw closer to God through study of His word

BIBLE READING: John 14.7 Spend time alone with God’s Word.  Besides the spiritual growth we will gain from study, we will also come to know Him better.  Reading His word brings us in touch with Him.  Jesus tells us in John 14:7 – “If you had known Me, you would have known my Father also.”   Just studying the life of Jesus will help us to know God better.   In seeking God’s help, we can draw closer to Him through prayer, meditation, nature, and study.   “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night.” Psalm 1:2  I Tim.4:13,15 - “Give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine… meditate on these things; give yourself wholly to them.”   Regardless of our circumstances we can rely on God’s unchanging character.  God is good. God loves me. God is with me. God knows my problems. God cares. Romans 8:31(b) tells us, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Make a resolution to slo...
Read more

“Examples”

BIBLE READING: Mark 13- Luke 1 DISCUSSION                                                                                   This past week we have read of some great examples in the bible.   We read in Mark 13 about us being ready and being prepared for when Jesus returns.   We need to all stay awake!   In Mark 14 we read of one action having such an impact.   How this woman gave her very best to Jesus because of her love for Him.   In Mark 15 we read of Pontius Pilate and his desire to keep his power.   He loved his power and did not want to give it up even if that meant sending an inno...
Read more