JUDGES-RUTH-I SAMUEL

Today is Tuesday, January 12th.... my Mother's Birthday.  Happy Birthday Mom!  She is the best Mom in the whole wide world, and I love her very dearly.  As a child I knew I had a wonderful Mom, and a very beautiful Mom.  She has always treated us children with such love and sacrifice.  Hope this is a special day for you Mom. While reading this morning, I marked a few thoughts to share with you: 1) THE DANGER OF ISOLATION- In Judges 18, we have a quiet little city of peaceful people wiped out by an army on the move seeking to destroy and get rich off of the bounty of others.  In verse 28, it tells us how they were so easily destroyed:  "...and they had no business with any man;"  It was a solitary city, isolated, and they had no affiliations with other cities or men.  The Bible says:  Ecclesiastes 4:9-10  "Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.  10  For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up."   Get in a good Church and get involved! 2) WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM?  In the book of Judges, we see that they had many times strayed from the LORD.  What was the problem?  Well, here are verses that give us a clue.  Judges 17:6  "In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes."  Judges 18:1  "In those days there was no king in Israel:"   Judges 19:1  "And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel,"   Judges 21:25  "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes."   Every organization in life needs a leader.  The home, government, business, education, etc.  In the Church, God gave Pastors to lead the Church in the right direction.  He provides the leadership and the example to lead the Church forward for God.  Let us follow our leadership. 3) THE BLESSING OF GRAND CHILDREN- The women said to Naomi, after Ruth and Boaz were married:  Ruth 4:15  "And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him." They are talking about the child that Ruth will bear.  He will be a "restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age"   Praise God for Grand Children... they keep us young! 4) Children Worship & Minister- The Bible says of Samuel, as he was given to Eli to raise as a young child:  1 Samuel 1:28  "Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there."   The "he" is the young child Samuel.  Notice now, these verses:  1 Samuel 2:11  "And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest."   1 Samuel 2:18  "But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod."   The children are not too young to worship the LORD and to serve Him.  Samuel was serving and loving on God as a young child, and our children and grand children, can do the same.  5) MY DESIRE- I hope this can one day be said of me:  1 Samuel 9:6  "And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go."  This is my prayer to the many people who look to me for guidance and counsel.  LORD, let this be true.... a man of God, and an honourable man.  My desire! Well, hope you have a blessed day.  Happy Birthday Mom.  (Betty Mutchler) Pastor Mike Mutchler