Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses in Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”
 
4 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build 5 and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
 
The Letter to King Artaxerxes
7 In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and Mithredath and Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated. 8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:9 Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the governors, the officials, the Persians, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the Elamites, 10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River. 11 (This is a copy of the letter that they sent.) “To Artaxerxes the king: Your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River, send greeting. And now 12 be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations.13 Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired. 14 Now because we eat the salt of the palace and it is not fitting for us to witness the king's dishonor, therefore we send and inform the king, 15 in order that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it from of old. That was why this city was laid waste. 16 We make known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River.”
 
The King Orders the Work to Cease
17 The king sent an answer: “To Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River, greeting. And now 18 the letter that you sent to us has been plainly read before me. 19 And I made a decree, and search has been made, and it has been found that this city from of old has risen against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it. 20 And mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, who ruled over the whole province Beyond the River, to whom tribute, custom, and toll were paid. 21 Therefore make a decree that these men be made to cease, and that this city be not rebuilt, until a decree is made by me. 22 And take care not to be slack in this matter. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the king?”
 
23 Then, when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their associates, they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease. 24 Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
 
 
Meditation
How do you respond to providential pauses to your plans? Most people hate red lights, unless they are children playing the game Red Light, Green Light. Today’s reading is a red light on rebuilding the temple teaching us to trust God’s timing in restoration work.
 
The adversaries of Israel attempted to penetrate the people of God to cause problems (1-2), to discourage the work of the returned exiles, and frighten them with writing and military force (13, 23). The adversary seeks to halt God’s work of restoration.
 
The opponents had resettled Samaria and openly dis-obeyed God (2 Kings 17:34).  They did not worship the Lord and wanted to stop the rebuilding of the temple. The Devil is the chief adversary of God and His work, the dark power behind all opposition (Matthew 4:1-10; 1 Peter 5:8-9; Revelation 2:10-11). Our battle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12).
 
The adversaries appealed to the authority of the land and for a brief period stopped the rebuilding and reconstruction. The foundation of the temple had been built! But God allowed the providential pause.
 
God promises, “The adversaries of the Lord will be broken to pieces” (1 Samuel 2:10). Jesus crushed the head of Satan and one day every knee will bow and tongue confess Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11).  When our plans are paused due to adversarial opposition we must trust both God’s sovereignty and His promises. God will accomplish His work, fulfilling His promises, in His time. You can trust His timing.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Where do you see opposition or adversarial hindrance to what God has called you to do?
 
-Our battle is not against flesh and blood- people are not your problem. Are you engaging opposition and the adversary in spiritual ways, with prayer, the word, and promises of God? Or are you fighting in fleshy manners?
 
-How does Christ’s victory over our true adversary, the Devil, empower your struggle to serve Christ in the face of opposition?
 
Key Verse
4 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build … . 24 Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! 2 Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! 3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!” 4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life! Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me! 5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away!


6 Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them! 7 For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life. 8 Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it! And let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it—to his destruction! 9 Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord, exulting in his salvation. 10 All my bones shall say, “O Lord, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?”
 
11 Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I do not know. 12 They repay me evil for good; my soul is bereft. 13 But I, when they were sick— I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest.
14 I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother; as one who laments his mother, I bowed down in mourning.15 But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered; they gathered together against me; wretches whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing; 16 like profane mockers at a feast, they gnash at me with their teeth.
17 How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions! 18 I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you. 19 Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes, and let not those wink the eye who hate me without cause. 20 For they do not speak peace, but against those who are quiet in the land they devise words of deceit. 21 They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha! Our eyes have seen it!”
 
22 You have seen, O Lord; be not silent! O Lord, be not far from me! 23 Awake and rouse yourself for my vindication, for my cause, my God and my Lord! 24 Vindicate me, O Lord, my God, according to your righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me! 25 Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha, our heart's desire!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.” 26 Let them be put to shame and disappointed altogether who rejoice at my calamity! Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me!
 
27 Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant!” 28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.
 
Meditation
I am a people pleaser and my idolatry of acceptance must be removed as it is incompatible with the life of a Jesus follower. Practically, I cannot serve Jesus and humans (Galatians 1:10). Realistically, Jesus followers will have no sustainability if we need everyone to like us. Jesus saw Psalm 35 as His predestined path (John 15:18-25). We should embrace it as power in prayer when people are not pleased with our following the King.
 
David looks to Divine defense when people he trusted turn against him, asking God to contend for him against those who contend against him. David calls upon the Lord to turn back those who seek to harm him, to drive away danger and destruction through deliverance. David asks God to be truth where others speak lies, to bring peace where there is violence, and to protect where there are problems.
 
Deliverance may seem delayed as David laments the difficulty asking, “How Long!... be not silent!” But the psalm orients the heart of God’s people to trust from the depths of our soul, finding strength for our bones, and to praise with our tongues: “Great is the Lord who delights in the welfare of His servant!”
 
Jesus promised His followers the world would hate us if it hated Him (John 15:18). We can plan on persecution if we follow Him. To sustain faith we must kill our idol of people pleasing and social acceptance, finding our security and strength in God alone.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Do you struggle with people pleasing and the idol of acceptance? How do your idols interfere with your faithfulness in following Jesus?
 
-Jesus promises persecution if we follow Him. How do the descriptions of persecution resonate with your experiences?

​-How do the promises of this Psalm orient the eyes of your heart to hope only in God?
 
Key Verse
27 Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant!”

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; 2 it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. 3 Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4 Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”
 
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7 the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. 8 And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. 9 No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.

10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
 
Meditation
Your desire for peace, stability, joy, and freedom reveal you are created for life beyond this world. CS Lewis wrote, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." Like a shaft of sunlight breaking through dark clouds, today’s reading reveals the hope of our hearts and the highway that takes us home.
 
The “highway of Holiness” is the path to the Holy One. Holiness in Isaiah is directly associated with the presence of the Holy One (6:3). The pilgrims on the path are redeemed (9) and ransomed (10), more liberated than the Israelites unfettered by the blood of the Passover lamb (Exodus 12). There will be a forever freedom for those of us in Isaiah’s far off future redeemed and ransomed by the blood of Jesus!
 
The highway Home takes us from wilderness to fruitfulness, deserts to blossoming terrain. In rejoicing and singing the redeemed pilgrims are strong in the Lord, free from anxiety (3-4). Pilgrim eyes see, ears hear, and hearts rejoice- We are home with the Holy One! Sorrow and struggle vanish with the presence of the Lord (10).

The highway to the Holy One is for pilgrims who believe the promises of God. We have “good courage” (2 Corinthians 5:1-19) as wandering exiles (1 Peter 1:1-2) who hold to Heavenly Hope. Free from judgment (Matthew 25:46) the redeemed and ransomed pilgrims are free to follow the Highway Home through Christ alone.
 
Richly Dwelling
-How do the longings of your heart reveal you are created for life beyond this world?
 
-Does your life reflect that of a pilgrim, one who travels on a highway with a greater destination in mind?
 
-Christ is the Holy One with us, a foretaste of Heaven in our lives today. How can you find your primary satisfaction in His love and work for you?
 
Key Verse
8 And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.

When Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, heard that Abner had died at Hebron, his courage failed, and all Israel was dismayed.2 Now Saul's son had two men who were captains of raiding bands; the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, sons of Rimmon a man of Benjamin from Beeroth (for Beeroth also is counted part of Benjamin; 3 the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have been sojourners there to this day).

4 Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled, and as she fled in her haste, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.

5 Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out, and about the heat of the day they came to the house of Ish-bosheth as he was taking his noonday rest. 6 And they came into the midst of the house as if to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. 7 When they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him and put him to death and beheaded him. They took his head and went by the way of the Arabah all night, 8 and brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron. And they said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life. The Lord has avenged my lord the king this day on Saul and on his offspring.” 9 But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity, 10 when one told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. 11 How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and destroy you from the earth?” 12 And David commanded his young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet and hanged them beside the pool at Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner at Hebron.

Meditation
Do you grieve over the brokenness of the world? Does groaning for redemption ever get you into the gutter of discouragement, despair, or disbelief? Today’s passage is a Heavenly handle for hope- God transforms grieving into glory.

The casualties of Israel’s civil war were tragic- Families ripped apart, people dying, and tribal fighting. The murder of Ish-bosheth was cowardly violence reflecting these harsh realities.

David did not rejoice when he received word of Ish-bosheth’s homicide, even as he was leading rebellion against David’s house. David grieved the injustice and brought justice to the perpetrators.

God displays His sovereignty in establishing David’s rule over Israel THROUGH the rebellion of Abner (2 Samuel 2), the folly of Joab (2 Samuel 3), and the injustice of a bedside slaying (2 Samuel 4). The ungodly opportunism was opportunity for God to clear the way for His anointed king, David the son of Jesse.

Jesus is the true King who transforms the grief of death to eternal glory. In the midst of death Jesus asks, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see glory…?” (John 11:40) Do you believe? Paul speaks about the groaning of creation as birth pains for the delivery of eternal glory (Romans 8:18-25).  Do you hear life coming?

God is working every detail of this groaning world for the good of His people and His glory (Romans 8:28-29). Grief and groaning are not the end of the story- God is working glory- Make way for the king!

Richly Dwelling
-Do you go into the gutter of despair or discouragement from the grief and groaning of our fallen world?

-Do you believe Jesus will show you glory through your grieving? Do you hear life through the birth pains of the groaning world?

-God makes a way for the King. Jesus is ruling over the wind and waves. David’s reign was being prepared through the struggle and sin of the beginning of 2 Samuel. Jesus’ reign was established through the struggle of His suffering and taking our sin so that we can be secure in His love. How can you grow in awareness of His love and His eternal purposes being worked out through your sin and struggle? Focus on the cross and ask King Jesus to help you see!

Key Verse
But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity, when one told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news.

God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem.
 
5 And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 And Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him, 7 and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother. 8 And Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth.
 
9 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. 11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body.[e] 12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” 13 Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. 14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. 15 So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.
 
The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac
16 Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. 17 And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for you have another son.”18 And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. 19 So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), 20 and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel's tomb, which is there to this day. 21 Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. 22 While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine. And Israel heard of it.
 
Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. 23 The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob's firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's servant: Dan and Naphtali. 26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah's servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.
 
27 And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. 28 Now the days of Isaac were 180 years. 29 And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
 
 
Meditation
Life is mingled with blessings and burdens, brokenness and benedictions. We experience both glory and grieving in our daily steps. God reveals Himself as One who is involved in every detail, working all things according to His promises.
 
God directs Jacob to Bethel (1) and Jacob directs his family from their false gods (2). Only the one true God is “a God who answers” in our times of troubles (3).  God reveals Himself in history, a terror to His enemies but comfort to His people (5-8).
 
God blesses Jacob, changing His name to Israel and confirming His promise of progenies (9-13).  God is “El-Shaddai,” God almighty, the same name He used in His covenant with Abraham in Genesis 17. God is mighty and keeps His promises! The place of personal revelation was Bethel, literally “the house of God” (15). God meets with His people.
 
Mingled in blessing is the brokenness of life. The delight of dealing with Divine faithfulness is interrupted with death, first Rachel and then Isaac (18-29). The joy of family revival is interrupted by the rebellion of a son (22).  Jacob moves from mountain tops of celebration to the valley of dysfunction and discouragement.
 
God reveals Himself in both the blessings and the brokenness of life. God is not absent in the death and dysfunction of daily life in a fallen world. We must hold to His promises, knowing He is with us. He hears us. He is working all things according to the council of His will. He is faithful. We can trust Him.
 
Richly Dwelling
-God reveals Himself personally to His people. What are two ways God has revealed Himself to you personally?
 
-Where has God blessed you richly? Where do you see the Lord’s faithfulness to His promises in and through His blessings?
 
-Where are you experiencing troubles, the burdens of the broken world? How can you hold to GOD and HIS promises in your troubles? What do you need to remember?
 
Key Verse
15 So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.

Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. 4 But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. 5 When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, 6 they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country,7 and there they continued to preach the gospel.
 
Paul and Barnabas at Lystra
8 Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well,[b] 10 said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking. 11 And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!”12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13 And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, 15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. 16 In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. 17 Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” 18 Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.
 
Paul Stoned at Lystra
19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20 But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. 21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
 
Paul and Barnabas Return to Antioch in Syria
24 Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. 25 And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, 26 and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. 27 And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they remained no little time with the disciples.
 
Meditation
The pandemic and casualties cascading from the COVID19 crisis have revealed many things, one of which is the Church’s low tolerance for troubles. The missionary movement in Acts helps Christians see troubles and struggles as a doorway for Kingdom advancement. Troubles are treasure to steward for Kingdom advancement.
 
Paul and his band of missionaries were not masochists. They fled Iconium to Lystra for safety from stoning but there was no safety after they healed a man and rejected receiving glory for the miracle. The peopled pummeled Paul with stones and left him for dead. Paul rose up, went into the city, and went the next day to preach the gospel and make disciples.
 
Patterning Christ, Paul strengthened disciples from weakness and encouraged gospel healing through his personal wounds. Paul explicitly taught, “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (22)
 
After being left for dead Paul continued his duty to go and make disciples. He went to Derbe, a town sixty miles away and the furthest point of this missionary journey. Paul followed his call from God, strengthening resolve through suffering.
 
God is working eternal glory through temporary troubles. God strengthens steps through struggle (2 Corinthians 4:7-17). The gospel transforms troubles into treasure and struggles into strength when we understand our call to love the world as Christ has loved the Church.
 
Lord, help us to have a gospel perspective on our troubles and struggles as you use us to build your church and advance your kingdom!
 
Richly Dwelling
-Are you like me, surprised by how quickly you crumble under troubles and struggles?
 
-Where do you find inspiration from Paul’s fidelity to his call and gospel perspective of his trouble and struggle for the church?
 
-Jesus welcomed suffering for our healing. Jesus went to die on the cross for us to live. This gospel perspective should ground us in an eternal worldview, understanding our troubles are temporary, treasure for loving and leading others.  What is ONE STEP you can take to change your perspective of your troubles?
 
Key Verse
they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.