Come Again? E-100 Day 31 (1 Samuel 1-3)

From the reading today, focusing on chapter 3, we see Samuel as a boy living in the Temple. First of all, wow! How would you like to grow up living in the church building? Seems odd to us, but Samuel didn't seem to mind. Eli, the main priest is going blind and is relying on Samuel to help him and learn some of the duties of being a priest. It's night time, Samuel is asleep, and he hears his voice being called. The only one that would call him is Eli, so he runs in and reports. Eli tells Samuel to go back to bed, he didn't call him. It happens a second time, and again, Samuel is sent back to bed. It happens a third time and you gotta be thinking that Samuel is getting annoyed with Eli. Eli realizes someone is calling Samuel, so he gives instructions to answer back and that it's God calling him. Woah! What? God audibly calling someone! Ron, that doesn't happen! I don't believe this stuff! Well, before dismissing this altogether, ask yourself why you choose not to believe it. Is it because you've never expereienced it? I've never been to Antarctica, but I don't dismiss it as not existing just because I've never seen it or been there. Moving on, God gives Samuel a revelation about Eli's family (basically, his sons were corrupt people and were going to be punished). This is the story, but I want to challenge you with this. God still speaks to people and reveals Himself to people. I wonder when was the last time we got rid of the distractions and noise in our life to actually sit and listen and hear His voice? Why don't you try getting alone with Him today? Have a great day, guys!

Ron Foster

Boaz who? E-100 Day 30 (Ruth 1-4)

The Bible is full of characters that become the hero of the story and we get these pictures in our minds of how great they are or how athletic or strong or smart or cunning they are. In today's reading, I love how the hero of the story (Boaz) doesn't necessarily do anything heroic. He is just living his life trying to do the right things, and that makes him heroic! We see the huge lesson of loyalty and friendship from Ruth. We see the great story of trusting God to take care of us. But I love the story here from Boaz's perspective.

From his perspective, he just sees this drop dead hottie roaming his fields as they are going through for their harvest. He's a little older than her. She seems like she might be out of his league a little. He needs a way to get in good with her, so he tells his workers to purposefully leave behind extra food for her. It works. Eventually he gets her story. Finds out the proper way of going about marrying her and has to give some guy alot of money to do so (a crazy custom, if you want to know about it, leave a comment and I'll let you know). And marries her. Boaz was then given the title, "The kinsman redeemer". He was given this title because Ruth's husband who had passed away, was related to him. That made them "kin". He was able to "redeem" Ruth by marrying her as a part of this custom. He gave her a great life. He was heroic. He was her knight in shining armor. Boaz went about the whole process in an honorable and proper way.

Has there been anything happen in your life where you felt you were just living life, and someone made a big deal about what you were doing? Just think. You might be living your life the way that could honor God and it can be heroic! That's exciting! Have a great day guys!

Ron Foster

Struggles of a Man E-100 Day 29 (Judges 13-16)

A guy will do alot of things to get the girl. Sometimes they're great and noble things. Sometimes they're stupid and idiotic things. I heard of a guy in my school that was going to be proposing to his girlfriend. We were living in Springfield, MO at the time. He took his g/f to the St. Louis Arch. They went to the top. When they got to the top and were looking down, he said, "Hey, look down there. There are some people spelling something out with those big rocks." They both looked down to see several people putting stones in place. Once they were in place, it was clear that they were spelling out, "MARRY ME (the girls name that I forgot)". Once she read it, it really hadn't hit her that it was her name and as she backed away from the window, to look at her boyfriend, he was down on one knee. She was stunned and said yes! She thought they were just going for fun to see the Arch, when he had arranged for many of thier friends to be there arranging those rocks.

I also had a teenager in my youth ministry that loved God. He wanted everything to do with God and church and youth group. Then he met this girl that showed him some attention. She wanted nothing to do with God, church, or our youth group. When I talked with him about it, he wasn't putting the two together like they had anything to do with each other. He wasn't seeing that this new love interest would have any bearing on his love for God. He ignored my warnings. Eventually we saw this young man coming to youth group more sporadically. He began to back away and eventually stopped coming all together.

These are two examples of doing some very noble things and stupid things in order to get the girl. From our reading today, we see that Sampson, unfortunately, was one of those guys that made stupid decisions to get the girl. The first was with his wife (who did not follow God). At their own wedding, he caved in on giving up some information to her because she was nagging him and it cost him. Then later on in life, he's meeting up with Delilah (out of wedlock) and same thing happens with her nagging him, but because he would rather get the girl, he gives up himself.

Why do we do that? What is it that makes us so dumb sometimes? The power of a woman over a man is an incredible thing. What's more incredible is when a man gives control of his life not to a woman, but to Jesus Christ! Some incredible things can really start to happen when we do that, and when we've given the power of our lives to Jesus Christ, it protects us from giving it to a woman! Let's face it, we all fall prey to their charm. They're lovely. They're great. They're worth getting to know. But make sure to invest in the ones worth getting to know. Give your heart to God and He'll be the one to give you a great girl. Have a great day guys.

Ron Foster

Mighty Hero! E-100 Day 28 (Judges 6-7)

It was the end of the soccer season of my freshman year. I didn't play much. Mainly when the game wasn't super close and one of the fullbacks was tired. We were in practice, and only had one game left. I was sprinting toward a loose ball. On the other end of the loose ball was Hector. Hector was a senior and one of the best players in the state of California. As we got close to the ball, I backed down in fear of getting run over. Hector kicked the ball away, then turned around and came after me, grabbed my shirt and slammed me down. "Am I bigger than you?" Hector was yelling at me! "Ron, you are solid! You should be starting, but you play like a ______! If you would just be confident, you can run anyone over!" Hector saw something in me that I didn't see in myself. It shocked me. It also motivated me, and did give me confidence. Hector worked with me all summer long even after he graduated. I came into practice my sophomore year a different player and ended up as the starter at sweeper because I was so aggressive in getting after the ball. I never would have made that change in how I approached the game and life without Hector seeing something in me that I didn't see in myself.

Gideon was the least in his family. His family was the least in their tribe. His tribe was the least of all the tribes. So you can imagine his shock when the angel of the Lord came to him while he was basically hiding out and addressed him as "Mighty Hero"! The angel of the Lord knew what God was going to do through Gideon even though Gideon didn't know it yet. Can you think back to a time when someone saw something in you that you didn't see in yourself? Did it motivate you to try? Did it make you entertain the thought that just maybe that person was right and you could do what they saw in you? Did you know that when Jesus looks at you in your present state and calls you righteous? I know you don't see it in yourself, but God sees what His Son did on the cross for you! Can that help motivate you to start acting like a child of the King rather than a failure, a screw up, or a rebel? I know it does for me, knowing that Jesus sees me that way. How about you? Will you live as a child of the King today? Have a great day guys!

Ron Foster

Didn't See That One Coming. E-100 Day 27 (Judges 4-5)

Have you ever planned something out, or envisioned how a certain situation would go down with the best and worst case scenarios only to see a twist come in at the end that you didn't see coming at all? The movie Sixth Sense comes to mind. Think back to the first time you watched it. You're watching, you're watching, you're engaged. Everything is getting solved with the kid, and he tells his mom that he "sees dead people all the time!". He figures out how to help the dead people. Now you're thinking all that's left is for Bruce Willis to mend his marriage, and then the wedding ring drops out of his wife's hand. And it all becomes clear in one instance that you didn't see the entire movie, that Bruce Willis is dead! Oh my gosh! What a twist!

Well, in today's reading we see that Israel has once again turned away from God. There is a prophetess named Deborah, and she tells a man named Barak that God has chosen him to lead the people in victory over the enemy! Awesome news right? Well, apparantly, that wasn't good enough for Barak, so he tells Deborah, I'll go if you go with me. That's like a 12 year old boy going to play baseball at the park with all the guys and saying to his mommy, I won't go unless you go with me! Come on, man! Anyway, Deborah agrees and informs Barak that the honor of this battle will go to a woman.

So there out there in battle and the general of the army that they are going up against is named Sisera and is the man! The Israelites are quickly winning this battle right from the beginning, and Sisera sees this. He gets off his chariot and runs away, leaving the rest of his army to die. He makes it to a tent of someone who is on neither side of the battle, and only the wife is home, Jael. Jael says he can come on in, and hide him. Sisera tells her to get him some water and then stand at the door of the tent and be on watch. Jael gives him milk instead of water (remember they didn't have refrigerators back then, and what does warm milk do to us...makes us sleepy). Sisera falls asleep. Jael goes and gets a hammer and a tent spike. She walks up to Sisera and HAMMERS THE TENT SPIKE INTO HIS HEAD! WHAT? Are you kidding me? Where did this come from? What a twist! When Deborah said that the honor of the battle will go to a woman, we were all thinking that she was talking about herself, but it turns out that she was talking about this housewife with a tent spike named Jael! How awesome!

It makes me think though. Barak let that one slip. God was going to accomplish this plan and Barak didn't jump at his opportunity to be fully used by God. He was still used, but it makes me wonder how many times I didn't jump into God's plan 100% the way God wanted me to at the time He wanted me to do it. Let's not miss an opportunity today! Have a great day guys!

Ron Foster

A Message From GOD!!! Judges 3

We can all think of different guys in movies that in their character, they were the ultimate "tough guy". Russell Crowe in Gladiator, Mel Gibson in Braveheart, Bruce Willis in Die Hard. Another one of my favorites, also has one of my favorite lines of any movie. In Crocodile Dundee, Paul Hogan is with his lady friend walking through NYC as a shady looking character dressed more like Michael Jackson from Bad than a mugger approaches and demands his wallet. As he says this he pulls a knife on Paul Hogan's character. The notion of this prompts Hogan's ladyfriend to say, "Give him your wallet. He's got a knife." This makes Hogan smile and he responds, "That's not a knife..." as he reaches under his coat from his back, "that's a knife" emerging with this gigantic knife that makes the mugger run away! Love it!

Well in Judges 3, Israel finds itself under oppression and rule to fat King Eglon and the Amalekites for 18 years! They cry out to God, and God raises up a judge or rescuer named Ehud. Now we don't know if God told Ehud he'd be the man or if God had many people ready and no one was stepping up so God might have been waiting for someone to step up to the plate. But Ehud is chosen to be the guy that brings the taxes from his hometown to the King. He delivers the taxes, starts walking out, then decides to walk back into the throne room and tells the King that he has a secret message for him. The king sends everyone else out of the room, and Ehud approaches the throne. As he gets near, Ehud yells, "I have a message from God" Ehud then reaches into his robe and pulls out a huge knife roughly the length between your elbow to your finger tips and shoves it into Eglon's stomach! Here's the crazy part...Ehud loses the knife into the stomach of King Eglon! Ehud climbs out the window and sneaks back home. He tells his community what he's done and they go to battle and defeat everyone around! That's not a knife, that's a knife! Talk about guts, Ehud had it! What can we do this week to be daring for Jesus? Can we be a revolution? I would love to hear your thoughts or comments on this blog if anyone reads it... Thanks guys, have a great day!

It Only Takes One E-100 Day 26 (Judges 2:6-3:6)

In my high school English class, I remember one of the things the teacher told us about writing a paper was to put a sentence toward the very beginning or even a paragraph that would summarize what you are about to explain in the rest of the paper. In this passage today, we are given a paragraph like that. It tells us what is about to be explained in more detail for the rest of the book.

Basically the story of Judges will go like this. Joshua has died. Israel has started to worship other gods (Baal and Ashteroth), God allows them to be defeated by all of their enemies, they pray to God asking forgiveness, God will send a judge to rescue them, and it will all happen like that over and over and over.

How could something like this happen? We're also given the reason in verse 10 of chapter 2: "After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel."

That verse really hit me today. I am to love God. I am to know Him and explore a relationship with Him and make Him my life! But I also have a responsibility. It's my job to make sure that the generation younger than me knows how God became real in my life and that He wants to be real in their life too! I could enjoy the greatest relationship with God ever, but if I don't pass it on, then it will be on my head if the next generation falls away from Christ. Why? Because they didn't know, and it was my job to tell them! So I challenge you today (yes, even you teenager). Who are you passing Jesus on to? Who are you investing your life into to make sure the Jesus is passed from your generation to the next. Someone had to have shared Him with you. Now it's your turn. Go to it. Have a great day!

Ron Foster