James Stuart Bell - The One Year Men of the Bible: 365 Meditations on the Character of Men and Their Connection to the Living God

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers the moon and the stars you set in place what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?

P SALM 8:3-4

King David, who wrote Psalm 8, sat in wonder as he considered Gods awesome, vast creation. He marveled that a God of such surpassing greatness would give even a fleeting thought to the daily life of a man such as himself.

Yet David knew God well enough to understand that he is concerned about every aspect of our lives, large and small. He reveled in the love, compassion, provision, and protection that God poured out on him daily.

Have you ever wondered whether God really thinks about you personally, and if so, what he thinks? The Bible teaches that God doesnt just think about us as humans in general, but as individuals. He cares deeply about each of us and works tirelessly sometimes behind the scenes to mold, love, correct, and provide for us.

As well see in the pages of this devotional, God cares passionately about men. The Bible is filled with stories of both Gods interactions with men and their interactions with one another. Some of these stories are about positive examples of godly living, such as Abraham, Gideon, David, Simon Peter, the apostle Paul, and, of course, Jesus. Other stories arent pleasant because they are about the consequences of mens failures and sins. All these accounts have been recorded in the Bible to inspire, teach, warn, and illustrate how to live and how not to live.

Although the focus of this devotional is on the men of the Bible, and the devotions are written primarily from a male perspective, the principles also apply to female readers, though perhaps not in the same ways.

As you read the daily entries in this book, youll get to know these men in new ways. You will look into their hearts and minds and understand what made them tick. You will see how they responded to God and how God related to them.

God recorded these stories in his written Word because he wants more than anything for us to get to know him at a deeper level. There is no better way to do that than to see how God has interacted with the men whose stories he included in the Bible.

As you read this book, you will find out what pleases God, what grieves and angers him, what caused him to move on behalf of the men of the Bible, and what will invite him to move on your behalf today.

As you spend your daily time with God, take a few minutes to read the stories in this book and the personal applications that follow. Think about the context of each mans life and the role he played in Gods plans. Then prayerfully ask yourself, What has this mans story taught me about my own place in Gods plans?

You may learn more than you expect about God and how he desires to relate to you.

Trusting Obedience

ABRAHAM

Take your son, your only son yes, Isaac, whom you love so much and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.

G ENESIS 22:2

Have you ever faced a situation in which you knew that God was calling you to do something very specific such as change your job, move to another community, or make a daunting personal sacrifice but instead of immediately stepping out in obedience, you waited to see what he would do next?

Abraham, the father of the Jewish race, once faced a situation in which delayed obedience must have seemed very tempting. God had given him a command that made little sense from a human perspective: Take your son, your only son yes, Isaac, whom you love so much and go... sacrifice him as a burnt offering.

What was Abraham to do?

We dont know what Abraham thought or prayed as he and Isaac made their way to Moriah, and we can only imagine what he felt. It was bad enough to face the loss of a child, but this was the son that God had promised and given to him in such a miraculous way. God had commanded him to sacrifice the boy as if he were just a goat or a sheep. It must have seemed like a horrifying negation of everything that God had promised.

Abraham didnt know that Gods shocking instruction to sacrifice Isaac was a test of his willingness to obey all the Lords commands even those that appeared to make little sense. Abrahams obedience opened the door to all the blessings God had promised him. In choosing obedience even with fear and trembling Abraham took a huge step toward the high calling of God in his life.

The path to divine blessedness in your family, your career, and your ministry is your willingness to obey Gods commands whether or not they make sense to you.

What commands is God putting on your heart today?

How will you respond?

Its All about Jesus

JOHN THE BAPTIST

He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.

J OHN 3:30

Race-car driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. caught the attention of NASCAR fans worldwide when he said, I believe Im the best driver out there. You have to think that way. Some thought that Earnhardts comment was cocky and self-aggrandizing; others thought it was the attitude