Avoiding the Rollercoaster, Day 21 Leave the King on the throne. Read Judges chapter 21. As we finish out the book of Judges today, we read a chapter of solutions. You see with the Civil War that the Israelites fought in the last chapter, now they have a tribe that’s in danger of dying out. They realize they don’t want any single tribe to die out, and so they figure out a solution to be able to continue that tribe. Interestingly, they don’t consult God through any of it. They come up with these solutions to solve this problem entirely on their own. And while it does accomplish the purpose,…

Avoiding the Rollercoaster, Day 19 Finding the bottom. Read Judges chapter 19. This chapter is one that reminds us just how far we can fall. Sin is a horrible thing and the things that happen in this chapter are a reminder of just how truly horrible things can be. Reading this section, we understand that the travelers intentionally were staying within cities that were Israelite cities. They were intentionally staying only in places that were supposed to be followers of God. Unfortunately, they had fallen so far from God that even in one of those cities, the horrible things still happened. When people are riding the rollercoaster, the lows can…

Avoiding the Rollercoaster, Day 18 What happens when your gods are easy-come, easy-go? Read Judges chapter 18. Yesterday, we saw how Micah set up his own religious system. He wanted his own gods that he could control, manipulate, and have in his own house to do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Unfortunately, when you have your gods set up that way, anybody can take them. So others who came walking by decided they wanted the gods. And they took them. Our faith must be in more than something that can just be snatched away and taken by others. Do we understand the true nature of who God is and…

Avoiding the Rollercoaster, Day 17 I want my own stuff. Read Judges chapter 17. Here we see the story of Micah. Micah decides that God isn’t not really God enough for him. He wants his own god. So he creates his own. Micah has his own god built and decorated, and he creates everything that he needs to be able to worship. Unfortunately, Micah’s god isn’t really god. How many times do we get frustrated with things not happening the way we want them to, and we decide we’re going to take matters in our own hands and set up our own little system. It’ll be fine, we think. We…

Avoiding the Rollercoaster, Day 16 One of the saddest verses in scriptures. Read Judges chapter 16. Over the years, I have read the story of Samson many times. We see so many truths through his life and so many lessons that we can learn from all that he did. Still, even with all the times I have read the verses, there are few verses that as sad to me as verse 20. The idea is so sad that with everything Samson had done, he did not recognize that God’s spirit had left him. Samson did not know what it felt like to have God’s spirit with him, and did not…

Avoiding the Rollercoaster, Day 15 Only when it’s “needed.” Read Judges chapter 15. As I read the story of Samson, one thing that becomes very evident is that he only calls upon the Lord when he “needs” him. Most of Samson’s life and actions are certainly along the path that God desires for him, but he doesn’t come to the Lord. He doesn’t seek the Lord. You don’t get the idea that Samson is striving to follow the Lord. He’s just doing what he wants to in these circumstances. Then, he’s only turning to God when he needs him. Do we seek God all the time, or only when it’s…

Avoiding the Rollercoaster, Day 14 Ahh, love at first sight. Read Judges chapter 14. This seems an appropriate story for Valentine’s Day. Here we see Samson going out on a walk and he spies a beautiful woman. He goes home and tells his parents that she should be his wife. Only problem is that she is one of their enemies and one of the people that are oppressing the Israelite people right now. God has a plan for all of this, and he wants to bring judgment on the Philistine people. But as a general rule, our emotions should not dictate our actions like they do for Samson. So much…

Avoiding the Rollercoaster, Day 13 It’s ok to ask for a repeat of instructions. Read Judges chapter 13. A couple who has never had any children receives an interesting visitor. This angel comes to the wife only and tells her that she will have a child and that she is to care for him in a specific way. She goes home and tells her husband who immediately wants to hear the instructions for himself. I find it interesting that even though he didn’t have to, God was willing to send the angel back and repeat the instructions again. He didn’t tell them anything more than what he’d already told the…

Avoiding the Rollercoaster, Day 12 I’ll just do it myself. Read Judges chapter 12. In reading through this chapter, we see snippets of multiple judges’ lives and their time leading Israel. For one of these judges, we get the idea that people weren’t moving fast enough or doing what he said quick enough. So he did what needed to be done. He just decided he would go do things himself. He does give God the credit for the victory, but I really wonder how much he believes the God saved them. His statement leads to the idea that he felt that he was the main person and everything revolves around…