PSALM 74
Psalmist asks LORD to remember HIS people verse 1- 3
O God
Why have YOU cast us off forever?
Why does YOUR anger smoke against
the sheep of YOUR pasture?
REMEMBER YOUR congregation
which YOU have purchased of old
the rod of YOUR inheritance
which YOU have REDEEMED
this mount Zion – wherein YOU have dwelt
Lift up YOUR feet to the perpetual desolations
even all that the enemy has done wickedly in the sanctuary
Psalmist describes destruction of the temple verse 4- 8
YOUR enemies roar in the midst of YOUR congregation
they set up their ensigns for signs
A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees
BUT now they break down the carved work thereof at once with
axes and hammers
They have cast fire into YOUR sanctuary – they have defiled
by casting down the dwelling place of YOUR name to the ground
They said in their hearts
Let us destroy them together
they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land
Psalmist asks LORD to show HIS power verse 9- 11
We see not our signs – there is no more any PROPHET
neither is there among us any that know how long
O God – how long shall the adversary reproach?
Shall the enemy blaspheme YOUR name forever?
Why withdraw YOU YOUR hand – even YOUR right hand?
pluck it out of YOUR bosom
Psalmist describes past works of God verse 12- 17
For God is my King of old – working salvation in the midst of the earth
YOU did divide the sea by YOUR strength
YOU brake the heads of the dragons in the waters
YOU brake the heads of leviathan in pieces
and gave him to be meat
to the people inhabiting the wilderness
YOU did cleave the fountain and the flood
YOU dried up mighty rivers
The day is YOURS – the night is YOURS
YOU have prepared the light and the sun
YOU have set all the borders of the earth
YOU have made summer and winter
Psalmist wants LORD not to forget HIS people verse 18- 19
Remember this – that the enemy has reproached – O LORD
and that the foolish people have blasphemed YOUR name
O deliver not the soul of YOUR turtledove
to the multitude of the wicked
forget not the congregation of YOUR poor for ever
Psalmist reminds LORD of HIS covenant promises verse 20- 21
Have respect to the covenant
for the dark places of the earth
are full of the habitations of cruelty
O let not the oppressed return ashamed
let the poor and needy praise YOUR name
Psalmist desire that the LORD deal with enemies soon verse 22- 23
Arise – O God – plead YOUR own cause
remember how the foolish man reproaches YOU DAILY
forget not the voice of YOUR enemies
the tumult of those that rise up against YOU
increases continually
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
:1 “O God, why have You cast us off forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). (Cast us off – 2186 זָנַח, זָנַח [zanach /zaw·nakh/] v. A primitive root meaning to push aside; TWOT 564; GK 2395 and 2396; 20 occurrences; AV translates as “cast … off” 17 times, “cast away” once, “turn … away” once, and “removed … far off” once. 1 to cast off, reject, spurn. 1A (Qal) to reject. 1B (Hiphil) to forcefully reject someone. 2 to stink, emit stench, become odious. 2A (Hiphil) stink (perfect). James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: There have been many situations where the place where Christ is worshipped has been desecrated. With recent destruction of worship places in Iraq and Syria by militants to the vandalizing of church buildings in the U.S., God’s house is not always viewed as sacred. The psalmist is crying out as he beholds the destruction of the sanctuary. This could have been in 586 when the Temple was destroyed and burned. Whenever the event occurred the writer is graphic of the destruction and devastation that takes place!
He cries out to the Lord to remember and act on behalf of His people. When horrible events take place we, like the psalmist cry out to God to remember! The psalmist asks three times for God to remember (2,18,22), two times he says “do not forget” (19,23). But He does not forget and the actions of the enemy do not take Him by surprise! Those who needed to remember were the people of God! When terrible events happen in the believer’s life may we take the time to evaluate where we may have forgotten to follow the Lord!
CHALLENGE While not every tragic event that occurs in a believer’s life is the result of sin and disobedience, when crisis comes, it is appropriate for us to appraise our lives to see if we match up to God’s commands! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
:2 Remember the congregation, which YOU have purchased of old; the rod of YOUR inheritance, which YOU have redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein YOU have dwelt. (7069 “purchased” [qanah] means to create, to buy, to acquire, to get something often through one’s efforts or as compensation, or buyer)
DEVOTION: The LORD had acquired the children of Israel out of Egypt long ago and they were presently in captivity in Babylon. They had wandered from HIS presence. HE had allowed them to go into captivity because they were disobedient and were not willing to repent of their sins.
HE was their redeemer. HE was the only one who could return them to their own land again if they were willing to be obedient to HIS commands. As we know from reading their history and the history of the church we are rebellious people.
We say we want to worship the LORD but it is on our own terms. We want to be able to sin as we please and still have the blessings of God on our life.
It doesn’t work that way. HE wants us to be an obedient people. The Psalmist thinks he has to remind God of HIS responsibility toward the children of Israel instead of reminding the children of Israel of their responsibility toward God.
This is true today regarding the church. We have a responsibility toward God to be obedient to his commands and yet we think we can live as we please and the LORD will not punish us.
The church today is not what it was years ago where the Bible was opened and preached with power. There are a few that do it but many just water down the Christian life to tell people that they can believe what they want and act as they want and God will not do anything to them. This is sin!
The standards of the LORD have not changed. HE wants us to be obedient servants that look to HIM and HIS word for guidance.
The children of Israel moved away from the LORD and we continue to do the same today.
CHALLENGE: There has to be a time of remembering what the LORD expects of those who claim to be believers!
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: 7 They have cast fire into YOUR sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of YOUR name to the ground. (4720 “sanctuary” [miqdash] means a consecrated place where the deity dwells and where sacred objects are kept and worship takes place, or holy place.)
DEVOTION: Here we have the time period of the Babylonian captivity given as history. The temple was destroyed and the worship of the LORD had changed because the people had forgotten that HE was their God.
They had worshiped the gods of the lands where they were taken into captivity. The Temple in Jerusalem had stopped being the main place that the children of Israel worshipped because they liked the gods of the nations around them and turned to them for worship instead of the LORD.
Judgment came because of their rejection of the LORD and HE was making sure that they knew that they were wrong in there treatment of worship. They had a time period when the children of Israel seemed to only worship the false gods of the lands around them instead of the true God of their own nation.
There was always a remnant of people who were true to the LORD but the majority found it easier to just go along with the crowd.
This is happening even today with the way that people are worshiping the LORD even in our churches. Many are there just for show and not for genuine repentance of sin and genuine worship of the LORD.
When a church is genuine there will be a call to repent and to come and accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. This will happen regularly. There will be people in the church that genuinely care for one another.
Strangers can come in and understand that in a genuine church the LORD’S name is put high in the worship service. It will not be just music but a genuine preaching of the Word of God that leads to repentance in those who are not living as they should for the LORD.
In some churches if where there is NO fire.
CHALLENGE: Does your church have fire in it each week? Is it a fire that turns people to Christ alone?
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 19 O deliver not the soul of YOUR turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of YOUR poor forever. (2416 “congregation” [chay] means company, living creature, or troop.)
DEVOTION: It is never easy to turn our enemies over to the LORD. We have to constantly remember that HE knows what HE is doing and will do it in HIS time.
The psalmist is trying to plead for the LORD to deal with those who are against HIM. He is reminding the LORD of all the power HE has available to help them. He is asking the LORD not to let the enemy win.
There is a comparison between those who are with the LORD and those that are against the LORD. The comparison between a multitude and a troop is great. The enemy has a multitude, but there is only a troop that is following the LORD.
The odds seem to be against the people of God. BUT GOD makes the difference. HIS servant here asks HIM to act in behalf of HIS people. When we pray during a hard time, do we pray in this manner? Do we remember how GREAT our God is? Do we remember all the power HE has demonstrated in the past? Do we think that God is weaker today than HE was in the day of this psalm?
We should want the same thing in our day. We want God to act against those who oppose HIS Word. We want God to send lightening down from heaven to destroy HIS enemies.
HE is not doing it. HE does seem to be sending warnings out in our world to get the attention of those who are not following HIM. HE sends tornados. HE sends tidal waves. HE sends snow storms. HE sends earthquakes. All of these are warnings that those who are not following HIM are getting HIS attention. If they are warned and respond that would be great. If they don’t listen, they will face judgment. Sometimes these warning are for Christians to get busy.
So we ask with the psalmist: “How long?” or “Why?” Yet the LORD is still on the throne. HE is going to send HIS Son to call HIS own to HIMSELF. Then the world will feel the wrath of the LORD. While we wait for that day we need to realize that one with the LORD is a majority. The majority is against the LORD but will answer to HIM one day. Praise HIS name!!!
We may be poor but we are part of HIS family. HE will keep HIS promises. HE will never deliver us over to the enemy. HE will continue to work HIS salvation on this earth until the trumpet sounds.
CHALLENGE: Wait patiently for HIS deliverance. HE loves us.
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: 22 “Arise, O God, plead YOUR own cause: Remember how the foolish man reproach YOU daily.” (“Plead,” 7378 רִיב [riyb] 67 occurrences; AV translates as “plead” 27 times, “strive” 13 times, “contend” 12 times, “ chide” six times, “debate” twice, and translated miscellaneously seven times. 1 to strive, contend. 1a (Qal). 1a1 to strive. 1a1a physically. 1a1b with words. 1a2 to conduct a case or suit (legal), sue. 1a3 to make complaint. 1a4 to quarrel. [Strong, J. (2001). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software]).
DEVOTION: This is another psalm of lament by Asaph. He is describing how God’s people have been overrun by their enemies and asks God to remember His covenants with His people. Evidently this was penned after a military defeat. What is also noteworthy is that military conquests in the Old Testament often were associated with the victory of one territorial deity over another one, and so Yahweh would have been seen as a weaker God in comparison to the god(s) worshipped by the conquerors.
The statement of God pleading His own cause is reminiscent of God taking up a case against the apostate Jews in the Old Testament. He asks why His people left Him when He had so provided for and led them. This quarrel (or lawsuit) offers the background for God being asked to plead His case against the wicked and sinners who have devastated Israel in this psalm. God does not have to plead an argument before Himself, but already knows what He is going to do. Nonetheless, this metaphor suggests that God can make a case against sinners, and that He will do so at the final judgment. This description of God pleading a case is also an anthropomorphism, as if He needed to appeal to a higher authority in order to make His case. We also know that God pleads His case about what He wants us to do in our hearts through the Holy Spirit that He has given us.
Yet God does have the affairs of mankind mapped out in advance, as we saw in yesterday’s psalm. He already knows what He is going to do with the righteous and the wicked. So even when it appears as though the wicked are winning, God knows how it will all end up!
CHALLENGE: In what area do you want to see God intervene in the affairs of mankind? Is your heart grieved by the sinfulness and evil that you see around you? If so, ask God cause His justice to be done, and then trust that God will bring a final judgment to vindicate the righteous. (Dr. Marc Wooten – board member)
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Sanctuary verse 3, 7
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 1, 8, 10, 12, 22
Anger of the LORD verse 1
Synagogues of God verse 8
God has withdrawn HIS hand verse 11
King verse 12
Sovereignty of God verse 12- 17
Works salvation
Divide the sea
Breaks heads of dragons
Breaks head of leviathan
Give the meat of leviathan to people
Dried up mighty rivers
Day is THINE
Night is THINE
Prepared the light of sun
Set borders of the earth
Made summer and winter
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 18
Plead YOUR own cause verse 22
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Enemy verse 3, 4, 10, 18, 23
Adversary verse 10
Poor verse 19
Dark places of earth are full of cruelty verse 20
Foolish man reproaches God daily verse 22
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Doing wickedly verse 3
Setting up signs in congregation verse 4
Break down carved works verse 6
Set fire in Sanctuary verse 7
Defiled Sanctuary verse 7
Burn down synagogues verse 8
Reproach God verse 10, 18, 22
Blaspheme name of God verse 10, 18
Foolish people verse 18, 22
Wicked verse 19
Cruelty verse 20
Rise up against God verse 23
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Sheep of God’s pasture verse 1
Congregation verse 2
Purchased verse 2
Inheritance verse 2
Redeemed verse 2
Presence of the LORD verse 2
Dwell with HIS people verse 2
Prophet verse 9
Salvation verse 12
Covenant verse 20
Praise (poor and needy) verse 21
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Psalm of Asaph verse 1- 23
Congregation verse 2, 4, 19
Mount Zion verse 2
Sanctuary verse 3, 7
Synagogues of God verse 8
No signs verse 9
Oppressed return verse 21
Poor and needy praise YOUR name verse 21
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
Since righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne (89:14), it was logical for Asaph to move in his thoughts from God’s throne to God’s covenant with Israel (Lev. 26; Deut. 28–30). Asaph knew the terms of the covenant: if Israel obeyed the Lord, He would bless them; if they disobeyed, He would chasten them; if they confessed their sins, He would forgive them. If the Babylonians were mocking the Lord as they destroyed the city and temple, the Jews had mocked the prophets that God sent to them to turn them from their idolatry (2 Chron. 36:16). Israel had not honored God’s name but had turned His temple into a den of thieves (Jer. 7:11). Asaph saw the nation as a defenseless dove that had no way of escape. Had the kings and leaders listened to their prophets and led the nation back to the Lord, all this carnage and destruction would have been averted. But the Lord was paying attention to His covenant! That was why He was chastening His people. Asaph was concerned about the glory of God’s name and the survival of God’s people. It was God’s cause that was uppermost in His mind. The prophet Jeremiah had preached about the dependability of God’s covenant (Jer. 33:19–26), and Asaph was asking God to fulfill His purposes for the nation.
The nation had been ravaged, the city of Jerusalem had been wrecked, and the temple had been destroyed and burned—but the essentials had not been touched by the enemy! The nation still had Jehovah God as their God, His Word and His covenant had not been changed, and Jehovah was at work in the world! God is at work in our world today, and we need not despair. (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be worshipful (1st ed., pp. 243–244). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)
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74:18–23. The psalmist appealed to God not to forget the awful mocking by the enemy (cf. vv. 10, 22) and to protect His dove, a defenseless bird (i.e., Israel; cf. 68:13), and look on His covenant so that His people—oppressed … poor, and needy (see comments on 37:14)—would not suffer the disgrace of defeat. God should note, he said, that the enemies are blasphemers who mock Him (74:22; cf. vv. 10, 18). Therefore He should not forsake His people, but should defend His cause and defeat His loud, boisterous enemies. (Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 849). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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74:23 Do not forget the sound of your adversaries Just as the psalmist does not want God to forget His people (v. 19), he also does not want God to overlook the insults from His enemies. The psalmist is appealing to the need for God to protect His own reputation. (Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ps 74:23). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.)
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74:1–23 This community lament expresses the agony of the people in the midst of the most excruciating of circumstances. It was bad enough that Israel’s enemies had destroyed the temple (cf. 2Ki 25). But even worse, it seemed to the psalmist that God had abandoned them. In this prayer he reminds God of His bond with Israel, His past supernatural deeds in the protection of Israel, and begs God to save His covenant nation now (cf. Ps 137 and Lamentations). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ps 74:1–23). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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23. Forget not the voice of thine enemies. The petition is that God in judging between his people and their foes would decide the controversy according to the tenor of the language used by the wicked. Or the prayer may import that all sin has a tongue and continually calls for vengeance, as did the blood of Abel, and the sin of Sodom, Gen. 4:10; 18:21. Both views lead to the same result. The tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually. When wickedness is rampant and outrageous, it is time for God to work. The more unendurable any state of things becomes, the louder may we call for help. It is remarkable that the Psalm closes without any expression of hope of deliverance. Horne: “While speaking, the church seems to hear the tumultuous clamors of the approaching enemy, growing every minute louder as they advance: and we leave the ‘turtle-dove’ without the divine assistance, ready to sink under the talons of the rapacious eagle.” (Plumer, W. S. (1872). Studies in the Book of Psalms: Being a Critical and Expository Commentary, with Doctrinal and Practical Remarks on the Entire Psalter (p. 726). Philadelphia; Edinburgh: J. B. Lippincott Company; A & C Black.)
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Ver. 23. Forget not the voice of thine enemies, &c.] Their roaring in the midst of the sanctuary and the congregation, ver. 4 their reproaching and blaspheming voice, ver. 10, 18, 22 the tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually, or ascendeth; goes up to God, and is taken notice of by him; the cry of their sins, like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of the city of Nineveh, Gen. 18:20, 21; Jon. 1:2 was continually going up to God; wherefore it might be hoped and expected that vengeance in a little time would come down; see Rev. 18:5, 6, 7 the Septuagint, and the versions that follow that, render it, the pride of those, &c. all these petitions are prayers of faith, and are, or will be, heard and answered; upon which will follow thanksgivings, with which the next psalm begins. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 4, p. 13). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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Christ in Suffering and Triumph
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8)
In the final book of the Bible occur seven great “I am” assertions by the glorified Christ, all speaking of His ultimate victory. However, in the book of Psalms occur seven vastly different “I am” statements by Christ, all speaking prophetically of His sufferings. These are in four of the wonderfully fulfilled Messianic psalms, all written 1,000 years before Christ, yet each psalm cited in the New Testament is fulfilled by Christ.
“But I am a worm, and no man” (Psalm 22:6, comparing Christ to a mother “scarlet worm” who dies so that her young may live, and in so doing gives off a scarlet fluid that protects and nourishes her young).“I am poor and needy” (Psalm 40:17).
“I am . . . a stranger unto my brethren” (Psalm 69:8).
“I am full of heaviness” (Psalm 69:20).
“I am poor and sorrowful” (Psalm 69:29).
“I . . . am as a sparrow alone upon the house top” (Psalm 102:7).
“I am withered like grass” (Psalm 102:11).
In contrast to these lonely sufferings of Christ, there are the glories that shall follow. The first of the seven “I am’s” of Revelation is our text above, and four of the others proclaim the same great truth (Revelation 1:11, 17; 21:6; 22:13).
The self-existing One, the “I am,” Jehovah, the Lord Jesus Christ, who created all things (Alpha), will one day triumph and make all things new forever (Omega). Listen to the other two wonderful testimonies: “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore” (Revelation 1:18). “I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star” (Revelation 22:16). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Jesus is transfigured as a validation of His identity as the Deity and Messiah.
INSIGHT
The Transfiguration gives us an exciting glimpse into our resurrection life. From it, we may learn several things. Our physical bodies may be startlingly brilliant and beautiful, as we witness the amazing appearance of Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. We may know each other automatically since the disciples seemed to recognize Moses and Elijah without instruction. We apparently will not be subject to the physical limitations of nature since Moses and Elijah appeared and disappeared. What a joy awaits us in eternity! (Quiet Walk)
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I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. 1 Timothy 2:8
There are conditions that govern the activity called prayer. One condition is that we are to lift up “holy hands.” We are not now concerned about the question of posture in prayer, nor to indicate that the Jews generally stood and held up their hands to God when they prayed. We shall not tarry with the fact that it was a Jewish custom to wash their hands before they took part in an act of worship. That was merely the external symbol used to emphasize the principle that the apostle is anxious to stress.
The clean hands, the “holy hands,” are indicative of and represent a holy character. That must ever be the first question in any approach to God. “Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). “Thou [God] art of purer eyes than to behold evil” and cannot “look on iniquity” (Habakkuk 1:13). There is nothing that is so utterly contrary to the whole teaching of the Bible as the assumption that anyone at any time without any conditions whatsoever may approach God in prayer. Indeed, the first effect of sin, and the main result of the Fall, was to break the communion that obtained between God and man. Man, by sin, has forfeited his right approach to God, and indeed were he left to himself he never would approach God. But God in His wondrous grace has made a way for man to approach Him. That is the explanation of all the teaching concerning offerings and sacrifices in the Old Testament, as it is also the explanation of the ceremony of the Tabernacle and the Tem ple and the Aaronic priesthood. Without these things men could not approach God. We can commune with Him only in this way and according to His dictates. There is no access otherwise.
A Thought to Ponder: We can commune with God only according to His dictates. (From Why Does God Allow War? pp. 25-26, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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A Use for Our Refuse
But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. 2 CORINTHIANS 1:6
What do you have that could be of benefit to others?
That’s the question you may ask yourself every time you go exploring through your attic or garage. You realize how much you tend to keep and accumulate, even when your need for these items has long subsided. Often the stuff you find crammed deep into your closets isn’t even worthy of charitable donation. It’s just junk, better thrown out with the garbage.
But when it comes to the junk in your own personal life—the mistakes you’ve made, the poor judgment you’ve exercised, the hurt you’ve caused each other—God may have a purpose for it even still. Over the years, I’ve challenged many couples to step forward as mentors. But they have their own reservations and excuses. Many feel they just aren’t qualified. They say they have nothing to share with younger adults. They don’t think they know the Bible well enough.
Many of them are simply haunted by their own mistakes—their own junk. They don’t realize that those mistakes may be among the most valuable tools they possess in teaching a younger couple about how to grow a marriage and family God’s way.
Everyone struggles with marriage and family issues. Everyone. That’s why the core curriculum for learning how to minister to other couples includes the textbook of true-life experience. Weakness and disappointment provide some of our best resources for sharing life messages with others. They provide both content and context to our instruction.
You see, it’s not junk if somebody else can use it. The only way it becomes a waste is if we’re afraid to admit we’ve still got it, if we’re unwilling to let God use our garbage for His glory.
DISCUSS: Talk honestly about some of the mistakes you’ve made. Have you seen any good come from them?
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