Day 21

There is a difference between knowing truth about God and allowing that truth to impact how we live our lives.  The same day I started writing about God’s sovereignty in Job’s life, I was diagnosed with pinkeye and was coming down with a nasty cold.  I was miserable.  Worse than that, I had become grouchy and irritable and was acting like a jerk (best word to describe it) to my family.  After two days of my inappropriate behavior my wife had to confront me about it.  I knew I was acting out, but it hit me like a ton of bricks when she said it.  I realized how much of a hypocrite I had been for writing about God’s sovereignty in Job’s life while not allowing His sovereignty to control my life.  I entirely ignored the fact that even though I felt bad, God was still in control and had a purpose for all this.  Are you like me?  Have you lost sight of God’s sovereignty in your life?  Are you allowing life’s circumstances to dictate your behavior rather than the truth of God’s Word?  I want to encourage you to take a step back, reevaluate, and recommit to living with God’s sovereignty as a constant reality in your life.  

General Questions for each day:
Summarize the day’s Bible passage in your own words.
What thoughts, actions, attitudes or beliefs are addressed in the passage?
How is the Holy Spirit leading you to apply this passage to your life today?

Bible Discussion Guide:

-In what ways does God’s sovereignty impact our lives?
-How would life be different if God was not sovereign?
-Review the events of Joseph’s life. How did God demonstrate His sovereignty in Joseph’s life?
-How did Joseph react to the negative events in his life?
-How did he react to the positive events?
-In your own life, what are some ways God has revealed his sovereignty?
-How have you reacted to negative events?
-What about positive events?
-What have you learned from studying the life of Joseph that will impact how you react to life’s circumstances in the future?
-We also read the first 11 chapters of Job this week. In what ways did God demonstrate his sovereignty over Job’s life?
-The devotional for January 19th stated that nothing exists outside of God’s sovereignty, including evil. How does this truth impact our lives?
-Have you ever experienced a time when you did not understand what was happening in your life?  How did you respond?
-What can we learn from Job’s response that will help us to respond appropriately to difficult circumstances?
-Personal application:  What is one thing you were able to take away from studying the lives of Joseph and Job that will change the way you live?