Judges 3, Proverbs 11, 2 Timothy 4

The Lord knew what was best for Israel. He loved them beyond human understanding, so He allowed some difficult things to happen in order to get their attention. The nations the Lord left in Canaan served the purpose of testing the loyalty of the Israelites, training future generations in war, and causing the people to cry out to the Lord for help.

We have a basic sin nature just like the Israelites did and we sometimes find ourselves trapped by our unwise decisions or actions, too. God loves us as much as He loved them, and engineers our circumstances to make us focus on Him. Difficulties also train us in spiritual warfare so that we become better able to ward off sin. It is all for our good because it's all about the love relationship God pursues with us.

Proverbs 11 continues the teachings from chapter 10. The righteous person is described as generous, kind, able to hold confidentiality, peaceful, one who listens to wise counsel, respected by neighbors and a soul-winner. I want to be like that, don't you?

Paul's admonition to Timothy to preach the word is one all pastors love and should heed. It is the most concise direction for how to be a good preacher in the Bible. Church members should look for a man like this to be their pastor.

Paul's life contrasts with the Israelites. He stayed true to his calling even though he suffered and ultimately died for it, abandoned by most of his former colleagues and friends. The Israelites suffered because of their sin. Paul suffered because he was faithful. But it was all designed to draw people to the Lord.

We must keep hold of God's perspective on our troubles: He loves us and those in our circle of influence and will do whatever it takes to pursue us and them.

Judges 2, Proverbs 10, 2 Timothy 3

Failure to go all the way with God produces shrinking faith, which produces apathy. Fervor cools. And children are the ones who suffer. Oh, they may get along alright as long as their parents live. But parents won't teach a faith they don't have. We are always just one generation away from losing families of faith.

Chapter ten is a list of wise sayings from Solomon. He wrote them for his son. He wanted to make sure to pass down some of the wisdom God gave him. He handed down his faith. Unfortunately, Solomon's words didn't always match his actions, and his son failed to pass the wisdom to his sons.

Paul handed down his faith to Timothy. He warned Timothy of the dangers lurking under the mask of hypocritical "Christians." These men appeared to be godly but their hearts were full of pride and haughtiness. Pleasure and money meant more to them than God. This sort is especially dangerous because of their outward appearance. Timothy had an advantage over the Israelites. He had scripture to read, along with Paul's letters. He possessed secret intelligence on the enemy hiding in plain sight.

We have the same secret intelligence. If we pay attention, we can avoid falling into the trap of apathy and idolatry. Then our faith will be powerful and our children will want to be like us. They'll love the Lord like we do. And one more generation will be saved.