Scripture:
"But that’s not the way it will be with you. Whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant. Whoever wants to be first among you will be the slave of all,"
Mark 10:43-44 CEB


Application:
So many people want to lead, but it seems so few of those people want to serve. They've got it all wrong!
Serve to lead. Don't seek high office, seek high responsibility and higher accountability. Always feel that the gifts and opportunities you've been given are obligations to help others less fortunate.


Prayer:
Father, only You are our true leader. Make those who govern over us accountable for all their wrongdoing, but please assist those who are truly taking the role of servants for our benefit. Thank You. Amen.

Scripture:
' “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” '
Matthew 12:43-45 NIV

Application:
Sin can certainly be chased out of our hearts, minds, and bodies; don't let anyone tell us that it can't. But as sure as sunrise follows sunset, it will return to tempt us. Likewise, don't let anyone tell us otherwise.
Be aggressive and firm when removing sin. We have the authority of Almighty God backing us (and it helps to remind sin of this during the cleaning process). But if we use that authority weakly, or let up on the vigilance to keep sin away, we're going to have to fight the battle over again. What a waste of our time, talent, and energy! And be reminded of this very horrible truth: each time that we have to fight, we face a stronger enemy. So it's best to do the job quickly and thoroughly the first time, and make it the last.

Prayer:
We are ready to use Your authority to chase away sin completely for once and for all, Lord. Keep us vigilant. Amen.

Scripture:

"Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt" Ex. 1:8 NIV

"The Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting in the Desert of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. He said: “Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one." Numbers 1:1-2 NIV

Application:
Why it is relevant to hear all this about the tribes of Israel, the numbers, the names of the descendants, and where they ventured? Of course, on one level, it's instructive to see the power of God leading people through peril and into the Promised Land. But then consider who these people were in the natural sense. These were once slaves. They had no identity. They were mixed up and had no history that anyone respected. Their persecutors certainly didn't remember or care. (Ex. 1:8) So these records are genealogical records.
Their roots.
These Old Testament passages tie a people to a history that no one else respected. But God respected them. That was true then, and it remains true today, for more people than Israel. Respect the lineage.

Prayer:
Father, give us compassion for people detached from their forefathers, whether voluntarily or forcibly. In all things, You are the Father to us all. Amen.