MAY 2025

   I made a commitment at the end of 2024 to read through the Bible in 2025. So far, I am up to date on my reading plan. Reading through the Bible in a year is not the only way a person can read Scripture privately, but it is a good way to familiarize yourself with the entirety of God’s Word.
I just recently finished Judges in my Old Testament reading. Two truths caught my attention as I read through Judges. First, the people of Israel were incredibly, seemingly incurably bent on idolatry. For example, Judges 2:11-13 states, 11 The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. They worshiped the Baals 12 and abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods from the surrounding peoples and bowed down to them. They infuriated the Lord, 13 for they abandoned Him and worshiped Baal and the Ashtoreths. Very similar remarks are stated multiple times throughout the book. Each time they turned away from their God to lesser gods things did not go well for them. Virtually every time Israel walked into idolatry they ended up in servitude to a foreign, pagan nation. May we never think we can get a better deal than the one God offers us. In John 14:21, Jesus said, The one who has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me. And the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father. I also will love him and will reveal Myself to him.” No greater blessing exists than to see Jesus clearly and to be satisfied with Him completely.
The second truth that caught my attention as I read through Judges was the importance of godly leadership. When Israel had a godly judge, who upheld the Word of God and demanded their purity in the worship of God, the nation flourished. However, when Israel lost their godly judge or had ungodly judges the people routinely trended towards idolatry and eventually ended up in servitude.
As I thought about this pattern in Israel millennia ago, I was reminded of the value of pastoral leadership, deacon leadership, and lay leadership within a local church. Likewise, the value of personal, familial leadership within the home cannot be overstated. As we approach the end of the school year and the beginning of summer let’s strive to be good, godly leaders in the realm and over the sphere of influence God has sovereignly placed us in currently. Look at what was said about King David’s leadership: He shepherded them with a pure heart and guided them with his skillful hands (Psalm 78:72). May we too lead with a pure heart and skillful hands!

-Pastor Clint Miller