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Stuck
Brian Mashburn
March 29, 2020
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Stuck
While how we are operating as a church family has literally changed overnight, one of the things that has remained steady is our commitment to our 2020 Bible Project.
And why not? The earth has been shaken by current events, but the Kingdom has not. The Story of God that we are examining is a powerful orientation on how we can weather these changes with steadfastness, faith, and hope. Besides its usefulness as an anchor for our soul, it is also a welcome distraction from the (understandable) focus on the coronavirus. Why not join us by following the 2020 Bible Project plan at www.southwest.org?
We are smack in the middle of the book of Judges currently, which records a major transition in the history of Israel. Before the book of Judges, they were lead by Moses, who brought them out of slavery in Egypt, and then Joshua, who brought them into the land God was giving them. After the book of Judges, they will be led by Kings, beginning with Saul, David, and Solomon.
Judges basically records and explains this tumultuous and disturbing transition. The people of Israel get stuck in a repeating cycle. They would worship other gods, then God would punish them, then they would call out for mercy, God would deliver them (through leaders called "judges"), and then the cycle would repeat.
Sound familiar? It should. What this book shows the people of Israel doing is a mirror to what we all do at one time or another. We all can get stuck in negative, if not outright sinful, cycles like this. We forget God, we sin, we suffer consequences, we cry out to God, He helps, repeat.
What's the solution? How do we interrupt and break these deadly cycles, that inevitably result in downward spirals, deadening our spirits and souls, our hearts and minds?
Let's see.