This month we begin a journey through three amazing Old Testament books. Each one gives us a look into the sovereignty of God. We begin with the book of Esther, and see that through circumstances that may appear to be "chance", it is clearly evident that God was in control. We see that God is always in control of the details of everyone's life, and works through those details to accomplish His plan. We must learn to trust His plans even when it seems as if everything is out of control.

The book of Jonah is about a man who refused to obey God. We see that his decisions to not obey God affected not only his life, but the lives of those around him. First, Jonah put his life at risk by disobeying God. Second, his disobedience put many others at risk. When God responds to our disobedience, the consequences can not be contained to our lives alone. A life of disobedience to God robs you of credibility and opportunity to witness well to others.

As we begin our study of Daniel, the questions arise, "Why do bad things happen in the lives of people? Why are some people’s lives struck with unimaginable pain and suffering?" The answer may be hard for us to accept, but God is ultimately responsible for our pain. Daniel’s life was drastically changed in just a few moments. A foreign army invaded his country, desecrated the Temple, killed family and friends, and kidnapped him. All he knew of life was taken from him and he was taken to a foreign land. He was forced to learn a new language, taught their customs, given different food to eat, instructed by their educators, and given a new name honoring their pagan gods. His Hebrew name was significant to his faith in God. Why did all this happen to him? According to chapter 1 verse 2, God delivered them into the hand of the Babylonians. It was His intention that the Hebrews be attacked and captured by King Nebuchadnezzar. We must realize that God’s sovereignty reigns in the world. Nothing happens, good or evil, unless He allows it. We must accept that and seek to discover God’s plan in painful circumstances. This book will teach us how Daniel did just that.

Be faithful to your daily reading. Also, be faithful to apply to your life what you have read!

You can pick up your copy of the OnTrack Devotional at the Welcome Center, or download a copy using the link below.

GROW SELF-FEEDERS.
Rather than presenting preset conclusions, the inductive study method of OTD walks the user through a process of discovery, unlocking the Word by training them through repetition and modeling, how to ask good questions. Users are set free from dependence on media and other inputs that externally define for them what life is about and who God is. The Word becomes a real conversation with God.

IT'S A TOOL.
OTD is a daily devotional tool available in monthly booklet format designed to build the skill and discipline of effective daily Bible study, and is authored by Dwight Peterson. Each month includes both prayer list and commitment pages designed to add context to personal Bible study and to facilitate small group accountability.

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