WINNERS AND LOSERS
By Frank Eiklor and Cecilia Contreras
LESSON 19 Part 1
INTRODUCTION TO WHAT IS COMING
May I offer you a “what if” story? What if you had a piece of real estate with a proven reserve of oil under the ground at one end and a gold mine buried at the other end? In fact, what if the testing had already proven both the oil and the gold to be of incredible quantity?
It wouldn’t be buried very long, would it? No matter the effort, you’d be hard at work – and get started at the blink of an eye. And whatever time, energy or sacrifices were required, the anticipated profit would push most people on.
But that’s only oil and gold. Material stuff one can run his hands through for only a brief life time. What about a treasure that outlasts the ages – God’s truths buried throughout the Scriptures that can make a man or woman a winner for all eternity?
For example, what if someone took the time to study every winner – and loser – recorded in the Old Testament? What caused some to succeed and others to fail; some to please God and others to do the will of Satan? And what if, to shorten your search, only the key verses were presented giving the main lessons of life to be learned?
That’s what I have done in developing a Bible course not merely of past history but a study of the examples of lives that preceded us.
The New Testament (I Corinthians 10:6, 11) stressed the fact that the Old Testament is a library of examples that we ignore at our peril. Refuse to learn what made a loser, and we may follow the same foolish path. Learn what made others winners with God (the only One that really counts) and we can imitate their lives in order to also hear a final “Well done!” from the Lord of history.
The following study – Genesis through Malachi – is a spiritual oil well and gold mine combined. Sub titles break down some main highlights. Scripture references guide you to the examples (lessons) presented. We will not study each book in biblical order, but choose those that can offer you timely help in your spiritual life.
I will deliberately place the work “example” before every case presented, not to be redundant, but to hopefully prevent the student of Scripture from rushing through any part of the Word of God without pausing to think, to pray and to apply the passage and adjust one’s life accordingly.
For some, this course will prove a refreshing tool in daily devotions. Others might go through its contents with swifter and larger bites. What pleases me most is that you cannot go through this study of scriptural examples without your life being affected. God is not in the business of having His Word return void. Are you ready to go to work? I guarantee that if you want a deeper life with the Lord, you won’t be disappointed.
Our next lesson will begin in Genesis.
