Your Bible Study Issue 33: Turnover and Rebound

Your Bible Study

Turnover and Rebound! by Valerie Morrow

Turnover is terrible and to be avoided at all costs, right? After all, who wants to experience an upset, a shift, a reversal, a shake-up, a reorganization, an act of losing possession or the continuous process of loss and replacement?

I sure don't.

But what if turnover, that thing you've dreaded like the plague, were in your favor? When God turns things over, it is.

Jesus turned over the tables in the temple and corrected corruption.
Jesus turned Saul around on the road to Damascus and revealed self-deception. Saul lost his eyesight but regained it along with a new mission.
The Apostle Paul lost Barnabas, a valued co-worker in his ministry, through a difference of opinion, but gained Silas.

What have you lost? Think about it. Now forget it. When we look back to what we used to have or how it used to be, we can't see what God is giving us now. When you place your life in God's hands, he continuously turns things around for your good.

Turnover may not feel good, but it is good. Learn to embrace it by recognizing the benefits.

Turnover can correct errors. (Read Mark 11:15-18)

During Passover, Jesus visits the temple and becomes angry at the merchants making a profit at the people's expense by selling animals and exchanging currency at excessive rates. Jesus upset the leaders of the temple when he called the merchants thieves and drove them out, overturning their tables in the process.

Jesus aggressively confronted their misplaced motives (the temple was to be a house of prayer and not a marketplace for scam artists) because he wanted the temple leaders to change. In this instance, Jesus upset and shook up their organization to right a wrong.

Turnover can bring revelation. (Read Acts 9:1-20)

Saul was a Pharisee. He vehemently opposed Christians because he believed Jesus was just another false messiah. However, Jesus stopped Saul in his tracks on the road to Damascus and asked him a tough question: "Saul why are you persecuting me?" Saul, who had been on his way to find and imprison the Christians in Damascus, couldn't deny the reality of the voice speaking through the blinding light. Once he realized it was Jesus, he changed.

Saul (also called Paul), now convinced that Jesus was the true Messiah, did a complete turn around. He humbly followed Jesus' instructions and was healed from blindness--physical AND spiritual. Paul's new revelation drove him to spread the Gospel instead of persecuting those who believed in it. It was a complete reversal.

Turnover can bring opportunity. (Read Acts 15:35-41)

Not everyone trusted Paul's conversion to Christianity; many believers were afraid of him. Barnabas, an established leader of the Christian community, came to his aid and convinced the Christian leaders to accept Paul. Barnabas and Paul were sent by the elders on several important missions to teach and spread the Gospel. They were a strong team.

Unfortunately, a difference in opinion over a new disciple, John Mark, severed their partnership. Barnabas wanted to bring along John Mark on their next trip, but Paul disagreed because John Mark deserted them on a previous mission. This point of contention caused these two respected men to go their separate ways.

However, the loss of Barnabas as a co-worker, created an opportunity for Silas, another powerful preacher endorsed by the elders. The Apostle Paul chose Silas to take Barnabas' place. Through turnover, Silas gained the opportunity to help the man who would write the bulk of the New Testament.

If turnover has turned your life upside down, be encouraged. God uses shifts, shake-ups, reorganization, and yes, even loss, to perfect us. Learn from it and prepare for your rebound.

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." (New Living Translation, James 1:2-4)

Want more?

Read and Reflect: The Book of Mark Chapters 11 and 12
What might have happened had the temple leaders received Jesus' correction with an open mind instead of responding with hostility?
Do you notice any parallels between the "Parable of the Fig Tree" and Jesus' inspection of the Temple covered in Chapter 11?
Examine how the temple leaders challenged Jesus in Chapter 12 and how he responded with more parables that revealed their wrongdoing. Why do you think the temple leaders refused to acknowledge their sin?

About the Author: Valerie Morrow was born-again at the tender age of 5, but has been chasing Jesus and the will of God seriously for about 8 years. She is well acquainted with the struggles and triumphs of Christian women. As a busy (we prefer the word productive) wife, mother, entrepreneur, leader, ministry student and writer, she focuses on being well-balanced, as a necessity in life. Valerie has been a waitress, a secretary, a receptionist, a marketing assistant, an account coordinator, an account manager, a marketing director, a business owner and the "candy lady." She has learned the meaning of being secure in Christ regardless of your position or function in life and loves to share her insights through devotionals, bible studies and "self- improvement" articles from a Biblical perspective.

Valerie is the wife of Henry Morrow and the mother of little Henry Morrow (better known as "Hami" or "Mommy's pumpkin") and Charli Kathryn (a.k.a. "Pound Cake"). She is an active member of Without Walls International Church under the leadership of Bishop Randy White in Tampa, Florida.