April 23. TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY APRIL 23, 2010.
STANDARDS
Definition:
A basis for comparison; a principle that is used for a basis of judgment.
SCRIPTURE:
What does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God with all your heart, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees. Deuteronomy 10:12.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
God has set standards for us who love Him to keep. Setting human standards that ignore God and His commandments have no lasting effect. For the non-believers standards are made to be broken.
For those who know Jesus as his or her Savior, a standard has significant importance. A believer in Jesus lives by the standards that Jesus gives us. God first gave the children of Israel His standards that He expected them to live by. We read in Deuteronomy 10:12-13, that there were five things that God expected of them. They were: 1. Reverence God. 2. Walk in all His ways. 3. Love Him. 4. Serve Him with all your heart and soul. 5. Observe His commands.
Jesus, when He was here on earth, lived by and taught these same standards. God does not change. His standards for us are the same that they were for the children of Israel and as they were some 2000 years ago when Jesus was on this earth and taught them personally. Standards are essential in every person’s life. Are you living the way that God expects of you and are you keeping God’s standards?
Here is a list of standards for you to evaluate. Do you set a time daily for reading the Bible, praying to God, spending time with the family and communicating with your spouse?
At the workplace do you set yourself a standard of excellence in your work, completing your work, communicating to the people you work with and living a life that exemplifies the Lord?
What about your church? Do you set examples and a standard for your family, friends and neighbors? Do you attend church and Sunday school? Are you involved in a home bible study group? Do you volunteer to help in some area? Do others during the week see the same standard on Monday that you live by on Sunday?
We are sure that these are enough questions to get you to think about setting standards in your life that honor God. Standards are necessary in life so that we can build our life on a base.
God has given us in the Old Testament TEN standards to build our lives on. We know them today as the Ten Commandments. We urge you to read these today and then print them and put them in a prominent place in your home so you have to read them daily. If you choose to do this and then choose to live by them your life will change dramatically over night. Take time today to set some standards for your life. The TEN COMMANDMENTS are a good beginning and they cover every area of life.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 11:30.
He who wins souls is wise.
PRAYER:
Give me and my family standards in our lives that we can live by and will also honor Your name. Give us a check and balance system so that we can grade ourselves and see those standards that we fail to keep. May we have a new direction and a firm dedication to live our lives in a way that honors and glorifies Your name.
April 25, 2010
Lifestyle: April 22, 2010
April 22.TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY APRIL 22, 2010.
LIFESTYLE
DEFINITION:
A typical way of living; preference; reflecting attitudes.
SCRIPTURE:
My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother. Proverbs 1:8.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
When choosing our lifestyle in life we are dramatically affected by what we were taught and what we learned beginning in our childhood days. As a young child we begin to learn all of the positive and the negative values in our parent’s lifestyle. A child learns by watching and listening. What they witness in their parents lifestyle has the most influence on them. A parent’s influence has a major role in determining the kind of person a child becomes.
Lifestyles are learned by what a person sees and hears and decisions are then made by what interests one the most. Children need to develop positive work ethics at a young age. When they do they will usually continue to have good work ethics throughout their life. Good work ethics are needed in order to succeed. The choosing of friends plays a vital role in shaping one’s life style. Again one is affected by what they see and hear.
In Ezekiel 18:5-9, Ezekiel says that the word of the Lord came to him and gave him some thoughts on what God wants in a lifestyle. The MESSAGE translation puts it in words that we can all understand today. “Imagine a man with the lifestyle of living well, treating others fairly and keeping good relationships.” He then goes on to explain what God does not want in a person’s lifestyle.
“Who doesn’t eat at pagan shrines, doesn’t worship idols, doesn’t seduce a neighbors spouse, doesn’t bully anyone, doesn’t pile up bad debts, doesn’t steal, doesn’t refuse giving food to the hungry, doesn’t refuse giving clothing to the ill-clad, doesn’t exploit the poor, doesn’t live by impulse and greed, and doesn’t treat one person better than another.”
Then Ezekiel tells us what makes a good lifestyle. “But lives by God’s statutes and faithfully honors and obeys God’s laws. This person who lives upright and well shall live a full and true life.” That is the lifestyle God wants from us. As believers we are to have a lifestyle that is characterized by love, imitates Christ, demonstrates true faith, and is governed by truth which is God’s Word.
From early on as young parents we wanted to guide our children to lead a lifestyle that was pleasing to God. When they did something wrong we corrected them and endeavored most of the time to explain why it was wrong. We taught them to know right from wrong. Before they could read we read to them from children’s Bible story books. We took them to Sunday school and church. We taught them to live by God’s standards. But what we realized to be the most important influence on them was our own lifestyle. They witnessed daily how we talked and what we did.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 11:30:
And he who wins souls is wise.
PRAYER:
Give me a lifestyle that honors and glorifies Your name daily. May my lifestyle set an example to all that I see and talk to this day. Give me the ability to teach my children how they can develop a lifestyle that honors You.
LIFESTYLE
DEFINITION:
A typical way of living; preference; reflecting attitudes.
SCRIPTURE:
My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother. Proverbs 1:8.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
When choosing our lifestyle in life we are dramatically affected by what we were taught and what we learned beginning in our childhood days. As a young child we begin to learn all of the positive and the negative values in our parent’s lifestyle. A child learns by watching and listening. What they witness in their parents lifestyle has the most influence on them. A parent’s influence has a major role in determining the kind of person a child becomes.
Lifestyles are learned by what a person sees and hears and decisions are then made by what interests one the most. Children need to develop positive work ethics at a young age. When they do they will usually continue to have good work ethics throughout their life. Good work ethics are needed in order to succeed. The choosing of friends plays a vital role in shaping one’s life style. Again one is affected by what they see and hear.
In Ezekiel 18:5-9, Ezekiel says that the word of the Lord came to him and gave him some thoughts on what God wants in a lifestyle. The MESSAGE translation puts it in words that we can all understand today. “Imagine a man with the lifestyle of living well, treating others fairly and keeping good relationships.” He then goes on to explain what God does not want in a person’s lifestyle.
“Who doesn’t eat at pagan shrines, doesn’t worship idols, doesn’t seduce a neighbors spouse, doesn’t bully anyone, doesn’t pile up bad debts, doesn’t steal, doesn’t refuse giving food to the hungry, doesn’t refuse giving clothing to the ill-clad, doesn’t exploit the poor, doesn’t live by impulse and greed, and doesn’t treat one person better than another.”
Then Ezekiel tells us what makes a good lifestyle. “But lives by God’s statutes and faithfully honors and obeys God’s laws. This person who lives upright and well shall live a full and true life.” That is the lifestyle God wants from us. As believers we are to have a lifestyle that is characterized by love, imitates Christ, demonstrates true faith, and is governed by truth which is God’s Word.
From early on as young parents we wanted to guide our children to lead a lifestyle that was pleasing to God. When they did something wrong we corrected them and endeavored most of the time to explain why it was wrong. We taught them to know right from wrong. Before they could read we read to them from children’s Bible story books. We took them to Sunday school and church. We taught them to live by God’s standards. But what we realized to be the most important influence on them was our own lifestyle. They witnessed daily how we talked and what we did.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 11:30:
And he who wins souls is wise.
PRAYER:
Give me a lifestyle that honors and glorifies Your name daily. May my lifestyle set an example to all that I see and talk to this day. Give me the ability to teach my children how they can develop a lifestyle that honors You.
Choices: April 21, 2010
April 21. TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY APRIL 21, 2010
CHOICES
DEFINITION:
Something preferred; an alternative; carefully selected.
SCRIPTURE:
“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:14.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
One of the best examples from the Bible on making choices in our lives comes from Joshua. In Joshua chapter 24 we read that Joshua called together all the tribes of Israel at a place called Shechem. The children of Israel were now in the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua. It seems that they were again beginning to rely on themselves and falling away from their faith and commitment to God just as they had done under Moses.
Joshua began by reminding the Israelites how God led Abraham to Canaan and blessed him with a son and grandsons plus many descendants. When they were in bondage in Egypt, He sent Moses and Aaron to deliver them from slavery. Joshua reminded the Children of Israel that God had brought them to the Red Sea and when the Egyptians came in hot pursuit, God parted the sea for them. Then He caused the sea to come together so that the Egyptians all drowned.
Although they had to wander in the desert for 40 years, God had protected them. Now they were living in the Promised Land because God had delivered them from their enemies and given them the victory in their battles
God then through Joshua told them that it was He who handed them a land that they did not work for, towns they did not build and now they were living in them and eating from the lush vineyards and olive groves that they did not plant.
Then Joshua gave them an ultimatum: If you decide that it is a bad thing to worship God, than choose a god you would rather serve, and do it today. Then he went on to say that as for himself and his family, they would serve the Lord.
Joshua couldn’t make the choice for them. God has given us each freedom to choose whether we will love and obey Him or not. Joshua had just reminded the people of how faithful God had been to them and how He had blessed them so abundantly, but the choice to serve the Lord was up to them.
The Bible reminds us that as people we have many choices to make in life. By far the most important choice is what we will do about Jesus? He died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and we have the choice to accept or reject His gift of eternal life. This is the most important choice we all must make. Our choice will determine not only where we will spend eternity, but how we will live our life here on earth. The choice we make about Jesus will also influence us in making all of our other decisions in life.
During our lifetime we have made many choices. The first and most important was our choice of choosing God through His Son Jesus. You have the same choice. You can choose serving God, through His Son or you can decide not to choose Him. And remember no choice is a choice not to serve God. There is no in between. As parents we made many choices concerning our children. We chose how we trained them, we chose what we taught them and we chose how we disciplined them.
In marriage we chose our spouses, we chose our priorities in marriage and we chose our loyalty to God. All of us need to make these same choices and many make different choices than we made. Some were, we are sure better and some were worse. We make choices at our schools, our workplace, our church, our playtimes and our overall life style. If you ever have a question as to whether your choices are right or wrong, the Bible must be your guide book. Any decision that goes against what God has commanded us in His Word, you can be sure that it is a wrong decision. In Psalm 119:105 it reads, “Your Word (the Bible) is a lamp onto my feet and a light to my path.” If you read the Bible and pray every day God will guide you. Wise decisions bring blessings. Wrong decisions are sure to bring misery. All decisions should be made prayerfully.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 11:30.
And he who wins souls is wise.
PRAYER:
Help me to make choices in my life that will honor You in all that I do. Make it clear to my family and friends that we all need to make choices daily between good and bad. Give me the strength to be the leader to those that look to me for direction and may my words and deeds exemplify Your name.
CHOICES
DEFINITION:
Something preferred; an alternative; carefully selected.
SCRIPTURE:
“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:14.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
One of the best examples from the Bible on making choices in our lives comes from Joshua. In Joshua chapter 24 we read that Joshua called together all the tribes of Israel at a place called Shechem. The children of Israel were now in the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua. It seems that they were again beginning to rely on themselves and falling away from their faith and commitment to God just as they had done under Moses.
Joshua began by reminding the Israelites how God led Abraham to Canaan and blessed him with a son and grandsons plus many descendants. When they were in bondage in Egypt, He sent Moses and Aaron to deliver them from slavery. Joshua reminded the Children of Israel that God had brought them to the Red Sea and when the Egyptians came in hot pursuit, God parted the sea for them. Then He caused the sea to come together so that the Egyptians all drowned.
Although they had to wander in the desert for 40 years, God had protected them. Now they were living in the Promised Land because God had delivered them from their enemies and given them the victory in their battles
God then through Joshua told them that it was He who handed them a land that they did not work for, towns they did not build and now they were living in them and eating from the lush vineyards and olive groves that they did not plant.
Then Joshua gave them an ultimatum: If you decide that it is a bad thing to worship God, than choose a god you would rather serve, and do it today. Then he went on to say that as for himself and his family, they would serve the Lord.
Joshua couldn’t make the choice for them. God has given us each freedom to choose whether we will love and obey Him or not. Joshua had just reminded the people of how faithful God had been to them and how He had blessed them so abundantly, but the choice to serve the Lord was up to them.
The Bible reminds us that as people we have many choices to make in life. By far the most important choice is what we will do about Jesus? He died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and we have the choice to accept or reject His gift of eternal life. This is the most important choice we all must make. Our choice will determine not only where we will spend eternity, but how we will live our life here on earth. The choice we make about Jesus will also influence us in making all of our other decisions in life.
During our lifetime we have made many choices. The first and most important was our choice of choosing God through His Son Jesus. You have the same choice. You can choose serving God, through His Son or you can decide not to choose Him. And remember no choice is a choice not to serve God. There is no in between. As parents we made many choices concerning our children. We chose how we trained them, we chose what we taught them and we chose how we disciplined them.
In marriage we chose our spouses, we chose our priorities in marriage and we chose our loyalty to God. All of us need to make these same choices and many make different choices than we made. Some were, we are sure better and some were worse. We make choices at our schools, our workplace, our church, our playtimes and our overall life style. If you ever have a question as to whether your choices are right or wrong, the Bible must be your guide book. Any decision that goes against what God has commanded us in His Word, you can be sure that it is a wrong decision. In Psalm 119:105 it reads, “Your Word (the Bible) is a lamp onto my feet and a light to my path.” If you read the Bible and pray every day God will guide you. Wise decisions bring blessings. Wrong decisions are sure to bring misery. All decisions should be made prayerfully.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 11:30.
And he who wins souls is wise.
PRAYER:
Help me to make choices in my life that will honor You in all that I do. Make it clear to my family and friends that we all need to make choices daily between good and bad. Give me the strength to be the leader to those that look to me for direction and may my words and deeds exemplify Your name.
Love: April 20, 2010
April 20. TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY APRIL 20, 2010
LOVE
DEFINITION:
A tender, passionate affection for another person; affectionate concern for the well being of others.
SCRIPTURE:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails. I Corinthians 13:4-9.
Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22: 37-39.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
In the book of Ruth in the Old Testament we read of one of the greatest love stories in the Bible. After the death of her husband and two sons, Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem to her own country and kindred. Along the way Naomi thought it would be better for her two daughter-in-laws to go back to their home in Moab. Naomi was widowed and without money and family. She was not only in dire circumstances but in a state of emotional despair. Orpah agreed to go back, so Naomi urged Ruth to go back with her. Ruth responded in her own beautiful words: “For wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God shall be my God.”
Ruth’s willingness to stay by her mother-in-laws side to face a future of great uncertainty and a life of poverty reveals the depth of her love and loyalty to Naomi. Yes, Ruth had great love for Naomi; however there is no greater love than God’s love for us.
Centuries ago, God sent the world a LOVE LETTER! This love letter is the Bible. God showed love to us by sending His Son to this earth to pay the debt of our sins. Humanly speaking there is no way we can completely comprehend the depth of God’s love. John describes God’s love with these words in I John 4:10-11: “This is love; not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” God showed us His love by giving us His Son and we show we love Him by keeping His commandments that He has given us on love. Today our lives need to be filled with the love that God has given us.
The love of Christ is unlimited and life-changing. When your life is filled with God’s love you cannot hate. When you love God you cannot get angry. When you love your neighbor as yourself you are honoring God’s commandment that He has given us in His word.
In I Corinthians 13: 4-9 (we have written above under scripture) Paul tells us what true Christian love is. The love of God to us never does fail. It is we that fail, not the love of God. God loves us and there are many verses in the Bible telling us how we can show how much we love the Lord. One of these verses is found in I John 2:5 where it reads that “whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.”
From the moment each of our six children was born, we were committed to teach them to first LOVE GOD and then their family and neighbors. Love is a basic need in our lives and love is what God wants from us. We endeavored each and every day to be consistent with them showing our love through our words and actions. God honored this commitment by blessing us with children that responded favorably and we are blessed to see them establishing their own families by abiding in God’s love and living by His word. Parents must set the example for their children.
We are called to love in deed and in truth. This means that we are to have compassion, LOVE, for those around us in need. This does not mean only expressing concern in words but if we want to express true love as God has commanded us than we need to also demonstrate this by our actions.
If you want to grow in love than take time to think about how Jesus gave His life for you and the love that that took. Ask God then to give you an understanding of His love and to teach you how to live that out in your relationships with your spouse, children, family and friends. As Christ’s love grows in you, His love will flow from you.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 11:30.
He who wins souls is wise.
PRAYER:
Thank You for the love You have for me and my family. Your love began with Your creation and then sending Your Son to pay the penalty for my sins. Give me and my family a new burden for showing our love to You and then to all those that we associate with each day of our lives.
LOVE
DEFINITION:
A tender, passionate affection for another person; affectionate concern for the well being of others.
SCRIPTURE:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails. I Corinthians 13:4-9.
Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22: 37-39.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
In the book of Ruth in the Old Testament we read of one of the greatest love stories in the Bible. After the death of her husband and two sons, Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem to her own country and kindred. Along the way Naomi thought it would be better for her two daughter-in-laws to go back to their home in Moab. Naomi was widowed and without money and family. She was not only in dire circumstances but in a state of emotional despair. Orpah agreed to go back, so Naomi urged Ruth to go back with her. Ruth responded in her own beautiful words: “For wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God shall be my God.”
Ruth’s willingness to stay by her mother-in-laws side to face a future of great uncertainty and a life of poverty reveals the depth of her love and loyalty to Naomi. Yes, Ruth had great love for Naomi; however there is no greater love than God’s love for us.
Centuries ago, God sent the world a LOVE LETTER! This love letter is the Bible. God showed love to us by sending His Son to this earth to pay the debt of our sins. Humanly speaking there is no way we can completely comprehend the depth of God’s love. John describes God’s love with these words in I John 4:10-11: “This is love; not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” God showed us His love by giving us His Son and we show we love Him by keeping His commandments that He has given us on love. Today our lives need to be filled with the love that God has given us.
The love of Christ is unlimited and life-changing. When your life is filled with God’s love you cannot hate. When you love God you cannot get angry. When you love your neighbor as yourself you are honoring God’s commandment that He has given us in His word.
In I Corinthians 13: 4-9 (we have written above under scripture) Paul tells us what true Christian love is. The love of God to us never does fail. It is we that fail, not the love of God. God loves us and there are many verses in the Bible telling us how we can show how much we love the Lord. One of these verses is found in I John 2:5 where it reads that “whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.”
From the moment each of our six children was born, we were committed to teach them to first LOVE GOD and then their family and neighbors. Love is a basic need in our lives and love is what God wants from us. We endeavored each and every day to be consistent with them showing our love through our words and actions. God honored this commitment by blessing us with children that responded favorably and we are blessed to see them establishing their own families by abiding in God’s love and living by His word. Parents must set the example for their children.
We are called to love in deed and in truth. This means that we are to have compassion, LOVE, for those around us in need. This does not mean only expressing concern in words but if we want to express true love as God has commanded us than we need to also demonstrate this by our actions.
If you want to grow in love than take time to think about how Jesus gave His life for you and the love that that took. Ask God then to give you an understanding of His love and to teach you how to live that out in your relationships with your spouse, children, family and friends. As Christ’s love grows in you, His love will flow from you.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 11:30.
He who wins souls is wise.
PRAYER:
Thank You for the love You have for me and my family. Your love began with Your creation and then sending Your Son to pay the penalty for my sins. Give me and my family a new burden for showing our love to You and then to all those that we associate with each day of our lives.
Communication: April 19, 2010
April 19. TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY APRIL 19. 2010.
COMMUNICATION
DEFINITION:
The imparting or interchanging of thoughts, information, feelings or opinions; the means of sending messages.
SCRIPTURE:
So Moses wrote the Law and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. And Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year at the Feast of the Tabernacles, read to all the Law.” Deuteronomy 31: 9-10.
“No man ever spoke like this Man!” John 7:46
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
The greatest communicator of all time was Jesus. In the verse above from the book of John the temple officers returned to the chief priests and the Pharisees and they asked why they had not brought Jesus to them. Their response was that, “no man ever spoke like this man,” therefore the Pharisees asked the temple guards if they had been deceived as the crowds had been deceived about this man --- Jesus!
The temple guards were Levites who worked in the temple to maintain order so they were religiously trained and knowledgeable. They were sent by the chief priests and Pharisees with orders to seize Jesus. Something happened when they came face to face with Jesus and heard Jesus’ powerful preaching. Jesus’ words got to them. They could not bring themselves to arrest Him.
Indeed Jesus was a great communicator, but more than just a communicator He came to this earth with the greatest message ever given, to save sinners like you and me from our sins. He had a message that needed hearing and there were those like the Pharisees who refused to hear the message and wanted Him done away with. They were self righteous and arrogant because of their religious knowledge. They had closed their minds to what Jesus was communicating to them.
No one can communicate to those who are not willing to listen. Communication requires listening and as Christians we must be willing to listen to what God is communicating to us.
We are living in a day when communication is basically taken for granted. We can call anyone at any time on the telephone. We can send an E mail, a text message and even a video and get connected immediately. But with all these communication aids most individuals do not use them to strengthen their faith or to reach out to their world with the message of truth that God has given us.
Why is that true? It is because it is not considered to be important and not a priority. So much communication today is just “small talk” or “idle chatter.” What people do like to talk about is themselves, what they just did or what they are going to do. And most people also like to gossip.
A believer’s first communication priority must be their communication with God. We communicate to God as we talk to Him in prayer. God then will communicate to us as we read His Word, the Bible.
Our second communication priority is our communication with our family. Sadly the American family has very little communication with each other in this day of so many communication aids. We are missing the time needed every day in the home for communication on a one on one basis. Families do not eat together, they do not share concerns or problems and they do not even play together. Dad goes one way, mom goes another and the children still another way. With parents both having to work to make ends meet and with child care making that possible, families have little quality time together.
Many families years ago when we were growing up would take time to eat a meal each day together. A family of believers would take time at the dinner hour to pray together and read the Bible together every day. Today this is basically not practiced and not considered to be part of a family’s schedule. So the question is, “How can a family bond with each other without any kind of communication with one another? How can a family of believers be bonded together in their love for the Lord if they do not communicate together with God.” The answer is simple --- It cannot! And then we wonder what is wrong with our society, what is wrong with our families, what is wrong with our schools, what is wrong with our churches and what is wrong with our leaders in government? What is wrong stems from the fact that God has been taken out of the picture. We are living in a godless society.
What we need today is a new sense and desire among families to communicate first among themselves and then to turn to God and learn to communicate with Him as individuals and as a family. How do you respond? Do you care enough to make it happen in your home? And if you already communicate daily with your family and to God, do you care enough to encourage others to do the same?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 11:30.
He who wins souls is wise.
PRAYER:
Thank You Lord, that through prayer I have the opportunity to communicate my concerns to You. Give me the courage today to communicate to my family that we need to not only communicate with each other but we also need to communicate daily both individually and together as a family with You. Help me to be a good listener when others are trying to communicate their needs and concerns to me. Make my heart receptive to the message that God is communicating to me when I read the Bible. Help our lives to change and help us to reach out to our friends and neighbors and lead them in the process of learning to communicate with You.
COMMUNICATION
DEFINITION:
The imparting or interchanging of thoughts, information, feelings or opinions; the means of sending messages.
SCRIPTURE:
So Moses wrote the Law and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. And Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year at the Feast of the Tabernacles, read to all the Law.” Deuteronomy 31: 9-10.
“No man ever spoke like this Man!” John 7:46
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
The greatest communicator of all time was Jesus. In the verse above from the book of John the temple officers returned to the chief priests and the Pharisees and they asked why they had not brought Jesus to them. Their response was that, “no man ever spoke like this man,” therefore the Pharisees asked the temple guards if they had been deceived as the crowds had been deceived about this man --- Jesus!
The temple guards were Levites who worked in the temple to maintain order so they were religiously trained and knowledgeable. They were sent by the chief priests and Pharisees with orders to seize Jesus. Something happened when they came face to face with Jesus and heard Jesus’ powerful preaching. Jesus’ words got to them. They could not bring themselves to arrest Him.
Indeed Jesus was a great communicator, but more than just a communicator He came to this earth with the greatest message ever given, to save sinners like you and me from our sins. He had a message that needed hearing and there were those like the Pharisees who refused to hear the message and wanted Him done away with. They were self righteous and arrogant because of their religious knowledge. They had closed their minds to what Jesus was communicating to them.
No one can communicate to those who are not willing to listen. Communication requires listening and as Christians we must be willing to listen to what God is communicating to us.
We are living in a day when communication is basically taken for granted. We can call anyone at any time on the telephone. We can send an E mail, a text message and even a video and get connected immediately. But with all these communication aids most individuals do not use them to strengthen their faith or to reach out to their world with the message of truth that God has given us.
Why is that true? It is because it is not considered to be important and not a priority. So much communication today is just “small talk” or “idle chatter.” What people do like to talk about is themselves, what they just did or what they are going to do. And most people also like to gossip.
A believer’s first communication priority must be their communication with God. We communicate to God as we talk to Him in prayer. God then will communicate to us as we read His Word, the Bible.
Our second communication priority is our communication with our family. Sadly the American family has very little communication with each other in this day of so many communication aids. We are missing the time needed every day in the home for communication on a one on one basis. Families do not eat together, they do not share concerns or problems and they do not even play together. Dad goes one way, mom goes another and the children still another way. With parents both having to work to make ends meet and with child care making that possible, families have little quality time together.
Many families years ago when we were growing up would take time to eat a meal each day together. A family of believers would take time at the dinner hour to pray together and read the Bible together every day. Today this is basically not practiced and not considered to be part of a family’s schedule. So the question is, “How can a family bond with each other without any kind of communication with one another? How can a family of believers be bonded together in their love for the Lord if they do not communicate together with God.” The answer is simple --- It cannot! And then we wonder what is wrong with our society, what is wrong with our families, what is wrong with our schools, what is wrong with our churches and what is wrong with our leaders in government? What is wrong stems from the fact that God has been taken out of the picture. We are living in a godless society.
What we need today is a new sense and desire among families to communicate first among themselves and then to turn to God and learn to communicate with Him as individuals and as a family. How do you respond? Do you care enough to make it happen in your home? And if you already communicate daily with your family and to God, do you care enough to encourage others to do the same?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 11:30.
He who wins souls is wise.
PRAYER:
Thank You Lord, that through prayer I have the opportunity to communicate my concerns to You. Give me the courage today to communicate to my family that we need to not only communicate with each other but we also need to communicate daily both individually and together as a family with You. Help me to be a good listener when others are trying to communicate their needs and concerns to me. Make my heart receptive to the message that God is communicating to me when I read the Bible. Help our lives to change and help us to reach out to our friends and neighbors and lead them in the process of learning to communicate with You.
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